L440 options and upgrade tips

There is a separate thread for T440s upgrade tips:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/736918-t440s-upgrade-tips.html

How many of those tips are relevant for upgrading the L440?

I also looked at the L440 user guide here:
http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/user_guides/l440_l540_ug_en.pdf

Is there another resource that more explicitly / clearly has the technical specifications related to upgrading?

For example, what are the compatibility issues to look for when buying an SSD for the L440? For example, does the drive have to be a 2.5 inch form factor with a 7 mm height? Would an mSATA drive work? Should it be an SATA III interface?

Crucial does not list the L440 as one of their pre-identified models for memory. The base memory for the L440 is "4GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600MHz SODIMM". When specifying memory at:
DDR3 upgrades from Crucial.com
I suspect I need to specify Memory Speed as "DDR3 PC3-12800/DDR3-1600". Beyond that, though, what kind of voltage do I want? CL? ECC vs. Non-ECC? Is it OK to use an 8GB module with Lenovo's 4 GB module? Will that affect performance if they are a different size?

If I am going to upgrade to a SSD, is there any point to ordering their free "16GB NGFF Memory" micro hard drive or would it just add a layer of complexity without any significant benefit? If I order it, is it easy to remove (e.g., to resell on ebay or use with another computer)?

I am thinking of just ordering the optical bay travel bezel because I rarely use DVDs. I have heard there is an ~$65 UltraBay adapter that would allow the base 500 GB hard drive to be used there. Any thoughts on this? Beyond the increased speed of the SSD, I am also hoping that it will inherently be more quiet than the 7200 RPM HD and use less energy (and thus produce less heat, which will also lead to less fan noise). If I rarely use the conventional HD in the UltraBay, is Windows smart enough to shut it off? In other words, does Windows differentiate between idle times on different drives and independently power them down?

Does the 9 cell battery just extend further out the back compared to the 6 cell, or does it also raise the back end more compared to a perfectly flat position? If the latter, I am tempted to get the 9 cell as a means of improving air flow under the bottom of the computer (and thus hopefully decreasing the need for the fan to run), even though I doubt that I need the extra battery life.

Any advice on the different wireless options? Which is likely to have better performance, range, reliability, and drivers? Is the most expensive option ("Intel Dual Band Wireless 7260AC with Bluetooth 4.0") the best and worth it?

Thank you for all of your help / advice.

 

I have a L440 and with the i5. The fan is dead quite. I can be gaming and it doesn't even get loud or hot. The L440 ran cool and quite. It may be different with the i7.

Upgrading is easy. There is only a few screws to unscrew and then you can access the HDD, RAM, and WWAN.
If upgrading RAM, get one that runs at 1.35V.
Upgrading to a SSD is a great choice and the 16GB M.2/NGFF is useless with an SSD and is basically worthless. It wouldn't even sell for much on Ebay.
I got the travel bezel but haven't spent time looking at Ultrabay. I am wondering if it is compatible with a Ultrabay battery or ultrabay harddrive caddy.
Definitely get WiFi AC. It is really good and future proof for the next 5 years.

I hope my comments helped. Let me know if you have any other question.

 

In the Storage section on p. 3 of this PDF:
http://www.lenovo.com/shop/emea/content/pdf/ThinkPad/LSeries/L440L540DSEN.pdf ,
it says mSATA, but it lists 16GB, which makes me think they mean a M.2 / NGFF drive. As near as I can tell from reading sources like this:
M.2 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ,
M.2 / NGFF is different from mSATA, so what are the issues involved with using an mSATA drive with the L440, with or without an adapter of some sort?

 

I guess you are right and that the slot is mSATA. It however does also come with a M.2 42mm slot for WWAN which can be also used for SSD.

 

Does anyone know if it is as difficult to open the L440 case for upgrading as it is for the t440s? Do the same tips / issues apply?

 

Response on Lenovo's web site in the Q/A area: "The 9 cell battery is slightly bigger then the 6 cell. The 9 cell battery extends out the the laptop a little under 1/4 of a inch. "

 

Related response in the L440 web site Q/A area: "The only memory modules we can guarantee compatibility for, and provide warranty services for, are the memory modules we sell through our own store. Such as this compatible module here: Lenovo 8GB PC3-12800 DDR3L-1600MHz SODIMM Memory | Lenovo | (US)

Before I provide advice in response to your questions, I'd like to iterate that any third party modules you purchase, even when adhering to these standards, may not be compatible with your system or setup, and we'd recommend buying Lenovo branded memory modules, because we can provide direct support for those modules.

