Install PATA or SATA SSD on T43p

[Think43p]

I would like to do a 'swap and replace' type operation with least additional 'technical' work on my T43p-2668-GEU from my current HDD to an SSD. I do have my 5+1 recovery CDs. I run Win XP Pro. I know that I need a 2.5" drive.

Where I get lost is whether to go in for a SATA or PATA. I tried reading a lot about it but the more I read the more I get confused if I should buy a SATA or PATA. Just for clarification I WILL need my CD tray so removing that is not an option.

Any suggestions for the right type of 128 GB SSD off amazon/ebay?

[ajkula66]

You need a PATA SSD and a vast majority of them are garbage.

Have a SATA mod done or just stay with a spinning PATA drive.

[Think43p]

Thanks George.

My current HDD is very very slow to respond to even basic functions like opening word or plain simple browsing and this is AFTER I freshly re-installed the OS from the recovery CDs.

Point is I don't want to use HDDs anymore given the availibility of SSDs. When you say garbage are they simply a pain to install or could you clarify a bit more.

[Think43p]

On a related note.

Not worrying about spectacular performance, if I buy this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... llFullInfo

will I be able to install WinXP from my 5+1 set of recovery disks(originally created from my thinkpad and successfully used it twice over)

Thanks for any and all advice.

[Norway Pad]

I have never tried a PATA SSD, but there has been various feedbacks on them here. George knows way more about that than I do, I am sure he is happy to give you his opinion in general and maybe even on the one you posted above.

Apart from that, you have two other options. Your drive might be a 5400rpm (Or even 4500 rpm, don't know if T43 was ever shipped with those). You should anyway take it out and check the rotational speed, as a newer 7200 rpm drive can give you a slight speed gain over a slower one. The drawback is that PATA drives are getting expensive and hard to find. The other option is the SATA mod. Don't know if you know the details about it, but it gives your T43 a SATA interface for your HDD, and you can use brand new SSDs. This option involves some work and costs, so it depends on how important the T43 is to you, and how long you plan to keep it as your daily driver.

[automobus]

I think he means garbage, for being inferior to today's wicked-fast SSD controllers. You might be looking at what is equivalent to a cheap mass-capacity CompactFlash card. But: different shape, obviously, PATA 2.5-inch SFF instead of 1-inch CompactFlash; lower production cost, because massive capacity is much more easily packed in a large space, than tight dense CompactFlash space; not covered under lifetime replacement policy as CompactFlash usually is.

edit: price is lower than what I imagined, so I take-back what I said about overpriced compared to CompactFlash.

[Think43p]

Thanks Bjorn,

Should have mentioned this earlier but the T43p is the one that gets around the house. I have a T400 and T60p as my primary ones so no its not that important. I don't have the time for any modifications so just wanted to get a plain and simple solution.

Looks like I'll just buy that transcend but my only other concern is whether I will have any issues going forward with the XP installation. As mentioned before I've already used those recovery CDs for successfull installations twice but they were with standard HDDs.

[ajkula66]

On a related note.

Not worrying about spectacular performance, if I buy this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... llFullInfo

will I be able to install WinXP from my 5+1 set of recovery disks(originally created from my thinkpad and successfully used it twice over)

Thanks for any and all advice.

Garbage-quality SSD with OS that is not optimized for SSD is a shortcut to disaster.

Proceed at your own peril.

[RealBlackStuff]

And in case you didn't know: I do those SATA-mods, see http://theboardroom.info/sata_mod.htm

[Johan]

I run Win XP Pro

Please allow me to add a small hint here: Be aware that Microsoft will terminate the Extended Life Support on Windows XP (SP3) on April 8, 2014 (see Windows lifecycle fact sheet). This mean that if you go ahead as mentioned and install XP on whatever new HDD or SSD, then you will be "potentially unsafe" after that date... since security issues etc. are no longer being cured by Microsoft, on XP.

If you decide to go the "SATA-mod" route, then I suggest you consider asking expert-member James Arndt (user jamiphar) who run Arndt Computer with his brother, Luke, if he can help you do that? (I'm absolutely confident he can!) James is located in Belville, IL (just outside St. Louis) and hence not very far from you; see e.g. the this post for more info about James.

Johan

[RealBlackStuff]

WTF Johan, you out of your mind?
AFAIK jamiphar has never done a SATA mod in his life!
He is only known here for doing (not exactly cheap) CCFL replacements!

[Norway Pad]

That 3-letter word, starting with a W, flashed through my mind too as I read that second chapter in Johan's post.