A30 Thinkpad motherboard

[david-parry]

I have a dead A30 thinkpad, motherboard FRU 26P8287, and recently noticed a motherboard on ebay described as being from an A30 but with a different FRU [26P8136]. Does anyone have previous experience of this board or know whether this can be used to ressurect my A30 [2652-3wg].

thanks.

[sjthinkpader]

This MB FRU should be ok to use in your A30. Likely it is from another vendor.

[Argonaught]

I'm just curious why you dont upgrade to an A31? The Mobo for an A31 can fit and you'll automatically have a P4 machine as opposed to a PIII. The boards from both will fit without any modification, A30 to A31 and vice-versa

[david-parry]

to sjthinkpader & Argonaught, thanks for your prompt replies. to Argonaught, I was not aware that this could be done, so thanks for giving me a further option, although looking at the ThinkPad Service parts index, quite a lot of the other items appear to be different, at least as far as their FRU's are concerned.

regards, David.

[Argonaught]

About this time last year my trusty A30 died( I had had it for 5 years), I bought an A31 base on Ebay( I think I paid $90.00 excluding the $40.00 shipping). I unscrewed its mobo and replaced it my dead A30's case. The graphics and everything else fitted perfectly (asif the case was made for it). I then needed to shell out another $50.00(Including the shipping) for 2X512MB RAM Chips. The first time I booted it it worked. And has never failed to this day. Its a 1.9GHz CPU and ATi 16MB Graphics and a 60GB Seagate HDD, it's OS is presently Windows XP sp3. I handed it down to my son when I bought a Toshiba A210Pro Dual core laptop with Vista. He takes it to school and believe it or not, because it looks like, and its logos indicate its a Pentium III A30 laptop it has not been stolen. He admits he's dropped it on more than one occasion and it even went missing for 3 days and turned up in "lost and found". His buddies know its capabilities its a firm favorite and he's in constant demand to bring his laptop to transfer mp3's etc and of course we've had to add a DVD burner, etc to keep him current. He has opportunity to use my Vista SP1 Toshiba and candidly admits he prefers his Thinkpad. So do I of course I have two other A31's myself, including the A31p I'm using to write this with..