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Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

X60/X61 and X60t/X61t Series
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E350
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Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#1 Post by E350 » Fri Jun 23, 2017 2:25 pm

Hey guys and gals, what is the best Solid State Hard Drive for X61 ?

1. I have nearly maxed out my 750GB Seagate Hybrid Hard Drive. So I want to increase capacity to at least 2TB (but I would consider up to 5TB).

2. I don't travel much, but on a three hour flight recently, I had to shut down to avoid a forced shut down when the battery was about to run out of charge. Question: Does using a SSD give you effectively more battery time because you are using less battery power with an SSD than which is used to spin a traditional HD?

My X61 is Intel Core2 Duo T8300 @ 2.40GHz, 2.8GB Ram, running Windows 10 Home 1703, 64-bit.
Last edited by E350 on Fri Jun 23, 2017 3:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive for X61 ?

#2 Post by RealBlackStuff » Fri Jun 23, 2017 3:04 pm

I doubt you'll find a 2GB SSD, even a 2GB HDD is nearly impossible. :lol:
On the other hand, 2TB is available nowadays, but at a hefty price.
Samsung 850 (EVO, or rather: Pro) and Crucial MX300 come to mind.
Read up on them on the likes of Anandtech.
No experience with either since I don't need such monsters in a laptop.
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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive for X61 ?

#3 Post by E350 » Fri Jun 23, 2017 3:37 pm

2TB and only $89. But will it fit in an X61?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... gnorebbr=1

Apparently this is NOT a pure SS drive. It is only 8GB SS, the remainder is traditional HD...

So, yes apparently purely Solid State Hard Drives are still quite expensive!

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive for X61 ?

#4 Post by RealBlackStuff » Fri Jun 23, 2017 3:49 pm

It'll fit.
Just add a piece of 2.5mm carton to stop that drive from 'flapping'.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#5 Post by E350 » Fri Jun 23, 2017 3:57 pm

So, can I then assume that the "normal" HD size for an X61 is 9mm?

Any other Hybrid HD's to consider?

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#6 Post by E350 » Fri Jun 23, 2017 5:50 pm

Last edited by E350 on Fri Jun 23, 2017 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#7 Post by thinkpadcollection » Fri Jun 23, 2017 8:03 pm

Yes this is correct way to do this using 9.5mm to 7mm rubber rails and caddy kit. I have one in my one of thinkpad using 7mm HD.

Do not buy Seagate 2TB rotating HD based on 7mm chassis. Slower than usual even for 1TB per platter design and despite the 128MB buffer. Get Samsung/Seagate 3 platter 2TB 9.5mm HD instead or 2TB SSD but Samsung do have 4TB SSD as well.

HGST/Hitachi do have 5400 rpm 1.5TB based on 3 disk as another option with 32MB buffer.

Cheers, thinkpadcollection.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#8 Post by E350 » Fri Jun 23, 2017 9:15 pm

thinkpadcollection: I did think it was odd that the Firecuda apparently spins at 5400 rpm. Even the 750 GB Seagate Momuentus Hybrid Hard Drives that I currently have spin at 7200 rpm. Quite simply, I have trouble navigating understanding Seagates current website. Do you have a link(s) for:

Samsung/Seagate 3 platter 2TB 9.5mm HD ?

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive for X61 ?

#9 Post by ZaZ » Sat Jun 24, 2017 3:24 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:
Fri Jun 23, 2017 3:49 pm
Just add a piece of 2.5mm carton to stop that drive from 'flapping'.
If it's screwed into the caddy, it shouldn't flap at all.

