X220 options

Is the 160GB Intel SSD option for the X220 the 320 series? I see that going for $290 on Amazon, while Lenovo is charging only $210 for the upgrade. Is this a good deal? I've been planning to go with the default HDD and later move to mSATA for OS/apps, but having the OS pre-installed on a (good) SSD might be handy.

I'm also considering a 3 year warranty/support upgrade (onsite NBD + priority support + TPP) for $178.89. Are there advantages to getting it with the purchase (easier? cheaper?) or is it just as well to add it later?

 

The ones currently shipping now seem to be the 320. That's what came on both of mine.

Something to keep in mind that if you're using a coupon, that'll apply to the upgrade as well. So, if you're using a Barnes and Noble 30% coupon (or any of the other coupons floating around out there), that $210.00 upgrade is suddenly $150.00. Also, keep in mind if you extend the warranty, it'll apply to the HD, another potential advantage. Add in the convenience of already having it installed and I think it's worth it. Installing an SSD isn't a huge hassle, but does take a little bit of time, and the $$ per GB seem to be about as good a value as you'll find right now. Keep in mind that SATA SSD will be a bit faster than MSATA (not sure how big a real world difference, but some say it's noticeable).

Of course, it depends if 160GB is enough space for you. It's plenty for me, but everyone's needs are different. One last thing to note is that the 320 is SATA II and many of the new trendy drives popular as upgrades are SATA III, and offer higher read and write speeds. The thoughts among those who've used both are that it's difficult to tell a difference in real world performance. I'm not experienced enough w/SSD's to have an opinion, but man, it is WORLDS different that a regular HD. I'd probably go for it as an upgrade vs. buy it separately.

 

That's $210 plus whatever the hard drive costs. It's probably close to what Amazon is offering.

I would agree that all SSDs are fast. You'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between them.

I would vote for keeping the base drive, then picking up the picking up a mSATA SSD drive. A 60GB drive costs about $90 and you could keep the platter drive for storage where speed is not as important. You would have to re-install Windows.

It's generally less expensive to add warranty coverage while purchasing a machine than later.

 

The best part about getting the SSD with the laptop is to have the warranty, though Lenovo is going to be the one dealing with any issues with the drive as opposed to Intel.

If I were in the market for an SSD I'd jump on the $200 crucial 256GB instead of an intel drive, unless that fantastic $60 rebate came back which lowered the cost of a 180GB Intel 330 drive to $140.

 

Take the minimum ram and hdd and upgrade those yourself. You can get the 320 160gb new on ebay for $170. Or go the msata route.

$179 for 3yr On-Site + TPP is extremely cheap compared to how much it costs later. Definitely get it.

 

This has been my plan from the start, but I was considering the pre-installed SSD for the convenience if it was a good enough deal (it isn't).

This is what I really needed to know. Thanks.

 

Thing is, you can upgrade to the 320 160gb for less than $150.00 right now. Of course, you'll have an extra HDD, but if you don't need it, then you have to ask if it's really worth the hassle of swapping drives and selling the HD.

 

320 and 520 Intel SSDs have 5 years warranty.

 

It takes 2 min to swap drives and less than an hour to clone. Plus, the 320 ssd's do fail from time to time and a non-OEM drive will carry 5yr warranty like the previous poster said.

 

I don't really see that as a good thing (outsourced tech support is crap). It's also much more convenient to just send the SSD for repair than the entire laptop.

@OP,

$290 (or $210 for that matter) for 160GB SSD is a robbery. Check the prices on Samsung 830 SSDs, it's also 7.5mm drive, has great reviews and seems to be very reliable.

 

It would probably take me longer to do the cloning, as I've never done it before, so personally I'm willing to pay (a bit) for the convenience. It's $147.00 right now with the 30% off coupon, so I'd be willing to swallow that vs. the SSD deals that are out there now.

The 5 year warranty on the Intel drive is appealing though--I didn't realize it was that long. That would make it a tougher call.

 

+1 for the mSATA route. I paid out my eyeballs ($191) for the Intel 310 80GB as there was nothing else around at the time with that combination of capacity and reliability and stock was very low, but you could get decent ones nowadays for half that (though maybe not 80GB).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226319
Don't forget that the x220 *will* take 9.5mm HDDs as long as you file down the tabs at the front. It's a tight fit but a solid one. Vinuneuro's thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/583998-9-5mm-hdd-t420s-x1-x220.html
The Samsung Spinpoint drive I have is really great, and I would recommend everyone snap them up (they now cost $30 more than last year thanks to lack of competition/collusion/'the flood'/take your pick) before they're all gone and we're stuck with Seagate's fecal matter.