X201t - Upgarding hard drive - advice, please (inc. on hybrids)

[pmhutch]

Hi

My X201 tablet has a 320 GB Toshiba 7200 RPM Hard drive which I'm finding quite restrictive and would like to upgrade.

Can anyone please tell me:

1. What is the max capacity hard drive it can support (OS is Win 7 Pro 64 bit)

2. Are there special things I shoudl look for in a new HDD for this machine (e.g. to take accoun of the active shock protection system - the current Toshiba MK3261GSY drive spec says it has an 'optional free-fall sensor'.

3. Is there much differenece in computer speed if I go from a 7200 RPM to a 5400 RPM drive?

4. What other parameters are important for performance?

5. Is it OK to use a 'hybrid' (part disc, part SSD) drive to get greater capacity and greater speed? There is teh SATA interafce speed (very fast, up in the GB/s range), and there is the actual data flow speed (much slower).

6. Currently it's using a Toshiba drive. I have used Seagate previously in other machines without any problems. Western Digital often seem to be a bit chjeaper, but (not sure if I'm imagining this) my impression is that they may beless reliable than Tosh and Seagate. Any thoughts?


All comments welcome.

Thanks
Paul
Melbourne, Australia

[RealBlackStuff]

The only limit is your wallet!
1) any capacity 2.5" SATA HD or SSD that you can find
2) the OS already has protection built-in (for HD only)
3) the HD will be slower at 5400rpm (although not by much for the latest drives)
4) none I can think of
5) those are Seagate hybrids, not recommended by a number of people
6) if HD, stick with HGST, Toshiba, Samsung.

If you go for SSD, avoid ANY Samsung EVO models and ANY brands with a Sandforce controller.

[tarvoke]

as RBS said.

but...

I've been quite happy with seagate 1TB hybrid (64MB + 8GB flash) on x200t - ST1000LM014

the thing boots linux-mint in literally like 14 seconds.

[ajkula66]

One vote against the hybrids.

A modern Hitachi 7200rpm HDD will blow away any current hybrid.

[Bg357]

I've been looking at a hard drive upgrade for an X200 and I'm seeing SATA II and SATA III models.
What's the difference, and are there any issues with compatibility?

I'm looking at a Hitachi 7K1000, but there still seems to be various choices. How do you select from there?

Thanks,

[ajkula66]

I've been looking at a hard drive upgrade for an X200 and I'm seeing SATA II and SATA III models.
What's the difference, and are there any issues with compatibility?

In the system from this era, they'll all run at SATA II. Buy the best drive you can afford in the size that you require. Ask for specific advice if needed.

I'm looking at a Hitachi 7K1000, but there still seems to be various choices. How do you select from there?

Unless you really need 1TB space, go with the SSD. As for 7K1000, any of them will work just fine.

[Bg357]

In the system from this era, they'll all run at SATA II. Buy the best drive you can afford in the size that you require. Ask for specific advice if needed.

Will an SATA III drive be incompatible?

[ajkula66]

Will an SATA III drive be incompatible?

No, it will work just fine but at SATA II speeds.

[Bg357]

Unless you really need 1TB space, go with the SSD. As for 7K1000, any of them will work just fine.

What do I need to know about SSDs to choose the right one? Any recommendations on where to get the best price?

[ajkula66]

What do I need to know about SSDs to choose the right one? Any recommendations on where to get the best price?

Let's start with what size you need and how much you're willing to spend.

I buy my SSDs at NewEgg because of their exceptional customer service.

[Bg357]

Well, I need at least 250gb, but I'd like more depending on the cost. I haven't even looked into them enough to know what's available.

[ajkula66]

Well, I need at least 250gb, but I'd like more depending on the cost. I haven't even looked into them enough to know what's available.

Budget drives: Crucial MX100/MX200

High-end: SanDisk Extreme Pro, OCZ Vector 150

Those are the SSDs that I would buy for myself or a client nowadays.