X220T with [160 GB SSD] vs [320 GB HDD + mSATA]?

Hi everyone,

I'm about to pull the trigger and buy an X220T with i7 and 4 GB RAM. I was hoping to get my first SSD hard drive, but I can't decide between getting the 160 GB Intel SSD (around $370 to upgrade, I believe) or getting the 320 GB HDD (which is currently free to upgrade to) and then getting an 80 GB mSATA in the WWAN slot (which looks, from the Lenovo support videos, fairly straightforward - do you guys think someone who's never taken apart/put together a laptop/computer before will be able to do this fairly readily?)

Also, besides the Intel 80 GB mSATA (which appears to be sold out at Newegg...), are there any other 80 GB mSATAs out there that y'all would recommend? Another thing - I skimmed through the thread about mSATA/USB3.0/i7 incompatibility, but just to check, that should be fixed now, right? Also, i7 is the only core that comes with USB3.0 for the X220T, correct?

Appreciate any advice/help!

 

Hey. Do what I did, get 2GB RAM and buy 8GB seperately (cheaper)
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Laptop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSQ

Avoid intel 320 till bug is fixed. Get C300 or M4

310 + HDD is a good option too if you can sacrifice speed for space.

Dont get i7, not worth the $
Get the 1 step higher i5 for $50 (best bang for buck)

2410m to 2520m gives 200mhz boost, more turbo boost, and 100mhz turbo boost on GPU. Plus it gives other features that help virtualization.
All the further upgrades to is add 100mhz each, not worth it.

You can get an expresscard addon for USB 3.0

 

Thanks for the reply THS. The min amt of RAM is 4 gb, so I'll just stick with that.

In re: "intel 320 bug" - that refers to the 320 GB HD? Or are you referring to the Intel 320 SSD?

Also, will there be any difference in battery performance between i7 and i5? And if I do the Express Card addon, does that mean I have to get the "Gemplus 54mm ExpressCard Smart Card Reader," or will there automatically be an Express Card reader?

Thanks a bunch!

 

Hmm, min ram was 2GB for me but that's EPP pricing in Canada.

The Intel 320 SSD's suffer from the 8MB bug. There is a chance that the drive would go from its gigabytes of capacity to 8mb capacity upon system crash or power failure.

Only way to fix is it to reformat and lose all your data (not guaranteed too)

Intel admitted the problem and no solution yet...Sucks because I was getting a good deal on a 320....

Naturally the battery will last slightly longer with i5.

It already has a 54mm expresscard slot. Don't need to add that card.

Also, try to get EPP pricing or discounts ect.

 

Thanks. The 160 GB SSD hard drive option for the X220T should be an Intel X-25, right? And how big of a performance difference is there between the mSATA SSD, C300/M4, and the 160 GB SSD (X-25)?

 

M4>Intel X25>mSata Intel 310

However in random reads/writes not all that great a difference.

Frankly I have been very impressed with the speed of both the mSata adn even more so the X25 vs my C300s and the M4.

 

I was in the same boat, decision-wise, as you and opted in the end for the 80GB mSATA SSD (intel) and the 500GB drive that I ordered with my T420.

I was looking at the intel 320-series SSD, but $300 for "only" 160GB of primary storage, along with the 320-series 8MB bug that's still not fixed, put me off. The various Sandforce SSDs out there also seem a bit too flaky for my liking. For less money I now have 580GB of storage with the critical OS and software files on the SSD and all the data on the HDD.

The only problem is getting hold of the mSATA drive. I am assured by Datavision that mine will ship within days, but they are out of stock or backorderd at all the retailers I tried (including Provantage and Newegg)

 

Just to add, I've used Intel X25-M SSD ES-version, X25-M gen 1, and X25-M gen 2, and had encountered the 8MB bug on all of them at one point or another. There is no fix, except to replace the controller.
Great to see Intel following up on this problem /s