x300 SSD option

[erik Community SuperMod]

arthur, that HMM has been replaced by an updated version found here:

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/42x4239_01.pdf

no mention of 1.8" HDD options is made in the new version so one could surmise that they won't be an option anytime soon.

[_Arthur]

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erik wrote:
arthur, that HMM has been replaced by an updated version found here:

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/42x4239_01.pdf

no mention of 1.8" HDD options is made in the new version so one could surmise that they won't be an option anytime soon.

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Ah, I was not able to find any more recent documents. So at first they would add a 1.8" HDD. So maybe if we will see any, it might be the 120gb 5400rpm one. But that's just speculation.

Also a change in the specifications is that in the First Edition manual they mention a SSD with Bluk Encryption. In the Second Edition the Bluk Encryption is not mentioned anymore.

Nevertheless I do like the X300 and it's on top of my whishlist at this moment

[erik Community SuperMod]

here's the HMM index page for all thinkpad models:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-39298

[citruslime]

I agree that the 1.8" HD option would perform very poorly. The SSD makes the X300 feel comparable to a higher spec. laptop, whereas currently 1.8" hard drives are very slow. My impression is that they tend to be designed for iPods/small devices rather than laptop usage. However our when purchasing my X300, our Lenovo account manager said the SSD was a 2.5" drive, I'm not sure how true this is, as I've yet to take the SSD out,  but they did email me a response.

"Is the SSD SATA drive 1.8” or 2.5”?" - My question (among others)

"In response to your final question, the SSD is 2.5." - Chris @ Lenovo

It maybe possible to fit a normal drive, however it would still be slower in normal usage than an SSD.  

Message Edited by citruslime on 04-28-2008 05:10 PM

[erik Community SuperMod]

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citruslime wrote:

"Is the SSD SATA drive 1.8” or 2.5”?" - My question (among others)

"In response to your final question, the SSD is 2.5." - Chris @ Lenovo

It maybe possible to fit a normal drive, however it would still be slower in normal usage than an SSD. 

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unless lenovo are spec'ing out different SSDs than what's shown in the current hardware maintenance manuals, that's absolutely incorrect.   the SSD used in the X300 is 1.8" and there's no room for anything larger.   the SSD used in all other models (T61, X61 tablet, R61, etc.) use a 1.8" to 2.5" adapter (FRU# 42W7888) to adapt the 1.8" micro-SATA SSD to the standard 2.5" SATA drive size.   i have this very adapter sitting in front of me and have seen it spec'd in various hardware maintenance manuals.   here is a picture of my X300's SSD sitting inside the adapter with the rubber rails removed.

[Ken]

The SSD is a 1.8" drive.

[Witling]

I'm planning on buying an X300 but I am troubled by the SSD. Please note the following article at Tom's Hardware. For those not familiar with Tom's Hardware, it is a very well respected hardware site. This is a very recent article entitled The SSD Power Consumption Hoax

The executive summary is that contrary to assertions, SSDs do NOT save power. Second, some operating systems, like Windows, for example, write many more changes to the disk than others, e.g., Linux. A good portion of the SSD software is devoted to wear equalizing so that the same memory locations are not being constantly written to and read from. I was all for SSD until I read this article.

My question is, is there any change in Lenovo's decision to use only the SSD. Although I think I'll love the X300, I'd hate to buy it to just set aside an extremely expensive SSD.

[erik Community SuperMod]

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Witling wrote:

The executive summary is that contrary to assertions, SSDs do NOT save power. Second, some operating systems, like Windows, for example, write many more changes to the disk than others, e.g., Linux. A good portion of the SSD software is devoted to wear equalizing so that the same memory locations are not being constantly written to and read from. I was all for SSD until I read this article.

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please understand that tom's hardware didn't test the samsung SSD spec'd in the X300 and not all SSDs are created equal.    because of this thread over at the thinkpad forum, i recently tested my X300's SSD in an X61 and found it gave 20 minutes more runtime during two completely unscientific test sessions.

regarding wear leveling, an SSD has more memory inside than advertised to replace tables as they wear out.   a 64GB SSD still has 64GB of available storage space and nothing is lost.

if you want to do more homework on SSDs then you may find the following articles of interest:

Solid State Hard Disk Drives

Solid State Hard Disk Drives (SSDs) Part 2

Life with a Solid State Drive

[Witling]

Thanks for the post. I will try to "study and show myself approved."

[Witling]

SSD (solid state drive) -- the issue that will not die (right now.

See Fujitsu Exec Doesn't Believe in Flash Drives