After all the discussions on the Toshiba MK3007GAL & MK4007GAL hard drives, there now seems to be additional choices offered by SSD and Samsungs 1.8” hard drives.  Anyone have any ideas if the Transcend/Sandisk SSD and/or the Samsung 1.8” HDD will work in the x505?

Unfortunately, they do not offer the combination 5mm or less height, and micro-ata connection. There is however one disk made by ritek that fits exactly. Waiting on that to come down in price.

It surprises me that there’s not more talk about Solid State Drives on this forum, because it would be just perfect in the x505. It would replace the LAST moving part in the machine, and make it completely silent. It’s also faster, which is very nice, cause the disk in the x505 is pretty slow. It also uses slightly less energy, making the battery last somewhat longer. Available in 16 and 32 Gb. All in all the perfect upgrade for the X505!!

I have my eye on the SLIM version of

Samsung 32GB IDE SSD
Mfgr’s par number   MCBOE32G8APR-0XA00
Capacity   32GB
Form Factor   1.8”, adapter available to fit 3.5” desktop or server)
Dimensions (standard model)    Standard 1.8”, 78.6(L), 53.8(W), 8(H) mm
Dimensions (SLIM model)    Smaller than standard 1.8” (there is no casing) 3mm height
Interface   micro-ATA (female IDE plug) connector, called “Toshiba”
Unique feature(s)    Slim model fits the tiniest spaces such as Sony X505
Rated Performance   58MB/s read, 32MB/s write, .3ms access
Our benchmarks   Our HD Tach benchmark (right-click to download)
Mfgr’s website   link
More pics  
Similar Products   4 - 64GB coming
Quantity Discount available   Yes. 20% off if you buy 10 or more.
DV Nation website   http://www.dvnation.com

http://www.dvnation.com/18ssds.html
http://www.dvnation.com/nand-flash-ssd.html#Adv

Has anyone actually tried installing this in an X505?

Craig

The Samsung website says that the SLIM drives have a ZIF-connector. I mailed DVNation a couple of days ago if they actually have a version with micro-ATA. No reply yet. The specs you pasted are from the 8mm version. If a 3mm drive with micro-ATA exists, i’ll surely buy one.

Ah… I see what you mean…

On http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=dvnation&product_name=32GB+female+IDE+SSD&exact_match=exact

Dimensions (SLIM model)    Smaller than standard 1.8” (there is no casing) 3mm height
Interface   micro-ATA (female IDE plug) connector, called “Toshiba”
Unique feature(s)    Slim model fits the tiniest spaces such as Sony X505

So if you believe DVnation, the SLIM version should work fine, but looking at the Samsung docs, it sure does appear to be ZIF.

Relevant links for others interested:

http://www.samsung.com/Products/Semiconductor/Support/Label_CodeInfo/SSD.pdf
http://www.samsung.com/Products/Semiconductor/FlashSSD/download/Module_type.pdf

Will be interesting to learn what you hear back from DVnation.

Craig

FYI just got this back from DVnation

CONFIRMED!  This is micro-ATA and it is SLIM (no casing!). You can clearly see the pic in the shopping cart.  That’s what you need!  Don’t forget to check the SLIM option in the checkout.  I can ship today!

http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=dvnation&product_name=32GB+female+IDE+SSD&exact_match=exact

Jason
DV Nation
http://www.dvnation.com

Wow, that’s absolutely fantastic news! The slim version is + 100$, which is acceptable. I’ll wait for the 16Gb version tho, 645$ in total is to steep for me. Plus, I won’t use the extra Gb’s, 16 is more then enough for my docs, progs and mp3s and space for a DVD-iso, if I ever need to download one. Hopefully it’ll be available soon. I’ll mail them when they expect them. Hopefully they’ll mail me back this time =)

Edit: does anyone know the specs of the toshiba MK2007GAL? The Samsung disk weighs 19 grammes and does r/w 53/30 mb/s. On the speeds of the Toshiba I could only find:

Transfer rates
MK2007GAL Internal From 125.5 MBit/s to 253.1 MBit/s

Which would make the Samsung roughly twice as fast =) Access times are also much faster of course.

Jason replied, stating he could supply the 16Gb version for 599…. eactly the same price as the 32Gb! I hope he made a mistake. If he can supply it for 299 i’ll get one, and post the results =)

Do you guys have an updated status on this?  I’m thinking of getting the Samsung SSD too.

Hello All,

I would also like to hear how you guys got on with the SSD disks. I was just about to purchase a MK3007 to kill the whiring sound from my X505 until I came across this thread. Silent flash would be a dream… Please keep us posted.

Jason failed to reply =(

I’m still looking for a SSD tho, I really want to remove the last moving part from my x505. Unfortunately there’s not much places to look… however more and more shops are starting to sell them. E.g. Dell is selling a 32Gb drive for 500$. With the dollar is it is to the euro, that’s starting to get interesting =)

It is still hard tho to find a drive that is 5mm or less in height, and has a micro-ata connector. Anyone please post any specific models if you find some.

It is a Friday I guess,

I’m tempted to take the plunge $600 = £300 so it’s not too bad. Although I wonder if they merely strip the case off the disk to allow the X505 fit (and charge an extra $100 for a “Slim” model). The inventory shots do not include any “bare/slim” units and I have not seen them anywhere else (plenty of cased versions). Shots below:

http://www.dvnation.com/microatapics.html
http://www.dvnation.com/sams.html
Newegg shot with case

If the’re simply stripping the case, then newegg have the 16GB versions for $245! (I dont see it being too difficult to strip the case off)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=samsung+ssd

I’ve asked DVNation if this what they do (or the service they provide) - it would make both sizes much more attractive and open up the purchasing options if it is the “case”.

I was wondering the same thing for the same reasons…

“I receive the micro-ATA SSD SLIM model without the case.” - Jason @ DVNation.

Even so, It looks like your successfully able to strip the case off:

http://www.handtops.com/forum/3087/1/#

I think I will wait for the 64GB model to hit the street - that should mean a drop in the 32GB model (which I’m keen on).

Thanks for the pointer - it looks promising.

I can’t find a SLIM drive with micro-ATA anywhere…. could be that indeed dvnation just strips off the casing. I also can’t figure out which part of the product-number describes the connector. I emailed Samsung for the product number on SLIM micro-ata drives in 16 and 32Gb sizes, and also if the only difference between SLIM and non-SLIM is the casing. Let’s see if they reply.

An update: I purchased two 32GB SLIM SSDs from dvnation—shipped quickly and arrived as expected—and installed them in two X505s. Thanks very much for the step-by-step X505 disassembly instructions on this site; they were a lifesaver.

Hints:

I installed the hard drive upside down the first time (no indication which is right-side up, but no damage as a result either). Make sure the side with fewer chips is facing up.

When disassembling, keep the unit closed. Replace the drive. Reassemble completely, including the battery. For some reason, at least on my unit, there was a lot of extra tension on the hinge, so if it isn’t put back together as designed before opening, the hinge can (and did) easily snap.

The SLIM SSD is actually smaller than the 20GB hard drive. I peeled off the rubber side-protectors from the hard drive, attached them as best I could to the SSD, inserted the SSD and then added some filler material on the sides to make sure the SSD didn’t move too much. I’m a little concerned about my choice of filler material (paper-like material) because of all the heat the CPU generates. Anyone think that’s a problem?

Summary

The SSD’s work like a charm. Darn fast.

Hope this helps!