X31 Memory Upgrade

[rambo47]

Model 2672
Intel Pentium M 1.4 GHz processor.
Windows XP (SP3) Professional

I couldn't stand how slugish my ThinkPad had become. Sometimes a restart would cure it, sometimes not. And waiting for a restart to finish took 5 minutes sometimes when it was acting it's worst. Then I noticed the amount of RAM I was running - 256 MB !!?! I bought it new from IBM's eBay store several years back and never really checked on the RAM. Maybe I thought it came with more, or maybe it was supposed to but I just got hosed by the seller. Doesn't matter at this point.

Anyway, the mystery of the God-awful performance was solved. I upgraded the RAM to 2 GB tonight. BestBuy sold me 2 x 1GB of DDR PC2700 RAM and I popped them in with ease. She fired right up and the snappiness™ is startling. This is how it was intended to run!

So here's my question: in the System Control Panel it shows only 1 GB of RAM. Could it be that:

* the system only recognizes 1 GB? The RAM configurator at BestBuy says it supports up to 2 GB, but other sites say only 1 GB. I thought this might be because at the time those sites were created there was no 1 GB RAM modules available. I ran into this exact situation with an old Mac PowerBook some years back.
* I might not have seated one RAM module properly. I never rule out my potential to err. I dare say I've forgotten more ways to screw something up than most of you will ever know.
* the system recognizes and utilizes all 2 GB, but is only capable of reporting 1 GB? I've seen this situation as well.

This is a lower-end X31 from what I can see of the model range. I would not be surprised if the system was limited to only 1 GB of RAM. If I'm truly limited to only 1 GB by the device itself I can take one module back for a refund (BestBuy promised they'd take it back). It's just that I hate to mess with it now that it's running so splendidly.

[sjthinkpader]

Welcome to the forum.

When you press F1 at boot time, what does BIOS say the amount of RAM you have?

[TTA]

1: Update the BIOS, A 1.4 was about the slowest PM (commonly) made so I'm sure the BIOS is ancient.
You may have to upgrade the embedded controller too.
I wouldn't put it past IBM to have had an OLD BIOS that doesn't see 2GB.

PS
You're sure they sold you 2 1GB sticks and not a 1GB kit with two 512MB's? (I've seen it happen)

[rambo47]

BIOS is version 2.15 (1QET78WW) and it reports 1 GB or RAM. I'm installing the BIOS Update Utility and after it does it's thing I will report back.
Thanks for the replies!

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 50298.html

[rambo47]

Yikes! My BIOS is now updated to v. 3.02 (1QET79WW). I could tell when I restarted and the initial boot screen displayed the Centrino Logo. Still showing 1 GB of RAM. Time to wiggle the module. (They're definitely individual 1 GB modules).

[rambo47]

My system is now recognizing the full 2 MB of RAM.
I re-installed the second RAM module and it was immediately registered in the ThinkPad Configuration Control Panel. Don't know if it would have been recognized by the old BIOS, but my suspicion is that it would not. I feel like I have a brand new computer! I know the Centrino is an ancient platform and that the X31 is a dinosaur but it's still a solid machine for non-graphics-intensive applications.

[godling]

I made the jump from 512 to 1536, and it blew my mind.

Next step: find a cheap SSD. Mine was $100 for 30GB, even with the older MLC modules, and it still screams faster than the Hitachi 40GB HDD I had in there.

Win7 is a must, just be prepared to use "common" drivers instead of part-specific stuff, or go searching for driver mods (ask, we'll point you there).

Fun!

-J

[rambo47]

I'm thinking of doing exactly that. Early reports on SSD drive performance were underwhelming, but they were still a very new technology then. Everything I read seems to say they're WAY better now and give a noticeable performance boost.

[bobcardone]

Maybe a compact flash card based SSD is the sweet spot, using a 2 slot HD adapter card.

The camera guys are demanding bigger and faster cards constantly, and the manufacturers are doing their best to accommodate them. High production volume also rapidly reduces cost.

The newest cards have some really good specs, and even the mid-grade ones are usable in the X3x series.
Nice thing is that by using a 2 slot adapter and the native slot you get a lot of cool options now...and with any new stuff coming down the pike.

[Tasurinchi]

EDIT: Double post

[godling]

I'm thinking of doing exactly that. Early reports on SSD drive performance were underwhelming, but they were still a very new technology then. Everything I read seems to say they're WAY better now and give a noticeable performance boost.

As stated, you can actually use a CF card with a CF / IDE connector (those are cheap). Read this thread (http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=71881) for more info on performance specs. It also lists SSDs and compares both against the standard available HDDs.

The x41 folk have also sprung up a thread on using CF cards, as the 1.8" form factor used to be extremely difficult to find for SSDs and even HDDs.

-J