lenovo w520 SSD question

Hey Guys,

I just ordered a W520 without Raid (whatever that is) I do have an SSD I plan on putting in to use in conjuction with the existing 320GB. Can I still do this even though I didn't get the raid? I wasn't even sure what that was but I figured it wasn't anything I needed. Thanks for any responses!

 

You can use three storage devices in the W520 without RAID.

 

RAID has nothing to do with what you want to achieve.

Yes, you can have the SSD working in conjunction with the HDD that comes with the W520.

For your best interest, that SSD should become the boot drive and the existing HDD should become your storage drive. Now, you need to buy an UltraBay hard drive adapter caddy that will sit in the UltraBay in lieu of the optical drive.

It is quite simple to remove the HDD from the primary bay and replace it with the SSD. It is even simpler to put the HDD in the caddy, remove the optical drive and insert the caddy.

How do you install Windows onto the SSD? Either by restoring from the Lenovo Factory Recovery discs (which you will create right after you see the Windows desktop for the first time), or by a fresh installation. In either case, leave the HDD completely out of the system until the recovery/installation is completed and the system boots properly.

 

Ok good....are you saying that I need to replace my optical drive with the SSD? I really need to keep the optical drive in the laptop and was hoping it had 2 slots in the back or something for my two hardrives

 

You must be dreaming!!! Two slots in the back, or something???

You put the SSD wherever you like, but if you want the SSD to co-exist with the HDD, you must use an UltraBay adapter caddy. (NOTE THIS: Suppose you ordered a W520 with RAID, Lenovo would also use a caddy to house the second drive, in which case the system would be delivered WITHOUT an optical drive.)

Or, you could install an mSATA SSD in the WWAN slot. That way, you could have a fast boot drive, a regular hard drive (in the primary bay, as it comes in the delivered machine), and your beloved optical drive.

Had you done any significant investigation before you decided to buy the W520?

 

Thanks for the help!!!

 

The reality is that you want to put the SSD where it will do the most good. For most people, they feel the I/O improvement when they use the SSD for the OS and apps.

However, some folks are actually best served by using a high speed I/O device for their data. In those cases you might see more than one SSD device used.

Many of the current gen ThinkPads support a SSD in the primary bay, the WWAN PCIe slot (mSATA), and via a HDD/SSD adaptor in the Ultrabay.

Therefore, you can actually use two different SSD style devices before ever having to yank the optical drive.

An 80GB mSATA drive along with a 256GB SSD in the primary bay is a great start and you don't have to spend a fortune.

 

Ok, perfect....thanks for the help guys, very much appreciate it.

And @Kaso you are right I definitely should've been asking these questions before I got the laptop....but I guess the thinkpad has always been my dream laptop so regardless of what the answers were I was going to buy it

 

The W520 is a great workstation laptop. Did you order it with FHD screen?

Basically, if the optical drive is a requirement, consider mSATA SSD for boot drive (OS and apps) and HDD/SSD in the primary bay.