Replacing HDD of IBM ThinkPad R31

[arifi]

Hello everyone,

I have an IBM ThinkPad R31 (Celeron 1.06GHz version), and recently its
harddisk died. I will replace it, but need some advice:

The original disk of the laptop is an IBM TravelStar 20GB / 4200RPM. I
will probably replace it with a 40GB Seagate, which is easier to find
here.
There are two options:
1. ST-94019A, 40GB, 4200 RPM, 2.5"
2. ST-94011A, 40GB, 5400 RPM, 2.5"

The higher RPM suggests that I should prefer the 94011A, but would the
laptop have problems powering / accessing a disk with faster RPM than
its original disk ?

Also, are there any limitations in the BIOS etc that will cause
problems with the 40GB size, which is double the size of the original ?

And lastly, should I expect any form-factor or IDE connector problems
in fitting the Seagate drive ?

Many thanks in advance,
-arifi

 

[Rod Speed]

I have an IBM ThinkPad R31 (Celeron 1.06GHz version), and
recently its harddisk died. I will replace it, but need some advice:

The original disk of the laptop is an IBM TravelStar 20GB / 4200RPM. I
will probably replace it with a 40GB Seagate, which is easier to find here.
There are two options:
1. ST-94019A, 40GB, 4200 RPM, 2.5"
2. ST-94011A, 40GB, 5400 RPM, 2.5"

The higher RPM suggests that I should prefer the 94011A, but would the
laptop have problems powering / accessing a disk with faster RPM than
its original disk ?

Shouldnt do.

Also, are there any limitations in the BIOS etc that will cause
problems with the 40GB size, which is double the size of the original ?

Dunno, but thats not that likely with that vintage of ThinkPad.

And lastly, should I expect any form-factor or
IDE connector problems in fitting the Seagate drive ?

Just check the thickness of the drives and compare that with the old one.

 

[arifi]

Hi and thanks, but I could not figure out what you really mean byDo you mean that I should not install something with different specs
than the original,
or
that it should not cause any problems ?

And a last minute question: is a 5400 RPM drive likely to cause heating
problems ?

Best,
-arifi

 

[Arno Wagner]

Hello everyone,

I have an IBM ThinkPad R31 (Celeron 1.06GHz version), and recently its
harddisk died. I will replace it, but need some advice:

The original disk of the laptop is an IBM TravelStar 20GB / 4200RPM. I
will probably replace it with a 40GB Seagate, which is easier to find
here.
There are two options:
1. ST-94019A, 40GB, 4200 RPM, 2.5"
2. ST-94011A, 40GB, 5400 RPM, 2.5"

The higher RPM suggests that I should prefer the 94011A, but would the
laptop have problems powering / accessing a disk with faster RPM than
its original disk ?

Powering should be unproblematic. Heat could be an issue. Have a look
into the manual of the original disk what its power ratings are. Then
have a look into the manual for your prospective replacement and compare.
(I found that Fujitsu's Laptop disks need less power than Seagate).
If more than 30% or so increase you may have problems. It is really not
easy to tell. However IBM laptops are fairly well designed and I would
not expect heat problems.

Also, are there any limitations in the BIOS etc that will cause
problems with the 40GB size, which is double the size of the original ?

Could be. Was the laptop ever available with a 40GB disk? There
should be no limits besides the BIOS.

And lastly, should I expect any form-factor or IDE connector problems
in fitting the Seagate drive ?

If this thing has the same drive bay as the X31, no. Unless you
try to replace a 9.5mm high disk with a 12.5mm high one. These are
the two heights for 2.5" disks. You can remove the drive bay
(usually just one screw, the manual should explain it) and have
a look. You find the external measures of the seagate disk again in
the disk manual.

Disk manuals are available from the vendor websites. For IBM
it is now Hitachi.

I replaced the IBM disk in my X31 with a Fujitzu 5400 one, no problems
at all.

Arno

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod Speed (e-mail address removed) wrote

Hi and thanks, but I could not figure out what you really mean by

Do you mean that I should not install something
with different specs than the original,
or
that it should not cause any problems ?

It should not cause any problems.

And a last minute question: is a 5400 RPM
drive likely to cause heating problems ?

It might if the design of the laptop is marginal. You dont
say what the original drive was tho, it may well dissipate
as much power as the new ST-94011A and in that case
should not cause heating problems.

 

[fj]

Shouldnt do.

As long as it's a 9.5mm height drive, no problem. We use only IBM thinkpads
at work, have some familiarity with them.
I'm running a 7200rpm 40GB HGST drive in place of the 20GB that came with my
T23 [which is older than the T31].

 

[arifi]

Thanks for the info, everyone! I am ordering the 5400 RPM Seagate since
its power requirements are the same with the 4200 RPM version. However
Seagate's power requirements are quite higher than the Hitachi ones -
is this a measuring difference or does Hitachi have the lead in
technology here ?

Cheers,
arifi

 

[Rod Speed]

Thanks for the info, everyone! I am ordering the 5400 RPM Seagate
since its power requirements are the same with the 4200 RPM version.
However Seagate's power requirements are quite higher than the
Hitachi ones - is this a measuring difference
Nope.

or does Hitachi have the lead in technology here ?

Yep, Seagate has a real tendency to ignore the power
requirements compared with some other manufacturers.

 

[Arno Wagner]

Thanks for the info, everyone! I am ordering the 5400 RPM Seagate since
its power requirements are the same with the 4200 RPM version. However
Seagate's power requirements are quite higher than the Hitachi ones -
is this a measuring difference or does Hitachi have the lead in
technology here ?

The Seagates also take more power than Fujitsu, so I think
the Seagates are just power-hogs. May be a problem.

Arno