Upgrading T400 with SSD

Has anyone here swapped their hd with an SDD drive - if so , how's it running and can you make any recommendations for a good deal? (I'd be fine with a 64g or higher.)

Thanks!

 

Been using a (relatively) old school Samsung SSD with my X200T. Using a similarly old school Intel G1 with my Dell. Haven't had any problems with either, and I don't even use TRIM.

These days I think a SandForce drive will generally give you the best bang for your buck, though.

 

I swapped my my 160GB HDD in my T500 with a 160GB intel SSD + added a 500GB HDD to the Ultrabay.

It flies and speeds up things significantly in any system. I have also used a 256GB Samsung SSD in both my T500 and previous R500. The 128GB SSD in my X200 was also running flawlessly.

Bottomline, get any current SSD and it will be a significant performance improvement.

 

How do those old Lenovo Samsung SLC ssd's perform? I've got a MCCOE64G8MPP-0VAL1 here from a broken machine. It's 1.8" though so an adapter is required to work in the T400.

 

It will definitely be an improvement due to the low access times. I would install the SSD as the main drive and add your existing HDD via an ultrabay caddy.

 

These are actually really good for the age. I "started" on one of these some two or three years ago when every other SSD on the market was some crappy JMicron derivative. Not quite as fastest as the current top of the line, but fast enough that you won't see any stuttering, etc.

 

Well I've now had not one but *two* SandForce-based SSDs (both using the SF-1200 controller) fail catastrophically, each within a couple months of purchase. I'm all for improved performance, but so far SandForce has not made a good first impression on me...

Personally I'd stick with Intel's SSDs. I've been using them since they were first released, and both the G1 and G2 drives have proven to be reliable, high performance, and power efficient.

 

I've got a first-gen SLC drive in my X300, and performance is fine. Not quite as good as Intel's offerings, but considering its age it's quite good.

An added perk of that drive is that it's an SLC one -- so if you're a heavy user you may benefit from SLC's longer lifespan.

 

As compared to a 7200rpm HDD, is a SSD significantly faster?

 

The difference in actual experience for the user should be substantial. I have an "old" (18 months) Samsung-driven OCZ Summit 120GB SSD. Every now and then I have substituted the original 7200rpm HDD for the SSD, with identical software, to compare. It surprises. The 7200rpm HDD is excellent, but still a paradigm shift from how different the SSD-system operates. It is like finding a new gear. It is not just enough to compare specific benchmarks, however different the results there, but to witness the two results made from the sum of the many differences of the two technologies acting in the same role, within the system as a whole. Any "modern" SSD should make a profound and noticeable difference to the real-world operation of a notebook; all other things being equal.

 

Thanks. And, how about the "life" of an SSD as compared to the tradtional HDD? Recovery on an SSD does not pose to be a problem right?

Edit: Would you say that essentially SSD technology is now mature?

 

There is a good recent assessment here: Consumer SSD Battle: WD, Kingston, OCZ, Intel | silentpcreview.com. On the first page it says "most [SSD's] having estimated MTBF (mean time before failures) much higher than HDDs". If that is correct, then your chances of SSD failure are lower in an equivalent time frame than a HDD. At worst, I would say it is equivalent. Some SSD makes have very long warranties - but that can be interpreted in opposite ways - as the equipment being very safe, or an insurance for something that is likely to fail (!). But MTBF is only an assessment of an average failure rate. Specific machines can in reality fail at any time. The important thing is that the nature of SSD technology makes the data inherently more durable - or at least easier to retrieve if there is a major problem. Even if a SSD cannot write anymore, data on it should still be readable. The SSD is not as such a "drive" at all.

I don't know whether any modern computer equipment is "mature". Is the HDD "mature"? Any piece of computer equipment considered "mature" can also probably be considered out-of-date! I do keep a lot of "mature" computer machinery in storage...still in good working order, but no longer in use as better, though less "mature" equipment has come along. I have used my probably "immature" SSD for 18 months now constantly and it has given me less strife and angst than the dozens HDD's beforehand. But few of them actually failed...they were just harder to keep it good shape than an SSD, once set up OK.

With any setup, I would always have (and do have) at least two complete perfect (and un-compressed) copies of all data (kept up to date to the level of bearable loss) away from the originating computer. At least two. I think a SSD is less in need of it. But I would always have it. In that case, a good warranty (=insurance) in the case of hardware failure of the operational/originating "drive" should be all one needs. Check that before you make a choice - but always along with normal backup procedures, as for a HDD.

 

Is SSD tech "mature"? Well... no, but only because controller designs are constantly changing.

Personally I'd say that Intel and Samsung controllers are "mature", in that both of the companies have been in the SSD game for a couple years now -- the former has an excellent track record, and the latter has been in the industry basically since the start. JMicron has also been producing SSD controllers for quite some time, but given their initial designs I'd be a little hesitant to go with an SSD that used their controllers. Indillinx and Sandforce are (AFAIK) the two newest entrants, with the former having a slightly longer history (primarily supplying high-performance controllers to OCZ). Sandforce... well... the SF-1200 was their first consumer controller, and I gotta say: if my experiences were at all representative, they have a good bit more work to do...

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But none of that is really all that important, since you're doing regular backups... right?

 

Thanks for your explanation! It's comprehensive, It is exactly what I need.

 

Nikehome is a spammer account for the company Renice (China). I would be careful before you listen to anything posted under that account.

 

Clearly as that is all he posts. Would you want your data stored on an unknown brand? They need to give their hardware to review sites to get their name known. If the product is then good it will sell itself, rather than spamming sites like this.