G41 Project - Finished! 1 Pic

[Medessec]

Hello-I've had this parting out G41 with a dud motherboard for some time, and i've been wanting to replace the motherboard, but I've also decided as an off-to-the-side thing, I'd make it into the highest end G41 you can get.

My goal with this thing is to get it the parts it needs to have:
-The highest clocked P4 CPU with 3.46 GHz, and Hyper-Threading
-The NVIDIA GeForce Go5200 gfx
-DVD/CD-RW combo(DVD-RW if possible)
-SXGA+ 1400x1050 15" screen

The parting-out G41 I have with the dead mobo has all other parts, but it doesn't have the NVIDIA gfx nor am I sure of what processor it has. Probably a Celeron D. So I'd rather get the high-clocked P4, and see about getting the NVIDIA gfx(from what I understand that will probably be the biggest challenge).

I already have a 1400x1050 15" screen, a G40 I have in just so happened to have one. However that does mean I'll have to swap the screens out of the bezels entirely, due to the 15" screen being in a G40 bezel and therefore having a G40 badge. Ergh. Also means i'll have a perfectly good G40 without a screen.

I don't even know if i'll go through with this... but I'm just really fond of the G-series at the moment, and I'd like to have one out with a big bang, the best possible G-series you can have(aside from the Japan only G50 of course.) If I do get a motherboard, or the NVIDIA gfx, I'll likely finish it.

[ajkula66]

I already have a 1400x1050 15" screen, a G40 I have in just so happened to have one. However that does mean I'll have to swap the screens out of the bezels entirely, due to the 15" screen being in a G40 bezel and therefore having a G40 badge. Ergh. Also means i'll have a perfectly good G40 without a screen.

Swap the entire lids, because the cables are different.

Clear plates are sticky plastic strips and can be moved from one machine to another...

[Medessec]

Ah. hmm... alright. I'll look into that.

[Medessec]

Update: Making progress-I've found a motherboard I can use, so I went ahead and got this processor:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... OC:US:3160

I'm not completely certain this is the correct socket, if not, I have another machine I know for sure it fits in.

As for the motherboard, I'm going tomorrow to look at it, I'm not sure it has the NVIDIA card, or the correct configuration for the NVIDIA card. So I'll have to check back on that.

[Medessec]

Update- found a motherboard with the NVIDIA config, and after a bit of research the processor HAS to be this certain model: SL7NC, clocked at 3.46 GHz with 533 MHz bus.

The chassis i'm using is also a bit jacked up... so I might see if any G40s I have handy are willing to sacrifice some of their skins.

[ajkula66]

I don't know about the "must be" part...but it's going to be a fine configuration once you get it going.

Once you're done with the framing, get a nice SXGA+ IPS screen (no UXGA cable for G4x series, unfortunately) and enjoy the total beast...

I'm pretty sure that you could sneak in a 3.8 P4HT as well, don't know the CPU code, though...

Have fun.

[Medessec]

Thanks! I have done some reading up on the higher clocked Pentium 4 processors, unfortunately, the 3.6 GHz and 3.8 GHz spec P4 processors were only available in the 775 socket(from what I could find), and not the 478 socket I need for this thing. I'm also afraid of trying such processors... as the bus speed or other mismatch might cause the computer to not post, or send the wrong wattage through the motherboard and possibly chicken-fry it. I'd like to stick to processors that were actually put in the thing-and the 3.46 GHz P4 socket 478 is it. It's actually the highest clocked 3.46 GHz Socket 478 processor I've found anywhere actually, but if you guys can give me any other info on a processor upgrade-I'd be willing to try it out.

I do plan to put an SXGA screen on this thing once everything's together-it'll be incredible I'm sure. I'll post when I get it together.

[RealBlackStuff]

I have just 2 of those 15" SXGA+ IPS screens left: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=105469

[Medessec]

!

Wasn't looking to spend that much money, but aww.... that would be a dream come true. I may actually have to consider that....

[Medessec]

Apologies for the poor quality pic... I took that with my Sony Handycam. Can't find my MicroSD card converter, and me no have fanceh DSLR camruh.

But here it is! I've finally finished the G41... it took some time to find everything at the right price, but I managed to track everything down.

