x220 - Upgrading to SSD, already have W7 installed on mSATA

[fewfiet]

I'm currently running Win 7 on an mSATA drive that I installed about a year ago. I just bought a SSD to upgrade my main HDD, but I'm not entirely sure what the best way forward is. Any advice would be appreciated!

Should I transfer Win 7 to the new 2.5" SSD, making it the boot drive? If so, how can I do this? Will I need to open the machine and remove the mSATA drive at some point?

If there wouldn't be any performance advantage to booting from the SSD over the mSATA, then should I just clone the HDD to the SSD with a USB adapter?

Thanks!,
Greg

[EOMtp]

Looks like you are well on your way, and I see little benefit, if any, in transferring Windows from the mSATA to the new SSD. Clone the existing HDD to the new SSD, as you state. One caution: place the SSD in the primary bay of the Thinkpad, and connect the HDD to the USB adapter, i.e., clone from "outside" to "inside".

[fewfiet]

Looks like you are well on your way, and I see little benefit, if any, in transferring Windows from the mSATA to the new SSD. Clone the existing HDD to the new SSD, as you state. One caution: place the SSD in the primary bay of the Thinkpad, and connect the HDD to the USB adapter, i.e., clone from "outside" to "inside".

Thanks! I wouldn't have thought to do that.

The mSATA drive I use is SATA II, and the SSD is SATA III. Would the speed difference be noticeable upon booting? Or for other functions?

[EOMtp]

Although one can perhaps contrive a benchmark to accentuate the speed difference between the SATA II and SATA III specifications, there is nothing in "everyday use" -- or, for that matter, in even more "exotic" usage! -- that would let one perceive the slightest difference. It's an absolute non-issue.

[fewfiet]

Although one can perhaps contrive a benchmark to accentuate the speed difference between the SATA II and SATA III specifications, there is nothing in "everyday use" -- or, for that matter, in even more "exotic" usage! -- that would let one perceive the slightest difference. It's an absolute non-issue.

Great! I don't have a SATA to USB connector/adapter so I created a backup of the HDD on an external drive. If I switch out the HDD for the SSD I should be able to do a full restore to the SSD right? Would that accomplish the same thing as if I were to "clone" the drive? Or would it at least be a comparable result?

[EOMtp]

... full restore ... "clone" ... comparable result?

Not necessarily, but in your case -- i.e., transferring only "data" rather than recreating a bootable partition with an operating system -- yes.