Please Help! Where do I install my two new tiny SSD 1.8's???

Hey all, I've not yet opened the W700 up to take a looksie just yet, but I will have to, as I just got an Intel 80GB 1.8 SSD in. This is not the 2.5" X25-M.

I have a second one, also 1.8. They're both indicated for the W700, amongst many others of course.

I didn't get either RAID0 or a RAID1 configured, as I have no need for either. So my question is, where do I put these two babies?? I have a hard drive caddy for my T60p, which doesn't fit into the W700 Ultrabay. I'm sure there is one for the new Thinkpad, which would hold one of those tiny size drives. I need one other spot, though, for the 3rd drive. Since Lenovo is offering RAID config's, this is obviously possible, is it not?

Can anybody please help me? I do have Turbo Memory, but that's coming out if it's between it, and my SSD!! Is it as easy as I am making it sound? lol...

Thanks!

 

How to install the two 1.8" sata SSDs in a W500?

1/ Grab US$14-delivered ebay W500 sata ultrabay caddy
2/ Grab two 1.8-to-2.5" sata adapters
3/ Install one SSD into the primary bay and another in the optical bay
4/ Setup RAID-0.

If there is a third bay somewhere then can also house the 2.5" HDD, otherwise it must go.

 

You'll need 1.8" to 2.5" HDD adapters from Lenovo. Part number for those is 42W8019 and you can order through the Lenovo parts website:
http://www-304.ibm.com/shop/america...rts_r&catalogId=-840&storeId=260785&langId=-1
Those should fit into the main HDD slots of the W700. For the caddy bay, you can purchase the HDD adapter here:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=78849
The 1.8" to 2.5" adapter will also fit into the caddy bay supposedly.

Good luck...
Also, RAID should be possible. I don't think they'll change the hardware just for the RAID option. There should be an empty HDD slot inside the laptop. You should open it up to find out soon, though.

 

I see that you boosted my picture (it's fine).

You will need to put your SSDs in the 1.8" to 2.5" storage converter ( FRU 42W8019). Order two from here.

 

Wow! Guys. Thanks so much for the quick and thorough responses. I will take your collective advice when I am done posting, and two of each of the caddy's, and converters will be ordered!

It's funny. Why didn't I just get 2.5" SSD's, if all I'm going to do is throw a 1.8"-to-2.5" adapter on them. Are the 1.8" ones better in any way? I guess they will need to be 1.8" to fit into any inside slots of a laptop.

@nando4: I actually just want to get the drives situated inside (both, if at all possible), and not configure any type of RAID configuration. And just for clarification, I have a W700, not a W500, as they were on sale and I had found a stackable e-coupon for exactly that model. I'd be more than happy to PM it to you, or anyone else here! It expires tonight, though, but it really is a dream machine, and the price is insane! Anyway, here's a link to the W700 page.

So back to that Intel Turbo Memory for a second. I want to say that I read somewhere that the system board allows for either the 2GB Turbo Memory, or a 1.8" 2nd HDD/SSD inside the W700. How big of a deal is this Turbo Memory anyway? As I said in my original post: If it's that or another SSD, the SSD wins without a second's hesitation.

@jonlumpkin: Thanks for the FRU #. That is one good looking 1.8" SSD strapped in a 2.5" casing!

@zephir: Thanks for all the details! This forum is full of high-caliber folks, it looks like. I'm sorry for conveying that I was interested in a RAID system. I'm not. Although my backup method is kind of like a RAID0, seeing that I run a full mirror once a month.

If you guys are ever in the market for specifically(!) a W700, or a W700ds (a pull=out 10.6 XGA screen if the humongous 17" screen is somehow not enough, get the X-Rite Pantone color calibrator. This screen is as close to our, and I think I can speak for everyone here, beloved and sorely missed IPS Flexview panels.

