Selecting the right HDD for Ultrabay

I've been looking into expanding my storage with an Ultrabay HDD (80GB SSD just doesn't cut it). I have a T410S.

I've narrowed it down between a few of these choices, can anyone pipe in, in regards to their:

1. power draw/ effect on battery life
2. reliability,
3. speed,
4. heat
5. Do they fit? (9.5mm)

WD Scorpio:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314

Hitachi:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145257

Seagate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148533

Thanks

P.S. I might also buy another one and install it in an eSATA enclosure as an external, good idea?

 

All three of those will fit.

I think you've made the right choice with a 5400rpm HDD as a second drive. These drives tend to run cooler, quiter, and use less power than 7200rpm drives and the tradeoff in performance is minimal when used as a second disk.

In the past Hitachi drives have had a lower than average minimal power draw. However, I'm not sure if this is the case for the 500GB series. I have a 160GB and 320GB Hitachi 5k320, both work fine and have been reliable. Details on performance/power draw can be found in the SSD effects link in my sig. Therfore, I'd go with the Hitachi (but the WD is a fine choice as well).

I would not pay the price premium for the Seagate. You don't need a 'retail' drive (OEM is fine). Also, I believe the "self-monitoring technology" is a free fall sensor and is therefore redundant (the Active Protection Sensor in your T410s will take care of this for you).

 

Thanks! Very insightful. As an add on, does power draw vary between the 320GB and 500GB models?

Battery life has been a bit of a concern for me (I'm getting around 3:30 w/ my SSD) about how much would I expect to get with the 5400rpm HDD plugged in too with my 44whr battery?

Off the wall, but has anyone used, say, a 32GB SD card as memory expansion instead?

Also, input on creating an eSATA external drive also appreciated

 

Correct me if I'm wrong please, but doesn't the ultrabay adapter only support SATA I?

 

I believe the UltraBay adapter for the T410s supports SATA II (it's backwards compatible). However, even if only SATA I is supported no HDD on the market (albeit a few SSDs) is able to exceed SATA I speeds.

Power draw should not vary considerably between my 320GB HDD and the 500GB model that replaced it. However, if you get a 250GB drive from a 500GB series (or a 320GB drive from a 640GB series), power draw should be slightly lower as these drives only have one platter.

The reduction in battery life depends on usage of the HDD. If it is used only sparingly I would expect the reduction from your current 3:30 to be quite slight (3:15 at worst). However, if you use the drive frequently while on battery the impact might be much more substantial.

I have used an 8GB SDHC card as expansion for my x200 Tablet on several ocassions. It works well enough if you only need a moderate boost in storage capacity. The sequential throughput is poor compared to an HDD, but random throughput (especially reads) tends to be better. It mostly is a matter of how much space you need (HDDs are far more economical if dealing with large amounts of data [e.g. a large audio/video collection].

 

Thanks, I think I'll spring for a 320GB drive.

I got a 640GB portable external for $70 if anyone's interested. The drive alone goes for $80 on Newegg.

Dell Small Business
Coupon code: 6F1LP3Q2X4$29V




Does anyone know other ultrabay options? Say, will there ever be a USB 3.0 ultrabay adapter?

 

easy choice - get the hitachi

anything could happen, but i see no reason to believe we will ever see a usb 3.0 ultrabay adapter - would be a fairly silly use of the ultrabay, especially since the t410s already has an esata port

 

What ultrabay options are there - I know of the DVD Drive, a battery, and a HDD adapter. Are there any others, or will others come out?

Also, is there anywhere I can just purchase a 'filler' for that slot when I pop out my optical drive (to decrease weight)

 

Yes, you can order the travel cover from IBM as I did. Check my sig. You want part # 45M2657.

 

Is this also available through Lenovo?

 

Lenovo parts are managed by IBM service, just like many of its warranty support call centers. Lenovo contracts out various of its support services to third parties, i.e. IBM.

 

I found the part on the IBM site but was wondering if I could get it through Lenovo SPP since I'm buying some other accessories as well.

 

No, it's not available through Lenovo, I checked, that's how I originally found the link to order parts through IBM.

 

Okay. When I have my HDD adapter in is there any way to turn it off manually so it doesn't draw any power at all? If so, how would I do this? Same questionfor my current optical drive...

Also, is it alright for me to leave the HDD adapter in with no hard drive just as a space filler?

Thx

 

I asked the same question before and got no answers. That's why I got the travel adapter instead, just in case it might cause problems.

 

If the disk is in the adapter, you should be able to spin it down manually or set a timeout (with hdparm). Without (or with) disk, you're supposed to be able to power down the whole bay with "echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/dock.X/undock" with X of course being number for the right bay.

Since it's SATA<->SATA, there should not be major electronics inside which could get hot or draw power, so if you have it inside, it should not be different from having an extension cord plugged in.