Thinkpads Forum

Would like to get some recommendations on what I should do for upgrades on this laptop to make it a bit more "up with the times". . Only 32 battery cycles.

More info on it below. . I have an ssd ready to install when it gets here with Windows 10. Thanks

Lenovo Thinkpad T420s series laptop. i5-2520m Processor @ 2.50GHz, 4GB Ram, 320GB (7200 RPM) Hard Drive, DVDRW Optical Drive, Webcam, 14.1" High Resolution 1600x900 Display, Intel HD Graphics.

TYPE NUMBER IS : 4174-2AU

SSD SATA (around 250GB or 480GB at your choosing based on budget and bump memory up with matched pair of 8GB as 16GB total using 2Rx8 memory (low density, 16 chips per module), preferred micron, crucial or elpida from ebay. Stick with windows 7 Pro as they were originally installed on these computers.

Do not bother going up to 8GB memory, that too short term, these days demands on memory is rapid increase in future.

Everything else is good on your T420s purchase.

Cheers, thinkpadcollection

Just install Windows 7 on it. For many people a 4Gb 320Gb hdd machine is fine. Although my laptops are mostly on ssds I have a few that have 7,200rpm drives and really, they are fine. Then again its pretty much $50 for a 120gb ssd so you can do that right away if you wish.

People should just use the machine first and see how it goes before upgrading it because its what other people say they should do.

I like Tony's advice to at least use your machine for a bit before upgrading.

If you want to upgrade:

1. Add more memory to go from single channel to dual channel.
2. Add an MSATA solid state drive and you'll have another disk, usually for secondary purposes.
3. Purchase an Ultrabay caddy for your old hard drive.

A second memory stick changes your memory from single channel to dual channel. I've been happy with 8GB total (two 4GB sticks). AFAIK if you want to go to 16GB but save some money, you can add one 8GB stick now (for a total of 12 GB) and then replace the original 4GB stick later with an 8GB (for a total of 16GB).

You can easily add an MSATA drive to the T420 and have your main hard disk (or SSD) AND an msata drive.

Your optical drive is removable, so you can put your old hard drive in an ultrabay caddy and have the option to swap between your optical drive and the ultrabay drive.

A Blu-ray reader optical drive is an option.

After using Windows 7 Pro, Windows 10, and Windows 8.1 Pro on my T420, I'm sticking with 8.1 Pro with a start menu replacement and those "apps" turned off. Everyone's operating system preference is different, but I like the niceties that came after Windows 7. Booting from a SSD drive is very fast with Windows 8.1, perhaps just slightly slower with 7 or 10.

I have OCD about dual channel and yeah, I would upgrade to two filled slots.

That spec is almost identical to my 420s. I only 2 x 2Gb sticks in it (what it came with) and I have 1 x 120gb msata, 1 x 240gb ssd inside and right now it has an empty ultrabay hdd tray in it and sometimes it has my ultrabay battery in it.

I dont have any issue with 4Gb but I dont have any heavy apps and if i do, I farm it off onto my Xeon desktops.

I dont expect people to load them up with ssds either.

I have installed Win 7 on the SSD of my T420s.
Before end of July I will perform a full backup, update to Win 10 to get the the free update from MS, and most probably restore the Win 7 backup.
If I at a later date want to use Win 10 the machine will be listed in MS database as activated with Win 10, and I can do a clean install of Win 10. Win 10 works fine for day to day use, but may be a pain to configure as you want it. Sometimes it behaves like a stubborn child.

When I purchased the T420s in March I intended it to replace my X301, but it looks like I can adjust to the chicklet keyboard of the T430s I bought in April.

You know you can replace that iffy T430s keyboard with one from a T410/T420/X220?
See http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=120776

That requires a bit of dedication though... a t430 is still a pretty expensive unit and the kbd touchpad etc is a good $75? more?

Frobe70 already has both T420s and T430s.
And only in May I bought an X220 keyboard + palmrest for my X230 for a grand total of $29.-

I just don't understand. Why spend so much effort on basically converting
a T430s to a T420s when the latter is available so inexpensively on feebay?

If you're unhappy with the HD3000, you can always get one with an NVS 4200M.

bit_twiddler wrote:I just don't understand. Why spend so much effort on basically converting
a T430s to a T420s when the latter is available so inexpensively on feebay?

Perhaps sometimes just for the fun of it.

I can understand that. In the old days we used to hack BIOSes all the time.
But, it's gotten really complicated to do that nowadays.

Upgrade the screen with bad viewing angles to an IPS 1080p
As seen right here on these forums (http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=118070)

Wow, awesome responses guys. I appreciate all of you for taking the time to reply. I got the laptop as seen in the photo below. It came without a HD because I told the seller I had a SSD for it. Well, while I wait for the SSD, I tried my 2.5" HD I had laying around and it won't fit! Now I am worried if the SSD I have will work. Does this have some different type of SSD that you guys are referring too? MSATA?

I don't think I will attempt a keyboard replacement like someone mentioned. This one has a pretty nice keyboard. The display however is on my list.

For memory, can you guys provide me a link to the best memory money can buy for this laptop? 16gb.

Thanks!

https://photos.smugmug.com/Computers/Th ... 649-XL.jpg

The T420s needs 7mm high HD/SSD.
Most other/older 2.5" drives (like yours) are 9mm high.
T420s needs this type SODIMM: DDR3-1333 or PC-10600, get it e.g. on eBay or buy online from the likes of Newegg or Amazon.
Buy only brand-name RAM (like Samsung, Micron, Elpida, Hynix, Axiom, etc.), test it with http://www.memtest86.com/
If any error, return it for a refund.