Thinkpads Forum

I've been itching for a new laptop because my T60 is sluggish and I don't care for the screen (I'll probably call customer support today about the slight yellow cast but I didn't really like it before that. My warranty lasts 17 more days.). I often use multiple programs at one time. I was thinking of a T400, except they seem to be gone from the Lenovo website, or a T410. I've been browsing through this forum and clearly people like the quality of the T60 so I wanted to see if, for a reasonable cost I can improve it (I'm not sure how to define "reasonable" but at least less than 1/2 the cost of a new one).
I also wanted something a bit lighter in weight. I have the battery that sticks out in back and it needs to be replaced. I think it's a 9 cell. A new smaller battery would shave a few ounces off.

My current specs include:

Vista Home Premium 32 Bit
1.66 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo, T5500 apparently capable of a 64 bit OS
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
1280 x 800 (wxga?) screen resolution
320 gb Scorpio Blue, 5400 rpm drive. I had a smaller 7200 drive. The change hasn't seemed to slow it down.
3 gb RAM
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
Advanced mini dock

What would be the best and cost-effective upgrades to make to improve performance? Can I put a different screen on it (and is this something someone who is reasonably comfortable opening up a computer can do?)?

Thanks for your recommendations.

I would put a T7200 Core 2 Duo (2.0Ghz) in it and run Windows 7.

It looks like these two things, if I picked them up on Ebay, would cost under $200. Is swapping the processor fairly straight forward? Does it matter what version of Windows 7? I think they all offer the option of 32 or 64 bit.

The CPU swap is straight forward. Just follow the maintenance manual and get some good thermal paste, like Arctic Silver 5. I'd opt for 32bit Windows 7 for that machine with 3GB RAM.

amy55407 wrote:clearly people like the quality of the T60

Actually, most of those praises have been for the T60 with 4:3 aspect ratio. The widescreen T60 models (e.g. yours) are far less popular here.

If you don't like your T60 very much, I think you should sell it before the warranty expires (so it's worth more) and upgrade to a more powerful laptop. Spending over $200 on upgrades is a bit too much IMO.

Techically speaking, W7 is not a permanent upgrade given the fact that it's license is transportable to the next machine. Also, you can get a T7200 for $80 shipped on EBay. If you keep your old CPU you can reinstall it upon the sale of the T60, and resell the T7200.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Intel-Core-2-Duo-T7 ... 0496943149

Harryc wrote:W7 is not a permanent upgrade ... can get a T7200 for $80 shipped on EBay.

But the OP also wants to upgrade the LCD and get a new battery. After getting the latter, the machine may still be too heavy. Getting a new machine (probably a 14-incher) would be the easiest way to solve the problem, IMO.

I would probably end up not trying to alter the lcd but it is one of the things I don't like. It was the battery running down to almost nothing that initially made me start thinking about new laptop because I wasn't even sure I wanted to spend the $100 or so for a battery.

Sell. The LCD is one thing you cannot upgrade for a reasonable cost, yet you will be staring at it all the time.

I am currently going the opposite route - bought a rather feeble T60 with an awesome SXGA+ flexview and upgraded it to top spec. It doesn't make sense from a money vs. performance standpoint, but at least I like the machine. And the NMB keyboard is sweet.

Well, I decided. I bought a refurbished T400 on ebay. Although I was leaning towards a WXGA+ screen the one I bought has the high nit WXGA screen which I think will make me very happy. It also has a 128 gb SSD, T9400 processor, 3 gb RAM, 5300 AGN wireless card, 9 cell battery (would have preferred 6 actually), bluetooth, camera, integrated graphics, Windows XP (will probably go to 7), 3 years on site and accidental damage warranty. It came to just under $1000. It was the high nit screen that did it but the rest of the specs looked very good too and I can use it with my advanced mini dock. I don't know much about the SSD drives or what quality drive it is but that should be an interesting component. I wouldn't have sprung for one on a new laptop. So, I guess I'll be selling the T60 once I have the new one setup. The warranty only had about 2 weeks left on it so I don't know if that can really be considered a selling point.

If the T60 still has warranty, you should renew it before expiration.
Great selling argument!