 

The 1.8" offers no real benefit, except maybe weight. They're identical to 2.5" performance-wise, although this is really a plus, not a minus. Regarding IPS screen, I think I'll be able to hold out for a while with my modded X200. But it's good to hear that good screen still exists

 

Well the 1.8" models are about 30 grams lighter than the 2.5" equivalents. However, that means a lot more on a 1-2 kg ultra-portable than a 4kg workstation. The 1.8" models also operate at 3.3V and use Micro-SATA (hence the need for the adapter) and might be very slightly more efficient. They are also compatible with slim laptops like the T400s or x301.

If you're using an SSD, the Turbo Memory probably HURTS more than it helps (the SSD is much faster than its cache, so you should prey for a cache miss). I'd disable the Turbo Memory even though I believe it has its own port.

Technically mirroring is RAID 1. RAID 0 is striping (wastes no capacity and roughly doubles sequential throughput if the controller is high quality). The general downside of striping is loss of ALL data if a drive fails, but SSDs are so reliable that it shouldn't be an issue. Unless your have a reason for keeping them separate (e.g. Virtualization) I'd give RAID 0 a try.

I'd argue the tablet is slightly closer in quality, but the w700 definitely has the edge in resolution and gamut.

 

Is that pic exactly what I'll get when I order FRU # 42W8019 from IBM?

I got 2 in my "cart" and ready to pull the trigger. You still running build 7264 (was it?)...Wanna the rtm?

Thanks again!

 

That is the exact adapter (at least it was 4 months ago). I actually am running the RTM (7600) just too lazy to update my sig.

 

Did I hear not one person but two, say RTM? What is the difference besides serial content between RTM and MSDN copies?

Renee

 

Thank you, sir! Items have been ordered.

And thanks to everyone who have helped me in this thread. I've added kudos to all of you. (I'm sure that's what you were hoping for. lol)

Also: Who wants a free hard drive? I'm taking it out of my sig. now, but you guys helped me a LOT!

 

i wouldnt mind a free hard drive

 

I am thoroughly over 1.8" and 2.5" spinning disks, but thanks for the offer.

 

Hah...I hear ya! Guess what, I received my two SSD's, along with the 1.8"-2.5" converters from IBM. Turns out I can fit two HDD/SSD's inside the W700. Also, the Ultrabay caddy for a third SSD/HHD came this afternoon, so that makes for a potential three SSD's all within the shell of the W700. (I dislike, with a passion, anything external)

So you're using SSD's exclusively? Samsung is coming out with a 256GB one in both MLC and SLC flavors soon. Production is supposedly starting soon, or has started already. I'll take an SLC of one of those.

 

My x200 Tablet exclusively uses solid state devices (Samsung 64GB SLC and an 8GB SDHC card). However, my desktop (really more of a file/media server these days) has an array of 3.5" hard drives as they are still the most economical choice for bulk data storage.

 

The 450Mbps N connection and the now installed and configured 128GB Samsung SSD (albeit an MLC) are bad-a$$. I'm seeing...........but I'm not believing.

In order to use an SDHC card (which I have), along with the Compact Flash option (dittooh ), then what? Turn on ReadyBoost/ReadyDrive? Oh, by the way, were you the one who opined and said that I ought to disable the Intel Turbo Memory (I have the 2GB one) for potential "conflicts of interest" in the caching department? :O

Oh man, two more questions (sorry, but when you're good...ya gotta deal lol) Did you get your SLC from Lenovo? I know you have a sick wireless-N setup. Which router do you recommend? D-Link DIR-655 or Cisco WRT610N (dual-band N craziness). Is the NVIDIA FX 2700 replaceable with the 1GB VRAM option, the FX 3700M, do you know?

Alright, Imma shut up now. I never thought I would encounter a machine that doesn't boot up and shut down, oh no! It quietly, and gracefully...turns on...and then off. All seemingly effortlessly. HA!

I can't wait to hook up my SlingBox, and turn every last thing to MAX.