That being said, here are a few pointers in regards to your questions.
DDR3L is a standard referring to a low voltage form of DDR3 memory. DDR3L's voltage standard is 1.35v, so 1.35v memory should be used, or pretty much any SODIMM at 1600MHz that adheres to the DDR3L standard should have the correct voltage. The CL (cas latency) should not matter as much as making sure you have the right form factor and speed, as the system will generally automatically adjust the latency for best speed and compatibility, to ensure minimal chance for a performance reduction, you could get the fastest/lowest latency available, but the performance difference between different cas latencies has generally been proven to be very minimal in standardized benchmark testing. It should be Non-ECC. Combining different sized DIMM's is generally not an issue as long as you stay under the maximum allowable memory for a system. In example if a system is designed for a maximum of 8GB, and you try to combine an 8GB DIMM and a 4GB DIMM you may have compatibility issues or the system may not boot at all."

 

I was able to replace the ThinkPad L440 WLAN card (Intel 7260 BN) with a Intel 7260 AC that I bought online and doesn't contain a FRU #. The system didn't refuse to boot and automatically detected it without any software update. Lenovo must have removed the whitelist.

 

I hope you don't mind me asking, but does anyone know if the E431s is thinner and lighter than the L440 or are they very similar, as torn between the two (someone else reviewing said that the L440 is thicker and heavier than was expected)? I like that the L440 has the Haswell processor, but like that the E431s has HDMI. thanks

 

FWIW, from ThinkPad E431 | Small Business Laptop Optimized for Windows 8 | | Lenovo (US)
Dimensions (W X D X H)
13.54" x 9.40" x 0.98"
Weight
Starting at 4.7 lbs

From ThinkPad L440 | Mainstream Performer With Aggressive Pricing Optimized for Windows 8 | | Lenovo (US)
Dimensions (W x H x D)
L440: 13.54" x 9.40" x 1.04"
Weight
Starting at 4.95 lbs

I have only used my L440 for a few hours, but I like it so far. Conceivably thicker could be an advantage for some things (e.g., better airflow for cooling).

 

phamhlam, Lenovo Partner Portal | Lenovo Service Training doesn't have any course training for the L440. Do you or anyone else who has upgraded the L440 have any pointers, gotchas, etc.? I will be installing an 8 GB SODIMM in addition to the stock 4 GB memory and will replace the stock HDD with a Samsung 840 EVO. Since it was free, I got the NGFF M.2 hard drive just in case I were to someday put the stock HDD back into the chassis, but since it won't be useful with the SSD, I'll either remove or disconnect it. I have a 32 GB USB drive that I used Lenovo's restore tool with, and I plan to boot from that and then restore to the Samsung.

 

Well, the L440 is really simple to upgrade. I just put in a new SSD (Samsung 840 EVO) and wifi card because the AC option didn't exist when I first bought it. I didn't put new RAM because of the high cost of RAM and it wasn't needed. The SSD is super easy and I love the new HDD/SSD drive mount since it just snaps on. You should have no problem using the recovery tool. It was quick and easy for me to upgrade. Make sure to turn off keyboard beep option in the BIOS. It is very annoying. The L440 runs really quite but that is with just an i5. I am pretty sure the I7 MQ aren't as quiet. The WLAN card was a pain to install since the antennas were hard to put on. You should have no problems upgrading. I however did notice the new L440 is greyish compared to the old L430 and the new T440s. The trackpad is not as smooth as the T440s and the keyboard doesn't have as much travel as the T440s. It is still a great machine.

 

Thanks for the tips, especially regarding the drive mount. For those who will upgrade their L440 later, it is a black plastic bracket seen on p. 69 of:
http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/l440_l540_hmm_en_sp40a26004.pdf
As phamhlam says, it is super easy to pry the black knobs out of the existing HDD and then push them into the SSD. As the picture in the above linked hardware maintenance manual indicates, pay attention to which side of the bracket is right-side up (the "fin" should be on the bottom).

The NGFF / M.2 drive was a snug fit and I went back and forth whether to remove it. I finally did, because it seemed like a bad idea to leave hardware in my notebook that I wasn't going to use. A blue cable and black cable were taped to it. After removing the drive, I just retaped it the board beneath where the drive had been at. After removing the drive, I noticed another red cable that I hadn't previously noticed; it had an exposed metal connector at the end that I put some Scotch tape over since it seemed a bad idea to have it flopping around like that. P. 71 of the hardware maintenance manual says that the red cable would normally be connected to the WWAN card if I had one.

The memory seemed to install fine.

