Thinkpads Forum

What is the maximum RAM the T61 think pad accept?

I have 8GB in mine.
BUT, the 4GB modules are EXPENSIVE.
eBay price is about $100 for two 4GB modules.

I just boosted my T61 from 4GB to 8GB. Branded used sticks cost me $100 off ebay, they arrived last week. They are PC2-6400.

I'm running Windows 10 64bit Professional on the machine.

For a 15.4" widescreen it's not worth it to spend $100, IMO. It's better to spend that on a used T500 upgrade to 8 GB DDR 3, more powerful CPU, no Nvidia GPU issue and native SATA II support. If it's the 4:3 T61 or Frankenpad you're after then there's no choice.

Got lucky on two auctions in a short span of time (2x 4GB PC2-6400 Hynix brand) and got two sets for around $130ish, put one in my 4:3 T61 and another in a second 15.4" T61; auctions tend to run a bit less than BIN listings, keep in mind (sometimes if you're lucky you can find a listing in the $60-$90 range, I recommend putting a followed search for "(pc2,ddr2) (6400,5300) 8gb (sodimm,laptop)" or similar)

I get by with 4GB.

1GB DDR SODIMMs used to be expensive also, but they are now $5 a piece new not that nobody other then a collector needs them anymore.

Cigarguy wrote:For a 15.4" widescreen it's not worth it to spend $100, IMO. It's better to spend that on a used T500 upgrade to 8 GB DDR 3, more powerful CPU, no Nvidia GPU issue and native SATA II support. If it's the 4:3 T61 or Frankenpad you're after then there's no choice.

WTH is a "T500 upgrade"???

He means just replace T61 with a T500 and call it an upgrade, since you get faster memory CPU and igfx. Select parts (heatsink, lcd, keyboard, keyboard bezel, modem, turbomem) are interchangeable. And that's it. T500 is the last 15.4" Thinkpad so if you really want that size and aspect ratio screens, and want 8GB RAM, it's more cost effective to put it in a T500.

Unknown_K wrote:I get by with 4GB.

1GB DDR SODIMMs used to be expensive also, but they are now $5 a piece new ...

...not that nobody other then a collector needs them anymore.

I just bought a 1GB stick of Crucial DDR for my HDTV midtower for $6. It was used, but the part number exactly matches the other two sticks in the machine, so I am now maxed out at 3GB. I figure I may not witness any improvements, who knows, but the investment was modest and although I've planned to upgrade most all of the machine's components (mobo, CPU, RAM, HD), I'm not going to do so in the immediate future.

TPFanatic wrote:He means just replace T61 with a T500 and call it an upgrade, since you get faster memory CPU and igfx. Select parts (heatsink, lcd, keyboard, keyboard bezel, modem, turbomem) are interchangeable. And that's it. T500 is the last 15.4" Thinkpad so if you really want that size and aspect ratio screens, and want 8GB RAM, it's more cost effective to put it in a T500.

Will my T400, T410, etc DVDs (with w7pro) reload a T500 as well, or will I have to buy another set?

The T4xx and T5xxx series take the Slim SATA Ultrabay devices, which might make me interested. And you can get an internal brd player (but external ones are pretty cheap too). I have several T61s, and 3 are the 15.4" models, the screen interchangeability is intriguing as well. And I have plenty of spare T61 keyboards.

cadillacmike68 wrote:
Will my T400, T410, etc DVDs (with w7pro) reload a T500 as well,

It will work just fine.