Thanks for all the info. I appreciate it. So seriously, if you ever need/want a part/drive/accessory, do let me know.

P.S.! P.P.S! Has anyone ever asked you about the Advanced Frag Field Shielding Plus, also known as S-IPS Flexview w/ 180 deg. wide viewing angle from BOE-Hydis?

Peace!

 

You do NOT want to use ReadyBoost/ReadyDrive. Any CF or SD card will be SLOWER than your SSD in every way imaginable. Most likely Windows won't even allow you to enable that feature (I can't). You should disable Turbo Memory for the same reason.

No, I bought my SSD from Newegg when they had it for $175 (long since deactivated). I have the DIR-655 and it is a very good router. Its quite fast (802.11N and GigE) and has good features including Guest Zone (second isolated SSID to share your internet but NOT local shares), QOS, and limited USB device sharing. However, the DIR-655 is 2.4GHz only (the 855 is same but dual band). Note that 2.4GHz 802.11N tends to offer superior range (especially through walls), but 5GHz will work better in noisy environments (apartments, condos, et. al.).

One important thing to note, although I can connect to my router at 300Mbps, actual transfer speeds on 802.11N are a fair bit lower (about 110Mbps). At the time I bought the DIR-655 this was the fastest 802.11N router available (both in theoretical and realized speeds), but it may have since been eclipsed (although not by the WRT610N). There might also be some 450Mbps routers available now, but you will pay a premium and not realize any actual performance difference. I have a LOT of detailed info in the 802.11N link in my sig. You should also check SmallNetBuilder as they tend to have in depth performance and feature oriented reviews of routers (they're why I chose the 655).

I'm not aware of any 17" WUXGA AFFS+ panels available. The w700 uses a well above average TN panel with a wide gamut. But I believe the only AFFS+ panels are 12-13" and for use with tablets.

The only part I could use at present would be some spare nibs (red tips) for the Wacom digitizer on my x200 Tablet. I'm running low and have been unable to locate a reasonable seller.

 

The entire reason why you want to use ReadyBoost with an SD card to begin with is because of the low-access-time nature of flash memory vs. spinning platters technology. Once you move to SSD the entire benefit of low-access-time is not realized with ReadyBoost anymore. To make it worse, the transfer rate of SD card is many times slower than SSDs. That's why ReadyBoost is useless once you move to SSD.
Another advantage of SSD is silent computing. Trust me, once you swap back a normal HDD, you can still hear the faint sound of disk access everytime, once you get use to the silent operation of SSD.
I do not know the full implementation of AFFS+ technology, but I sure know the difference via my eye, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. I have a chance to use the latest screen from BOE-Hydis, and compared to the SXGA+ screen from X61 tablet, they have come so far. There's no more grainniness anywhere, and the screen is much warmer compared to older generation of Flexview, plus the screen is brighter due to LED-backlit.
Unfortunately, the current X200 tablet DOES NOT use AFFS+ screen, instead they use PVA screen (seriously Jon, you need to update your sig so potential buyers looking to you for guidance don't get misled ) that's why one of my relative who has a X200 tablet decides to swap out the original PVA screen from the X200 tablet and put in one of these AFFS+ Flexview bad boy. Plus, the screen he uses is even brighter than the vanilla screen from BOE-Hydis. Can you say 300nit AFFS+ LED-backlit Flexview screen? He only has to turn the brightness to 33% and it's already usable indoor. Even the PVA screen from Lenovo is only rated at 230nit (for the touch-variant of X200 tablet). Battery life is vastly improved as well as a result. Trust me, the difference is night and day. If you use a screen slightly superior to TN, like PVA, and think that you've seen it all, then I say that you couldn't be more wrong.

 

Read THIS.

Sig has been updated (fixed the display, WLAN, and Win7 Build). Just as a side note, while the AFFS+ may be better, the S-PVA on the x200T is very good. It is also rated at 285-nit and I tend to use 4-7 bars (out of 15) when indoors. To those it may concern the threads that have led to the conclusion that the LED SuperBright panel is Samsung PVA rather than Hydis FFS are here and here.

