Quick SSD recommendation

First of all, apologies for posting this here despite the massive SSD thread in the accessories section - I'm digesting that thread slowly.

Would like quick recommendations for a good SSD for my x201. we're stuck with the SATA 2 interface - here are my requirements

1) Storage space - 500GB would be great, 320 GB would be managable.
2) little easy on the wallet - anything less than $500
3) decent performance - I'm not looking for something that's ultra quick. I'm going to upgrade from a 5400 rpm hard disk, so anything in the SSD space would be better.
4) anything I should watch out for.

If possible, please provide specific links that would help me with my analysis.

thanks a lot for your time.

 

I wish I could buy 500Gb SSD for under $500

I think the cheapest SSD under 500 would be a 256GB one. Likely a Samsung OEM or Crucial.

Other options
1. Use Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid SSD/HDD drive which has a small Flash buffer to increase performance. I havent used it, you might want to check the reviews before buying.
2. Remove the optical drive caddy and use a HDD Caddy with a 500GB HDD on the caddy. For your main drive, use 128gb ssd which are cheaper.

 

I have seen a wide variety of mixed reports on the XT hybrid drives from Seagate. I'm not sure I would recommend them. YMMV. You were warned.

The X201 doesn't have an optical drive so you would need to use an external enclosure. USB would be the most convenient. eSATA via the ExpressCard 54mm slot would be the fastest.

 

OCZ has the best specs on SSDs. This is followed by Crucial. In about two weeks Intel will have a new line out. They will be slighly slower on small random reads.

Renee

 

I would use the duo hdd/ssd configuration. You could use the ultrabase cd drive for the storage drive and a 120gb intel ssd for the boot drive.

--Just notice that the OP has a x201--

Then I would recommend use small ssd for internal and a traditional hdd for a external hdd.

 

Why? What do you expect from the combination or hybrid?

Renee

 

Specs don't mean a thing, especially the ones that companies show (ie. sequential speeds). Even the Intel G2 performs better than the Sandforce drives in most situations due to it's faster random speeds. Also, OCZ is a pretty crappy company from their many past transgressions...

 

+1 I'd stick with a company like Intel and Samsung. The Sandforce drives aren't nearly as reliable, and a company like OCZ with their sly business practices is the last one I want to deal with when a RMA is required.

The Crucial drives from what I've seen are pretty power hungry. Not great for notebook applications.

 

Cost. The cheapest 256gb on newegg is $450. 60-64gb ssd + 640gb hdd can be had for $150-175. Same reasoning behind Lenovo's implementation of mSATA ssd's in next gen Thinkpads.

 

Thanks for your feedback everyone.

1) seagate momentus - I was almost going to pull the plug on this one, but the reviews haven't been good. Long term users have reported data loss due to the spin up / spin down algorithms used.

2) Secondary drive is not possible - don't want to spend money on an ultrabay and a SSD - plus, it would add to the bulk of the laptop.

3) my no.1 priority is size and single drive- the largest possible for my budget. I have a large collection of VM's that have to run - I would prefer everything on the same drive.

 

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 470 Series MZ-5PA256/US 2.5" 256GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
I think this is the best drive for your budget, it is only 256GB, the 300+GB drive are closer to the $900 range.

 

"Cost. The cheapest 256gb on newegg is $450. 60-64gb ssd + 640gb hdd can be had for $150-175. Same reasoning behind Lenovo's implementation of mSATA ssd's in next gen Thinkpads."

I must say that "you get what you pay for." Remember that there is rarely a bagain in the world of computers.

Renee

 

SSD are insanely expensive nowaday.

Wait for it a year max and its price will drop significantly.

 

Staying with old solutions is inefficient and expensive. Instead of throwing $450 at a 256gb ssd, one could put the wasted money toward one of the new gen Thinpads which all allow the mSATA sdd / SATA hdd configuration. This is the future, esp considering ssd prices have plateaued a lot sooner than people expected. This new feature is 70% the reason I'm going for a X220, fast and cheap storage at a greater capacity at a lower cost without having to resort to an external drive.

