Seagate Momentus XT, 500GB??

[Tasurinchi]

Hi!

I'm really curious about the drive mentioned above. I would like it to buy one of those for my one of my T6's, I've read some internet reviews and looks like performance is ok.

BUT... it looks a bit pricey compared to standard HDD drives around the same capacity (at least here in good 'ol Switzerland ). So I don't know if it's worth the extra money compared to the increase in speed. Is someone here using this drive that can share experience (or the 250GB/320GB model of the same line?).

Looks like I could by a small SSD and a big capacity HDD for a couple more bucks than the price of the Momentus XT.

Thanks in advance!

Tasurinchi

[ZaZ]

There's a fairly lengthy discussion of the XT here over on notebook review. I think the general consensus is it does speed commonly used apps and boot times, but is not as fast as a SSD, though you're getting more space. Like most things, it's a trade off.

[Bigdaddychud]

I have the XT and it is awesome. I was torn between a full SSD and an ultrabay hdd but finally decided the XT was a great compromise. Once SSD's go down in price I may switch but for now my machine runs much better than it did with the stock drive.

[ZaZ]

I like my SSD for the quietness more so than the performance. The X series machines don't really shield much noise. I don't need a ton of space either as I have a 1TB external.

[Tasurinchi]

I've decided not to buy the Momentus, at least not at the price is being offered here, as I could affort an SSD/HDD combination for that price. Since I've installed an X25-M in my T61 yesterday I think I will spend another SSD to my T60. I can't imaging going back to HDDs anymore

[MaxRoy77]

*EDIT: Read my post below (it was a defect drive)

I've installed a Seagate Momentus XT 500GB in my T60 14.1" , replacing a Western Digital Black 320GB.

After 30 minutes I removed it and put back the WD because of the vibrations and noise.

For me it's unacceptable in a laptop, maybe for a desktop or a bulkier laptop - but in not in my beloved and dense T60, no thanks.

Western Digital Black are a bit more vibrating than the stock Lenovo's HDD but it's tolerable, not the Momentus XT.

Hope this help.

[MaxRoy77]

I edited my previous post.

It was a defect drive: 1 bad screw hole prevented me to fix all 4 screws in the case. This was causing all the noise and vibrations. I RMA'd it and they send me a new one.

And, I must say that I am very impressed now. It replaced a great WB 320GB Black.

At 100$ CAD, the Seagate XT 500GB is a steal for the performances increase and storage.

When Seagate will release one with more SSD space (now at 4GB) or SSD prices drops significantly just use your old 500GB as a external USB storage.

Highly Recommended. I use it in my T61p (Win7: business apps + gaming)

[nfotis]

I got some questions about this disk...

Seagate offers a utility for cloning to Seagate disks (Seagate Diskwizard, in essence a Linux distribution with cloning software, if I understand it correctly).

If I understand correctly, you buy the disk and a USB hard drive enclosure for cloning your system via USB, then you install the new disk inside the Thinkpad. Correct?

Here are my questions:
- is USB power enough for driving such a hard disk? (I guess the answer is 'yes')
- is the shock protection working with these disks? (I guess not)

My second hand T60 has a 5400rpm 80 GB disk that is nearly filled to capacity (and I have copied lots of material to an external USB hard disk), so I feel it could be useful.

The possibility of getting an SSD is another one to examine, but these seem rather pricey.

Regards, and thanks for your help.

N.F.

[MaxRoy77]

nfotis, some answers in blue

If I understand correctly, you buy the disk and a USB hard drive enclosure for cloning your system via USB, then you install the new disk inside the Thinkpad. Correct? Yes, or an ultrabay SATA adapter. I did it with Acronis TrueImage, but I suppose Seagate's app work the same way

is USB power enough for driving such a hard disk? (I guess the answer is 'yes') YES
is the shock protection working with these disks? (I guess not) It's the Thinkpad who detect the movement. But as USB external drive, you need to find a drive with free-fall sensor, like the K serie Western Digital black.

Hope this help

[Tasurinchi]

Tasurinchi, some answers in blue

That wasn't me asking the questions, thanks anyhow for the input

[MaxRoy77]

^ Doh

I edited my post, thanks for reporting

[nfotis]

Hello again,

It's the Thinkpad who detect the movement. But as USB external drive, you need to find a drive with free-fall sensor, like the K serie Western Digital black.

I am planning to eventually install such a disk (or an SSD) inside my T60, so I wonder if this hard disk 'listens' to a 'park disk head' command via SATA (or whatever system the Thinkpads use).

On the other hand, maybe I will go straight-ahead to an 120+ GB SSD after the winter, I am not entirely sure of the route to follow...

(note that my T60 uses Windows XP and a T5500 1.66 GHz processor, don't know if this is a real problem with SSDs)

Cheers,
N.F.

[MaxRoy77]

^ Any disk (spinning disk, hybrid or SSD) plugged-in a Thinkpad T* will be protected (if installed) for drops.

[BeeJayEmm]

A few points:
For cloning an existing drive, in addition to the USB enclosure and ultrabay options, you may also use a USB cable which attaches directly to the drive. It comes with its own power supply.

Seagate DiskWizard is a limited version of Acronis True Image. It does run in Linux when booted from the software disk or from rescue media the program helps you create. The main limitation of Seagate's version (and Western Digital's, for that matter) is that, if using it for backup, you may only create full archives, not incremental/differential ones.

To ensure success when cloning, first remove the existing drive from your ThinkPad and put it in the enclosure/ultrabay adapter or attach to the cable I mentioned. Install the new drive in your ThinkPad and then clone. Disconnect the old drive after cloning before booting the new drive to prevent OS confusion.

Many conventional drives are available with or without on board shock detection, as mentioned above. Best to have it on the drive or on the ThinkPad, but not both. SSDs do not have heads (nor any moving parts) so I'm not sure if or how the anti-shock system affects them.