T41 upgrades/mods

[bixley007]

I have a T41 thinkpad 2373-NG1 that is getting a bit slow and run down. From what I have read I can only upgrade the memory but I could do with a lot more hard drive space as I've only got the 40G model. I could also do with a wireless adaptor too.
Later models aparently can be upgraded but on the thinkpad website the only mods it allows for this model seem to be the memory.
Hoping your expertise could help me out here or I may be up for another laptop.

Cheers people

Admin note: Moved from How To/FAQ forum to T4x

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

There's several reasons why your system may be "slowing down":

- not enough memory
- hard disk drive fragmentation
- malware that has found its way onto your hard drive
- programs running in the background taking up a significant part of the processing load

Any one, or a combination of these things, can affect the responsiveness of your system. The 2373-NG1 system is supposed to have been delivered with 1GB of memory. For Windows XP, that's about the minimum. You can increase memory up to 2GB but that might mean replacing both of your existing memory modules (if they are only 512MB each). One module is located underneath the keyboard; the other is accessible from the bottom of the system.

The hard drive can be replaced with any PATA (parallel ATA, or sometimes known as IDE) disk. Obviously, the "faster" drives with 7200RPM rotational speeds will perform better than the 5400RPM drive your system should have shipped with. There is, however, the problem of transferring all of the data from your existing drive onto the new one. For that you can use "cloning" programs such as Acronis or Ghost.

The NG1 is listed as "wireless upgradeable", which means that there should be an empty slot (also under the keyboard) which accepts a MiniPCI wireless card. The antennas for the wireless card are already in place so all you need to do is plug in the card and load up some drivers. There's a slew of wireless cards that are out there but you may be effectively limited to those which are on an IBM-approved "whitelist". Using a non-approved card can mean getting a boot error but there's a hack that can be done. It's up to you on how much extra work you're willing to do if you wish to go that route.

[sktn77a]

I have a T41 thinkpad 2373-NG1 that is getting a bit slow and run down.

Original description: Based on 2373-4QG: P M 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM, 40GB 5400rpm HDD, 14.1 XGA(1024X768) TFT LCD, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500, 16x10x24x/8x CD-RW/DVD, Wireless upgradeable, Modem(CDC), 1Gb Ethernet(LOM), UltraNav, Secure Chip(TCPA), 6 cell Li-Ion battery, WinXP Pro

There's probably quite a bit you can do to speed the old dog up! Firstly, see if you can get a large 7200rpm PATA HDD. Failing that get a large 5400rpm drive (the larger they are, the faster they tend to be for any given rotational speed). Then upgrade the the memory to 2Gb RAM if you can do that by adding a single 1Gb stick. Then you could upgrade you 1.6GHz Bania CPU to a 2GHz Dothan CPU. I did all of these to my T41 (listed in order of impact) and it was like a new computer! Finally, get an IBM abg or IBM/Intel bg wireless card. Update the BIOS to the latest version and you should be good for another 2 years (provided you're not doing any 3D modelling or games).

[LegendaryKA8]

These are definitely some good suggestions, but I'd also like to expound upon them.

Firstly, 7200RPM 2.5" PATA(what the T4x series uses) hard drives are somewhat hard to get a hold of and pretty pricey... I bought my 100GB(largest you can get) brand new for just over $200, and from what I have heard could probably still sell it for that amount. The speed is still great, and in general day-to-day use my 'frankensteined' T42 runs very quickly. As far as 5400RPM drives go you can get a 320GB for about $90-100 and they're rather easy to come by. As previously mentioned the more capacity in a drive the quicker it is... although some argue that the 7200RPM units are still faster. As I tend to pack my computers full of music/etc, I'm unfortunately running out of space. Time for me to either look at the 320GB models or go on a diet... I will probably end up doing the latter.

I also highly recommend going for a processor upgrade. The Pentium M Dothan processors come with a 2MB cache versus the Banias' 1MB which factors for a decent speed increase. The 'Frankenpad' was originally a T41 whose previous owner had bumped up to a 1.8Ghz Dothan, which this still has. Just remember to get one with a 400Mhz FSB. I found a 2.0Ghz on Feebay for $81, but the 1.8Ghz ones are far less expensive.

Another consideration is how your RAM is laid out. Do you have one 1GB stick, or two 512MB sticks? If you're wanting to go to 2GB, that's the difference between having to buy one 1GB stick or two... Feebay prices are around $45 on those. FWIW, I'm running on 1.5GB just fine at the moment, but will probably plan on upgrading later on. I mainly do Net surfing, word processing and light gaming on mine.

Another suggestion is to get a 'long fan' as used on the T42/T43 systems with the higher-end ATI GPUs if you plan on upgrading the processor. That might help stall any GPU issues that may crop up in the future... and I personally believe that cooler is better.

And, I almost forgot... one of the nicest upgrades I did to my Thinkpad was to switch to the far nicer SXGA+(1400x1050) resolution screen... bought an entire LCD lid from a T43 for about $80. While they're definitely not as good as the Flexview panels on the 15" models, the increased screen real estate really helps.

The above listed with a clean OS install and all that fun stuff should give you a pretty slick system, even if it's a little older. I actually use my Thinkpad more than my XPS M1730 these days, partly because of the portability, but in day to day use I find it to be just about as fast.

[bixley007]

Cheers for the help guys. Have bought a few bits to get me on my way. Only problem now is the optical drive is no longer working. If I was to replace the HDD and try to reinstall windows from disc. Would the system be able to do that from a usb external optical or would I need to replace the internal drive and the start doing the replacement of the HDD?

[91011]

Yes, you can re-install Windows or use the Factory Recovery discs from an external, USB optical drive. If necessary, push F12 when booting to get the Boot Menu and select the external drive.

John

[ttan98]

I just bought a second hand T41 with 1.4G Bania CPU, I upgraded to a 1.7G Dothan core CPU, this CPU is competitively priced less than $20 plus postage, compared to a 2.0G version which is about $80 plus postage, with only 17% improvement in speed I think 1.7G is a better buy.

This is my 2nd upgrade and I am happy with the speed improvement.

[bixley007]

Well thanks all for the help. I have installed a 160G hdd and upgraded to 2G memory. Working a lot better. I am however having trouble finding somewhere to put the blue tooth aerial from the wireless/bluetooth card as I can't see where to lay it. I just don't want to leave it in there loose for obvious reasons. It's only a short single wire with a small board on the end. Any Ideas?

[Noisy Crow]

Well thanks all for the help. I have installed a 160G hdd and upgraded to 2G memory. Working a lot better. I am however having trouble finding somewhere to put the blue tooth aerial from the wireless/bluetooth card as I can't see where to lay it. I just don't want to leave it in there loose for obvious reasons. It's only a short single wire with a small board on the end. Any Ideas?

Did you ever finish this? I upgraded my T40 with BT... the antenna installs in the side if the display, the with wire running through the hinge with the WiFi and display wiring.

[systemBuilder]

I recently downgraded at work from a 1.8 Ghz to a 1.6 Ghz Banias machine. My power plug had started to become unreliable and they swapped in a 1.6 Ghz machine for me.

BIG MISTAKE. Office 2007 runs like a turtle, and I cannot play the Star Trek 2009 video from YouTube without great stuttering on the 1.6 Ghz machine. On several 1.8 Ghz Dothan T42's that I own, Star Trek 2009 plays perfectly.

And if you ask me, the 2 MB L2 cache in the Dothan machines are WORTH IT.