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    W530 - mSATA as boot drive

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by rfielder, Mar 25, 2013.

  1. rfielder

    rfielder Notebook Consultant

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    I have done some searches here, but not found anything directly related.

    Just tried pricing a couple of configuration for the W530 on the lenovo.com website. The High Performance version did not have a section for mSATA. The lowest price config that was then modified did, but it sounds like the mSATA drive can only be used as a cache.

    Is it possible to install a larger (128GB to 240GB) mSATA drive in a fully loaded W530, and use the mSATA drive as the boot drive?

    Thanks in advance!
     
    rfielder, Mar 25, 2013
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  2. Kaso

    Kaso Notebook Virtuoso

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    Short answer: Yes.

    Regardless of CTO offerings ("High Performance," etc.), the W530 has a PCI Express slot, situated underneath the keyboard, that can be populated by either a WWAN card or a mSATA SSD card.

    Don't buy a CTO W530 with a small "file cache" mSATA SSD if you want to install your own mSATA SSD and set it up as a boot/OS/programs drive.
     
    Kaso, Mar 25, 2013
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  3. rfielder

    rfielder Notebook Consultant

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    Kaso - thanks!

    A couple of other quesitons, if I may.

    First, there is no BluRay drive option. That seems an odd deficiency.

    Second, there is no mention of the optical drive being in a removable bay. Is it? I had expected this class of machine to let you swap out the optical drive for other components, such as a second (or third) hard drive, or an extra battery.
     
    rfielder, Mar 25, 2013
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  4. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    Yes, you can swap out the optical drive for a hard drive, but battery option was dropped. I know others have bought off the shelf Blu-ray drives and swapped the bezels. Lenovo made 12.7mm Blu-ray drives for older ThinkPads. Those might be worth investigating to see if they work.
     
    ZaZ, Mar 25, 2013
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  5. rfielder

    rfielder Notebook Consultant

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    Actually, I would be more interested in knowing why they don't offer a BluRay option for such a powerful workstation. Is there no demand for it?

    I have a BD burner in my main machine at home, and have found very little use for it. Unlike DVDs, burning a BD seems very finicky and problematical. Very few of the ones I have burned are playable in every other BD home theatre system that I have tried.... this includes my own video project created with Adobe CS6. Compatibility seems.....less than perfect.

    Is it the same bay as used in previous W class machines? Might an older battery fit?
     
    rfielder, Mar 25, 2013
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  6. Kaso

    Kaso Notebook Virtuoso

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    I hear you. In any event, you can replace the stock optical drive (mechanically ejectable) with a mechanically and eletrically compatible Blu-ray drive, by Panasonic, for about $70 at "a certain popular auction site."

    The stock optical drive sits in the so-caḷled UltraBay and is removable. Alternatively, the UltraBay can accept an UltraBay HDD/SSD caddy adapter, which you can get for a price ranging from $10 to $50. With such a caddy adapter, you can add a second drive in lieu of the optical drive. (The W530 can have up to 3 drives: one in mSATA slot, a second in the main bay, and a third in the UltraBay. Any one of those drive can be set up as boot.)

    No extra UltraBay-located battery for W530, though.
     
    Kaso, Mar 25, 2013
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  7. kayphoonstar

    kayphoonstar Notebook Guru

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    kayphoonstar, Mar 25, 2013
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  8. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    That would be my guess.
     
    ZaZ, Mar 25, 2013
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