T41 motherboard for R51

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abbymat · #1 Post by **abbymat** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 12:00 am

I have an R51 with 15 inch LCD (1024x768) and Intel Extreme Graphics. Can I use a T41 motherboard with ATI 9000 for the R51 ?

thanks

#2 Post by **richk** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:01 am

I would guess yes, but I am not sure. I guess you have the graphics chip heatsink in the R51 and you will need a long fan for the T41 MB. I'm not sure how that will work with the R51 HD cage. I just don't have an R51 here to look at.

wiggd · #3 Post by **wiggd** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:02 pm

I would say yes,

I am using a T42p with ATI Firegl T2 motherboard in one R51 case and a T42 w/9600 32mb video in the other R51 case.

For the T42p board there was not a connection for the firewire. So I broke off the end part of the firewire off so it would fit in the space between the new long heatsink and the PC Card slot chassis. I used the modifed piece as a stand off spacer, so the palm rest could not be tightend to much and you would see and feel an indention in the palmrest.

Since you have a 15in Screen, your motherboard has an extension piece that you would just use with the new MB. 15in and 14in Thinkpads use the same size MB's

abbymat · #4 Post by **abbymat** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 3:07 am

wiggd wrote:I would say yes,

I am using a T42p with ATI Firegl T2 motherboard in one R51 case and a T42 w/9600 32mb video in the other R51 case.

For the T42p board there was not a connection for the firewire. So I broke off the end part of the firewire off so it would fit in the space between the new long heatsink and the PC Card slot chassis. I used the modifed piece as a stand off spacer, so the palm rest could not be tightend to much and you would see and feel an indention in the palmrest.

Since you have a 15in Screen, your motherboard has an extension piece that you would just use with the new MB. 15in and 14in Thinkpads use the same size MB's

Excellent, I think a T42p would be a better idea than a T41 as it has ATI 9600 !

Just a few clarifications:

1. So if I buy a T42p motherboard, it will fit the R51 case if we cut-off the firewire port ?

2. You used the 15" R51 LCD for the T42p motherboard without any new interposer board added ?

3. Should I get a long heatsink also ?

abbymat · #5 Post by **abbymat** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 3:13 am

richk wrote:I would guess yes, but I am not sure. I guess you have the graphics chip heatsink in the R51 and you will need a long fan for the T41 MB. I'm not sure how that will work with the R51 HD cage. I just don't have an R51 here to look at.

Now that wiggd has suggested a T42p motherboard, I guess that would be preferable due to the ATI 9600. Any opinion of a T42p in a R51 case - can the 15" LCD, processor, RAM remain the same ? Will a new heatsink be required ?

jamiphar · #6 Post by **jamiphar** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:38 am

Actually, the T42p uses a FireGL T2 chip, with 128MB VRAM. This is similar to the 9600, but with twice the memory. You'll definitely want to get a long fan for this.

abbymat · #7 Post by **abbymat** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 1:50 pm

I found out that my R51 has a 15 inch XGA display. Will a T42/T42p motherboard work with this as its SXGA+ display ?

jamiphar · #8 Post by **jamiphar** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 2:47 pm

You should be able to use any of the R5x/T4x LCDs as long as you have the correct size and the appropriate cable. Remember, you'll need the cable that's specific to your resolution and size.

wiggd · #9 Post by **wiggd** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:24 pm

Just a few clarifications:

1. So if I buy a T42p motherboard, it will fit the R51 case if we cut-off the firewire port ?

2. You used the 15" R51 LCD for the T42p motherboard without any new interposer board added ?

3. Should I get a long heatsink also ?

1. Yes, it depends on your individual situation. I had to because of switching from a short fan to a long fan. The long fan was wider at the edge againt the case, and blocked the area where the firewire plug went through the case. I had initally left the firewire board part out all together, until I realized that not having it in allowed the palmrest in that area to tighten to much. Hence why I modified it.

2. I have a 14" case, so I ordered a 14" SXGA+ LCD and 14" SXGA+ cable from eBay to replace the 14" XGA LCD I had. Since I have a 14" system I do not have an interposer board. (If I had a 15" system, and I was considering replacing the LCD, I would check on getting the Flexview IPS UXGA 1600 x 1200 and the proper LCD cable to go with it. If you get SXGA+ get the 15" LCD and 15" LCD SXGA+ cable)

3. Yes get a long fan, it would be better especially if you are planning to upgrade the cpu.

abbymat · #10 Post by **abbymat** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:45 pm

jamiphar wrote:You should be able to use any of the R5x/T4x LCDs as long as you have the correct size and the appropriate cable. Remember, you'll need the cable that's specific to your resolution and size.

What do you mean by "correct size" ? I dont want to change my 15" XGA LCD as 1024x768 resolution is fine and getting a new LCD also becomes quite expensive ! A cable/inteposer board will not be very expensive so that is okay, but I want to retain the original LCD. Is it possible to use the GPU to fit the resolution to my 15" XGA LCD ?

abbymat · #11 Post by **abbymat** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:51 pm

wiggd wrote:
Just a few clarifications:

2. I have a 14" case, so I ordered a 14" SXGA+ LCD and 14" SXGA+ cable from eBay to replace the 14" XGA LCD I had. Since I have a 14" system I do not have an interposer board. (If I had a 15" system, and I was considering replacing the LCD, I would check on getting the Flexview IPS UXGA 1600 x 1200 and the proper LCD cable to go with it. If you get SXGA+ get the 15" LCD and 15" LCD SXGA+ cable)

Ok, the most important thing is I don't want to change the 15" XGA LCD ! Is it possible to use the GPU to set the resolution at 1024x768 which is ok for me ? I dont require the SXGA or UXGA resolutions, thus can I manage with my 15" XGA LCD on the T42/T42p motherboard ?

wiggd · #12 Post by **wiggd** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:59 am

Sorry to confuse you. It is all personal preference. Some of us like to have more desktop space so we get the SXGA+ or UXGA screens.

Any T40,41,42 R50,51 board you get will work with your screen. You do not have to change it.

The information was so that if you wanted to upgrade the LCD, you had the correct information to do it.

screwdriver · #13 Post by **screwdriver** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 6:15 am

wiggd wrote: Any T40,41,42 R50,51 board you get will work ...

thinkpads are so nice, just drag and drop. it's lego for adults.
if you upgrade to the radeon 9600 (or firegl) you must have a long fan due to the heat production of your gpu. try to get a M10-longfan (from T41p), they are the most silent!

abbymat · #14 Post by **abbymat** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 12:10 am

Ok, I got it now ! Thats good to know that the R51 15" XGA LCD will work with the T41/T42 boards. Thanks to all of you for your excellent advice !

T41 motherboard for R51

T41 motherboard for R51

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