T420(s) with 160 GB Intel SSD Russian Roulette!

I'm hoping to pull the trigger on a T420(s) next week, and I was interested in getting the Intel 160GB SSD. I was wondering if id get stuck with the old X25M, versus the Intel 320, which Lenovo lists as part #0A33983. It turns out that it cant be guaranteed.

here is the chat:

[rep]: Thank you for choosing Lenovo chat. What may I help you with today?
Customer: I am going to purchase a T420s in a few days and I am interested in the Intel 160 GB SSD . my question is if i order the ssd with the system will it be the new one (part # 0A33983) or the old X-25M
[rep]: oh
[rep]: i think you asked me this before
[rep]: we do not have that info
[rep]: it is an Intel
[rep]: but specifically
[rep]: unaware
[rep]: sorry
[rep]: just FYI
[rep]: we only sell the latest and greatest parts
[rep]: furthermore
[rep]: the T420s is brand new
[rep]: no old parts in it
[rep]: came out this month!!!
[rep]: so I would not be worried
Customer: would there be any way of verifying this when I order, I don't want to get stuck with the older part, considering it is pretty expensive
[rep]: there is not way for us to give you that kind of info
Customer: ok thanks for the help have a good day
[rep]: same to you

I'm tempted to just order stock HDD and buy the 320 seperately and install myself, but am worried about the install process. I'm pretty weak when it comes to this stuff. How hard is it to clean install the system? I follow this forum everyday and I hear confliciting reports about SSD alignment, missing SSD screws, recreating EE 2.0, etc etc. Its almost worth the extra money (to me) to just have Lenovo do it all, but now its risky given the above chat

 

If you order stock hdd and self install sdd it would be easy enough. Just first thing turn on the laptop, go to thinkvantage tools, rescue and recovery discs, follow the prompts and create the recover discs. Then put in the ssd and install the recovery via recovery discs, that way you won't have to worry about alignment and EE 2.0 will be intact.

 

thanks madcow06, I'll consider that!

When you remove the spacer on the Intel 320, the screws are too long to put in the T420s, which only takes 7 mm drives, anyone know where to get some shorter screws?

 

I will second this... if they can't promise the newer 320-series drives then go to NewEgg (it'll be cheaper) and buy it. Install it yourself. Then grab either an UltraBay HDD adapter or an external 2.5" powered USB-enclosure for the drive that came with your laptop.

 

Well G2 get completely phased out, there will be no way to know.

I would kinda be wary of using recovery discs to image an SSD, it may not get aligned correctly causing a decrease in performance and overall lifespan on the SSD.

 

Just make sure you update all the driver and the software before you make a backup.

 

Yes, this, do it.

The only way to get better is to practice.

 

I see the original poster is in Canada.
Make sure to check out the prices for the intel 320 ssd at newegg.ca. You probably already knew that though. I see the 160GB is listed for $300 CAD, pretty good price.
Newegg.ca - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW160G3K5 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I've installed the x25-m ssd in a x61s and a T60. Both had vista to begin with. I used a windows7 upgrade disk to do a clean install. The advantage do doing a clean install is you can pick and choose which lenovo software you want to use, saving you space on your SSD. It is nice not having a bunch of lenovo enterprise software that you'll never use. I like Access Connections though.

Anyways, after installing windows7, here's the order I installed lenovo drivers/software in case you're interested.
1. Power Manager Driver (aka ACPI Power Management)
2. Power Manager
3. Hotkey Driver
4. Intel Chipset Driver
5. Ultra Nav Driver
6. Graphics Drivers (If you have an ATI or Nvidia graphics card)

7. Access Connections (Optional)
8. Other drivers, bluetooth, sd card reader, etc.

 

There's another trick. When you get your new laptop, do a full disk image so you can always go back to the factory state. Then hit this blue Thinkvantage button and tell it to restore your system. I hope the new T series does what the old ones did: it will give you the option of installing only the bloatware you want. This is faster than doing a full clean installation from the Win7 disks.

Once you're done, then install your apps, update everything, and then image that complete install to a separate disk. Then once your machine gets the typical Windows-rot degradation in a few months, you can simply reformat your SSD, image back from the separate disk, and have a fully setup, fresh machine again.

 

Thanks for all the tips! Just ordered one from newegg.ca!

 

I am a complete NOOB when it comes to installing Hardware, and I installed the HDD on all my lenovo's .... very easy to do... dont worry about it...
good luck on the new laptop... I might get an Intel 320 for my MBP hope this works out for you.