Just ordered Lenovo Thinkpad 300SL

[nerp]

I ordered this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16834146475

I also ordered a pair of 2x2GB DDR2 SODIMMs so I can enjoy 4GB. Will have to install 64-bit Vista since 32 is preinstalled.

I saw corkyg recommend replacing the HD and setting the original aside in case I ever want to sell it, need to return it, or, just for 'backup' purposes.

Concerns:

1. Is a 7200 rpm laptop drive really going to be faster than the 5400rpm 160gb that is included? If so, which one is recommended these days?

2. Will a faster drive run hot? Will it use more power? Will I see a noticable difference in battery life?

3. ViBrATioNS - Will a 7200rpm drive cause the laptop to vibrate or pulse or otherwise lose its solidness? I'm aware that the SLs aren't quite the same build quality as higher end models. I'm not expecting something I can take into the bath with me.

4. NOISE. I really want a drive that won't whine, whirr, click, whisper, churp, flutter or make any sort of rukus.

Space isn't that important. I'm OK with spending $50 to $90ish. I want the best price/performance 7200rpm, but, only if it's worthwhile.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: nerp
1. Is a 7200 rpm laptop drive really going to be faster than the 5400rpm 160gb that is included? If so, which one is recommended these days?
2. Will a faster drive run hot? Will it use more power? Will I see a noticable difference in battery life?
3. ViBrATioNS - Will a 7200rpm drive cause the laptop to vibrate or pulse or otherwise lose its solidness? I'm aware that the SLs aren't quite the same build quality as higher end models. I'm not expecting something I can take into the bath with me.
4. NOISE. I really want a drive that won't whine, whirr, click, whisper, churp, flutter or make any sort of rukus.

My responses:
1. Yes. I replaced my original5400 drive with a 7200. Now have replaced that with a 320 GB/7200. There is a noticeable difference in speed reflected in boot time and drive maintenance utilities.

2. I don't notice any significant heat increase, but then I have had no reason to measure same.

3. Definitely no increase in vibration or noise - probably a decreased. Again, that is somewhat of a subjective impression.

4. The only way I know the drive is running or seeking is to watch the LED on top of the keyboard.

I have upgraded from 120 GB to 160GB to 200 GB, and now 320 GB. Would not hesitate to do it again.

 

[nerp]

Ok, so which model do you recommend? I'm torn between the Hitachi Travelstar 7K320 or the WD Scorpio Black 320.

 

[nerp]

Ended up going with the hitachi. The WD uses just a SLIIIGHT amount more power and the Hitachi is only microscopically slower, not enough for me to notice. So I figured it would be a smart choice.

I'm just going to pull the original drive, put it in a antistatic bag and throw it in the closet, install fresh, do the drivers, install the Lenovo power utility.

Any suggestions as to the thinkvantage stuff worth bothering with?

 

[corkyg]

There is quite a bit of the Thinkvantage stuff that is useful. But, that is largely a matter of personal preference. IOW, I use it about once a week.

OK on the Hitachi 320. I chose the WDV Black 320 simply because it was available locally at a good price.

 

[nerp]

Yeah, I think the differences between the two drives are minimal. I'll post back once I'm up and running and comment on the heat/noise. I'm sure it will be nice.

 

[taisingera]

I just went with the Hitachi 320GB 7200 from ZZF because of price, $48 after MIR. It runs cool, there is a slight vibration now on my T61 but not too bad. Seek noise isn't bad, but just when it runs, I hear a whoosing sound. I can deal with that as it is not annoying like a whine. It seems faster too compared to the Fujitsu 120GB 5400 that I had.

 

[zod96]

I just swapped out the 250 gb 5400 rpm hd on my lenovo U330 for a 160 gb 7200 rpm wd scropio black drive, nice jump in performance 🙂 I got the drive for $50 which isn't too bad...

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: nerp
Ended up going with the hitachi. The WD uses just a SLIIIGHT amount more power and the Hitachi is only microscopically slower, not enough for me to notice. So I figured it would be a smart choice.

I'm just going to pull the original drive, put it in a antistatic bag and throw it in the closet, install fresh, do the drivers, install the Lenovo power utility.

Any suggestions as to the thinkvantage stuff worth bothering with?

We have it on all the laptops here at work. I personally hate all that extra crap being on the machine. For 99% of the people here it does absolutely no good. It just sits in the background and does nothing.
The only component of it that I would keep here is the finger print software for those that use it. Otherwise I would trash all of it.

 

[nerp]

Well, I'm up and running and I have to say, I've got myself one fast little machine here.

In terms of build quality, I can see how this is slightly below the uber Thinkpad mystique you get with their double-priced models, but for the price, this is DAMN good build quality. I can't get over the wonderful keyboard. It responds with a delicious thwunk thwup and has excelent feel. There is absolutley no flex in the keys when you're typing and the case itself is quite sturdy. You're not going to notice any flex unless you're squeezing on purpose.

With the 7200 rpm drive and 4gb ram, this machine smokes. I'm so not used to having this much performance on a laptop. It rivals my #1 box in my sig and I'd say it's a bit faster than my AMD 780G rig at work. I'm almost tempted to bring that box home and just go dual monitor with the thinkpad in the office. 🙂

So I installed Vista fresh and it took a while for me to get all the drivers sorted out and everything solid, but I've managed to get everything installed and up to date quite well. I honestly don't know what a factory install with all the Thinkvantage stuff is like, but using the System Update utility and just downloading essential drivers and hotfixes, the power manager and battery tools and the fingerprint reader software, there is no bloat and some pleasantly useful utilities.

For starters, the lenovo battery tool has a nice meter on the taskbar and even has a gadget that works perfectly. The power manager util has some nifty extra tweaks, such as dimming the screen during while logging on or off. I chose not to install the support and maintenence tools, which seem to be a little beyond my needs. There was a package that had backup software, diagnostics, etc, and from the description, it seemed like a rebadged norton 360 or something so I skipped it.

In summary, I'm very happy with my purchase and feel like this machine is a nice introduction into the Thinkpad line. I'm glad I threw in the 7200rpm drive. It's pretty much inaudible, runs nice and cool and my battery life is solid - 4 hours with pretty thorough use, 5-6 with wifi off, just word open. It appears lenovo discontinued the SL line so if you want one you'll have to grab remaining stock from resellers like Newegg.