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    SSD Upgrade for T60

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by sfo423, Jul 6, 2011.

  1. sfo423

    sfo423 Notebook Geek

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    I have a T60 that has a 50 gig HD w/XP. I am thinking about adding a larger drive as I only have ~16 gigs remaining.

    A couple Qs:

    1. What is the preferred SSD for the Thinkpad and what is the largest that will fit in the bay? I've read good things about the Intel products, yet others say you are paying a premium for the 'brand' and there are equal less expensive products.
    2. Are there 'other' things I need to add (i.e. new s/w) if I upgrade to a SSD?

    I suppose this might be a good time to upgrade to Windows 7 (which means an upgrade on Office apps, Acrobat, etc....).
     
    sfo423, Jul 6, 2011
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  2. dm1user

    dm1user Notebook Enthusiast

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    Let me be nice, and possibly save you 6 months of headache/waiting on firmware fixes, avoid Sandforce or Intel 510/Crucial m4/c300 for the time being. SSDs I have not experienced any problems with: OCZ Agility 60GB (indilinx barefoot controller) and Samsung 470. Somebody else feel free to tell me I'm wrong, and/or that I don't know how to install Windows; if I couldn't make this M4 work stably on two VERY different machines, without resorting to IDE mode, then I feel sorry for less experienced users having to try registry fixes/firmware updates/bios settings JUST TO MAKE THE THING WORK STABLE (not performance issues). My vote goes to Samsung 470 128gb because its $20-30 cheaper than Intel 320 120GB currently.
     
    dm1user, Jul 6, 2011
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  3. stidolph

    stidolph Notebook Enthusiast

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    I've been using an OCZ Vertex 60 in a T61 15.4" and it's done well ... but, I found that an OCZ Vertex II would *not* fit into the same chassis! The drive's baseplate was a little different and it wouldn't fit. I suspect a little judicious filing would fix t, but I just used the drive in a Toshiba laptop instead. So, if at all possible I suggest you verify the candidate drive physically plugs into the chassis (or is easily returnable).
     
    stidolph, Jul 6, 2011
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  4. kevroc

    kevroc Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm not sure upgrading your hard drive has anything to do with upgrading your OS and apps, but that's up to you...

    I have 4 different SSD's from different manufactures (all 128gb's) and they all work fine and they are all considerably faster than any HDD.

    You can examine the topic for months, but save yourself some trouble and just buy an inexpensive, well rated drive and be on with your life :)
     
    kevroc, Jul 6, 2011
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  5. sfo423

    sfo423 Notebook Geek

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    It doesn't; just an opportunity to move forward.


    Yep, I've read to much on the forums already (too many opinions). Egg has some good reviews. I suspect I can see what Lenovo recommends and copy that.
     
    sfo423, Jul 6, 2011
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  6. kevroc

    kevroc Notebook Evangelist

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    I would do them separately...

    When I bought mine I browsed through NewEgg and just looked to see what had the best read/write speeds with good reviews and a good price. The only thing I'd probably add to that is to visit the vendors website and see if they offer any type of firmware update mechanism.

    Outside of that it should be pretty easy, and you won't believe the speed difference. You'll never go back... :)
     
    kevroc, Jul 7, 2011
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  7. sfo423

    sfo423 Notebook Geek

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    From what I've gathered, good 128GB options are the Kingston's SNVP325-S2 or the PNY Optima. I read that Toshiba or Samsung also make good choices.

    Also, I am not going to swap over all of my applications on the new drive; but add new OS & apps and only pull my files over. Clean start.
     
    sfo423, Jul 7, 2011
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  8. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    Your SSD is likely to be more quick using XP than 7. Unless you need the optical drive, I'd say a small SSD and a hard drive for the bay might merit consideration. The Momentus XT could be worth a look too.
     
    ZaZ, Jul 7, 2011
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  9. Renee

    Renee Notebook Virtuoso

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    I'm waiting for a 260 GB ssd to come for this W520. I did not pay attention to the price. I will have the best computing I can have without paying attention to price.
    Renee
     
    Renee, Jul 7, 2011
    #9