Thinkpads Forum

Hello,

My machine has just fallen victim to the Nvidia card fault. Is it sensible to get a new board (roughly one-third of the initial purchase price)? I guess the question is: will it (hardware and software) last for another couple of years of office computing?

Cheers, Dominik

Get a matching mobo with Intel graphics instead, they last almost forever!

Yes. I just got discouraged by the cost of the replacement board a computer technician gave me on the phone - looking on ebay, it seems far too high. By the way, if I wanted to pick it on my own - how to tell if a motherboard will match my machine? Mine's 8892-02u, 14.1-inch SXGA+ display. Does it mean it takes only 8892 motherboards or could these be of other type series, for example this one? (41W1487, 7661-CTO)

Thanks

You can only use either one of these two (Intel graphics) motherboards:
42W7648 (for Merom CPUs, T7100 - T7800)
42W7872 (for Merom and also for Penryn CPUs, T8100 and higher)
With Middleton's BIOS the mobo can be hugely improved.
But get the mobo first.

You need a board from a non-widescreen machine, so anything that came out of models with MTMs starting with 6 (15.4") or 7 (14" WS) will NOT work for you, 8 only.

I see. Thank you both, that's a valuable piece of information.

I'd look for a complete machine off Ebay, perhaps with LCD damage to drive the price down, since people who pull motherboards for sale tend to want as much or more money.

Swap in whatever parts are better from your machine, install your hard drive, enjoy.

I got one here: http://www.lapstore.de/f.php/shop/lapst ... T6x_Serie/

But it seems the 4:3 variety is sold out.

I got a replacement motherboard from the user Tuus, oftern recommended on the forum, and for a reason-it flew all the way across the Atlantic, intact, and gave my Thinkpad a new lease of life. Without this forum, I would be lost, as hardly any computer repair specialist here is able or willing to tinker with it. Cheers