Absolute Upgrade

[jusjay]

Hi i just have a quick quesiton. I have a t43 2686 PM1.86 1gig, 80gig 7200 . . . I was wondering what is the maximi potention of this computer how can i uprgade it to the max !!! screen, graphics memory and all what is the most souped up t43 and fastest speed possible. Thanks

[Temetka]

As far as CPU is concerned I do not know.

I do know that you cannot upgrade the GPU without upgrading the motherboard.

I believe the most RAM your system can support is 2GB. I also believe the largest HD you can have is 160GB, atleast until the Hitachi 7k200 is released. If you get the ultrabay adapter you can run 2 of them for a total of 360GB. Why you would need that much space in a laptop is beyond me.

If you have a 14.1" 1024x768 screen you can go to a 14.1" 1400x1050 screen. You cannot go to a 15" screen as you would need to change a whole lot more components, if it's even possible to do so.

Other upgraded to consider:
DVD Burner - dual layer if you don't have it already
G or N Wifi if you are still stuck with A or B

Otherwise I think that would be about it. Most people here feel that you will see the largest performance increase if you just slap in a fast 7200 rpm hard drive. They are correct for the most part, however I am of the opinion that maxing CPU and RAM will go a long way towards increasing the serviceable life of the machine.

[pianowizard]

Does anyone know if the T43 can take 2GB RAM sticks?

[Temetka]

I know this is besides the point, but:

Could you afford them?

[KristianJ]

I reckon that you're pretty close to it...maybe selling it and buying a T42/43p would be a more cost effective exercise, since you get the 128MB graphics (which limits the potential of your particular machine as such). I don't know what the cost difference would be, but it might be the same (or maybe perhaps a little less) as upgrading your components to their maximum.

[pianowizard]

Could you afford them?

I remember that a month or two ago someone on this forum got lucky and picked up 2x2GB PC2-4200 SODIMMs for around $450 total on eBay. $225 for 1x2GB is not too much more than what 2x1GB would cost. But of course, one would need to be very patient to find a deal like that!

[agarza]

I wonder why people insists on having a lot of memory. For instance, if you stick to XP for more years, 1GB of RAM is enough. My T42p can even run Vista with Virtual PC 2007 no problems (eating 512MB of RAM), virtual size memory on use is about 900-1000MB, but physical RAM being used is around 750-800MB

Unless you want to upgrade to Vista you should consider 2 gigs of RAM, if you stick to XP 1GB is more than enough

[pianowizard]

I wonder why people insists on having a lot of memory.

For most people, it's just psychological. I really don't need 2GB for my T60, which runs XP. When I got it, it had 2x512MB and was definitely fast enough for everything that I do, but I upgraded it to 2x1GB just to make myself feel better. I don't feel compelled to upgrade further because 2GB sticks are still prohibitively expensive, but when they get much cheaper, I will probably upgrade again!

[Temetka]

I agree. My machine has 2x512MB chips. I am looking at picking up atleast 1 maybe 2 1GB chips. Why? Because I can. I thought about upgrading to a T60p but the prices right now are too high and to be honest this 1.7GHz Pentium M is very fast. Plenty fast for my needs. Coupled with 2GB of RAM it will last a very long time, at which point I might pick up that fabled 2GHz chip for it.

Also is the T41P Banias or Dothan, I can't remember. What SL spec is for the new version (Banias or Dothan). Basically If I were to upgrade from my current CPU to something faster what SL spec should I be looking for?

Oh: I love this laptop. It's great. Honestly it's one of the best laptops I have ever owned.

[marvel]

After a couple of upgrades I´m in on a spending spree. The 7K100 was first and soon after the Bania was replaced by a 2 GHz Dothan (2003 400 MHz FSB). Now I´m considering the wifi card, but which is the best? My T40p is originally based on 2373-G1U: and has the 802.11a/b Wireless(MPCI).

Thanks!

//Michal