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    SSD & Ultrabay caddy recommendations for T530

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by Spyderz, Jul 25, 2012.

  1. Spyderz

    Spyderz Newbie

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    getting a thinkpad t530 and intending to swap out the drive for an ultrabay to install a 128GB SSD
    deciding between crucial m4 or intel 520,any recommendations?
    another point is the Ultrabay caddy being sold in ebay, is it true that not all the third-party caddies are reliable?anybody can point out a reputable seller for it?
    or else i would probably just take the mSATA route instead
     
    Spyderz, Jul 25, 2012
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  2. Kaso

    Kaso Notebook Virtuoso

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    You can always take the mSATA SSD route. The Crucial is worth considering. (You'll have to remove the keyboard, which is the case if you plan to add a second RAM stick.)

    Regarding the UltraBay caddy adapter, I would suggest considering this or this. Many forum members apparently have used the former. I've bought from both vendors. (For the latter, use coupon code TPW520 to receive 5% discount.)

    So far, I've been using only Crucial M4, but have heard great things about the Samsung 830.
     
    Kaso, Jul 25, 2012
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  3. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    mSATA SSDs are certainly a viable option, and the great thing about them is that you can keep the stock HDD as a bulk storage drive. As for M4 vs 520, read speeds are pretty much the same, though the M4 will have slightly slower write speeds. Still, for the price, the M4 is a better deal, and you won't notice the difference between M4 and 520 as much as you'll do for HDD vs *any* SSD.

    I use the NewModeUS caddy in Kaso's second link in my laptop (to hold my 320), and it works like a charm. Only a few caddies I know of have a full 12.7mm height, and since I didn't want an unsightly gap I got this.
     
    Jarhead, Jul 25, 2012
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  4. Spyderz

    Spyderz Newbie

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    i will definitely be keeping the stock HDD (chose the 7200rpm 500GB drive) so its either mSATA or ultrabay
    i was keen on gg for ultrabay due to the SATA 6gbps and I rarely use the optical drive anyway.
     
    Spyderz, Jul 25, 2012
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  5. Spyderz

    Spyderz Newbie

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    any reasons why u didnt choose the first one?i saw in the ebay site that the new one has no gap
     
    Spyderz, Jul 25, 2012
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  6. yrc

    yrc Notebook Consultant

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    Crucial has mSATA SSDs. Their 128GB is almost the same price as the regular m4 and has the same specs for 117 plus tax: CT128M4SSD3 - 128GB, mSATA Solid State Drive , from Crucial.com
     
    yrc, Jul 25, 2012
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  7. Kaso

    Kaso Notebook Virtuoso

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    In my case, I didn't know about nimitz when I was buying the adapters from NewModeUS. The one by nimitz is less expensive but is equally serviceable. The one by NewModeUS is lighter.

    Both links I provided are for 12.7mm UltraBay, perfect fit, no gap. (Lenovo, for over a year, did not sell a proper UltraBay and irresponsibly left a gap.)
     
    Kaso, Jul 25, 2012
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  8. power7

    power7 Notebook Evangelist

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    power7, Jul 25, 2012
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  9. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    Do note that the optical bay is only SATA II, not SATA III; mSATA port is that same, SATA II. Only the primary HDD bay is SATA III.
     
    Jarhead, Jul 25, 2012
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  10. power7

    power7 Notebook Evangelist

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    QM67 chipset in x20 series supported 2 x SATA III drives , and these were connected to the primary bay and Ultrabay .

    QM77 in x30 series also supports 2 x SATA III, so Ultrabay should also be SATA III.
     
    power7, Jul 25, 2012
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  11. Kaso

    Kaso Notebook Virtuoso

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    No. For T530, Lenovo assigns the two SATA 6Gbit/s ports (managed by QM77 chipset) to primary bay and UltraBay. (This is understandable as Lenovo wants to sell UltraBay HDD as a configuration option.)
     
    Kaso, Jul 25, 2012
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  12. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    Ah, I see it on Lenovo's site now. My mistake >.<
     
    Jarhead, Jul 25, 2012
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