First time Lenovo buyer, want x200's

Thinking about getting the x200s very soon!

if I were to get it, how easy would it be to replace the HDD?

I'd like to get the cheapest Hd in config and then get the 500gb hd @ newegg if possible.

how thin is the x200s exactly? I've read 0.7'' and up to 1.4'' so there is a lot of confussion there

And i'm also looking at the x300. can it accept a regular hdd? would like to swap out the 64gb ssd and put a 320+ in there and use the 64 for a different laptop. thanks guys

 

Replacing the hard disk is supposed to be easy: remove 1 screw and it slides out. To image a new drive you'd need an external usb dvd drive or the ultrabase.

It is wedge shaped so "0.7'' and up to 1.4'" sounds about right (although I haven't measured).

 

The front is 0.7" and the back is 1.4". What's confusing about that?

The HDD is very easy to replace on the X200

 

Yes, replacing the HDD is very easy... I'm using a 500GB drive in my X200 tablet. However, I don't believe the X300 can take "regular" (2.5") laptop drives. I think that it will only accept 1.8" drives, so you'll be out of luck trying to add large storage to that model.

Warren.

 

You might want to consider a preconfigured model. It will have better specs and cost less.

 

The leading edge of the x200s is 0.7". The back is dependent upon the battery. If you use either the 6 or 9 cell it will be 1.4" thick. However, if you use the 4 cell battery (about 1/2 the life of the 6 cell) it will only be about 1.1" thick.

Replacing the hard drive in the x200s is very easy. Just remove 1 screw on the side to slide out the old drive. Remove 4 screws from the drive caddy and swap drives. You can then do a clean install, use recovery discs (make from the old drive before you swap), or do a direct drive transfer with a USB enclosure or a desktop computer (laptop and desktop drives use the same SATA interface).

It is important that you verify any replacement drive is standard height. Most of the 2.5" 500GB drives are 3 platter designs (as opposed to the normal 1 or 2 platter drives) and some are thicker than average. The x200s only takes standard height drives (any 1/2 platter, some 3 platter drives).

The x300/x301 use 1.8" drives. These are slower, smaller, and more expensive than 2.5" drives. I doubt you will find one of these above 250GB, and even that may be hard to locate (most drives on newegg are 2.5" or 3.5").

I would generally recommend the x200s over the x301. It is less expensive, faster, uses standard 2.5" drives, has a SD card slot, modem, 54mm express card slot, and dock connector. The x301 is a better choice if you need a DVD±RW drive frequently, want a DisplayPort on the laptop, or really like thin laptops and are willing to pay a premium for it.

 

I think the only 500GB drives that were thicker (12.5mm) were the early-to-market Hitachi and Fujitsu drives. The more recently available drives from Samsung, WD & Seagate are all standard height (9.5mm) drives.