Les comes to the same conclusions:
Intel 310 Series 80GB SSD Review – PCMark Vantage and Final Thoughts | The SSD Review

 

Do you need SB for the msata HDD? I mean, all that's required is a PCI slot right? I might have to sacrifice my WWAN card in that case!

too many things to worry about . I guess I'll just wait!

any news on when higher capacity SSD's are coming?

 

Intel G3 are coming out next month, SandForce sometime later this year.

 

Unfortunately Sandy Bridge is required.

 

never mind - WWAN is far more important to me.

Are the new intel and sandforce SSD's coming with higher capacities?

 

Yes with the jump from 34 nm to 25 nm the sizes have exploded (at least for Intel). There are going to be 160, 300, and 600 GB sizes for Intel. SF not a huge jump, but 500 GB I believe is the max (400 usable or at least that was on the presentation at CES).

 

What's the approximate lifespan of SSD?

 

250gb is $615. Will Gen 3 be cheaper?

 

The longer you wait, the cheaper prices will get.

 

It would be a long time before ssd become cheap so it could replace your regular hdd. The only reason that there is a huge price drop couple years ago is the old one are SLC and not MLC.

 

Agreed, this is probably going to be the best overall SSD, plus is has a 3 year warranty. The 64GB version performs like a a champ.

 

They've had MLC SSD for a long time. But yes that is a good point as many older SSD were SLC so they actually still function fast by today's standards. SLC is disappearing from the market, only really enterprise and crazy power users would consider SLC.

 

That 600GB ssd looks sweet - but I guess it would be very highly priced at launch (maybe around $900?). Time to wait for a while on the SSD - I'm going to go out and get a WD scorpio Black for now - enough of this seagate!

 

forgot to ask. Is there some way I can use the express card slot? do we have express card based ssd's available?

 

Yes, there are, but you will not be able to boot off them--one area that SSDs have a large advantage in. You could use it for a USB 3.0 adapter card, I suppose.

 

Talking about SSDs: I was checking the prices on the Lenovo India website. Here is the link to the site.
The listed price is INR 35,483, which when rendered in US Dollars is around US$ 770!!!!!

 

This is one of the bummers about the X series machines. Most if not all of the current T and W series machines will easily boot off a SSD or other hard drive using the eSATA or combo eSATA port.

 

Damn!! I have no option but to wait now - or get a 256GB Gen 2 ssd, for what ever the price!

@lines_of_flight - Shouldn't get any fancy stuff from Lenovo India. Standard things like a battery or a charger should be fine, but a strict no-no for everything else!

 

That gonna cost someone's fortune.

 

Yeah...tell me about it! I think I can get ThinkPads cheaper from the re-seller (I can get discounts) than if I bought it directly from Lenovo.

One of the reasons I hate reading accounts of folks buying their ThinkPads in the US is because (1) the price factor and (2) their ability to customize what their machines. Here in India, its pretty much WYSIWYG!!!!! And, that too at a premium!

Sorry, all this was off topic, though the base reference is to buying SSDs from Lenovo India.

 

So what are some of your opinions on the 128GB G.Skill Falcon SSD? I recently bought one to install on the X120e when it arrives, so I'm wondering if its worth it.

 

Lenovo sales guys are pretty dumb actually...! When I wrote to them about the availability of the Gobi WWAN card, they told me that they could not sell it because of Government restrictions. I asked them specifically about what restrictions, and then they changed their story to the availability of 3G. I told them that I can use it with a regular 2G sim as well - and then I never heard back from them.

Apart from the SSD upgrade, I'm pretty much done with all the upgrades on my thinkpad - maybe another 3 years later, I'll replace the standard 6-cell battery with a 9 cell one - but that's about it!

 

You recently bought a Falcon SSD? They are like...over a year old? All of G Skill's current lineup is all SandForce SSD. Falcon is based off Barefoot Indilinx controller. It's a decent SSD, the Vertex 1 series used the same controller.