200GB HDD without Turbo Memory versus 320GB HDD with Turbo

[baertracks]

I'm considering the purchase of at T500 to replace my aging T60. The 25% off 3 day sale at Lenovo looks too good to pass up.

I'd appreciate some advice on selection of a hard drive. I'm looking for a HDD that is fast and as large as possible. I'm currently using a 180GB 7200rpm drive.

The selection options presented at Lenovo.com in the customization screens include:
- 160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
- 250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm [$0.00]
- 320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm [add $80.00] [Lenovo recommended]
- 200 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm with Disk Encryption [add $135.00]
- 64 GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA [add $255.00]
- 128 GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA [add $455.00]

Next, there is an option to include a Intel® Turbo Memory hard drive cache [add $50.00]. It sounds interesting, and I'm wondering how well you think that feature works?

However, the option to add on Turbo Memory disappears if I select the 200GB 7200rpm drive. Why would that be?

Given the choices, which do you think would provide the best performance:

1) 200GB 7200rpm HDD without Turbo Memory
2) 320GB 5400rpm HDD with Turbo Memory
3) Or would the difference be minimal (in which case I'd go with #2)

Thanks!
FRANK

[truk]

Turbo memory, from what I've heard ( and seen in benchmarks by others) makes minimal difference, and has, in some cases, slowed a computer down. As for speed, the main place you would notice is if you do a lot of large file copies on your computer, or play a lot of newer PC games. It doesn't really matter for everyday use (the only place I notice is a bit faster performance in boot time and in Mass Effect, running both a 7200 and a 5400.)

[Marin85]

Many folks consider Intel Turbomemory as a waste of money... at least this was the case with first generation of it. You will be much better with more RAM and faster HD instead. So, if I was you, I would leave Intel Turbo Memory out and buy the cheapest/smallest hard, because I would upgrade the HD myself. Buying the preferred HD separately is cheaper then from Lenovo. If you want performance and storage capacity, you can buy any of the current 2.5'' 320 GB 7200rpm 16MB cache HDs or wait until the new Seagate 7200.4 500 GB becomes available (it might be already available in US).

Hope this helps,

Marin

[baertracks]

I would upgrade the HD myself. Buying the preferred HD separately is cheaper then from Lenovo.

Marin;

That's a very good point about upgrading the HDD separately. That's actually what I did with my T60. However, I ended up purchasing a separate installation of Vista to go with the new HDD.

Would I be able to move, clone or re-install the native Vista installation from the HDD that comes with the T500 to the new larger HDD? Or, would I need to purchase a separate Vista for a new install?

FRANK

[Marin85]

I believe it´s possible to clone the original factory content (lenovo image, licensed) to the new drive without problems using appropriate software. You might also be able to get so called Lenovo recovery DVDs for free from Lenovo if you explain them your story. What is important, you don´t have to buy a new license for Vista just because of the new HD! Since you already have an installation media for Vista, all you need to do is to extract the license key from the Lenovo image. Then you can use it to do a fresh/clean install of Vista using that installation media (as an alternative to cloning/using Lenovo recovery DVDs).

Marin

[basketb]

To add to what Marin said, you can also burn the recovery DVDs yourself - no need to wait for Lenovo to send the DVDs to you. There is a program on the Thinkpad that allows you to burn the DVDs exactly one time (until you do a factory restore on that machine, then you can burn the DVDs again (exactly one time)).

[hart22]

However, the option to add on Turbo Memory disappears if I select the 200GB 7200rpm drive. Why would that be?

Given the choices, which do you think would provide the best performance:

1) 200GB 7200rpm HDD without Turbo Memory
2) 320GB 5400rpm HDD with Turbo Memory
3) Or would the difference be minimal (in which case I'd go with #2)

Thanks!
FRANK

The 200 GB 7200 RPM drive Lenovo offers comes with full disk encryption (FDE). All the data on the disk is encrypted so that even if the HD was physically stolen, either alone or with the rest of the computer, it is extremely difficult to access the data without the proper encryption key.

Turbo memory stores a portion of the HD's data, the most accessed bits, on a fast-access drive. It can not be encrypted, so if a thief stole a laptop with sensitive information that was secured on an FDE hard disk he could theoretically extract information from the turbo memory cache. As such Lenovo doesn't allow customers to configure both.

Generally if you wish to save money then you should opt for the lowest hard disk option and upgrade aftermarket. Lenovo makes large margins on hard disks. Upgrading also nets you a spare backup HD to use if you buy a separate enclosure. However, if you want a large HD that is also covered by Lenovo warranty then you would need to buy whatever option is available upon initial purchase. This is if you care about warranty coverage on as many parts in your machine as possible.

[baertracks]

As such Lenovo doesn't allow customers to configure both.

Thanks! That explains it nicely.

FRANK

[Marin85]

Also not to forget that the HDs even if bought separately come with their own warranty from the manufacturer.