T420s SSD question

Hello girls & guys,

I bought a ThinkPad T420s about 5 months ago - here are the specs (the site is in German but I'm sure you'll figure it out). I love it although my fan went already down but it's all working now. I just have enough of my HDD because it's REALLY slow and decided to buy a SSD. I really didn't know which should I choose and that's why I went through some test, benchmades etc. and have found 4 candidates:

• OCZ Vertex 3 120GB
• Kingston HyperX 120 GB
• Corsair Force 3 GT
• Intel SSD 510

1) I'm looking for a fast and trouble-free SSD. First I wanted a Intel SSD but after seeing the test results I'm no longer sure if this one is a good choice and I read some really nasty things about OCZ and I have some bad feelings about this fellow...

2) It will be used only as a windows and/or linux partition so I'm not quite sure if 120GB is the best choice - Maybe 80GB will be enough?

3) How does it look like with Linux? I have some database programing at the moment and we're using Ubuntu so it would be cool to have it installed next to windows on my baby.

thanks for help!

 

You should consider getting a mSATA drive. Then you can keep the platter driver for extra storage. The biggest mSATA drives right now are 128GB. You should note the drives you've listed are 9.5mm drives while the T420s uses a 7mm drive. You'll have to modify the drive or the T420 to get it to fit. The Samsung 830 will fit. I don't know about the availability in Germany.

SSDs change so fast and furiously these days, and SSDs are so new, I don't know how much can one can tell realistically about reliability. As always, you should have a good backup. In real world usage, there should be much difference between the drives.

Usually with Linux if you stick to the Intel parts, which it seems you have, you'll do pretty good with Linux, but I don't have any firsthand knowledge abotu the T420s. Good Luck and welcome to NBR.

 

Out of the ones you listed, I would only consider the Intel, especially since you specifically mentioned "trouble-free". SandForce based controller SSDs have had a rocky past and I would want to see a little more success from the current offerings before I would consider one.

I like ZaZ's recommendation on an mSata SSD paired with a regulard HD.

 

hey guys, ive got a similar question.

my brother wants an SSD in his T410s and I'm not sure whether this Intel is micro SATA or mSATA.

Newegg.com - Intel 320 Series SSDSA1NW080G301 1.8" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Internal SSD

i'm trying to find a 1.8 that fits his T410s and is around $250.
cant seem to find a 1.8 C300 anywhere legit and the only other decent drive, the 160gb Intel 320, is out of his price range.

thanks

edit:

he'll most likely go for that intel as soon as i get confirmation that its micro SATA

 

mSata is the Intel 310 series, among others. 1.8" is not mSata, nor does T410s support mSata. The link you have is just to purchase a 1.8" drive, as opposed to the more common 2.5" drives. It should fit the T410s, but you won't be able to have an mSata SSD + HDD combo like in the current gen thinkpads.

 

oh ok. didnt realize that mSATA were those enclosure-less drives meant for uber-thin laptops.

guess i'm good to go with that 1.8" intel.

 

Have you considered the Samsung 830? I put one in my T420s and it runs like a dream. It was also a perfect fit for the 7mm drive bay. If you're going to straight replace your HDD, you want to keep the 7mm size in mind. I think the Intel 510 doesn't fit without some modification. Can't speak to the others.

 

However, the Intel 320 fits fine when the plastic spacer is removed (I think it is also sold in a 7mm version without the spacer). I've got that drive in my T420s although, if I were shopping today, I would look closely at the Samsung 830.

John

 

If you want trouble-free, then stay away from SandForce controllers, including 99% OCZ products, some Corsair products.

I would recommend the following:

Samsung 830 Series
Crucial M4 Series
Intel 320 Series

 

also if battery life is a concern, some of the drives you listed would not fit the bill

 

I have that very drive purchased from newegg as well for the same price (that was 15 weeks ago, no price drop since). It's a micro sata drive, and is 7mm and fits the T4x0s without modification.

It's fast too! Especially with those random read/writes.

Also it lists it as a 1 year warranty, but it's a 5 year warranty.

