Advise me before I open the T23 up for surgery

[LPC]

Well…..can I say the upgrade bug bit me…
I bought Smidgley’s T23 to upgrade mine (I will be parting out what I don’t need so keep a heads up).

The surgery procedures are as listed:

Open heart transplant…1.13 to 1.2
Memory transplant ….maxing out with Crucial 512
Wifi addition……installing mini pci wireless card and antennas
Face lift….XGA to SXGA

I might not do the face lift yet. I am working on details on getting Jamiphar to replace the backlight…..might not be able to resist though …I want to see the SXGA difference!

Please caution me on all I should know. I have searched and have some guidelines:
Keep screws in order
Remove battery and backup battery
Have copy of HWMM

This will be my first in all except the mem upgrade.

Specific questions:
Should I use some lube installing the 1.2 (artic silver?)
Should I update drivers and Bios?

Thanks in advance,

[carbon_unit]

Specific questions:
Should I use some lube installing the 1.2 (artic silver?)
Should I update drivers and Bios?

Thanks in advance,

Yes, you should put something between the heatsink and the CPU. Be sure to clean both off first with rubbing alcohol.
The Bios depends on that level the bios is at now and if a newer bios has any features you need.
Good luck and happy exploring.

[LPC]

Yes, you should put something between the heatsink and the CPU. Be sure to clean both off first with rubbing alcohol.
The Bios depends on that level the bios is at now and if a newer bios has any features you need.
Good luck and happy exploring.

Thanks for the reply,

Should I use arctic silver or is there other household lubes I can use?

[rkawakami]

Arctic Silver 5, or a similar thermal grease, should be applied between the heat sink and top of the CPU. Use only something that is described and recommended for this type of application. It is very doubtful that you can substitute any type of "household lube". You can usually find AS5 at Radio Shack (Warner Robins, GA), Fry's (Duluth, GA) or well-stocked electronics supply store. You only need a small amount, probably the size of a grain of rice.

[joester]

Should I use arctic silver or is there other household lubes I can use?

...I wouldn't suggest toothpaste or butter...

Stick to Thermal compound ONLY. Artic Silver seems the preferred since it has a higher thermal transfer rate than most others. Realistically, any brand will do the job.

Also remember that MORE IS NOT BETTER. More only makes more of a mess and decreases any airflow that might occur between the heatsink and the chip itself. You want only the equivalent of the thickness of a piece of newspaper on the contact surface of the chip. Also, remember to evenly tighten the heatsink into place. I've seen on several brands of laptops where the heatsink can be overtightened on one side which causes the heatsink to tilt slightly. Tightening the other side either over stresses the chip (pressure) or results in only one edge of the mating surface actually making contact. When I apply paste, I place the heatsink onto the chip, and get the hardware started, then press down with my thumb directly on top of the chip to level the heatsink. Then it's just a matter of evenly tightening the screws.
I think, but am not sure that this is covered in the HMM.

Common sense and patience are the key...

Oh, for the hardware confusion, I offer this...
I am in the habit of photographing the bottom of the laptop I'm working on and printing it out. Then I tape the hardware to the area it came from on the picture.
It's a really -DUH- proof way to ensure that the correct hardware is returned to it's position. I do this as required on the top or insides of the laptop as well if my efforts get me in that far.

Joe

[LPC]

Thanks all.....ok I wont use vaseline....
That AS5 is expensive 9.99 plus tax....put a want add for left over any one want to donate?

[RealBlackStuff]

FYI: with the latest BIOS you can put 2x 512MB = 1GB memory in there.

Do the BIOS/Embedded Controller updates BEFORE you do anything else.

[rkawakami]

FYI: with the latest BIOS you can put 2x 512MB = 1GB memory in there.

Do the BIOS/Embedded Controller updates BEFORE you do anything else.

Yeah, that way if you brick the system you won't have to go through the trouble of opening it up !

All kidding aside, you shouldn't have to update the BIOS in order to use 1GB of memory. I have a T23 with BIOS 1.08a (1AET51WW) that's running with two sticks of 512MB. As far as I know, the T23 was able to run 1024MB of memory when they were first introduced. If you are having a specific issue with something that has been corrected by a later BIOS release, then by all means, update it. Here's a list of BIOS changes for the T23:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-41214

[IzaBella]

As seen in the hardware manual - you'll have to change several parts to be able to mount antennas. So unless you have those parts I suggest you stay with a PMCIA solution on the wireless part...

[doylnea]

Thanks all.....ok I wont use vaseline....
That AS5 is expensive 9.99 plus tax....put a want add for left over any one want to donate?

There's a generic RS version that's just as functional and it sells for $3.99 I believe.

FWIW, I've read, and used the idea, that the appropriate amount of thermal grease to apply is the size of a single rice grain.

[skou]

I use a dot about the size of an un-cooked grain of rice, on a CPU with a heatspreader. (A P-4 desktop cpu is an example.) I use a much smaller dot, on a bare die. (Yes, that square is the actual silicon back of the CPU. Don't chip or crack it.) I also do not spread it. I use about 1/4 or 1/3rd the size of a raw grain of rice.

The T23 has spring-loaded screwpads, so just tighten them down. Watch the bases sink as the screws are tightened. The later T22 heatsink had the same design, and can be retro-fitted on all T20-22 rigs. (No, you can't use a T22 heatsink on a T23, but the spring-loaded screwpads are similar.)

steve