T520 or T530 SSD caching with mSATA

I'm helping a friend out with a laptop purchase...Both of these seem like a good fit, but I want to get him a laptop with SSD caching.

Can we simply install an mSATA SSD (most likely a 60GB) and use it as an SSD Cache opposed to a boot drive? I know idealy you want the boot drive but he's computer illiterate and doesn't want to work with managing his file saves etc.

If you install the SSD do you need to install windows software to manage it? Fresh install of windows?

Thanks!

 

You can consider a Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid drive. It includes a SSD cache that is managed by the drive itself. Reviews here and here. Possible purchase here. As they say, "SSD-like performance, HD-like price."

Or, you can install a mSATA SSD (64GB or 80GB) as a boot/OS/app drive. The stock HDD in the primary drive becomes the "user" storage drive: all your friend's folders are created there and files are saved there. Very simple. No need to remap or redirect anything. Basically, your friend never saves files in those folders (Documents, Music, Pictures, Video) under Libraries on the C: drive.

In both cases, you need to either "recover" the Lenovo image or fresh-install Windows.

I have tried both solutions above (in addition to the "SSD in primary bay + HHD in UltraBay caddy adapter" solution). I find the Momentus Hybrid solution cost-effective for the performance increase it provides.