Thinkpads Forum

Hi Guys,

I am looking for a new, quality machine and found a nice X301 type 4057-V2A. As far as I can see there is a standard HDD in it, quite unusual for this model. But anyway, the question is, is it easily upgradable to SSD without the original Windows installation CDs and generally, how does the specification look like in comparison to most common X301's. I only have photos of the machine, so cannot inspect it in person.

Any comments are welcome.

Ex factory it looked like this:
X301 (4057-V2A)
SU9600(1.6GHz), 4GB RAM, 120GB 5400rpm HD, 13.3in 1440x900 LCD, Intel 4500MHD, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11agn wireless, Vodafone WWAN, Bluetooth, 1Gb Ether, UltraNav, Sec Chip, FPR, 2GB Turbo Mem, 6c Li-Ion, Win7 Pro 64

The X301 has 1.8" SATA drives, either HD or SSD.
If that machine still has the original recovery partition on it, you might be able to create recovery disks, provided the previous owner has not done so already.
From these you could recover to factory settings on a new SSD.
Cloning will not work properly, because an SSD needs to be aligned different from a HD.
The only other option is to get a set of recovery disks elsewhere and start from scratch.
In Europe: https://www.lenovorecovery.com/Extranet/Home.aspx

Just finish setting up a new to me X301 with similar specs but with factory SSD and no turbo memory. Fresh Win 7 install which was very easy to do with good driver support from Lenovo. Personally I'd prefer a fresh install. Personally I can never run any system without a SSD anymore. Finding a good 1.8" SSD that is not crap (like Transcend) is not easy nor inexpensive.

I would consider it if the price is right and the screen is in great shape. The SU9600 is the desired CPU for X301 but is noticeably slower than a Core 2 mobile processor of that generation. Overall I do like the size of the X301 series.

Crucial C300 or Intel X-25 in the 1.8" format will do wonders in a X301.

You can also legally download the ISO from Digital River for free, install the OS from it and then run Lenovo's System Update to take care of the drivers.

Good luck.

Thank you Guys.

Is the Turbo memory independent of the HDD or is it built in to the hard drive?
I understand from the owner's description that the machine had only a couple of weeks use and is in top condition, so a clean system installation may not be necessary, but I would like the SSD option in the future.
Regarding the other spec options in this machine, is there anything that goes for it or against it?

Intel turbo memory have nothing to do with the HDD/SSD. Google "turbo memory" for more detail. In a nutshell it was a stop gap technology (from HDD to SSD) championed by Intel with the hope of giving a boost in performance. The turbo memory I've encountered on T61 were at best insignificant in terms of performance gain and typically is buggy causing systm instability issues. On the few T61 I've bought that came with turbo memory, the first thing I do is physcially remove it.

RealBlackStuff wrote: If that machine still has the original recovery partition on it, you might be able to create recovery disks, provided the previous owner has not done so already.
From these you could recover to factory settings on a new SSD.
Cloning will not work properly, because an SSD needs to be aligned different from a HD.
The only other option is to get a set of recovery disks elsewhere and start from scratch.
In Europe: https://www.lenovorecovery.com/Extranet/Home.aspx

Thank you.

The previous owner is going to create a recovery pen drive and I finally decided to go for it. Not sure what to expect, as I have never seen one in the flesh, was just reading various opinions. I currently have an X60s, previously had a T60p and an A31p (both of them died due to HDD failures).
I will consider replacing the HDD with SSD, but as the machine wasn't cheap in the first place, I may use it the way it is for now.

By the way, was reading that there is a GPS unit in these. Is it specified in this one?