T41 Motherboard Replacement Compatibility

Message

jasper · #1 Post by **jasper** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:11 pm

Hi,

I live in India, and last year I had my brand new T41 stop working due to an intermittent mobo problem. I took it to the IBM service center and they said it would cost a huge amount of money (> $500). So I cried and just left it for dead.

Now that a friend is visiting the US I was thinking maybe I could buy an old broken T41 for parts and scavenge the mobo, or just buy a new mobo to replace the one in my system.

Is their a compatibility list? My model is 2373 4KU, FRU 91P8927.

I only have about $200 with which to buy, and my friend is leaving in a week, so I don't have much time.

I'd rather try and fix the misbehaving mobo, but I feel discouraged about my chances. I am a software developer, not a hardware guy...

Thanks for your advice. jas.
--
Auroville, India

cirthix · #2 Post by **cirthix** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 3:52 am

all of the t40/41/42/43 series boards are compatible. you will need a long heatsink if you get a mobo wtih a dedicated video card and you'll need new ram if you get a t43 board.

#3 Post by **underclocker** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:42 am

Welcome to the forum!

Your quest is not that difficult. Entire working lower halves of T4x machines routinely sell in the $200 range. This is generally recommended over a replacement motherboard, since the price is about the same.

You can definitely find them on eBay - perhaps you have a friend here with an account/address for shipping. Or, you can post a LF/WTB (looking for or want to buy) ad in the marketplace of this fine forum.

I'd stick to either a T41 or T42 motherboard since it most closely matches your T41 (there are some slight differences between from the T40 and even greater differences from the T43). Although, if you get the entire lower half with a CPU, the T43 will be fine, too.

The LCD swap is relatively easy, many have done it. The motherboard swap takes about 2-3 hours total and you should use the IBM HMM (hardware maintenance manual), if you go that route. This is difficult, but quite possible for anyone that can follow instructions.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

(Alternately, you can probably sell your dead machine for about $200-$250 while you are here, just a post an ad on this forum.)

jasper · #4 Post by **jasper** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 1:07 pm

I'm completely in awe!!!

I started reading around the t4x forums and started noticing threads with titles that sound *familiar* to my mobo problem...

Turns out I'm a victim of a loose GPU!!! I pressed it down with my thumb and voila!! My first successful boot in over a year!!!! I downloaded the manual and will reassemble the whole kit (I took it down to the bare bones 4 months ago without the manual trying to find the problem).

You guys are great. Thanks.

czerwiec · #5 Post by **czerwiec** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:17 pm

cirthix wrote:all of the t40/41/42/43 series boards are compatible. you will need a long heatsink if you get a mobo wtih a dedicated video card and you'll need new ram if you get a t43 board.

Hi,
It means that I can buy motherboard t41/t42/t43 to my t40p?
Can I use my CPU from t40p on these motherboard?
Regards, Thomas.

#6 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:23 pm

czerwiec wrote:
cirthix wrote:all of the t40/41/42/43 series boards are compatible. you will need a long heatsink if you get a mobo wtih a dedicated video card and you'll need new ram if you get a t43 board.
Hi,
It means that I can buy motherboard t41/t42/t43 to my t40p?
Can I use my CPU from t40p on these motherboard?
Regards, Thomas.

Yes any of those systemboards will fit, however if you get a T43 board you'll need new RAM (PC2-4200) and the CPU you'll need is a 533MHz FSB Pentium M. The CPU in a T40 and T41 is a 400MHz Pentium M. A 400MHz Pentium M CPU will actually run in a T43 board, but not at the right speed/frequency. Your best bet is to stick with a T40 or a T41 board as has been previously mentioned. In fact if you do not get a /p board, you'll most likely be downgrading your GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), so keep that in mind as well.

#7 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:44 pm

The card slot cage is different in the T43. See following thread.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=37989

#8 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:56 pm

GomJabbar wrote:The card slot cage is different in the T43.

Thanks GomJabbar, I neglected to mention that detail. It's just one more reason to try to go for a T40 or T41 board/base as a replacement for a T40 systemboard.

lifrancis · #9 Post by **lifrancis** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:46 pm

Judging from the number of posts in this forum, the motherboard problem for T4X is almost as bad as the T30 memory problem. I have the same problem in my T42. Has anyone ever done a survey on this? What is happening to IBM quality control on their motherboard production?

#10 Post by **underclocker** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 8:14 pm

Just a point of clarification, a T43 CPU (533MHz bus) will run on a T40, T41 or T42 motherboard, but at a slower speed. This is because the CPU's multiplier stays the same but multiplies by 400MHz instead of 533MHz.

A T43 motherboard will properly run any Banias or Dothan Pentium M CPU at the correct rated speed. This is because the BIOS and EC are programmed to detect all Pentium M CPU's and run at either 400 or 533MHz, as required by the CPU. (Actually, someone should verify my Banias claim, I've tried it with Dothan CPU's.)

However, using a T43 motherboard presents the other challenges noted above, different memory and PC card cage.