 

Yep, you can get a version of the Intel 320 without the spacer:

Newegg.com - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2BW160G301 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Internal SSD

Although the Samsung 830 is comparable in price and considerably faster. That said, they are both damn fast relative to a HDD.

 

I just ordered an Intel 320 Series 120G Sata II SSD for my gaming machine, but it's going to be tough making that small amount of space work for OS + games.

I have a Thinkpad T420s for work and was thinking about just putting the Intel 320 SSD in it, replacing the main SATA II HD. Someone mentioned a spacer piece, but reviews mention they used to ship these with the 310 sata III's so hoping it will not be difficult.

Can anyone replacing the main HDD with a 2.5" Intel 320 series SATA II SSD or similiar
comment on installation or any caveats?

 

That depends on what you purchased. The warranty is different for OEM and Retail drives.

 

The physical swap is very easy if you get a 7mm thick SSD. If the SSD has a spacer then you need to remove 4 screws, remove the spacer and refix the cover with M2 x 3 screws.

How are you planning to transfer your Windows setup? Intel offer a free version of Acronis TrueImage which you can use to clone your existing HDD onto the SSD.

John

 

I assume the screws I'd need can just be taken off the existing SATA HDD that I'll just be replacing.

For my T420s system (Fedora 15) I was just going to use an Acronis bootable CD and use an image backup, I'd normally just use 'dd' but it gets angry when my destination is smaller than my source.

If I decide to use the SSD in my gaming machine instead, I think my case has equivalent hardware in one of the hot-swap bays and I planned on using an Acronis image of the old drive overtop the new one. I would make sure to plug in the new SSD drive first so Windows knows about the drivers before making the image, hopefully it won't freak out.

 

This is true, I was assuming the retail version would be purchased. The price difference is less than 30 bucks and it's a 4yr longer warranty.

 

Screws holding the drive in the caddy can be transferred with the caddy. However, if your SSD comes with the plastic spacer which you need to remove then you will need shorter screws to refix the cover (the original screws fix the spacer and the cover).

John

 

Samsung 830 (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

7mm right out of the box, no need for reconfiguration.

Even includes a FULL VERSION of Norton Ghost 15 if you want to clone your hard drive.

Me? I just used my recover disk and did a clean install.

Simply turned off the computer, swapped out the old hard drive with the new 830. Plugged a external USB CD drive with my boot load CD in. Turned on the laptop, boot from CD and installed away.

Maxed out my Windows score at 7.9.

Happy camper right here.

 

Thanks very much for the information. I've been wondering about this and I am glad someone manned up and bought one. I want the 256GB drive for my next ThinkPad.

 

What's the capacity of your 830 please?

 

Hey guys,

I just got a new T420s but without SSD and i badly need to get an SSD for it. My question is that I am planning to buy the new Samsung 830 256GB and which is 7mm form Factor, hence physically it should fit in place of the old HDD without any problem, but would the IBM allow SATA3 transfer on the Samsung? willl i benefit from the full speed?

 

The T420s is a SATA III notebook and will do SATA III speeds, but it's unlikely you'd notice a difference between the two for most uses. In my own opinion, you're better off with the mSATA drive for the boot drive and keeping the platter drive for storage. That way you get speed and storage.

 

What drive did the OP end up getting?

My T420s has the Intel 320 SSD (160gb) drive and it runs fast. Would love to get a Ultrabay adapter for an extra hard drive, but decided that I could live with the 160gb for now. Picked up an external Toshiba 1TB USB 3 drive instead.

 

I got the new Corsair Force 3 240gb drive for my T520 a few weeks ago. I can say that it is very stable so far. Not a single BSOD or crash and I've been running it 24/7 for the last 3 weeks doing everything from basic tasks to video encoding, gaming, what have you. I was initially hesitant, but I got the drive for a discounted price and a hefty rebate made it worth the gamble.
So far so good. My close friend has the Force GT version and has been having similar positive results.

I'll be keeping a close eye on both of our drives, though, and if they hold up well for the next few months I think I'll be sticking with Corsair SSDs.