Upgrade of RAM, OS, and HDD on ThinkPad T410i (2518).

[K.T.]

Back in April of 2010 I purchased two T410i (Core i5 430M 2.26 GHz) and they have worked great since then. However, now I think it’s time for an upgrade to make them last a little longer before they get too slow. Therefore, I plan on upgrading from 4 to 8 GB RAM and from HDD to SSD. Since the current OS is 32 bit I have to upgrade to 64 bit in order to also benefit from the upgrade of the RAM.

I have searched both the forum and the internet in general and the approach below is what I have come up with. It has taken a fair amount of time as I’m unsure of what the best approach is. Therefore, any advice on the approach below would be greatly appreciated.

Upgrade from Windows 7 Professional 32 bit to 64 bit.
I would like to use a Lenovo recovery DVD with Windows 7 Professional 64 bit so I will call Lenovo support on Monday to ask if I can purchase one from them (I assume I can use my current license when installing the new OS). However, please advice if there are other and better options.

Upgrade RAM from 4 GB to 8 GB.
I plan on buying two Kingston 4 GB modules (KTL-TP1066/4G 4GB 1066MHz SO DIMM). According to the information I can find online this should be compatible with my laptops.
http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configu ... 66/4G&id=1
http://www.amazon.com/1066MHz-DDR31066- ... P1066%2F4G

Upgrade of HDD (320 GB) to SSD.
For the SSD I plan on buying a Kingston 240GB SSDNow V+200 SATA 3 2.5 Upgrade Bundle Kit (SVP200S3B/240G).
The idea behind going for an ‘Upgrade Bundle Kit’ for the SSD would be to clone the old HDD after installing the new OS. However, installing the new OS directly on the new SSD might be a better option, but I don’t know what is easiest. Guidelines for how to install the OS on the new SSD would be greatly appreciated.
http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configu ... 00S3B/240G
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-SSDNow-U ... S3B%2F240G

Please advice.

Thanks,
K.T.

[Cigarguy]

Not a big fan of cloning a HDD to SSD. I'd do a fresh clean install. As to whether the upgrades are worth it or not is dependent on what you are using it for.

[K.T.]

Hi Cigarguy,

Thanks for your reply. You’re right; I should have mentioned in my first post what the computers are used for.

One of them is used for normal office work, but sometimes a lot of tabs and windows in IE are open which seems to take up most of the RAM. The other computer is used for the same kind of work, but also for work with Adobe Create Suite.

What’s your assessment of the planned upgrade based on the above-mentioned use of the computers?

I think I’ll go for a fresh clean install of the new OS as per your advice.

Thanks,
K.T.