x201. Upgrade to SSD, other machine or?

[MauriceD]

About 1.5 year ago I bought a used x201 after my x200t has gradually fallen apart.
I've been very satisfied, it's small, light, durable, has great battery life and is fast enough for my needs. It also fit to my old docking station and handled a 21" screen well.

Then I expatriated to China and became more mobile. I don't want to be having a screen and docking station at home, I'm more of a minimalist now. Needless to say, the 12" screen is pretty small to be working on. But that's not really the main reason I've been thinking about changing.

The machine has become a bit slower, a bit more laggy. Anything from accessing the collapsible list in Quick Launch to switching between multiple tabs or waking MS Word from background often causes lags and delays. Very annoying since my work is mostly online marketing and I'm using a multitude of online tools and have to switch between tabs and edit documents really fast.

While a fresh Win7 install would probably help a lot here, I'm afraid I'd be back to same place in 0.5-1 yrs.
This Machine is also about 5 years old now. I begin to wonder, for how much more can it go strong? Maybe I should really upgrade and enjoy a newer technology? Mechanically though, this x201 has been flawless.

I saw the videos of what a SSD does to a laptop. It becomes tremendously faster. Maybe I should just buy a 256 GB SSD?

As for the bigger screen, while 17" would compromise the portability too much, I think 14" would be best.
With X1 Carbon now around 1300 USD, I've been thinking about upgrading to that too.
I don't need a touchscreen, I don't do graphic design, I don't play games or do anything that would require powerful hardware. But even then, as I assume, with the X1 I could have it all: portability, lightness, 14" screen, 8h of battery life, SSD, fast hardware that actually exceeds my needs.

Also: Are newer ThinkPads as robust and reliable as the ones from 2010 and before?
I remember that I was considering buying a x220 and it had problems with a gap between lower part of the screen and frame (when warm). Didn't have it in my hands but I got an impression that the overall quality was worse than that of a x201.

Thoughts?

[Dekks]

Reinstall Windows on a new SSD.

[shawross]

IMHO
Run CCleaner first because this will cost you nothing and if your computer is still laggy, then source an SSD and do a new install. Then if you are still wanting more a Carbon would be worth a look.

Goodluck

[JTunn]

I'd completely get rid of the old HDD as it's probably worn out by now, and invest into an SSD, preferably the samsung EVO 840 SSD or one of the crucials (although not familiar with their performance, been a bit of a samsung fanboy lately).

CC cleaner has worked wonders for me in the past, but if you really want a clear start, these are my 2 cents

[alex.orlando]

Interested to know from OP what you ended up doing? I too have a x201 which is about 3 years old. Thinking about changing to SSD.

thanks

[BillMorrow]

can you get an SSD in iran..?

[Dekks]

I'd completely get rid of the old HDD as it's probably worn out by now, and invest into an SSD, preferably the samsung EVO 840 SSD or one of the crucials (although not familiar with their performance, been a bit of a samsung fanboy lately).

CC cleaner has worked wonders for me in the past, but if you really want a clear start, these are my 2 cents

Avoid the 840 EVO due to the old data issues that exist with that model atm. The 850 series seem fine.

[alex.orlando]

can you get an SSD in iran..?

Will be back in US in few weeks. Planning to purchase it from amazon or newegg, depending on recommendations.

[ZaZ]

I assume, with the X1 I could have it all: portability, lightness, 14" screen, 8h of battery life, SSD, fast hardware that actually exceeds my needs.

The ultra resolution screen would be a turn off for me as you can't read it at its native resolution and scaling in Windows is a mixed bag. I'd be more inclined toward the T450s for its better versatility. If you wan to stay small, the X250 could work.

The WD Black2 might be worth a look if you want to keep your X201. It's a 120GB SSD and 1TB hard drive slapped together in a 9.5mm package.

[MauriceD]

Thanks a lot for replies!

The issue just got a whole lot more urgent since I need to step my game up at the new job in terms of efficiency and speed.

I think I'll stick to that x201 for now, might get an external screen for home in the future.
Time to get a SSD.
Not sure if that's a bad sign but after placing my ear next to current disk I've been hearing some kind of sough. Again not sure if this was happening before.

A couple of questions:

-I assume SSD for X201 is not going to be compatible with X1 if I decide to buy one eventually. Is there any way to make it compatible, e.g. by buying a smaller SSD now (in physical size) and using an adapter?

-Is SSD for X201 gonna be compatible with X240/X250?

-There seems to be some dispute about the reliability of SSDs, how long a disk is gonna last?

The WD Black2 option seems interesting. It's 1000 CNY new here in China, while a 512 GB Crucial SSD is 1100 CNY last time I checked. I think the 512 GB would make a better choice since I don't need 1 TB anyway.
And I assume keeping all the data on SSD would make for a better performance.
256 GB is 600 CNY, I'm gonna see if I could fit my data in there. I'm using 400 GB now but could definitely downsize.

[alex.orlando]

Hi maurice - Have you looked into hybrid SSD drives?

what is your budget range?

google this intel. it runs about $250 in US. I have been doing a bit of research about SSD's for my x201 and it seems that this one for the money is ok.

Intel Pro 2500 SSDSC2BF480H501 2.5" 480GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC Enterprise Solid State Drive

For research purposes, where you can filter based on your specific needs, take a look at newegg website. Amazon is also good. But newegg offers more filtering for SSD.

also once on ssd section of newegg, go to enterprise link, you will get a listing of more reliable SSD's. Please note that these are mostly for home and small business use; not for heavy duty needs like data centers.

no where did I read anything about buying an SSD for x201, that would not be compitable with latest x200's models. again, please verify and let me know what you find out from your side. i am looking to make the switch within the next 2 months or so for my x201.

[Kilkenny]

I use a 128 GB Crucial MX100 in my X201 and am very pleased with it. I would definitely upgrade to an SSD rather than buy a new machine. I haven't found any current ThinkPads that I like better than my X201, though that's a personal preference.

[cfds]

Dump the X201 and get yourself a X220 or 230 if you don't mind the new style keyboard...been playing with X201's for years and find the 220 better. They have the 2nd generation I5's on board, and you can find better batteries.
Get an mSATA SSD in the 220 and a bigger HDD or even SSD in the normal drive position and of you go!
The X220's are coming up for the same prices - at least here in France.

[MauriceD]

Just ordered a recommended Crucial MX200 500GB SSD for 1230 CNY (or $200). That's more than enough storage for me and will certainly improve the performance. I figured I can deal with 12.1" screen size and it's not like the 13.3" is a whole lot bigger.

I also figured I can also take that SSD and put it in a next Thinkpad if e.g. I decide to upgrade to X220/30/40/50 etc.

Can't wait for the fresh Win7 install on the new SSD.
Will also probably upgrade from 4 GB RAM to 8 GB, not sure exactly how much impact it'll have on performance but I guess it's certainly worth it? Especially since I'm often 'multitasking' with couple dozens of Chrome tabs open, MS programs, sometimes PS and what not. Plus RAM is cheap these days.