Thinkpads Forum

Hello! This is my first time on the forums. Very helpful information here, I'm so glad I found it.

I bought a Thinkpad T400 off ebay about 6 months ago and I absolutely love it! I was never really a laptop person because I always felt like the desktop was more bang for your buck, but I needed one for college so after a lot of research on build quality, etc, I made my purchase of the T400. I definitely can see why ThinkPads are so popular. This machine is so durable. I don't have to worry about carrying it around in my backpack. It's like a rock.

Problem is, the software I have to use at my university is running kind of sluggish on the T400 and I was hoping I could upgrade it just enough to be able to get through my senior year. I have to be able to run MS Office 2013 (which freezes all the time), Visual Studio 2013, MATLAB editor, a few other IDEs, and the required Symantec Endpoint Protection to access the school network.

I think the ebay reseller already upgraded it somewhat... these are the current specs:

Intel Core2 Duo CPU T9600 @ 2.80GHz
RAM: 4GB
Mobo: GM45/GM47, 82801IM (ICH9-M)
Graphics: Radeon HD 3400 Series, RV620
Display: 1440x900
HDD: Seagate 2.5" SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 320GB
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1

Where would be the best place to make an upgrade? I was thinking maybe swap in an SSD? Or add some more RAM? Would it make a difference with what I'm looking for? Also, does this hardware actually take advantage of the 64bit windows?

Thank you for your responses!

RAM is maxed out, CPU pretty much too, as is the LCD. The only possible upgrade is the SSD, as you stated.

Ah, made a typo mistake, it only has 4GB RAM, I edited my first post. Sorry about that.

Is there anything I should look out for with compatibility when getting an SSD or extra RAM?

Just get a RAM stick with the same speed and CL latency as the one you have. This will work in 99% of the cases.

SSD-wise - you need a standard 2.5" SATA drive. You may want a different set of rubber rails for it to match the SSD exactly, but usually it's not a big deal.

Thanks!

I think I may try to upgrade the RAM first since the SSD is about double the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231265

Do you think I'll notice a better improvement from upgrading the RAM over the SSD?

SSD will increase speed most, then RAM.
You could also replace your optical drive with an Ultrabay-caddy for SATA drives, and put your 320GB drive in there for extra storage.
If you ever need the CD/DVD again, you can just swap them out (or get a USB-housing for it).