I had used the Lenovo tool to make a USB recovery disk. Since it was a 32GB drive, I chose the option to copy the recovery partition. After making the above hardware changes, it booted. It asked me for my language and country for my keyboard layout, then it gave me the option to Troubleshoot. If I want to recover to my SSD from my USB drive, which option should I use? Whether I choose "Refresh Your PC", "Reset Your PC", or "Advanced Options" and then "System Restore" or "System Image Recovery", I always seem to run into trouble. Do you have any idea what I am doing wrong? Thanks for your help.

 

The best is to reset your PC. It basically wipes out everything (nothing if it is a new SSD) and then proceeds to bring everything to factory setting.

 

When I select "Reset your PC", it says, "All your personal files and apps will be removed" and "Your PC settings will be changed back to their defaults", I think, "Great!" and click Next. It thinks for a few seconds, then asks if I want to partition the drives on my PC. Previously I had said No, wondering why I would want to make the partition given that I still have that partition on the now-removed HDD as well as the USB drive, and after saying No, it gave an error and I tried something else. Anyway, this time I said, Yes, and everything seems to have happily restored to the SSD. It truly seems to have restored to the state of when Lenovo first shipped to me (e.g., it prompted me for computer and usernames upon rebooting, etc.). Thanks, phamhlam!

I hope to provide more info (Windows Experience Index, etc.) as I get time over the next week.

 

Does the L440 use edp interface for the screens? If so, would it be possible to replace the display with the 14" AUO AHVA screen (bios and warranty issues aside of course)? This is assuming the L440 motherboard supports 2 lane edp.

 

i am also really interested.. the L440 is the only new 14" Thinkpad with an express card slot which i need for an egpu solution. This Thinkpad would be almost perfect for me (aside the trackpoint keys but i already accept that they are gone ) but i really want a better screen. Would be really nice if someone who knows how to find out if this AUO screen would fit could check it for us!

Also would it be a problem if you have the L440 just in HD resolution and take the FHD AUO screen? I remember that it wasn't possible to upgrade the T430s HD screen with the HD+ screen of the X1 carbon out of the box. But they were connected over LVDS and the new ones should be edp, dunno if its still a problem.

 

ok what i could find out is that the T440s fhd screen uses 30pin edp und the L440 a connector with 40pins. But there are 40pin to 30pin adapters on alibaba.
Unfortunately i have no idea if it would work with one of these adapters..

 

I looked into the L440's FRU list which shows the panels used for this notebook. It seems that the L440 uses a 30 pin EDP connector (e.g. FRU 04X0394, the AUO B140RTN02.3 HD+ panel uses 30 pin EDP).

Also back in December, another forum member recently modded his T431s (also uses EDP, which only had HD+ TN panels as the stock option) with the AUO FHD AHVA panel successfully. It appears to be more or less a simple swap suggesting the 2 lane EDP thing may not be an issue.

It seems connection wise, the L440 is indeed compatible with the AUO FHD AHVA screen. I agree that it would make an excellent eGPU candidate notebook. A shame the T440p didn't keep the expresscard slot.

 

If anyone with an L440 could help out, I found out a way to check via the Intel Graphics and Media Control software. Posted this in the Latitude e6440 section a couple minutes ago:

"To check if your computer's built-in display uses an embedded DisplayPort (eDP) or LVDS connector type:
From the Windows* desktop press Ctrl+Alt+F12 (My note here, this works if you have the Hotkey sequence enabled in the Intel Graphics and Media Control Center) key combination. If prompted select Advanced Mode application mode. Select Options and Support, Select Information Center, Change the System Information drop down to Built-in Display. Check the Connector Type field."

 

Sorry for the delay in responding. My L440 lists "Embedded DisplayPort" as the Connector Type.

 

Thanks NRSally! An AUO or LG AHVA/IPS screen swap would be an interesting mod to attempt in the future. Wish Lenovo would have offered it as an option...

 

Someone should try upgrade the screen. I would be amazing if you can put a IPS FHD screen in the L440. It would make it such a great value notebook. The only other option would be to upgrade to the T440p or T440 but that is a significant price difference. I was thinking of buying the FHD T440s screen and putting it in the L440. If I was crazy enough, I would remove my current T440s screen (AOU) and try connecting it to the L440 but I don't want to ruin my warranty or ThinkPad.

 

Is the T440 that much expensive? I would think it'd be less expensive to just get the T440 than buy the screen and void the warranty.

 

The T440 doesn't come with a standard processor. It is an ultrabook processor.

 

Is it possible to upgrade the screen at least to HD+?
I want to get the L440 but it's out of stock on Lenovo UK and all the other outlets only have HD models and it's the only thing keeping me from buying it given that I can't afford a stretch to a T440.
Could anyone let me know if I can possibly change the screen and what display should I look for since I couldn't find any Lenovo reference or display parts ..