I have the 2TB in my notebook and it works well, though I'm guessing performance will be muted due to the slow rotational speed compared to a SSD.
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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#10 Post by RealBlackStuff » Sat Jun 24, 2017 5:11 am

The caddy is only ca. 7mm high, as would be that drive.
When using standard 9.5mm rubbers you'd need that carton to fill the 2.5mm gap.
With 7-to-9.5mm rubbers you'd be good to go, but those rubbers are expensive and hard to find.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#11 Post by ZaZ » Sun Jun 25, 2017 2:03 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:
Sat Jun 24, 2017 5:11 am
When using standard 9.5mm rubbers you'd need that carton to fill the 2.5mm gap.
That doesn't make any sense. If the drive is secured to the caddy with screws, it shouldn't move at all, regardless of whether there's a gap or not.
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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#12 Post by RealBlackStuff » Sun Jun 25, 2017 2:53 am

Try it and see for yourself.
A 7mm drive/caddy in a 9.5mm drivebay has extra space.
Why do you think a number of 7mm drives come with a rectangular space-filler?
Image

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#13 Post by thinkpadcollection » Sun Jun 25, 2017 11:29 am

E350 wrote:
Fri Jun 23, 2017 9:15 pm
thinkpadcollection: I did think it was odd that the Firecuda apparently spins at 5400 rpm. Even the 750 GB Seagate Momuentus Hybrid Hard Drives that I currently have spin at 7200 rpm. Quite simply, I have trouble navigating understanding Seagates current website. Do you have a link(s) for:

Samsung/Seagate 3 platter 2TB 9.5mm HD ?
One: here's the linky for 9.5mm to 7mm caddy with rubber rails kit.

[/url]http://www.ebay.ca/itm/New-for-Thinkpad ... xykmZTO3X4[/url]

Two: Your question on 3 platter 2TB samsung/seagate is answered:
From ebay buy this:
ST2000LM003, you can tell this is actually samsung designed M9T spinpoint, 9.5mm 3 platters. Originally Samsung's model is HN-M201RAD (ignore anything suffix after / the model) Also you can usually find one in good computer stores as well if they do stock them. This is *not* out of production.
Proof in the puddling:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/ST2000LM003-P-N- ... SwnHZYWrIy

Do not buy this ST2000LM007! This is a 7mm 2TB Seagate design abomination. Seagate used shingled pattern recording which is destructive write type is what slows this HD down (head recording width is wider than the shingled patterns, had to redo the previous recording during writes. Storagereview website reviewed this and found it is slower than usual and I recently got one as well, expecting Samsung 2TB in the external usb box, instead got this, extracted drive from box and tried it out on some computers. My comment for this is SLOW than what it should be. EVEN that drive had massive buffer size of 128MB. :(

As usual, excellent write up on shingled magnetic recording by anandtech:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7290/seag ... -recording

Cheers, thinkpadcollection

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive for X61 ?

#14 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Sun Jun 25, 2017 1:41 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:I doubt you'll find a 2GB SSD, even a 2GB HDD is nearly impossible. Image
On the other hand, 2TB is available nowadays, but at a hefty price.
Samsung 850 (EVO, or rather: Pro) and Crucial MX300 come to mind.
Read up on them on the likes of Anandtech.
No experience with either since I don't need such monsters in a laptop.
Well, Disk on Modules (which are essentials SSDs) are easy to find at 2gb. Haha. Just get an IDE to SATA adapter.
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The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#15 Post by ZaZ » Mon Jun 26, 2017 5:09 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:
Sun Jun 25, 2017 2:53 am
Try it and see for yourself.
A 7mm drive/caddy in a 9.5mm drivebay has extra space.
Why do you think a number of 7mm drives come with a rectangular space-filler?
I have. I installed a 7mm drive into a R400 and I don't recall hearing any flapping, though I suppose I wasn't really expecting it. I don't believe anyone is debating whether there's extra space, but my point is if the drive is secured to the caddy using screws, how can it move or flap as it were?
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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#16 Post by RealBlackStuff » Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:16 am

Because the drive is ONLY connected to the connector/laptop on one short side.
The other short side is 4 inches away and can move up/down, especially if the drive's label is pointing to the bottom of the laptop.
Both mobo- and drive-connectors are flexible and/or easily breakable when bent.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#17 Post by ZaZ » Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:29 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:
Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:16 am
The other short side is 4 inches away and can move up/down, especially if the drive's label is pointing to the bottom of the laptop.
If memory serves me correctly, there's screws on all four corners of the caddy, so it should not be able to move if drive is secured at all four corners using screws. Since the original drive had four screws, I don't know why anyone would use less for a replacement.
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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#18 Post by RealBlackStuff » Tue Jun 27, 2017 3:23 am

But since the caddy is also only ~7mm high and since it is attached to the drive, it's drive+caddy that can 'flap'. :roll:
Hence the "filler".

