ThinkPad T410 + i7 quad = possible?

[jamecloud]

Admin Notice:

For whatever reason, this post seems to be hacked and/or modified with spamming.
The original post might still be somewhere in our backups, but is irrelevant, as OP never bothered to reply.
So I deleted the hacked text and closed OP's account.
Hope this is all there is!

[MikalE]

These are the fastest processors for that architecture:

Dual core:

Intel® Core™ i7 processor i7-620M (2.66 GHz) with dual core
Integrated DDR3 memory controller (up to 1066MHz), Intel Turbo Boost, 4MB cache

Quad-Core:

Intel® Core™ i7 processor i7-720QM (1.60 GHz) with quad-core
Integrated DDR3 memory controller (up to 1333MHz), Intel Turbo Boost, 6MB cache

Intel® Core™ i7 processor i7-820QM (1.73 GHz) with quad-core
Integrated DDR3 memory controller (up to 1333MHz), Intel Turbo Boost, 8MB cache

Intel® Core™ i7 processor i7-920XM (2.00 GHz) with quad-core
Integrated DDR3 memory controller (up to 1333MHz), Intel Turbo Boost, 8MB cache

In addition, you may be able to install a Xeon based processor too, but I'm not certain which.

[ajkula66]

These are the fastest processors for that architecture:

Dual core:

Intel® Core™ i7 processor i7-620M (2.66 GHz) with dual core
Integrated DDR3 memory controller (up to 1066MHz), Intel Turbo Boost, 4MB cache

The fastest CPU that will work in a T410 is actually i7-640M

https://ark.intel.com/products/49666/In ... e-2_80-GHz

No quad core will work in these systems.

[MikalE]

Why not?

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/pd003320

[RealBlackStuff]

Because we are talking here about the smaller T410, NOT the big T510/W510 that you refer to!

[ajkula66]

Why not?

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/pd003320

The only ThinkPad from that list that supports a QC CPU is W510. Lenovo's info on the subject is often vague and misleading.

[TPFanatic]

First generation i7 dual cores and i7 quad cores are similar by name only. They are actually completely different architectures. The i7 duals are Arrandales and the i7 quads are Clarkfields.

More differences:

i7 dual has the MCH with Intel GMA 5700 "HD Graphics" on a separate die on the same removable CPU chip.

i7 quad has the MCH built into the same chip and no graphics on the CPU. It cannot be run without a separate graphics controller on the motherboard, like Core 2.

Wonder why W510 and W701 quad core models do not have integrated graphics? It physically does not exist! As well you cannot put an i7 quad onto a W510 shipped with an i7 dual core, consider it is just a T510 with Quadro graphics.

T410 is not designed to use the Clarksfields. Normally there is no graphics on the motherboard, but that is not the limiting factor. There are machines with Nvidia NVS 3100m dedicated graphics, but even putting an i7 quad on them does not work. Arrandale and Clarksfield are fundamentally different.

One more thing:

Arrandale Thinkpads like T410, T510, and X201 top at 8GB of RAM. Like the GMA 5700HD, it's possible the MCH on Arrandale is based on the same MCH as the Core 2, and unable to use more than 4GB in a stick.

Clarksfield Thinkpads like W510 and W701 top at 32GB of RAM, an 8GB stick in 4 slots.

Again, fundamentally different.

While 16:10 the LCDs in T410 are not much to write home about and max at the low resolution 1440x900. If want a nice screen and a quad core in a classic Thinkpad the best options are:

- T400 with Core 2 Quad mod
- T500 with Core 2 Quad mod
- W510 with FHD and quad
- T520 with FHD and quad
- T530 with FHD and quad
- T420 with FHD mod and quad
- T430 with FHD mod and quad

[MikalE]

Because we are talking here about the smaller T410, NOT the big T510/W510 that you refer to!

I completely missed that. Sorry about that Chief.

[MikalE]

First generation i7 dual cores and i7 quad cores are similar by name only. They are actually completely different architectures. The i7 duals are Arrandales and the i7 quads are Clarkfields.

More differences:

i7 dual has the MCH with Intel GMA 5700 "HD Graphics" on a separate die on the same removable CPU chip.

i7 quad has the MCH built into the same chip and no graphics on the CPU. It cannot be run without a separate graphics controller on the motherboard, like Core 2.

Wonder why W510 and W701 quad core models do not have integrated graphics? It physically does not exist! As well you cannot put an i7 quad onto a W510 shipped with an i7 dual core, consider it is just a T510 with Quadro graphics.

T410 is not designed to use the Clarksfields. Normally there is no graphics on the motherboard, but that is not the limiting factor. There are machines with Nvidia NVS 3100m dedicated graphics, but even putting an i7 quad on them does not work. Arrandale and Clarksfield are fundamentally different.

One more thing:

Arrandale Thinkpads like T410, T510, and X201 top at 8GB of RAM. Like the GMA 5700HD, it's possible the MCH on Arrandale is based on the same MCH as the Core 2, and unable to use more than 4GB in a stick.

