[sf-lug] seeking laptop recommendations to upgrade from thinkpad t61p

Fri May 23 20:44:15 PDT 2014

Newegg gives pretty good info on the SSDs they sell.  Check the Amazon
Reviews before buying.

Selecting an SSD
There are many criteria for SSD selection, figure out which are most
important to you (weighted average?), but realize, you are working with
incomplete information.

I.  Size -- Figure 10-20% to be left unallocated to a partition

II. IO Speed
 A. Random Access -- Given in 4K IO operations per second.
    Varies from 7,000 to 90,000+  Be careful, SSDs can be
    much slower than you'd expect.
  1. Read
  2. Write
 B. Sequential -- Typically 400-500MB/sec claimed, but this is a
    totally artificial number from a benchmark, which includes
    compression to reach those numbers.  A copy from the device
    to null will be around 1/4 of the claimed read speed.
  1. Read
  2. Write

III. Longevity -- Different manfacturing greatly influences this.
   Triple layer makes for more storage, but doesn't last as long
   as single layer.  The more writes, the faster the SSD wears out.
   Treat your SSD installation the same way as an installation to
   a flash stick, i.e. move as much into memory as possible, to
   extend the life of the hardware.

IV. Power Consumption -- Any SSD will probably take less power
    than an existing hard disk, but SSDs will differ among themselves
    by a factor of 10.  Consider the effect of the heat, on components
    or on your lap!

V.  User Reviews -- Specs are meaningless if the vendor switched
    parts after a unit was tested.  No one wants to deal with a
    device dead on arrival.  If lots of units fail within a month,
    that should influence your buying decision.

Good Luck.

On Fri, May 23, 2014 at 4:09 PM, Michael Shiloh <michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com
> wrote:

> Really, really good point. I'm certainly willing to throw some bucks at my
> T61P.
>
> Thanks too for the warning about SSD specs. I understand none of it yet.
> Any review sites or specific SSD reviews you particularly like or trust?
>
>
> On 05/23/2014 10:03 AM, Ken Shaffer wrote:
>
>> If you're just looking for a performance improvement, (assuming you're
>> maxed out on memory), a cheap SSD is hard to beat.  I put a $50, 60G SSD
>> into an 8 year old 32bit Compaq clunker, and was really surprised by the
>> improvements (like a 25 second boot time, power on to login screen).
>> Depending upon your storage needs, a second disk may be added through a
>> DVD/CDROM caddy (but you may have boot issues with that).  Read the
>> reviews, the specs of SSDs are all over the place, the numbers are "fake"
>> anyway (using compression to up the MB/Sec ), and longevity is always a
>> question, but sounds like you like what you have, just want "more".
>> u
>>
>>
>> On Thu, May 22, 2014 at 9:30 PM, maestro <maestro415 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>  T-...!
>>> T-...!
>>> T-...!
>>>
>>> Why second guess excellence & something you love?...
>>> Get another THINKPAD & look no further.
>>> I'm on my second(T-61) & LOVE it...
>>>
>>> Looking @ next T-? I will befriend...
>>>
>>> Rock solid boxes that absolutely LOVE Linux and partition smoothly...
>>>
>>> If you no longer want your T-61 I know a great home that will love & take
>>> care of it ;-))
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Message ends
>>> _________________
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thursday, May 22, 2014, Michael Shiloh <michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I love my trusty Thinkpad T61p, but it's getting quite old. Time to
>>>>
>>> upgrade, but to what?
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I've owned many Thinkpads and loved them all. What are the Lenovo steps
>>>>
>>> up from the T series?
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Or is it time to try something non-Lenovo?
>>>>
>>>> I strongly support what ZA Reason is doing, and would be inclined to go
>>>>
>>> with them if one of their selections fits my needs. I know at least one
>>> of
>>> you uses a ZA Reason laptop and would love to hear your experience.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Considerations:
>>>>
>>>> - What's a reasonable amount to spend? I expect to pay more than $1000
>>>>
>>> but need to keep it below $2000.
>>>
>>>> - Some SSD for speed. Could be all SSD, or some SSD and some spinning
>>>>
>>> disk.
>>>
>>>> - I carry my laptop everywhere, so weight is a concern.
>>>> - I use the laptop constantly, so a really good screen is important.
>>>> - Nice keyboard. I'm spoiled by Thinkpads.
>>>> - I love the Thinkpad joystick thingy between the GHBN buttons. I don't
>>>>
>>> think I could get used to a trackpad. I've tried often and I hate them.
>>>
>>>> - I travel quite often and long battery life is somewhat important,
>>>>
>>> although on the one hand in-seat power is becoming more common and on the
>>> other hand some time away from the computer is a good thing too.
>>>
>>>> - I speak publicly very often so flawless external monitor hookup is
>>>>
>>> critical
>>>
>>>> - I don't do many CPU intensive things. Mostly lots of web pages (I
>>>>
>>> typically have 30 open tabs) and Thunderbird. Lots of Arduino compiles
>>> but
>>> that's pretty fast anyway. I mostly used git, Inkscape, OpenSCAD,
>>> Fritzing,
>>> vi, etc. I suspect lots of RAM and the SSD is more important that CPU
>>> speed, but I could be wrong.
>>>
>>>> - Style is not terribly important to me (thank goodness)
>>>> - Obviously something that works well with Linux (standard Ubuntu)
>>>>
>>> without having to jump through too many hoops is important
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thoughts? Suggestions for and against? General discussion?
>>>>
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>>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> *~the quieter you become, the more you are able to hear...*
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
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