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Want to upgrade CPU/GFX./wireless, and screen...is this possible?

Discussion in 'PC Hardware' started by CrunchDude, 2007/10/12.

  1. 2007/10/12
    CrunchDude

    CrunchDude Inactive Thread Starter

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    Hi all,

    I have a Core Duo 15" T2500 Thinkpad T60p. I already upgraded the RAM to 2GB, and the hard drive to a 200GB 7,200rpm.

    I'd like to install a Core 2 Duo CPU, maybe a T7700, as well as replace my abg integrated wireless to one that includes the upcoming 802.11n standard. Finally, I have an 15" SXGA+ screen. I would LOVE to have a UXGA screen again, so would I be able to pull that off by buying a 15" UXGA screen and replacing the current one? I have an ATI FireGL V5200 with 256MB dedicated video memory. I haven't looked it up yet, but it's a pretty high-end card, which I'm sure will support UXGA, or is that not how it works?

    Thanks all! :)
     
    CrunchDude,
    #1
  2. 2007/10/12
    Dennis L Lifetime Subscription

    Dennis L Inactive Alumni

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    A lot of upgrades. Changing screens out on a laptop could be challenging. This activity will certainly void your warranty unless you pay a qualified technician to do the work. With hardware cost, plus labor cost (or loss of warranty), you may want to consider selling your current laptop and buying one with the latest and greatest, which includes all new parts and a new warranty.
     
    Dennis L,
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  4. 2007/10/13
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    re upgrading the laptop wifi:

    The antennas for the wifi are behind the screen. If your laptop does not already support 80211n then you would also have to take the display apart and add a 3rd antenna. 80211n uses 3 antennas, 3 separate cables attach to the wifi card. Most laptops in last 3 years that do not come with a 80211n capable card only have 2 antennas (80211G)

    Changing the antenna is no easy task because their placement needs to be exact. On a 80211g setup, one antenna is a primary and the other is a secondary (weaker) antenna. The adapter hardware auto switches between these antennas as the need arises, say as the laptop's position changes in relation to the access point or as signals overlap. Interference, packet loss and signal strength also play a role in antenna placement.
     
    TonyT,
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  5. 2007/10/13
    CrunchDude

    CrunchDude Inactive Thread Starter

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    I think I'll stick to my T60p and wait for a hot deal on ebay. 3 antennas, huh? Sounds good for better WiFi coverage?
     
    CrunchDude,
    #4
  6. 2007/10/15
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    TonyT,
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  7. 2007/10/15
    CrunchDude

    CrunchDude Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks for the link, TonyT. Looks interesting. After much research, I've decided against 3 of the 4 upgrades I had wanted. I have done the Task Manager test, if you will, many times, and CPU as well as memory usage has never gone above anything that would warrant an upgrade. Should I disable or reduce the paging file? I've never seen my RAM go above 1.4GB's, so well under 2GB's.

    So now on to what would benefit me NOW, and I really WANT it NOW, is the UXGA LCD. I checked my video card, and it is, as I thought, fully compatible with UXGA. Are the antennas behind the screen attached to the actual screen, or rather behind the screen, attached to the inside of the cover in a Thinkpad? Would you recommend I do this? Several other people have successfully talked me out of 3 of the 4 things I had wanted, and once again, I agree, 64-bit is premature for what I use my Thinkpad for, wireless-N is currently useless, and upgrading the CPU is as well. There are other upgrades made for my unit that are unnecessary. The Sierra WWAN card (a $250 option I didn't have to pay for :D ), as well as the fingerprint reader, although as of late, I do use it constantly, but it isn't necessary.

    Just let me have my beloved 1600x1200 resolution. lol...pretty please with sugar on top. The pre-req's are there (video card), so what would be the best option for this?

