A few X200 upgrade questions.

[demoDoo]

Hello everyone! I'm upgrading some components in my X200, and was in need of some advice.

I'm looking to upgrade the hard drive from the 160GB stock to a 500 - 750 GB drive. Looking on newegg I've found a replacement drive from Lenovo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822502019

$100 for a 500GB drive seems like a rip off, but reading the reviews, I found this information:

"From what I've read on the net (at least on the older models) you have to use a IBM/ Lenovo branded drive or it will give you a nag error message everytime it boots. I think they corrected the issue on the newer model machines like mine but I didn't want to take a chance on it not acting up so I had to pay more for it for the IBM name. Also, I couldn't confirm if the Active HDD Protection (airbag) thing would work or not with a non IBM HDD in there. In theory it should work since the app just forces the head arms over in the park position during protection mode. That is what swayed me to buy this."

Is this true? Or does this not matter? If not, I was thinking of going with one of these drives instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136692
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148374

Or do you guys recommend something else?

I was also looking to replace the 6-cell battery with a 9-cell. Should I go Lenovo or third party?

[iamdmc]

I'd go for Hitachi or Western Digital btw
I work in Corporate Sales and we get a lot of Seagates back lately. Lots of bad batches too.

As for the battery, always go with Lenovo OEM. I've tried other batteries and they just don't last. They can also be poorly constructed and be a risk to yourself, your laptop, and others.

Head on over to eBay and you'll probably be able to pick one up cheap. I always got my X61s batteries for 40-50% of retail (brand new)

[demoDoo]

I'd go for Hitachi or Western Digital btw
I work in Corporate Sales and we get a lot of Seagates back lately. Lots of bad batches too.

As for the battery, always go with Lenovo OEM. I've tried other batteries and they just don't last. They can also be poorly constructed and be a risk to yourself, your laptop, and others.

Head on over to eBay and you'll probably be able to pick one up cheap. I always got my X61s batteries for 40-50% of retail (brand new)

So it doesn't matter that the hard drive isn't the Lenovo brand?

[ZaZ]

No. Lenovo will not warranty the drive, but the manufacturer will. I might suggest the Seagate Momentus XT is worth a look.

[iamdmc]

@FredGavin

seconded. Despite bad reviews on many Seagate HDD's, this HHDD (hybrid HDD) is a worthwhile option.

[demoDoo]

No. Lenovo will not warranty the drive, but the manufacturer will. I might suggest the Seagate Momentus XT is worth a look.

@FredGavin

seconded. Despite bad reviews on many Seagate HDD's, this HHDD (hybrid HDD) is a worthwhile option.

I looked at the hybrid drives. I wasn't sure if they needed certain software to run, as I run Linux on my ThinkPad. Do you know if they work with Linux?

Edit: A quick Google showed that the Momentus XT is OS independent. That if that's the case, I'm probably going for that.

Is it true drives > 500GB are prone to failure? Should I go for a 750GB or 1TB drive instead?

[iamdmc]

I think you mean < 500GB.

Simple answer: no.

Complicated answer: Depends on the number of platters the HDD uses. Newer drives have higher density and can use fewer platters. Ie. an older 500GB hard drive may have 3x 166GB platters, whereas a newer 500GB hard drive may have 2x 250GB platters. Fewer parts means fewer things can go wrong, so lower failure rates.

Best option for an HDD now is the Seagate Momentus XT. If I didn't have an SSD, I'd have the XT. Good balance of performance and capacity.

[demoDoo]

Looks like the Momentus XT is corrupting large files in Linux.

http://forums.seagate.com/t5/Momentus-X ... d-p/109008