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    SSD upgrade for a VGN-T350P?

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by wkearney99, May 27, 2011.

  1. wkearney99

    wkearney99 Notebook Consultant

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    My wife has a T350P and is still fine with using it. It's got the dock and a two new batteries. It's running w2k pro and has been upgraded to 1GB. Most of the time network connections are made with a PCMCIA cell modem.

    Trouble is it takes a long time to boot (compared to everything else these days). I've done a reformat/reinstall in the past and that typically helps a little. But before I do that again I'm wondering about replacing the drive with an SSD. While I know it's not a 'standard' drive (1.8") I don't know if it's possible/practical to replace that with something faster, like an SSD. Capacity really isn't too much of an issue as the machine doesn't get used for much other than remote Citrix sessions and some local files worked on in Office. I could go so far as to rip out the optical drive if that increased the options.

    As a side note, I've noticed battery life when using a PCMCIA cellular air card seems a lot better than using Wifi. I picked up a Verizon MiFi hotspot and tried using it for a few days. I noticed the laptop running short on power a good bit sooner than compared to using the PCMCIA modem. Go figure, must be the power management for a cell connection is better than wifi.

    I've had the whole thing apart before (replaced the PCMCIA socket after the machine got dropped) so I'm not afraid to dig into it. I've dealt with tiny cables and sockets too. I just don't want to wander into having to solder SMD stuff.

    At some point the price of upgrading this relic is going to be more than just moving up to something new. But an upgrade would require new power supplies (home, office, boat, bag), new docking stations (home, office), bag, sleeve, batteries and the cellular modem (as most new machine don't have PCMCIA). So while a new netbook or similar ultraportable might itself be cheap, all the accessories would drive up the total cost.

    What're my options without paying a King's ransom?
     
    wkearney99, May 27, 2011
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  2. wkearney99

    wkearney99 Notebook Consultant

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    wkearney99, Jul 1, 2011
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