T20 HDD Successfully replaced

[cultofbyron]

Hello, this is my first post and thought I'd celebrate this by announcing that I have successfully replaced the creaking, clunking 12Gb HDD on my T20 with a brand spanking new Hitachi 100Gb beast. Not the hardest of upgrades I hear you cry, but the cloning process (using Acronis Migrate Easy) kept me up til 3am... grr... but it's running alot faster and quieter now so I'm happy.

Next is a RAM upgrade so I'm going to get onto those nice people at Crucial to see if they can ship to the UK. But hello once again!

CofB

[Robbyrobot]

Next is a RAM upgrade so I'm going to get onto those nice people at Crucial to see if they can ship to the UK.

As far as I can see, the discussion centering around Crucial concerns 133MHz RAM that is compatible with 100MHz systems such as the T20 and T21. It has no bearing on straight, normal 100MHz RAM and unless you are buying RAM with a mind to use it later in another machine with a 133MHz frontside bus, you can buy normal 100MHz RAM anywhere.

I have both a 600X and a T21 and recently bought three 256MB, 100MHz modules via Ebay. In all, the price was less than EUR 100 delivered (including shipping). Two of the modules have 8 chips per side, one presumably four (it was made during the shortage of ceramic bodies for RAM chips and the chip area is covered with a thermoset plastic). It took around a week after I won the auctions before the modules were in my hand. All three work perfectly in both machines (checked with memtest 86+).

So unless you definitely want 133MHz modules that will work in a 100MHz machine, my advice would be to look for normal 100MHz modules at Ebay or elsewhere in the UK to avoid delay, high shipping charges and possible customs duties. One other thing to remember is that if you have to return a module for whatever reason, that is going to be a problem too (shipping, customs) - even if Crucial exchanges or refunds the module with no arguments or delay.

[cultofbyron]

Thanks for the advice robby, I've ordered one of the 133Mhz modules from Crucial's UK store, that way I figure there should be minimal hassles should the module not work in my T20. I have seen 100Mhz modules on ebay but they were pretty much twice the price of Crucial's, that was the clincher for me.

[pianowizard]

=a brand spanking new Hitachi 100Gb beast.

Is it 5400rpm or 7200rpm?

the cloning process (using Acronis Migrate Easy) kept me up til 3am... grr... but it's running alot faster

If you clean install Windows, the computer might get even faster.

Next is a RAM upgrade so I'm going to get onto those nice people at Crucial to see if they can ship to the UK.

Upgrading from 128MB to 512MB will definitely give you a huge boost in performance. Just look up "33L3069" or "33L3070" on eBay. Remember to search not just the title but also the description.

[Robbyrobot]

I have seen 100Mhz modules on ebay but they were pretty much twice the price of Crucial's...

That's strange... the prices I've seen quoted for a Crucial 256MB module have started at around US$ 40 (plus shipping), which would be around EUR 30 (plus shipping). At the German Ebay, the price for a 100MHz module with the same capacity runs anywhere from around EUR 30 - 40 (also plus shipping, but inside Germany meaning around EUR 3-7) depending on whether there's a bidding war or not.

Is the Crucial RAM so much cheaper in the UK than in the States? Or the Ebay offers so much more expensive in the UK than in Germany?

At any rate, I'm glad you got a local source, since that's always simpler and quicker than ordering from overseas.

[Purcy]

Greetings CofB and welcome to the community. I did the same upgrade to my T22 last year, went to an 80GB 5400rpm and took the RAM to 512, but I bought straight 100mhz modules (pure IBM stock) on E-Bay for $22 each. They work great.

You will have a whole new beast when you are done, enjoy!

[rbi]

Hello, this is my first post and thought I'd celebrate this by announcing that I have successfully replaced the creaking, clunking 12Gb HDD on my T20 with a brand spanking new Hitachi 100Gb beast. Not the hardest of upgrades I hear you cry, but the cloning process (using Acronis Migrate Easy) kept me up til 3am... grr... but it's running alot faster and quieter now so I'm happy.

Next is a RAM upgrade so I'm going to get onto those nice people at Crucial to see if they can ship to the UK. But hello once again!

CofB

May I ask cultofbyron if your OS is windows 2000 pro? Is HDD 5400rpm or 7200rpm as I am going to upgrade my T23? Can you still keep the F11 one button R & R function using Acronis Migrate Easy? Thanks

[cultofbyron]

Hi rbi,

I'm running Windows XP Pro that was installed when I bought the T20, as a refurbished unit. I have subsequently found out that it has been flagged as pirated, so I can't upgrade IE6 or Media Player, but this is no big deal as I use Firefox and Winamp! My wireless capability comes from a Belkin PCMCIA card and the recently installed HDD was 5400 capacity.

Incidentally, since replacing the HDD, the Thinkpad has been virtually silent (even compared to my girlfriends more recent Acer Aspire). I thought the noise was coming from the fan so I'm glad I changed the HDD when I did as it may have been approaching last-leggedness!

I have also maxed out my RAM at 512mb so my 7yr old T20 is currently enjoying it's second wind and I'm so glad I did this and spent roughly £100 rather than spending £400 on a new machine.

[Vert.E.Gogh]

Hello,

I'm trying to decide between a 5400rpm hard drive and a 7200rpm hard drive as an upgrade for my T22. I don't need a lot of storage space--60GB to 80GB would be plenty for my needs--but would prefer a fast and reliable drive though. I normally use the laptop for general purposes (web surfing, e-mails, word documents, photo editing occasionally, no video editing or anything like that).

I just have a couple of simple questions regarding hard drives. I've read the "Hard Drive FAQ", "can my old T23 use Hitachi 100GB 7200rpm PATA HDD?" and this thread, but still have not found the answers I'm looking for. I've also tried the "Search" option, which returned 1000+ results but still could find what i was looking for.

Anyway, my questions are:

Heat:
1) Is it a good idea to put a 7200rpm hard drive into a T22? Given the relatively small enclosure of a T22, how hot does the laptop and 7200rpm hard drive get compared to a 5400rpm HD?

2) Are there any test results (preferrably from T22 owners) showing the operating temperature of a 7200rpm vs 5400rpm hard drive under similar conditions? (I.e., the 7200rpm HD runs 5, 10, etc., degrees hotter than the 5400rpm HD)

Power consumption:
1) Does the 7200rpm HD eat up more battery life compared to a 5400rpm HD? If so, how much of the battery life is shortened by the 7200rpm HD?

I've also gone through a lot of the customer reviews on Newegg and other forums on 7200rpm HDs, but it's confusing as to who to believe because some customers say these HDs are very hot while others say it's not any hotter than their 5400rpm HDs. Very confusing.

I would love to hear from T22, or T2x and T3x owners who have upgraded to 7200rpm from 5400rpm HDs. What would you recommend?

Thanks so much.

P.S. I'm leaning toward the Seagate or Hitachi hard drives.