T40 upgrade from 1.5 to 2.0

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sktn77a · #1 Post by **sktn77a** » Mon May 21, 2007 10:16 am

Hello:

I'm looking for some experienced input from individuals who have actually peformed this mod. My daughter's 4 year old T40 is still performing really well but, like so many other computers of its ilk, is beginning to get a little slow. I've upgrade the memory to 768mb and am considering upgrading the CPU fro a 1.5 gHz Banias to a 2.0gHz Dothan (400mHz FSB, of course) which I can pick up used for $150.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't upgrade a computer's CPU with anything less than double the speed for a significant improvement but as this upgrade is relatively cheap and the computer is otherwise perfect for her, what is the opionion of those who've made this move? Any point in increasing the memory any more? (she doesn't usually have multiple application windows open).

Thanks in advance,

#2 Post by **jdhurst** » Mon May 21, 2007 10:43 am

I upgraded my T41 from a Banias 1.4 to a Dothan 1.8 and noticed it. Be all and end all ? No. By itself - probably not worth the effort.

Two other things I did that *were* worth the effort: (1) 7200-rpm hard drive. This is *so* signficant that I will never again use a slower drive. (2) XP Pro SP2 (assuming you are there) needs a minimum of 512Mb to function. I upgraded to 768Mb (although today 1Gb is "de rigeur") and the memory also helped.

In doing the latter two above, it also made sense to have the faster processor and I view all three things as legs on a three-legged stool.
... JDH

sktn77a · #3 Post by **sktn77a** » Mon May 21, 2007 1:58 pm

Thanks; yes, that's about where I am right now. If it made a noticeable difference going from 1.4 to 1.8 then it sounds like it's worth it to squeeze a little more life out of the old T40! My son's T42 1.7 has 1GB RAM, 100GB Hitachi 7200 drive in it but it's hard comparing green apples to yellow oranges!

(Incidentally, I had a similar experience with XP on a previous computer - with SP1 it worked OK with 256mB RAM but with XP2 would basically just grind to a halt all the time so I had to go back to Win98!)

kryptonpwx · #4 Post by **kryptonpwx** » Mon May 21, 2007 6:35 pm

Windows XP SP2 requires more memory to run than SP1 because of the security features added.

I kept an eye on memory consumption when installing XP SP2 on my X31 (512MB memory). After installation, boot into desktop, free memory is about 400 MB. After loading all drivers (drivers only excluding any IBM software), reboot, 350 MB free. After installing anti-virus and all software I need to use, reboot, 260 MB free. Setting virtual memory to 512MB, it is still enough to run most application I need.

Notice the PF usage in task manager. After a fresh reboot, the PF usage is about 180 MB in my machine.

You can also turn off some unnessary services. Search for a list of those.

sktn77a · #5 Post by **sktn77a** » Wed May 23, 2007 8:47 pm

Well, I pulled the trigger on a Pentium M 755 last night - $158 shipped. It's going in an early T40 replacing a 1.5. I also got an additional Gig of RAM.

I've seen some comments saying "make sure you have the long fan". What's that and why would it be necessary?

Temetka · #6 Post by **Temetka** » Wed May 23, 2007 9:24 pm

The long fan covers both the CPU and the GPU. With the increased heat your machine will be putting out, you will need the larger HSF to help absorb, conduct, and transfer that heat elsewhere. The short fan does NOT cover the GPU. You will know which one you have when you remove the keyboard as it will be blatantly obvious.

duhmask · #7 Post by **duhmask** » Thu May 24, 2007 10:01 am

i envy you people for upgrading to the 755 processor already, care to share where you got the 755 for only $158, the $20 - $30 difference with the ones on ebay would surely be helpful in funding a future 2GB ram upgrade..

sktn77a · #8 Post by **sktn77a** » Thu May 24, 2007 8:41 pm

Temetka wrote:The long fan covers both the CPU and the GPU. With the increased heat your machine will be putting out, you will need the larger HSF to help absorb, conduct, and transfer that heat elsewhere. The short fan does NOT cover the GPU. You will know which one you have when you remove the keyboard as it will be blatantly obvious.

Thanks Temetka. I have the short fan (doesn't cover the GPU). Will that be a problem upgrading from the 1.5 to the 2.0? The 2.0 (Dothan) puts out about 4 w less heat than the 1.5 (Banias).

