Slow x301 anyone?

So i have an x301 with an
SU9400 1.40
4 gb ram
120 gb sata 5400 rpm hdd
windows 7 installed.

This thing is just slow when i type on it and other things. Now i am assuming i should upgrade the hard drive to get some more speed from this things, since i seem to have one of the few x301 out there with a traditional hd.

Any recommendations?? What kind of SSD should I get, and is there anything that i should be worried about when installing it??

Also will it really help with the speed or do you think there may be some other problem here?

Thanks in advance.

 

1.8" Intel SSD would be the performance choice.

 

I have an X301 with a 64GB SSD and it's perfactly adequate.
At times it is slower (my T61 is much faster, but it also has a 160GB hard drive spinning at 7200RPM's).
If you do go SSD, I would get a 128GB SSD.
Also to be honest, I had to idea that an X301 came with a spinning HD, I thought they were only available with SSD's.
Cool nonetheless !

 

Well i think that is because we bought it from microsoft store, which had a promotion for like $774 ... i think i need to get a new hd... my brother may be getting me a 80gb ssd... Intel X18-M 80GB SSD (G1) i think is the model....

 

WOW, that's a great price for an X301. Mine was like $1300
But ya, that 80GB SSD should definitely be an improvement !

 

Even my X30 with 512MB RAM is very responsive "when I type on it and other things." There is no reason why your X301, even with a mechanical disk, should be slow in the same situation.

I think there is something wrong with your Windows installation. Malware infection, perhaps?

 

Yeah what exactly are you doing when it's slow and how clean do you keep your computer.

Some people live off of their netbooks...an x301 completely wrecks any netbook. Shouldn't have any trouble 'typing'.

Also I don't think an SSD is gonna help you very much if you're experience slow downs when typing.

 

slow... typing? I haven't had slow typing since approx 1995. something else is wrong with your computer.

 

you mean the laptop takes a while to show all the things you typed right? i.e. lagging effect?

 

I just installed a 160GB Intel X18m G2 into my X301 last night and have noticed a pretty good performance increase in loading times and less lag while working in a virtual environment (read: no delay in VM/VirtualBox) as opposed to when I used the original Samsung 128GB SSD. If you're going to upgrade, I'd recommend the Intel X18 G2's for sure!

I really wish I could have sprung for something a little cheaper around this capacity, but having a 1.8" limits your choices to a few reliable companies - Intel, Samsung, and Toshiba.

As far as installation goes, it's pretty much plug and play. Just make sure to create your recovery disks for re-installation of the OS.

 

The problem I think is that i am running quickbooks, and a java based in house software which lags the computer as well....
The lag is generally only in outlook, so i am thinking there may be a problem with it as well, i really do not want to spend any more money on the laptop (since i am not going to get it back from work)......

I am going to see if we get that harddrive... but i want to know if there is difference in G1 and G2???

The one we are getting is G1, so is that an older version

 

The G1 is the older version, but is still a great drive. It lacks TRIM support, but the Intel controller is very resilient and should maintain performance over time. Your benchmarks might drop slightly with use and/or as the drive fills up, but actual "feel" in terms of snappiness/app loading should not be affected.

I have a G2 Intel X25-M in my desktop, an OCZ Agility in my wife's system, and a G1 Intel X18-M in my notebook, and can vouch that the G1 X18-M is just as snappy as the other two (TRIM-supported) SSDs. My benchmarks with the G1 X18-M have also remained stable (at rated specs) after months of use.