That being said, if you can find a complete lower half or motherboard with PC Card cage from a T43, the memory for T43's is now about $20 per GB, so this is a good option.

mitchellst · #11 Post by **mitchellst** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:11 pm

jasper wrote:I'm completely in awe!!!

I started reading around the t4x forums and started noticing threads with titles that sound *familiar* to my mobo problem...

Turns out I'm a victim of a loose GPU!!! I pressed it down with my thumb and voila!! My first successful boot in over a year!!!! I downloaded the manual and will reassemble the whole kit (I took it down to the bare bones 4 months ago without the manual trying to find the problem).

You guys are great. Thanks.

Pushing down on the GPU won't fix your problem. You still need a new motherboard.

#12 Post by **carbon_unit** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:57 pm

mitchellst wrote:Pushing down on the GPU won't fix your problem. You still need a new motherboard.

Unless you are brave enough to try to re-flow it yourself.

ben.dan.coh · #13 Post by **ben.dan.coh** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 12:56 pm

I'm really glad that I was able to find this thread! I recently purchased a T41 2373-1FU for $1 USD (plus shipping). Cosmetically it's near flawless but it has succumbed to a loose GPU. Rather than send the motherboard away to be reballed/reflowed, I think it will be less cost-prohibitive to swap it out for a working one. If anybody would care to weigh in, what would be my best choice in terms of reliability and stability regarding the GPU and southbridge? Also, I know that if I were to swap for a T43 board, I would need a "new" CPU and memory (not a big deal since I have spares of each lying around) and a compatible PCMCIA/ExpressCard slot (not a big deal since they're very cheap), but would I need a "new" modem, wireless card, CMOS battery or anything of the sort, or could I just transplant all of these components from the failed T41 board?

If I seem to be fixating on a T43 board as a potential replacement, it's because the cheapest working board that I could find after a cursory search was pulled from a T43. It's FRU is 39T5636. Should I automatically be wary of anything with ATI-based graphics?

I would greatly appreciate any and all advice. Thanks so much!

mitchellst · #14 Post by **mitchellst** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 1:39 pm

The last post was 5 years ago... I'm going off of memory, but I think the T43 takes different RAM, and may not fit in the same case. I don't think they're interchangable. You could probably get a working T43 pretty cheap, though.

Oh wait... You already said that. I got nothing.

ajkula66 · #15 Post by **ajkula66** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 2:15 pm

ben.dan.coh wrote: If I seem to be fixating on a T43 board as a potential replacement, it's because the cheapest working board that I could find after a cursory search was pulled from a T43. It's FRU is 39T5636. Should I automatically be wary of anything with ATI-based graphics?

I would greatly appreciate any and all advice. Thanks so much!

If you want a really reliable board, and don't mind switching to newer CPU/fan/RAM get one from a R52 with Intel graphics. That's the way I went with my T43 FrankenPad aka T43F.

While loose GPU problem is not anywhere near as common on T43/p as it is on the previous T4x units, some - although pretty rare - cases have been reported. SouthBridge chip failure is a known problem, though.

Happy FrankenPadding.

#16 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 2:28 pm

I have such an R52/Intel mobo in stock. See www.theboardroom.info/stock.htm
I'd be happy to accommodate you.

ben.dan.coh · #17 Post by **ben.dan.coh** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 8:55 pm

Wow - thanks so much for the help! I have a couple of (probably very dumb) follow up questions if you would be so kind as to oblige. I've read elsewhere that R52 boards with Intel graphics only work with 14.1" or 15" XGA screens, and with 15" SXGA+ screens. My model is 14.1", but how do I determine if it's XGA, SXGA+, or something else? As I said, it's a t41 2373-1FU, and it doesn't appear to me to have been modified since its original purpose. Will I need to pull the LCD for the FRU, or is there a way to find the screen type through the BIOS (which I can access briefly by gently pressing down on the GPU)? I wasn't able to find any information through the Lenovo parts lookup.

Second, I have no experience with 15" models - does the form factor of the motherboard on a 15" differ in any way from a 14.1"? In other words, can I drop a motherboard taken from a 15" model and drop it into my 14.1"?

Finally, George, you mentioned the need to switch to a newer fan - is the T41 short fan incompatible with an R52 board?

Thanks again - you are all awesome!

ajkula66 · #18 Post by **ajkula66** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:04 pm

This was your machine when it was new:

P M 1.4GHz, 256MB RAM, 30GB 4200rpm HDD, 14.1 XGA(1024X768) TFT LCD, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500, 16x10x24x/8x CD-RW/DVD, Intel 802.11b wireless(MPCI), Modem(CDC), 1Gb Ethernet(LOM), UltraNav, Secure Chip(TCPA), 6 cell Li-Ion battery, WinXP Pro

So it's XGA and it will work fine with an Intel-based R52 board.

Boards are the same between 14" and 15" models on this generation of ThinkPads.

R52 uses a different fan from T41, and that will have to be replaced if you choose to go this route.

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