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#19 Post by axur-delmeria » Tue Jun 27, 2017 3:34 am

In the X60 and X61, the HDD is installed upside-down, with the label at the bottom, and the PCB at the top.
It slides into the HDD bay, and its weight is supported by the rubber rails.

If a 7mm drive is used with the 9.5mm rails, there will be a 2.5mm gap between the label side (at the bottom) and the rubber. The connector side is secure because of the SATA connector plugged in, but there may be insufficient mechanical support on the side facing the HDD access door, which may cause the drive to flop up and down. That's why either a 7mm to 9.5mm spacer (bundled with some SSDs) or the Lenovo 7mm to 9.5mm rubber rails should be used.
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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#20 Post by E350 » Tue Jun 27, 2017 9:53 pm

Hey guys and gals, does anybody have a link to a 7200 rpm 9.5mm 2.5" 2TB Seagate Solid State Hard Drive for internal installation in a laptop?

I simply cannot find such a beast on the Seagate website.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#21 Post by ZaZ » Wed Jun 28, 2017 3:53 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:
Tue Jun 27, 2017 3:23 am
But since the caddy is also only ~7mm high and since it is attached to the drive, it's drive+caddy that can 'flap'. :roll:
Hence the "filler".
Why would a notebook manufactured in 2007, before 7mm drives even existed, use a 7mm caddy? The X61s review loaner I had for NotebookReview used a Hitachi 7k100, which was a 9.5mm drive. I think if you put a 7mm drive in a 9.5mm caddy and secure it to the caddy with screws, then use the rubber rails it came with, it shouldn't "flap" at all.
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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#22 Post by axur-delmeria » Wed Jun 28, 2017 5:10 am

E350,

IIRC Seagate chose to stick with 5400 RPM drives on their newer SSHDs. Also, it's Solid State Hybrid Drive. :D
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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#23 Post by E350 » Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:49 am

axur-delmeria well that explains allot why I cannot find it on their website. And that is disappointing becasue my 750GB Seagate Momentus Solid State Hybrid (thanks!) Drive is 7200 rpm.

Any reasonably priced SSHD 7200 rpm alternatives suggested or is 5400 rpm nothing to worry about?
Last edited by E350 on Wed Jun 28, 2017 12:23 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#24 Post by RealBlackStuff » Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:52 am

I'm out of T2x-era caddies, but every newer caddy (with the black pullout) I have ever seen is only ~7mm high.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#25 Post by E350 » Wed Jun 28, 2017 2:52 pm

Well it seems that all the new school cool SSD drives are 7mm, so I ordered the caddy which thinkpadcollection recommended above and, if it is less than $300 when it comes out later this Summer, I think I may buy the following Western Digital Solid State Hard Drive below:

https://www.wdc.com/products/solid-stat ... DS200T2B0A

Any other suggestions for either a 2TB SSD or a 2TB SS Hybrid Drive spinning at 7200 rpm?

As a related question, why would a manufacturer put NAND on a hard drive to speed up read write time and then reduce the speed that the hard drive spins from 7200 rpm to 5400 rpm? Seems at cross-purposes to me.

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Re: Best Solid State Hard Drive or Hybrid Hard Drive for X61 ?

#26 Post by jdrou » Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:30 pm

E350 wrote:
Wed Jun 28, 2017 2:52 pm
As a related question, why would a manufacturer put NAND on a hard drive to speed up read write time and then reduce the speed that the hard drive spins from 7200 rpm to 5400 rpm? Seems at cross-purposes to me.
Presumably they think that the large cache makes the speed of the underlying spinning disk less important and with a lower-rpm disk they can get a higher data density. People that have a critical need for performance will most likely get a pure SSD instead of a hybrid.
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