 

I saw the link that you pointed to a while ago, and that's what I mean. They don't really go into detail about the technology, except pointing out the difference between the older technology of AFFS vs. the newer technology of AFFS+. I'm guessing that this is to prevent someone else stealing the technology.
You're indeed right about the fact that the non-touch LED-variant of X200 tablet has a 285 nit screen. My relative has the touch LED-variant of X200 tablet with its 230 nit screen. I forgot to mention that. The PVA screen from X200 tablet is indeed very good compared to TN screens, but it's no Flexview.
My relative still has his PVA panel from Samsung from the swap, so I can guarantee you that the panel that X200 tablets LED-variant use is a PVA panel.
What's more concerning is that on the Lenovo tabook they list the panel as IPS. This is clearly a case of false advertising and will mislead buyers.

 

@jonlumpkin: Awesome, and thanks again for the technological explanations. I won't bother w/ SDHC, and the Turbo Mem, along with ReadyBoost, and ReadyDrive are now off.

I've got my house wired with Cisco WRT610N's (one acts as a repeater) due to the 5.2GHz lack of range. In 2.4GHz, I pick up 22 (twenty-two) G routers, so that's busy as hell. I've always been partial to Linksys, but D-Link worked very well, too, when I had one of those babies a while ago. Cisco is actually coming out with a WRT610v2 refresh model, if that is of any interest to anyone. You think I should get the D-Link 855 for better performance? The WRT610N was constantly dropping the 5.2GHz connection, until I looked for a firmware upgrade, and after the update, it runs like a dream now. I'm open to D-Link, though, as it has gotten excellent reviews from the "pro's", and end users alike.

Anyway, so you need the red TrackPoint caps? There are three kinds, as you probably know, so which will it be? I can just send you one of each if you want.

@zephir: FFS, then AFFS, then AFFS+ LCD's, a.k.a. S-IPS (Super-IPS) were only produced for the X series models you mentioned, but luckily also for T60p's (3 months only in late '06). I know cause I lucked out and got one of them, which I'm not sure I ever want to let go.

As for the W700/W700ds series, yes, it has a TN panel (apparently a really good one) and the high-end WUXGA screen has 400nit, but that's just brightness. Several reviews, and people who own them that I asked said it was the "single best laptop screen currently available"...but you have to get (and use!) the built-in color calibrator (which is not a standard option). It is stunning I will admit, but after two years with S-IPS, and another 3 years with "regular" Flexview, the difference is visible, but strangely enough, not nearly as much as the TN screen my girlfriend has in her T60 (SXGA+ screen but no Flexview because only 15" in SXGA+ and UXGA got the Flexview's). jonlumpkin is right about the LED SuperBright being the Samsung PVA, btw.

I skipped the entire T61/p series, along with the T500's, until the W700 came out. People were talking about the screen...I wanted to upgrade, had always wanted a 17" laptop, and then there was the damn-near-half-off sale. lol...so I took the plunge, and I am impressed.

 

If you already have a WRT610N and it works fine there's NO point in changing to a DIR-855. I've always had good luck with Linksys as well, but the DIR655 had more features at a lower price when I bought it.

No, I'm good on TrackPoint caps (I order those from eBay resellers in HK). What I can't find at reasonable prices are the replacement red tips for the Wacom digitizer pen (used on the x200T or the w700 with photo package). They get sharp over time and no longer write smoothly.

Glad you're enjoying your new machine.

 

I see. Do you know the FRU # for what you need? I'm not sure the W700's digitizer works with any red tips. I don't currently have the WACOM digitizer option. It works with a black pen, which slides into the right of the machine when not needed.

But the FRU should be all that's necessary. I'll look for it as well and post back when I find it, if you don't beat me to it. I'd be glad to order a few for you.