Wireless Card Upgrades for W520

[IcarusFlies7]

Hey all,

Got a sweet deal on a W520 on ebay from a refurbisher, threw in an SSD, and I'm loving this thing. Great computer so far, can't imagine doing any better for what I've spent.

Only problem is I'm already spoiled by bluetooth audio, and the Intel 6205 card in this thing doesn't support BT. I'm looking to replace it with something that has at least BT 4.0 and AptX support and solid wifi performance; I don't do anything too intense; I play a little StarCraft and may install Overwatch some day.

If anyone has any recommendations for a solid wireless card, preferably not too expensive, I'd be eternally grateful.

...speaking of which, if anyone knows of a good graphics card for this thing that I can get on the cheap, would love any recommendations.

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.

Find a modded BIOS with the wifi-whitelist removed.
Then find an Intel 7260-AC which includes BT4.0, such as this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/122955100065

[ajkula66]

...speaking of which, if anyone knows of a good graphics card for this thing that I can get on the cheap, would love any recommendations.

Graphic cards on most ThinkPads - including W520 - are soldered to the motherboard and not swappable.

[MikalE]

I have the Ultimate N 6300. Been doing great for over two years now. Also upgraded the BT to 4.0 with whatever was current for the T530 or T540.

[olex126]

Hi Gang!

AC 7260 with Bluetooth 4.0 in my W520.

https://imgur.com/a/UO94M4X

The 780 mbps is on the lower end of the scale of speeds that I usually see.. mostly runs between 850-950 mbps.

The laptop is twenty feet from the router, and the signal has to penetrate two plaster walls to get to the antenna.

Hope this helps.

Regards.

Dave