R50 Screen on a R52 ?

[natgab]

I have a R50 with an essentially dead MB.

I got it in November and after a month of trying, consensus here was that it had a dying Southbridge. Screen, HD, CD-DVD, KB, WIFI all work and case is decent. Thread: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=116069. I am short of funds and want a cheap fix. I will be buying a R5x / T4x with a bad screen and make use of my screen from the R50. I think it will be easier than swapping the MB, I had bad luck trying to swap out a CPU previously on my old X40. I have both spare PC-2700 & PC-4200 RAM. Is it a noticeable boost ( CPU or Video ) from the T40-42 / R50-51 compared to the newer T43 / R52 models?

I know either way it is not going to be a fast machine, just want a nice little couch surfer and something to look up solutions when I am working on a computer. There a couple of R52s with cracked LCDs for $29.99 (S/H included) USD on eBay. Just wondering what would be a better deal in case I see an R50 with more RAM / HD or R52 with less.

[ajkula66]

As long as you get a R52 with the same screen size, you'll be fine. It might just not like the wireless card from your R50 - don't know which one you have in it.

Do bear in mind that these machines are a decade old now, and it shows, even if you're just "couch browsing".

Good luck.

[natgab]

As long as you get a R52 with the same screen size, you'll be fine. It might just not like the wireless card from your R50 - don't know which one you have in it.

Do bear in mind that these machines are a decade old now, and it shows, even if you're just "couch browsing".

Good luck.

---Yeah, I downloaded the Hardware guide for both types of R5x series to compare model numbers. I have a 14.1" model, so I would make sure to get another 14.1". I have a working Atheros WIFI card, I guess I can make sure the laptop I get has one included to be safe. I intend to put Debian Linux, if it seems slow I can always go with a Puppy Linux or masochistically try to run Haiku OS.

[axur-delmeria]

Reminders:

1. The R52 uses DDR2 RAM, while the R50 uses DDR1.
2. R52 models with Intel Graphics cannot use 14.1 inch SXGA+ LCDs. only XGA (1024x768).

[natgab]

I ended up buying a ThinkPad T43 I found on eBay.

14.1" 1.86GHz Pentium M 1GB DDR2 CD-RW/DVD-ROM, with no power supply or HD. I will reuse my power supply and 100GB HD from my R50. Pretty nice condition, but if anything breaks I will have several spare part from the R50 to use.