As a non-member I recently have been utilizing the information in these forums to conduct research for a ThinkPad build. I had just bought on ebay an X220T, MTM#42962XU, and I am waiting for it to be delivered. In doing so, I decided to become a member in the hope of getting some precise information to help my endeavor. The unit comes with a 9-cell battery, 4GB of RAM, and an ultrabase w/keys, but lacks a hard drive.
For my first steps I intend to:
- purchase and install a 500GB mSATA SSD, specifically a Samsung EVO 860, and use it as a system drive.
- swap the 4GB of RAM for (to be purchased) 16GB (to my understanding this quantity can be recognized and utilized by the system)
Unless there's a better alternative process; if so, then I am all eyes.
Speaking of the BIOS, I plan on flashing v1.43 and then, upon installing an OS, "upgrading" it to the unlocked version. I understand that this unlocked version provides certain perks, such as whitelist removal and the potential to utilize 1866MHz RAM. As mentioned earlier, I would like to add 16GB of RAM to my build, hence if the system can utilize faster RAM clock speeds, then I would like to implement it.
As for the native SATA3 hard drive bay, I plan on using it for hotswaps. I also plan on buying a 12.7mm SATA HD caddy for the utrabase and dropping a 1-2TB HDD for storage.
I have my sights on the hardware, but I would like to be well informed first before pulling the trigger on their purchase only to come to an impass. Therefore, any wisdom on this matter would be greatly appreciated, I am here to learn. Thank you.