Thinkpads Forum

I need to replace hard-drive in my T30
Lenovo quoted me $450 for listed replacement part.!!!
I see Fujitsu new drives for $60, all specs seem to be same.
Will I have any problem installing in T30?

This and similar questions get asked here almost every day. I'd like to see a definative list or thread on this subject. So maybe this can be that thread. My understanding it that beside the obvious (you can't install an SATA drive in an IDE machine and vice-versa) that the only recent (as in T2X series or later) machines that you have to worry about drive compatibility are the T43's, R52's, and X40's. Everything else can use drives off of a retail shelf. I'd like to hear about any exceptions I missed from others ...

Any model before the *6* series have P-ATA (aka IDE) drives. (n.b. important X4* models have 1.8 inch drives)
Any model *6* series have S-ATA drives. (up to today at least)

The difficulty comes with the height of the drives; models before the *4* would accomodate 12,5 mm height and 9 mm height, after that only 9 mm height can be used. (exception here is maybe the R5* - haven't tried a 12,5 in one - I don't believe it can).

The big question which probably worries some people is; what capacity can a particular TP use? This is, on some older TPs, dependent on the bios, a good time to ask if some one has tried a particular drive capacity. I believe, but stand to be corrected, if a TP from the T2* series has the latest bios all capacities should be recognised. (echo - stand to be corrected).

As afollow-up:

With the necessary hdd adapter all TPs, (afaik exception legacy TPs), can accomodate P-ATA (aka IDE) in the relevant xx-bay adapter. Only certain adapters will fit in certain TPs. (oops here's another possible thread - bay adapters/drives for which sometimes adapters for the drives/adapters are necessary). All *6* series will also accomodate S-ATA drives in the bay adapter. This includes the X* series where obviously the necessary dock with bay is required.

The drives must not be IBM/Lenovo labled.

Does that help a little?

Thanx for prompt and full explanations

andyP wrote: All *6* series will also accomodate S-ATA drives in the bay adapter. This includes the X* series where obviously the necessary dock with bay is required.

I haven't tried it personally, but I've heard that SATA drives will run in a SATA 2nd HDD bay adapter on T4X and R5X machines too.

It has been done in a T43, see* this thread, but don't forget the T43 has a S-ATA controller with P-ATA bridge which the other T4* don't have. That is to say; I don't believe the drives will be supported in the other T4*, regarding the R5* - I'm not sure if it has the P-ATA bridge.

*page 2 has the answer, but it's worth reading from the start.

andyP wrote:... regarding the R5* - I'm not sure if it has the P-ATA bridge.

An R52 does, it basically a T43 in disguise.