Clarksfield Thinkpads like W510 and W701 top at 32GB of RAM, an 8GB stick in 4 slots.

Again, fundamentally different.

While 16:10 the LCDs in T410 are not much to write home about and max at the low resolution 1440x900. If want a nice screen and a quad core in a classic Thinkpad the best options are:

- T400 with Core 2 Quad mod
- T500 with Core 2 Quad mod
- W510 with FHD and quad
- T520 with FHD and quad
- T530 with FHD and quad
- T420 with FHD mod and quad
- T430 with FHD mod and quad

And thank you for the explanations.

[shawross]

With all that being said I would look for a T420 mainly because the Arandale runs hotter. Especially if it is to be used for more than just web browsing etc..

Yes agreed the 16:9 ratio is painful but using an external display can solve this issue to a degree.

[TonyJZX]

1,400 x 900 vs 1,600 x 900 is a pile of garbage anyway given they all used mediocre screens.

[Screamer]

I'm looking for an older T410 - I don't want to start an argument, let's just say I prefer the older model because of the 16:10 aspect ratio screen and some other considerations (it's older hence it should be cheaper, etc)

Understandable for the 16:10 preference, but remember that anything that is old, does not necessarily mean it is cheaper. Some of the older laptops are priced stupidly high in my area, for example.

- and I'm curious to know what the best possible CPU I could upgrade to might be. I've spent time doing searches here and at the NBR forums today but I can't find anything absolutely definitive about it. Lots of posts across both forums with mention and talk of CPU upgrades, and in the long run I just figured it would actually be easier to just ask outright if anyone has a specific suggestion.

I noted that some folks with the T420 have done a quad i7 upgrade and had no issues, and I do know the older i7 models did offer a mobile quad version or at least one potential quad i7 CPU, so could anyone offer advice or a suggestion about what the "best" particular i7 quad would be for the T410 if I can manage to find one?

Unfortunately for the T410, as the other posts have mentioned, it is not possible to install a quad Core i7 in the T410. If it was possible in an alternative universe where the T410 could use a quad Core i7, the best would be a Core i7-940XM. A post had also mentioned the possibility of installing a Xeon in the T410, but that is also not possible. There are no such Xeons that were available for the rPGA988A socket, only the LGA1156 and the LGA1366 socket of the same generation had Xeons available.

While 16:10 the LCDs in T410 are not much to write home about and max at the low resolution 1440x900. If want a nice screen and a quad core in a classic Thinkpad the best options are:
- T61 with Core 2 Quad mod

Well, don't forget about the extra option being the 15.4" 16:10 or the 14.1" 16:10 T61.

[TonyJZX]

410 and 420s are very cheap here as shell chassis... ie. complete minus hdd and charger

so you need to buy an ssd, say $50 for a 240gb and say $10 for the hdd cover and caddy and then say $30 for a charger... hopefully it has a battery with some charge, even 2/3rd charge is ok

and then your skills with installing win7 and a slic etc.

they are getting to the point they are e-waste given the 410 isnt supported and 1st gen is getting a bit slow now... i see 4gb Intel gfx 410s, some with 1280 some with 1440 x 900 screens for like under $50 usd which is fine if you can get it going but i feel its not worth it on a 410, a 420 maybe but with the lack of USB3 etc.

eh.. we are now talking about 8yr old laptops?

420 with say the latest bios, 8Gb and a 240gb ssd a middling i5 2520/40m is a fine machine on win7. add a express 34 usb card, you got a machine that struggles to hit 2.5hrs if you have an reasonable battery.

About batteries, good luck finding genunine ones. The copies are largely all garbage. For my use case I use them kind of as DTRs so the very least i'm at a desk with a socket and a mouse so that's not super important to me...

[Geartooth]

Admin Notice:
OP or someone else hacked into the original post and replaced it with SPAM.
Spam was deleted and OP's account was closed and reported.

Is it just me, or has OP Changed the Post to be a essay on Hospital Mattresses? That or I'm just going insane from the Chilly 24C Hong Kong weather.

[Thinkpad4by3]

Something is going wrong..

Last edited by jamecloud on Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It changed today??

[TonyJZX]

Someone hacked his account... or 'hacked' as in he left himself logged in and a spammer took over.

[dr_st]

Is it just me, or has OP Changed the Post to be a essay on Hospital Mattresses?

This is so funny, that I think I would not remove this thread for the time being.

[RealBlackStuff]

Nobody looked at, or posted in, this thread between 09/19/2018 and 10/10/2018.
A modification in ANY post is not noticeable, as this does NOT trigger the "Unread posts" group.
Hence nobody noticed the spamming until now, 10 days later.

Admin Notice:

For whatever reason, the [original, first] post seems to be hacked and/or modified with spamming.
The original post might still be somewhere in our backups, but is irrelevant, as OP never bothered to reply.
So I deleted the hacked text and closed OP's account.
Hope this is all there is!