As I've stated in the first post of this topic-this thing has everything to make it the best possible G41 you can get aside from HD and RAM capacity. It's got the NVIDIA GeForce Go5200, the 3.46 GHz Pentium 4 Prescott, and an SXGA+ 15" screen. No, I haven't got an IPS... I don't think that was factory installed in the G41s at all... but I am still considering buying one from RBS, as that ad is apparently still on.


Here's some pics showing it after I got the motherboard in:
http://www.medessec.info/ebaysales/G41proj1.JPG
Too lazy to take screen off of G40... but I needed a good screen(without lines) to setup XP on the G41, so I just kinda... gutted out the G40 for it's LCD cable and had to position it next to the G41 chassis so the cable could reach.

http://www.medessec.info/ebaysales/G41proj2.JPG
My awesome fix to get rid of that pesky Fan Error code, fetched a T30 fan I had handy due to the G40 heatsink missing the one fan... but I still needed it to keep the expendable Celeron processor somewhat cool. Calm down, I had a proper G41 heatsink on it's way in the mail. It's now installed and the laptop stays appropriately cool.

http://www.medessec.info/ebaysales/G41proj3.JPG
http://www.medessec.info/ebaysales/G41proj4.JPG
Trying to show the pristine condition of the palmrest... I was able to find a mint-condition palmrest, with the stickers still on it looking fresh. Also a fresh genuine trackpoint on there, and keyboard.

It's pretty rewarding to see that working... a lot of people don't favor the G4x, but I think they look like an early ASUS ROG, or something like that, except they're not flashy... they're still designed for business, so they aren't modeled to look epic, but they still look epic. That's my personal opinion though...

But anyways, I've actually ran some older 3D games, the first Halo works like a charm, so does Command & Conquer, and Project 64. It can play Nintendo 64 games, i'm happy.

[ac12]

How cool.
You're making me drool.

I like the G40/41 also. It is a rather cool looking computer.
I wish I had the G41 rather than the G40, for its horsepower, but oh well.

[Medessec]

Well, the G40 is still worth having, because it still has the styling and the size. And you can put the SXGA+ 15" screens on a G40 no problem. One of my G40s has an SXGA screen.

But also because the NVIDIA gfx on the G41 is a tad bit rare, so most people who look for G41s and don't want to spend a lot of money, just wind up with a G41 with Intel gfx anyway. So the only notable advantage the G41 has is the CPU power and the later chipset...

Of course, if you were looking for the absolute best G-series you could get, ever-you'd have to dig your head in to find a Japan-only G50.

[ac12]

Medessec
You are BAD.
Now that I have my G40 upgraded, I keep coming back to this thread and thinking, hmmm.....a maxed up G41 would be cool to have. You are right, the G40/41 have a certain look that the newer laptops don't have.

But it is still limited by old hardware to XP...DRAT.

[Medessec]

LOL.

Well-indeed, the fact that both the G40/G41 machines are limited to XP really leaves most people so they can't be bothered. If I were you, I wouldn't mind sticking with a G40 for now, until you feel like you have the extra buck to pick up a G41 to toy with.

Of course, you do have the option of just eyeing ebay until a jewel pops up(a 3.06 GHz or faster G41 for $40 or less.) You'll usually never see the NVIDIA-equipped ones for that low, unless you're insanely lucky. But even the NVIDIA ones don't support 7's Aero. They can run 7 just fine(some G40s can too) it's just the graphics isn't supported.

If you're that interested in the G-series laptops, you could see if you can get your hands on a G50... I'm trying to pull some strings to get one of my own, but it'll be some time. You'll have to do some japanese shopping But that would be a truly unique laptop to have.

[emtee3511]

"both the G40/G41 machines are limited to XP"

My memory is not so good, so maybe I'm wrong, but I had both the G40 and G41, and I seem to remember putting Vista on one or both when Vista first came out. It's been a few years ago (but I think not more than four or five), so maybe I have just forgotten. Vista had a bad reputation, and I remember it took up a LARGE part of the HDD, but I just wanted to try the new OS. At the time, I didn't know how to do anything to my ThinkPads except 'maybe' install an updated OS or restore to factory settings.

