X220 compatible hard drives

I understand that there's a thread here but it seems outdated and I do not have time to read through 5x pages of discussion, some of which are off topic by the way.

So I'm planning to upgrade my hard disk for my X220i (I already have an intel 310 40 gb). May I know what are the options for both SSD and HDD that can fit into the x220 without modification? I would want an SSD of a capacity of at least 200 gb or a HDD of 1tb.

Looking forward to your suggestions. Thanks.

 

The first post in that thread contains the info you need. There's no need for a duplicate thread.

S

 

I don't think that post is updated. For example, some claimed in the last page that the SAMSUNG Spinpoint M8 HN-M101MBB 1TB drive is compatible but there was no mention of it on the first post. When I looked it up it's 9.5mm thick. So does it work?

 

I'm trying to figure this out too !!!!!! Only thing preventing me from ordering a X220 is the fact that... I CAN NOT FIND A DAMN SSD FOR IT !!!!!!!

If I get a Crucial M4 (SATA3), and remove the spacer to bring it down to 7mm, it will work right ?? Does that void the warranty ?

What about mSATA. Any better drives than the E310 ? (it's VERY high in terms of $/GB plus it seems slow)

 

Intel 320.

All in the thread.

S

 

I'm not putting a low speed SSD in my laptop.

I want it to boot in 10s and KILL benchmarks.

Why doesn't OCZ just make the Vertex 3 in 7mm

 

Low speed? In terms of performance, the most important paramter of an SSD to me is the 4k random read/write. You think an SSD with SATA III port and low 4k random can boot in 10s? Even if you put a SATA III SSD inside your laptop, the 4k random performance would be affected by power saving settings (e.g. CPU C states). Here are simple results from Intel 320 Series 300GB:





The fatal problem with the Intel 320 Series is the 8MB bug.

OCZ uses SandForce controller in many models. I had no good impression with them a few years ago, for the firmware bugs / stuttering problems.

 

8MB is plenty !!! It's like, over 5 floppy's !!! Seriously though, no fix for it ?

Also, I never thought about the 4k / 512k speeds, never knew. I just looked at the max speed and what ATTO told me lol

Those speeds are actually pretty good (for SATA 2) but thats a x25 or E320 ?? Which capacity ?

How do those 4k / 512k compare with SATA3 drives ??

Which numbers actually matter in the real world ? (booting system / loading programs / loading games)

 

Unfortunately no fix yet, otherwise I'd definitely put my Intel 320 300GB into my X220.

4k random read is the most important factor for boot time / program load time. Sequential read/write is important for large file manipulation e.g. video editing.

Here is a comparison of random read among modern SSDs:

 

Intel 320 Series 120GB can boot Windows 7 in 8 seconds on a desktop computer, therefore probably not within 10 seconds on ThinkPads, because ThinkPads boot with a sh** load of drivers and software.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTJNu7r8VWU

 

Can anyone educate me on the 8mb bug for the intel 320 series? Also, what options do I have if I want a 1TB HDD, if any?

 

Well you really didn't answer the part about 1TB HDDs... Nordid the thread..

 

I think the most ideal setup would be 64-80gb mSata for system drive + 1TB hdd for storage, now that 9.5mm ones are out. 9.5mm involves some work to use of course though.


If all you are after is speed and dont need much space, or reliability for that matter, then a normal 2.5 sata3 SSD is the way to go.

 

Complains from users: Is 320 firmware buggy?: Intel Communities

First official response: SSD power loss report updates: Intel Communities

It's probably difficult to find 1TB HDD in 2.5" factor 7mm thin. Ever since the first SSD I used in laptops I no longer consider any mechanical HDD a reliable solution in laptops, given that I've encountered so many bad sectors in mechanical HDD resulted from shocking.

 

Your question was about the 9.5mm size of the drive, not the drive per se. That is answered in the thread.

They can be bodge fitted it seems.

 

Oh wow. What about the 310 ?

 

My time to login with a Intel 310 on SSD is 9-11s and time from login to desktop is 8-10s generally. Obviously that changes if I'm doing a Windows update or something. But yeah, I get load times in the low 20s consistently.

For reference: i5-2420M, 8gb RAM, Intel 310 80gb / Hitachi 7200RMP 320gb

Oh and here:

 

My intel 310 (40gb) boots at about 25-30 seconds.

 

Kinda what I'm experiencing. My 310 80gb from power to desktop is 22 seconds (with a login).