T42/3 compatibility and many more

[Haxoc112]

Hello (helpful) people!
I have an IBM Thinkpad T42 that I want to upgrade it to the absolute max (i know it's not worth it) but still. I read that there are parts interchangeable between t43/p and t42 like mobo. What parts other than cpu and ram which i will upgrade anyways should i worry about their compatibility? Will all t43 features work, sata mod and expresscard are my main worries.
My current specs are:
Pentium m 725 1.6GHz
1.5 ddr ram
Ati mobility 7500 32mb
XGA display
Intel 2200bg wireless
Bluetooth

What is the best t43 mobo to buy? Specifically the one with the v3200. Are there any other soldered parts i should worry about when getting the "new" mobo? What are some good FRUs?
I intend to upgrade the following:
mobo $20
92P6757 & 92P6760 display $30
Pentium m 780 $15
2gb ddr2 533mhz $7.5
Long fan $7
Battery $10 6 cell
Wireless $6 2915ABG is it worth it other than 802.11a suppprt?
Palm rest $5 26r7851 mine is broken and i would like a fingerprint reader
Screw set $5 272028503130 is the ebay part number, is this the legit full screw set? If not where can i find one for a "normal" price and in general are these good prices for the components?

Can you stably undervolt a pentium m 780 to get better temps and in general how do i keep temps low (as much as possible) on this. I will use arctic silver 5 for cpu and gpu

Where can i get the thing that connects the sxga screen to the mobo because i have the XGA connector/cable (I'm guessing)

FYI- i wouldn't upgrade this laptop if it didn't have problems, it started 2 months ago when the screen would turn off when i moved the laptop and in general turned off but the laptop didn't shut down so i thought it's a problem with the graphics drivers, i downgraded back to windows xp from 7 and now it cant keep it temps below 53c even on idle with the fan running full speed aprox 4400rpm now it shuts down unexpectedly so I think it's a problem with the mobo so i decided to take the opportunity to upgrade it to the absolute max if I'm already opening it up and all that.

Machine type- 2373-CTO or 2373-V1K that i found nothing about because it is a european model with a us keyboard for some reason.
Currently i run recovery of win xp home from a compaq laptop that i dont have anymore but i do have the original xp pro coa so if you know where to find the iso or recovery disks it would be helpful!

Ok more questions..
How hard is the sata mod to do?
Is it ok to use ssd with win xp?
Will msata-ide be more beneficial than the sata mod?
Is there a webcam mod?
If cant use ssd what hdd do you recommend?
Is there an upgraded internal microphone system?
How to save weight (battery and ultrabay)?
Not related to anything- i have 4 **legal** office 2003 licenses and two disks non of them work (activate online) did Microsoft disable the activation server? How can I override it?

Thank very very much to anyone that actually mind looking here! I appreciate this very much.

PS:
if you would want my used components for free (you pay shipping) after i check everything works correctly with the new components i would love to give them aways: 1.6ghz pentium m, 1.5 gb ddr ram, 9 cell battery (not original), a palmrest has a small minor crack in the middle below the trackpad, an XGA screen with the cable and wireless card if i change it

[shawross]

Welcome to the forum

I am not sure where you are located but why don't you look for a T43 rather than try to source all the parts? Obviously try to buy one with a SXGA+ screen

The Sata mod would be very difficult unless you are very skillful with miniature soldering.

I would question whether you need an SSD. You can get a Sata spinner and an ultrabay caddy.

Webcam = usb only

If you want to revive the T42 buy another T42 mobo.

Take the time to look around and you should be rewarded.


Goodluck

[axur-delmeria]

SATA mod is only for T43 and R52, not your T42. It might be better and cheaper to buy a complete T43. Alternatively, you may consider upgrading to a non-widescreen T60 or even a Frankenpad.

[Haxoc112]

So what t42 mobos would work? Preferably something with firegl t2 or radeon 9600 so i can run a sxga+ screen. But if i use t43 mobo isnt it excatly the same as t42 one other than supporting potentially better (for the time) hardware? What are the differences?

[shawross]

The T43 uses a PCMIA express cage/ slot and is different to the T42 otherwise they are mostly the same. They do use different memory as the T43 uses DDR2.

If you can get a T41p it would be ok with your T42.

[RealBlackStuff]

Check my list of T4x/R5x motherboards

[kfzhu1229]

What is the best t43 mobo to buy? Specifically the one with the v3200. Are there any other soldered parts i should worry about when getting the "new" mobo? What are some good FRUs?

I actually do have 2 spare T43p motherboards that I salvaged from China (Yea, you heard right, both are V3200). (Trust me, it took me 3 hours to find from Chinese Taobao!) I can sell you one, but just not at $20 mark. I would need something like $64 from that to at least satisfy my costs.

I intend to upgrade the following:
mobo $20
92P6757 & 92P6760 display $30
Pentium m 780 $15
2gb ddr2 533mhz $7.5
Long fan $7
Battery $10 6 cell
Wireless $6 2915ABG is it worth it other than 802.11a suppprt?
Palm rest $5 26r7851 mine is broken and i would like a fingerprint reader
Screw set $5 272028503130 is the ebay part number, is this the legit full screw set? If not where can i find one for a "normal" price and in general are these good prices for the components?

First things first, let me tell you the things you don't need to replace in your checklist:
battery
wireless
screw set
In my opinion, you DON'T need to buy them separately too! I learnt that the hard way. And forget about IPS displays because
1. There is NO IPS option in 14.1" configuration
2. IPS displays are pretty hard to find, and if you want it in a good condition you are looking at somewhere around $100. That is also without IPS inverter and UXGA cable.
Also I have several maxed out 14.1" T43 units lying around (Pentium M 780, 2GB RAM, SXGA+ display) if you are interested since yours is also 14.1" unit.

Can you stably undervolt a pentium m 780 to get better temps and in general how do i keep temps low (as much as possible) on this. I will use arctic silver 5 for cpu and gpu

As for underclocking, see this forum:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=123014

Where can i get the thing that connects the sxga screen to the mobo because i have the XGA connector/cable (I'm guessing)

It is called screen cable and yea the cables are different between resolution. (also between sizes as well in the case of T4x/R5x) Every resolution should work with every ATI GPU motherboard in the entire lineup.