Later when I get the chance, I'll look at my old Vista disks and see if I have one of my G's listed for an install

EDIT: I pulled out my old Vista Home Basic and Vista Business disks and notes -- I didn't install Vista on my G40, but I did install Vista Business on my G41. I had the G40 and G41 around the same time I had a T41, which also had Vista installed, but it was Vista Home Basic. The Vista Business install was an upgrade from XP Pro, and I remember noticing Vista Business took up more HDD space than XP Pro had.

[Medessec]

Yeah... Vista/7 takes up a ton more space than XP. It really depends on what HD you have. I never put anything lower than a 40GB in machines like the G-series, I think as long as you have that much space, you're ok, but it also depends on what your needs are. It's probably not good if you store all your pics, video or music on there.

As with memory, on most machines(The G-series is no exception) if you have at least 1GB, you should be alright. at 512MB or 768MB RAM, Windows Vista/7 is usable, but very sluggish and web browsing with modern browsers is glitchy and slow.

The biggest problem with Vista/7 on the G-series is that there's no native video driver. This limits the G-series to software rendering, which is okay for basic tasks, but it's even glitchy with that, especially for flash applications, and Windows Aero doesn't work. I highly recommend against Windows Vista/7, unless you find a way to get an XP driver to work. That might be possible, but I imagine that's still unstable.

The Japan-only G50 has the Intel GMA 950 video though, which is spectacular for Windows 7, so if I ever get my hands on one, i'm installing 7 on it first thing.

[ac12]

Medessec

The highest speed processor that I found listed for the G50 is an Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz. I don't know what the performance difference is with a 2 core processes vs a HT processor, but the G50 1.8GHz CPU is a bit more than half the speed of the 3.4GHz P4 in the G41.
But looking thru the processor specs, it looks to me that you might be able to increase to a 2.33GHz processor.

FSB = 667MHz on the G50, vs. 533MHz of the G41.

RAM; G50 uses DDR2 RAM vs G41 with DDR RAM, so the RAM access would be faster.
Lenovo site shows only 2GB max, but I'm found a few site saying 2x2GB memory for total of 4GB of RAM. hmmmm 4GB is pretty attractive and usable for Win7.

tempting....

[ajkula66]

A properly set G41 would make a fabulous Linux box IMO...never had the time to do it myself, though...

[ac12]

George,
I've used Linux on an old comparatively slow Dell laptop w only 256MB of RAM, so I have no doubt you are correct. It would fly on a maxed out G41.

hmmmm, maybe that is what I will do with one of my old laptops...load Linux on it and play with it. Now to figure out which Linux to use.

[caozhi0452]

I think G series is very old. I hope you can succeed.Sorry, my English is poor.

[Medessec]

It's alright- and yes, the G-series is quite old. The hardware that made it the laptop it was supposed to be, makes the laptop extremely useless now though. At the time, the G-series was one of the few ways you could get some marginal beast power out of a portable machine, but with the introduction of the Core Duo and the Core 2 Duo after that, the whole point of the G-series became moot. Which is why there was only the G40/41 in America.

It's very odd the G50 only shipped standard with a 1.8 GHz Core Duo T2400, I do have a couple of T2600s from T60s I can try, but it's a matter of whether or not the BIOS supports it, and if the FSB is the same... i'll have to do some research. But there's very little information on these things.

I'll have to do some benchmarks on HT versus physical cores-those D900Ts I have in are 3.8 GHz HT, and I have a X60 with a 1.66GHz Core Duo and several Core 2 Duo machines in... but the Core Duos and Core 2 Duos have better Lithographies... so it wouldn't be a fair test. I need to get a hold of some Pentium Ds or something to be sure. I hear that HT is weaker though in comparison to having more physical cores, which makes sense. 2 cores should be better than 1 core trying to be 2 cores.

I need to look and see if I can get a G50... that'd be very interesting.

[Tasurinchi]

Why don't you try Lubuntu? I'm using it in my A31 with 768MB RAM and it works quite well (for surfing and Emailing at least), hardware was recognized ootb.

[Medessec]

I'm not a huge fan of Linux-I only put it on really old hardware that I want to use for testing purposes or for friends that like Linux. I do have a couple of G40s I suppose I can try Lubuntu on, I haven't tried that variant.

[ac12]

Hey Medessec
Did you ever find a G50?

Every once in a while I look on eBay for a G41, but then think twice about it. The 2GB RAM really limits its use to XP or Linux.

