T42 to T42P tech question

[Mofo Jones]

Hello.

I don't post on here much but I'm often browsing. I have a T42 with the Radeon 9600 with the GPU failure issue. 2373-3UU. I found a mobo and a tp bottom case from a T42p on ebay here and I was wondering if it would be possible to take the working parts of my T42, merge them with this bottom and get a working unit out of the deal. According to the pics on the ad, it's a 2373 base. I used the heat gun method to get this working again 2 years ago, meaning that I understand the amount of work required to take this apart and put it back together. My T42 works if I leave it on the counter and don't jiggle it much, but I have a desktop and don't need another stationary PC. The only reason I'm considering doing this is because money is super tight right now and I've got a laptop sitting here that would be functional with a graphics chip.

Yes, I know the board room has mobos, but that's 2x the cost of this.

So, is this possible to do? Is it crazy to attempt it? I'm wondering if I'd need a set of recovery CDs for a T42P since I'd essentially be turning my T42 into a T42P, or if I can try to burn a set with my T42 and then add drivers for the 128MB Fire GPU later.

Thanks for any and all input, responses and/or suggestions.

[Neil]

Yes...you could use all your current parts on that T42p base. It's just questionable how good a shape that base/motherboard is in, and how long it will hold up. The boards from the Board Room are guaranteed, and likely to be better than new. That's where the additional value comes in. But, it's your $$, and your call.

[Mofo Jones]

Yeah, that's the big question - I don't know how long that fix would last. Also, I wasn't trying to malign the board room. I wish I'd jumped when they had reflowed Radeon 9600 boards in stock a couple of years ago. Silly me. I suppose that as long as I've disassembled my TP down to the board and the base, it would be about the same work to swap in a replacement mobo as it would be to put my parts onto a different base. Depending on how my money supply goes, maybe I'll try the board room one instead - I know RealBlackStuff has a good rep around here.

[RealBlackStuff]

Thank you for the 'flowers'!
You can mix'n'match all parts between your T42 and that T42p, especially since both are the same size.
BTW, the only boards left now in The Board Room are from the R52, but have Intel graphics. They also require different CPU and RAM. They do fit in any T4x or R5x machine though.
BUT: those mobos do not work with a 14.1" SXGA+ LCD, only 14.1" or 15" XGA and 15" SXGA+.

[Mofo Jones]

If I did this swap, I'm thinking I'd probably have to reinstall everything on the HDD. Would I need recovery disks specifically for a T42P or would a T42 (as in I burn them here being very careful to not bump my laptop) work for that?

[ajkula66]

If I did this swap, I'm thinking I'd probably have to reinstall everything on the HDD. Would I need recovery disks specifically for a T42P or would a T42 (as in I burn them here being very careful to not bump my laptop) work for that?

You likely won't have to re-install anything at all...and the disks are the same between the two.

[Mofo Jones]

Thank you!