Temetka · #9 Post by **Temetka** » Fri May 25, 2007 1:53 am

sktn77a wrote:
Temetka wrote:The long fan covers both the CPU and the GPU. With the increased heat your machine will be putting out, you will need the larger HSF to help absorb, conduct, and transfer that heat elsewhere. The short fan does NOT cover the GPU. You will know which one you have when you remove the keyboard as it will be blatantly obvious.
Thanks Temetka. I have the short fan (doesn't cover the GPU). Will that be a problem upgrading from the 1.5 to the 2.0? The 2.0 (Dothan) puts out about 4 w less heat than the 1.5 (Banias).

I would highly suggest that you have it. Even if it costs like $15 or so, how much does new motherboard cost if it fries because of heat?

...an ounce of prevention...

FTC · #10 Post by **FTC** » Fri May 25, 2007 3:24 am

sktn77a,

I see your T40 has a radeon 7500/32 MB, just like mine. Note that although putting the long fan sure helps the GPU running cooler, it is *not* really necessary .

7500s don't get *that* hot. Another thing would be a 9600,... and in any case swapping a banias for a dothan will *decrease* the output heat/consumption (even if you add some memory). .. and don't get me wrong... I did put a long fan on mine *when the short one died 6 months ago*, because of course it's better... but strictly speaking, it's not really necessary.

sktn77a · #11 Post by **sktn77a** » Fri May 25, 2007 4:35 pm

duhmask wrote:
i envy you people for upgrading to the 755 processor already, care to share where you got the 755 for only $158, the $20 - $30 difference with the ones on ebay would surely be helpful in funding a future 2GB ram upgrade..

Ebay - "make me an offer" auction. Just search for Pentium 755.

sktn77a · #12 Post by **sktn77a** » Fri May 25, 2007 4:37 pm

Temetka:

Where can I get the long fan? I agree that for $15, it makes senase to change it while its all apart.

Temetka · #13 Post by **Temetka** » Fri May 25, 2007 7:15 pm

I was off on the pricing. Most e-bay sellers want $20 plus shipping.

Just search ebay.

sktn77a · #14 Post by **sktn77a** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 10:53 am

Well, I put in the 2.0GHz Dothan last night and upgraded the memory to 1Gb. Bootup times to the desktop are noticeably faster (?), even with the original 5400rpm Hitachi drive.

No blue screens yet! And I went ahead and did it with the original short fan - figured the heat dissipation of the Dothan is lower than the Banias so shouldn't be an issue.

I'm happy and so is #2 daughter

Temetka · #15 Post by **Temetka** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:45 pm

For internet and word processing it should be okay.

Anything that will stress the CPU and / or GPU might cause it to overheat. I cannot stress enough the importance of purchasing the long fan. Frying a laptop due to heat related issues can be avoided by picking up a relatively inexpensive part.

#16 Post by **jdhurst** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 2:08 pm

Temetka wrote:For internet and word processing it should be okay.

Anything that will stress the CPU and / or GPU might cause it to overheat. I cannot stress enough the importance of purchasing the long fan. Frying a laptop due to heat related issues can be avoided by picking up a relatively inexpensive part.

I can run a T41 with a short fan and with a 1.8GHz Dothan for a couple of hours at 100 percent CPU (not a game, though) and move the temperature up (70's C) but not overheat it. You most assuredly can do more than word processing on the machine in question, but serious gaming might cause heat problems, and in that event, I agree with the long fan. ... JDH

sktn77a · #17 Post by **sktn77a** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:20 pm

Interesting, given the heat dissipation of the Banias is 24.5w and that for the Dothan is 21w then at any given processor load, the Dothan should always be running cooler than the Banias, shouldn't it?

freddy418 · #18 Post by **freddy418** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:37 am

sktn77a wrote:Interesting, given the heat dissipation of the Banias is 24.5w and that for the Dothan is 21w then at any given processor load, the Dothan should always be running cooler than the Banias, shouldn't it?

The numbers you quoted represent the cooling system requirements and not actual power dissipation statistics of the processors. In real applications, such as strenuous gaming, the Dothan will get hotter because it has more and smaller transistors and hence much higher thermal density.

Read here for more info on what 24.5W or 21W TDP means:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_Design_Power

FTC · #19 Post by **FTC** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 1:22 pm

The numbers you quoted represent the cooling system requirements and not actual power dissipation statistics of the processors. In real applications, such as strenuous gaming, the Dothan will get hotter because it has more and smaller transistors and hence much higher thermal density.

Freddy, I am sorry but can only disagree with this. It has been my experience after testing with 2 banias chips and 3 disfferent dothans that dothans are consistently cooler chips when doing the same tasks in the same machines... I would say as much as 5-10 oC.. besides, you can even undervolt much more dothans making this difference increase even more!

T40 upgrade from 1.5 to 2.0

T40 upgrade from 1.5 to 2.0

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