[Medessec]

Nope. School's been putting the vice on me more and more, so I've had to stow my Thinkpads away and pray I don't have to sell any of them out of desperation to finish school.

I've found the best way to get a G50 is to get in touch with a Japanese contact, who might know some way of getting one from an old-stock website or wares keeper. You could also explore Japanese websites yourself and see if you can direct it to internationally ship to your door, but it's a bit complicated. I'd probably ask someone else who has gotten one themselves to see how it went for them.

You could also post WTBs on here, or on other Thinkpad forums, to see if someone would be willing to sell theirs. I'd highly doubt it.

A floppy-drive equipped G41 or G40 is neat to have around, since it's a powerful laptop with internet that runs Windows XP okay. The 2GB RAM limit is aside from the point- as I mostly use mine to transfer stuff from my CDs to Floppys for my even older Thinkpads. I'd use my A31p for that, but thermal-cycling that 7800 makes me cringe every time. I might actually have a G40/41 I can sell you for a very fair price... but if you want something you plan to use a lot, not sure what to tell you if you have a hard itch for the G-series. G40/41s are underpowered and old, and G50s are incredibly evasive and hard to obtain.

[ac12]

I'll have to be happy with my upgraded G40, with the 2.8GHz cpu.
The G40/41 hardware is too restricting, to take further than XP.
The most I would do is a higher resolution screen, but cost wise, that is not a good use of my $$. Unless I could get a higher res screen at a good price.

I'm using a T61 now. That has 8GB of RAM and is running win7. So the G40 gets very little use. But for some reason, the G40 keeps calling me to play with it.

[Shredder11]

I've just about finished my G41 upgrade from a lower end model to something much higher, apart from the screen and GPU. Thanks to some help from Medessec I have put in a P4 3.46GHz HT CPU; increased the RAM from a pitiful 256MB to 2GB; put in the only HDD I could find, a 40GB Toshiba model; replaced the missing RAM and HDD case covers. I have ordered a PCMCIA CardBus Gigabit Ethernet LAN card and a Mini USB WiFi 150 Mbps USB 2.0 Wireless Adapter, to upgrade the existing 100Mbit LAN and lack of WiFi. After that I just need to find a reasonably priced UK keyboard to replace the worn USA version.

I was considering a PATA SSD drive but the lack of AHCI in the BIOS has put me off a bit....we shall see. Anyway after all of this, my G41 does not feel any faster than my G40 P4 2.8GHz 2GB laptop. I've a feeling it could be the Win XP Pro SP3 disc I used, which is different to the one I used for the G40 although both discs are standard installs. I really like the G41 though and I will persist to make it the best I can.

[ac12]

You could put a SSD into the G40/41.

I got my SSD info from reading a bunch of posts in various threads in the T2x/4x forums.
What I did was get a mSATA SSSD and put it into a mSATA to IDE adapter (Aleratec) that I got off eBay for a great price, then I put that setup into my T23. And the results were well worth it. The old T23 is a lot snappier and feels like a faster computer.

After that experiment, I was starting to think about putting a similar SSD setup into my G40.
But I would rather do that to my T61, which I use a LOT more, than the G40 which I use much less.

Very oddly, the Aleratec mSATA to IDE adapter was not even recognized by my Dell C400 (my hobby laptop). I had to use a different adapter for the C400. I got the same kick in the pants improvement in how the old PC feels.

[Shredder11]

Did you at any point consider buying for example a PATA IDE SSD; something like this? A 64GB model is around $70 / £48 and 128GB is about a third more in price.



I've had a couple of people mention the mSATA + adapter method but it costs a little more and risks not working. Also regarding the whole AHCI and NCQ thing, there seems to be conflicting views as to whether it is slower or the same speed etc. I think I will at least try an SSD in the G41 and see how it goes.

[Shredder11]

The reason why my G41 P4 3.46GHz HT seems to struggle in comparison with my G40 P4 2.8GHz, is that it overheats to around 80°C+ and today while playing some music via my network it shutdown. The room was around 26°C at the time but nothing really bad, plus I had the laptop raised from the desk, with plenty of clearance around all the vents. I was wondering if the cooling assembly is the correct one to use with the P4 3.46GHz, considering it had a Celeron D 2.53 before the upgrade?