W520 Advice

I'm looking to purchase a new Thinkpad W520 to replace the Dell in my signature (it's physically falling apart and is starting to have electrical issues as well). So far, I have the following:

I think it look pretty good as-is, but is there anything I should change? I'm not really looking to spend more, but if it's something small I'd be willing to spring for it.

 

Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN

 

I already have an Intel 5300 AGN in my Dell that I can pull out...would the 6300 make much of a difference vs the 5300?

Also, I forgot to include in the OP, I have a bunch more DDR3 (either 6GB or 8GB) that I'll install--Lenovo charges absurd amounts for RAM upgrades IMO.

 

Who doesnt?

 

Start here Lenovo - Barnes and Noble Gold then add the president discount.

 

You can remove it from the Dell, but it won't work in the W520. Thanks to the fine folks in the US government, Lenovo whitelists WLAN/WWAN cards -- so ones from other manufacturers won't work.

 

Unfortunate, but true. Why they charge several hundred dollars per 8GB stick of DDR3 when you can get 2 8GB sticks on Newegg for $150 blows my mind.

Already doing that, but thanks

Wow, that sucks. I don't think that this one was from the Dell in the first place--if that matters. Would $17 extra for the 6205 or $34 extra for the 6300 be a better deal?

 

It doesn't matter. It won't accept any other card than a ThinkPad branded card.

I would suggest dumping the SSD and going with a regular drive, then picking up a mSATA drive unless you need WWAN.

 

$34 for the 6300 is worth it.

Regarding dumping the SSD, not so fast. The SSD upgrade is $170. That's a pretty good price for the upgrade.

 

True, but a mSATA cost $100. Plus you've still got the HDD left over for extra space.

 

Until msata capacity reaches 160GB, I am uninterested.

 

Alright, thanks. I'll throw in an upgraded WiFi card.

I was looking on Newegg to see how much the SSD would be separately, and, yes, it was a good bit cheaper through Lenovo.

As far as the whole SSD thing goes, I think I'd rather just stick with the 160GB Intel one. I've had an Intel X25 before and it was very fast, so I'm confident that this one will be as well. I've had a bad experience with mSATA thus far; I had a Thinkpad X220 briefly last year and an Intel 310 80GB and the two didn't work together.

If I decide I need more storage, I figure that I can always get an Ultrabay caddy and use the 320GB drive from the Dell. Sure, it's only a 5400RPM drive, but for music and pictures I don't see that as a problem. I don't foresee this happening, however, as I'm currently only using 96GB.

 

Samsung PM830 has 256GB, but I think it's currently only available on Samsung laptops.

 

Only 160GB.

This.

 

So do you guys really think it would be better to go with the stock HDD and get a mSATA one? The Intel 310 80GB costs $180, making it more expensive than the 160GB one from Lenovo and smaller. I do realize that a 40GB one is also available, but I've already used a 40GB SSD as my primary drive and I found it very inconvenient.

 

Well, 80GB mSATA SSD + 500GB HDD is not "smaller."

 

That's definitely true, but the amount of high-speed storage is definitely smaller.

My opinion is that the Lenovo SSD makes the most sense since it's slightly cheaper and twice the size of the mSATA model. And then if I do run out of space, I can get an Ultrabay tray for ~$20 and then have another 320GB of storage. Financially, that seems like the best option. Or am I thinking about it in the wrong way?

 

No, not wrong. It's just personal preference.

I tend to consider SSD for boot drive (OS and apps) and use HHD (even at 5400rpm) for all data files. But if you look at the SSD as your only, primary drive that provides space for everything, I understand your approach.

 

consider that running mSATA+HDD will use slightly more power than just running a single SSD as well.

 

For an X220, I would strongly advocate an mSATA drive given the potential for a 2-drive setup in such a small laptop. For the W520, though, I think it makes more economic sense right now to get a cheaper 2.5" SSD and just get a <$20 UltraBay for a HDD down the road if more storage is needed.

 

Does this discount apply in Canada?

 

ada? What does this stand for?

 

Personally I don't recommend HDDs in any laptops due to the nature of them. Hard drives + movement = bad.

Sure they have features to prevent damage to the platters in the event of a fall or shock but really, why risk it? SSDs are cheap and plentiful these days.

Just my opinion on HDD vs SSD.

 

Plentiful? Perhaps. Cheap? Depends.

$1200 W520 + $700 SSD, this might make sense in the bigger picture.

 

Well, I just ordered the configuration I had in the OP + the Intel 6300 WiFi card. Any tips for when it arrives?

 

Congrats. I really do think the mSATA is the best setup, but it's your machine and you got to live with it, not me.

 

Yep. Use the applet in Control Panel Lenovo supplies to make the factory disk image set. I believe it's still 1 CD (boot) and 3 DVDs (OS and Apps).