My T400 Upgrade Path

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hunterman223 · #1 Post by **hunterman223** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:02 pm

Just thought I would share this... I am open to any comments and recommendations, negative or positive. The upgrades are listed in the order that they will be performed, and I will be doing it over the course of quite a while, whenever I have some spare cash. This should be one mean T400 when I am finished, nice to know that it has some potential after all. Notice the DIY ViDock, no more weak graphics! Behind the SSD that is the upgrade that I am most excited about. It should prove to be a very interesting project.

Anyways, here is the link. It is hosted on Google Docs, so forgive the formatting. It looked a lot "prettier" with word before it was converted, but you get the point. Enjoy.

Updated Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13aX ... jgMIxaC8eV

I will also be ordering a docking station from (gasp) eBay as there is a really good deal, and I want to be able to connect to my TV with a DVI to HDMI adapter. I'm also going to get a 3.5mm to RCA audio cable to handle the audio. This setup should work great for movies, games, and what not. (gaming on full HD might need to wait for the GTS450

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Update: I have installed a 4GB stick of RAM for a total of 6GB. This is plenty for me and I would stay at 6GB, but the Intel graphics do not work properly due to the unmatched pair. I believe it is the RAM causing this because I read that as the Intel GPU uses shared system memory, and the fact the Intel chipset is not handling the unmatched pair perfectly, artifacts and distorted images are rendered. So I will be ordering another stick of memory for a matched pair, and a total of 8GB. I have also purchased some new speakers, pictures over in the picture forum.

Update2: Got the rest of my memory for a total of 8GB. Also in about 2 weeks I will be getting that SSD. (finally) I added a couple things to my list thus driving the price up further, but this is all going to happen over a span of quite a while, so that doesn't really bother me. You may be thinking, "dang, for that kind of money he could get a new computer!" (I have thought the same) but it wouldn't be a ThinkPad T400 with an SSD, 8GB of RAM, a GTS450, C2D T9900, and so on.

ajkula66 · #2 Post by **ajkula66** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 9:03 pm

You're on the right track in my book...

T400 is definitely a very upgradeable and competent machine - don't know the exact specs of the one you have, though.

A couple of months ago I bought one on sale from IBM's refurb store just to have it as a testbed for various SSDs and their behaviour within different operating systems. Even with a *measly* (by today's standards) P8400, this thing was flying high and mighty.

The only reason that I gave up on it was the quality - or lack thereof - you guessed it - of the LCD panel. Nice resolution (WXGA+), bright screen, atrocious viewing angles and horrible colour reproduction. After almost a decade of FlexViews, this poor thing just couldn't cut the mustard, which is a sin because it's a splendid machine otherwise.

I believe that you'll like the Intel SSD that's on your list. I sure did.

My $0.02 only...

Have fun.

hunterman223 · #3 Post by **hunterman223** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 4:38 am

Thanks. Part of the reason I went with the T400 was that I knew it had a decent amount of upgrade-ability. For what I will be spending on all of these upgrades I could have gotten maybe a T410 or the like, but most likely not with a desktop GPU or an SSD.

By the way, my specs are in my signature, not sure it's showing up to you though? It is 2767-XH6, with a T9400 CPU. That's more powerful than a P8400, albeit mediocre compared to today's Sandy Bridge CPUs, but it packs plenty of power for my uses.

I have the WXGA+ LG-Philips LCD, which is the "better" one. I am not a videophile, nor have I *ever* owned an IPS/FlexView device. The screen does look pretty good though, vibrant colors and very bright. The viewing angles are what I am used to (TN), so not bad or good in my book.

Also, it's funny you should mention an Intel SSD. I have been incredibly torn between an Intel 320 or a Crucial M4 (which is the one on the list) but at the moment I am leaning towards the crucial. It is a SATA III drive, so while my T400 cannot utilize it's full potential it is more future-proof, and running at SATA II speeds it should be at the very least as good as the Intel, while better in certain areas. I think Intel is more reliable, but Crucial is not bad either. It's a tough decision and by the time I actually get the SSD my mind may have changed several times.

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Anyone have any experience with doing a DIY ViDock? I have been reading quite a lot on them and it doesn't seem too complicated. I am getting an NVIDIA GPU so I can do Optimus using only the internal LCD. My external monitor will be my TV from time to time, and in the future I may purchase a 22" - 24" external monitor.

hunterman223 · #4 Post by **hunterman223** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:07 pm

hunterman223 wrote:Anyone have any experience with doing a DIY ViDock? I have been reading quite a lot on them and it doesn't seem too complicated. I am getting an NVIDIA GPU so I can do Optimus using only the internal LCD. My external monitor will be my TV from time to time, and in the future I may purchase a 22" - 24" external monitor.

Any input here?

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

craigmontHunter · #5 Post by **craigmontHunter** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:28 pm

I got a refurb thinkvision L220x, primarily because it has wuxga resolution (unlike the 1680X1050 that most modern 22" screens come with). After I got it, I discovered that it has excellent viewing angles (*apparently* flexview worthy, but I have never seen one and cannot confirm or disprove that - the bezel gets in the way before anything happens to the image), and I find the colours to be extremely accurate, with substantially better contrast than my T61 (which I thought was fine untill now). If you can find one I would reccomend taking a look at it.

Jack

Colonel O'Neill · #6 Post by **Colonel O'Neill** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:31 pm

There's a new Dell IPS 24" monitor at 1920x1200 coming out onto the market for around $400.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/25/dell ... n-and-ips/

OT: I hate how everyone goes 1080p when they're not referring to a video format.

craigmontHunter · #7 Post by **craigmontHunter** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:35 pm

Which reminds me, I got my screen for $190 CAD, and am entirely happy with it (I also prefer 22" to 24 - I am kind of limited for space)

An I fully agree with you Colonel - when you are talking about resolution, give the resolution, not the video format it is "designed" for, especially since "p" and "i" do not mean anything to the actual display technology anymore.