    Thanks everybody very much! :)
     
    CrunchDude,
    #6
  8. 2007/10/15
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    The laptop mini-pci or mini-pci-e wifi adapter is under the keyboard or accessable via a bottom cover plate. It probably currently has 2 antenna cables connected to it. These cables route through all the hardware and up and out the rear into the monitor, behind the actual screen. They are placed there behind the screen according to somewhat strict mathematical calculations. (compensation for interferene, frequency overlaps, etc)

    Now, to use a preN adapter you need a 3rd antenna cable and a third antenna behind the screen. Your laptop may or may not have this 3rd cable & antenna already, the only way to tell is to look around the adapter port and see if theres a bundled antenna connector lying free.

    IMHO it is not worth the cost and effort to install a new upgraded display screen on a laptop. The screen will likely cost you a third to half as much as a new laptop itself because the most expensive part of a laptop is the screen, everything else is cheap by comparison. And you'd have to purchase this screen from the laptop manufacturer, you cannot just install any screen else the lid won't close.

    example:
    http://www.agpartsworldwide.com/html/ibm.php?
    IBM / LENOVO T Series T60/p 15.1 UXGA 13N7076 15.1" UXGA LCD $349.00
    (note, the above is from a random google search, I don't know if the parts site is reputable or not)
     
    Last edited: 2007/10/15
    TonyT,
    #7
  9. 2007/10/16
    CrunchDude

    CrunchDude Inactive Thread Starter

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    I agree about the screen being a large amount of the overall cost of a laptop.

    However, I get all Thinkpad parts for free, even overnighted for free. I sell enough equipment for them, so the cost is a non-issue.

    So if I get a new screen from the manufacturer, for the exactly my machine, except for the resolution of course, do I have to mess around with the WiFi antennas, too? I do have the antennas, because of the WWAN card, which was a totally unnecessary, but free, option, lol...All I care about now is the screen resolution. Video card is ready. I'm ready. Or am I? Is it really that invasive a procedure to swap out a screen? You made it sound like surgery. hehe...:)

    Thanks again TonyT. I am looking forward to your response. :)
     
    CrunchDude,
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  10. 2007/10/18
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    To replace the screen, yes, you will have to mess w/ the antenna wires, as well as the display wires. It IS surgery, you are working with tiny parts compressed into a very small space. Much different than changing parts on a desktop. Compare it to changing the spark plugs on a 68 Chevy vs. a new one. On the 68, you could literaly stand inside the engine compartment w/ feet on the ground too, while with the new ones you may have to spend 15 minutes just locating the plugs! Good luck!

    This manual has the instructions you need:
    http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-62733
     
    TonyT,
    #9
  11. 2007/10/19
    CrunchDude

    CrunchDude Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks TonyT. I think I'll just leave it alone. Thanks for the link. Interesting stuff. I change Thinkpads about once a year anyway, and a 15" SXGA+ is not bad. This is a case of the CrunchDude never being satisfied with what he has, also know as OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). :rolleyes:

    Thank you everybody!
     
    CrunchDude,
    #10
  12. 2007/10/19
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    psycho mumbo-jumbo...bah...humbug.
    Computers are just FUN!
     
    TonyT,
    #11
  13. 2007/10/20
    CrunchDude

    CrunchDude Inactive Thread Starter

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    I really do have OCD. And it's NO FUN dude. Be glad you don't know what that entails and feels like.

    But I think you thought I was only kidding around. And yes, computers have been SO much fun for me since my first one, the Commodore 64, with tape deck for storage. ;) I'd love to do this screen thing, and I love to experiment. I just don't know if I should? You think I should take a shot at it? I can get the screen for free, since I sell enough IBM and Lenovo products per year. lol...Hmmm...
     
    CrunchDude,
    #12
  14. 2007/10/20
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    If I changed laptops yearly, I'd pass on the screen and just get the laptop I want.
     
    TonyT,
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  15. 2007/10/20
    CrunchDude

    CrunchDude Inactive Thread Starter

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    That's what I thought, too. I would love to learn to do things like that, and I like experimenting. Well, maybe I'll order the screen and print out the manual you linked for me. I guess can start and then stop if I feel overwhelmed. ;) Thanks dude!
     
    CrunchDude,
    #14

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