Upgrading Hard Disk Drive of Lenovo THINKPAD T500 2055 ?

[Alex9Spain]

Hi there,

My personal laptop is Lenovo THINKPAD T500 2055, and its main specifications as follows:

- Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9400 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2).

- 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory Module 4 GB (2 x 4 GB) 1066MHz DDR31066/PC38500 DDR3 SDRAM SoDIMM Kingston

- ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with 256MB.

- 160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm.

I really need to upgrade the Hard Disk Drive to a bigger size (500 GB, 7200 rpm). and, my major questions are as follows:

* Could you please advise me on which Hard Disk Drive (500 GB, 7200 rpm) should I buy for my T500 laptop?

For example, I found (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NSBF32) But I have no idea what T500 supports and what it doesn't... Therefore, I need your help to guide me about this matter. In other words, How do you know if ABC-Hard Disk Drive fits with T500 and XYZ-Hard Disk Drive doesnt fit? What is the clue in knowing what T500 accepts?

My another question is:

* How easy is it to remove/replace Hard Disk Drive in Lenovo ThinkPad T500 ???

I already watched CRU Removals/Replacements on (http://www.lenovoservicetraining.com/ion/R61_T61/index.html), But the clip is for ThinkPad R61 and T61. So, Could you please help me how to handle it with T500 ?

I would greatly appreciate your inputs.

Thanks for your consideration of my request, and I very much look forward to hearing from you soon !

[Maliha Community Moderator · Accepted solution]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Any SATA drive that is 2.5'' wide and 9.5mm high will work in your T500. The drive you linked to meets the requirement and thus will work.

For removal and installation instructions, have a look here:- http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/migr-71568.html

Hope this helps.

[Alex9Spain]

Thank you so much Maliha for your prompt response.

For example: The Hard Disk Drive on (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NSBF32) states: "80 percent faster performance than traditional 7200-RPM drives".

Is this true?

In other words, Are these statements are just for marketing stuff?

Would you recommend other kinds (Brands) of Hard Disk Drive other than Seagate ?

Also, Thank you for the Hardware removal and installation - ThinkPad T500, W500. This is such an excellent resource.

I very much look forward to hearing again from you !

[Maliha Community Moderator]

You wouldn't find much difference between hybrid and traditional drive, read the reviews on amazon, and if you want really fast performance drive then SSD is the way to go. Hitachi, Western Digital and Samsung make very good 7200-RPM drives.

[Creatively]

Does any SATA drive of that size also work for my T500 Type 2081?

[CorkyG]

Yes!

[TuuS]

I just got a couple Hatachi 750GB, 7200rpm drives for less then $75 each (usd). They should work in any recent thinkpad, but I've installed them in my T500 and T61 models.

There are some 1000GB drives that aren't much more money, but they are the slower 5400rpm. These might be better on battery life, but will be slower performance.

The only 7200rpm drives larger then 750 that I've found are very expensive high end devices costing 2-3 times as much.

[redwood499]

If I were purchasing a drive for myself I'd get a seagate, western digital or Hatichi.  Unless you're getting a ssd; then it really doesn't matter.  OH, my experience 18 years in IT support.

[tripplec]

My recomendations is based on what I use and familiar with. Seagate Momentus drives is where I look.

[CorkyG]

Lots of good answers.  I have done all of the above with a T60 and a T510 several times.  If you need storage space with a noticeable, modest increase in performance, however, not up to SSD class, a Seagate Momentus XT hybrid works just fine.  I have 4 of them!  They do learn, and after about 3 cycles, the average bootime to fully loaded and ready Win 7 on line is about 31 seconds.  Yes, a SSD will be a bit faster, but a lot more $$$ for a small increase. 

I urge you to order a second drive caddy complete with soft rubber rails. That way, you can mount your new drive quickly and keep your old on ready to go as a backup.