X1400 vs GMA950 in Win 7...

[alkemyst]

I have a X1400 T60 motherboard and my current is a 950 integrated. I am upgrading the screen to 1400x1050 (14.1").

Is this still a worthwhile change for just general use? I do have Quake 4, UT2003/2004 and a few other games from the mid 2000's that may be fun during a trip to play.

Outside of that it's an email/web sort of machine and one we will just dump photos too when vacationing.

I am hoping I can just swap out my bottom bezel plate between the two machines, mount all my old gear and LCD and be done with it. That's how it looks like I can do it in the HMM.

Never tore down a Thinkpad yet.

I also have Wireless N + the antenna and a T7200 I am adding.

I just don't want to do all the work and then regret it. I see some that say there were heat problems with the X1400.

[RealBlackStuff]

I'd keep the Intel GMA board, but do all the other upgrades. Much better on the gas (ehhh... battery power).

[alkemyst]

Is there a benchmark for a X1400 vs 950GMA battery life anywhere?

Also most of the time I should be on wired power. Almost all the flights I have been on recently had provisions for it.

[ThinkRob]

Is there a benchmark for a X1400 vs 950GMA battery life anywhere?

Not that I know of -- but from experience with my T500 and powertop, I can say that the difference between a dedicated GPU and an Intel integrated one is going to be at best a couple watts, which (even with a 9-cell battery) can make a serious dent in run-time.

[TTY]

Here is a comparison regarding battery life of a ThinkPad with Intel GMA 950 and a ThinkPad with ATI X1300:
http://lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=40