 

Sorry I read up the thread that L440 screens are 30pin eDP
I think I will go for an FHD AUO upgrade!
http://www.hidevolution.com/parts/a...080-72-ntsc-matte-edp-30-pin-lcd-display.html

 

hmz I was actually looking at B140HAN01.2 but I cannot find the difference

 

I can now confirm that B140HAN01.2 ( AUO FHD ) screen fits perfectly. the screen is AMAZING

again, the code is B140HAN01.2 I got it from ebay.

 

How easy or difficult was the swap?
Sent from my Lumia 1520

 

The swap is super easy. I just listen to websun and bought a B140HAN01.2 on ebay (bliss computer).

All you had to do was remove the two screen on the front of the screen bezel. Remove the bezel (just pull it off). Unscrew the screen. Unplug the connector. Plug in the new screen. Screw down the screen. Reattach the bezels and install the screws. Upon boot up, it will look weird but once you go into windows and then restart, the system will adjust to the new display. The screen I got was fantastic (IPS, great color, minor light bleed) beside one stuck red pixel when the screen all black (hard to notice).

 

Thanks! Much easier than I thought.
Sent from my Lumia 1520

 

Installed my FHD panel today and love it!
Sent from my Lumia 1520

 

I am so glad you love it. I wish I hadn't paid the extra $50 to Lenovo to go from 1366x768 to 1600x900. Everyone L440 owner should just get the default screen and just upgrade to the IPS 1080 screen.

 

I bought mine in the Outlet, and hadn't initially planned/known about the ability to do an FHD upgrade. Unfortunately, the LCD got cracked, and I hadn't purchased accidental damage protection, and the FHD was just as much as a replacement HD+, sot it was a no brainer for me.

 

I can also now say that the 128gb MyDigitalSSD M.2 NGFF SSD makes a great boot drive. You only get about 110gb once it's formatted, so you may lose out on also using it for the Intel Rapid Stsrt hibernate partition if you have a lot of RAM. On the flip side, for about $220, you could order that AND a 256gb Crucial MX100. Talk about making your system fast! It's what I have as my current set up, with the hibernate partition on my Crucial.

 

I just stuck with a 128GB Samsung 840 evo for my brother. A SSD is a must in any laptop. I wish they made it possible to put a SSD in the dvd bay like past generations. You can have 3 drives this way.

 

You can still buy a drive caddy to replace the optical drive. It may not be am option from Lenovo, but you can do it.

 

Anyone know if it's possible to swap in a backlit keyboard from another model?

 

For those who updated to AUO FHD screen, did you update your driver (I'm running Windows 8)? What do you show in Control Panel/Devices/Monitor?
Thank you in advance!

 

Mine shows as a generic PnP monitor. I'm running the current Intel Graphics 4600 driver.

 

Hello all. I have the same question about the backlit keyboard. On amazon I found this , but on lenovo forums I read that if the model was not factory equiped with a backlit it would probably work just a normal replacement and backlit won't work.

Anyone tried to instal a backlit one?

 

That would correct. You can't use your L440 with a backlight keyboard because it requires a separate cable and connector. Your laptop won't have the connector on the system board.

 

Too bad... Thanks for the answer!

 

Hello,

sorry for my bad englisch, im from German and my English Skills are not very good

i also swapped the Panel to a B140HAN01.2.
The IPS-Screen is really very good, but i think it is to dark.
In the T440s the Screen has 300cd. Mine has only 200cd, like the original 1600x900 Screen.

Is there a BIOS Lock for the Panel Voltage or else? How is the brightness of your screen?

My Screen in Windows 8.1 was detected as a PnP-Monitor (Standard). But i dont think thats necessary for brightness.

So, i hope this thread doesent sleep and somebody has a solution for that!
Thank You!

denis0401

 

so, I've received my L440 from ebay 2 days ago, used, from germany, in great shape, price was awsome, sloted my sammy 840PRO right away, and also, for start, filled empty DDR3 slot with another 2GB of memory...such a great little machine.

anyway, I was doing some google-ing about backlit keyboard stuff
couldn't find much info about it, but, if you guys look at the pictures of backlit keyboards avalible on ebay, amazon, aliexpress, etc... there isn't any additional cables/connectors on those keyboards, only 2 standard flat cable connectors, one for trackpoint and one for keyboard keys...
few examples:
link 1
link 2
link 3


also, if you take a look at lenovo psref you'll notice that L440 on pictures has little light symbol on space key, just as pisc on this review

another thing is, if you take a look at FRU listing there isn't any notes for backlit (or non-backlit) keyboards, just as you can't find list of motherboards to see how many different motherboard models there are avalible

so, in a meantime, anyone tried to upgrade non-backlit to backlit keyboard yet ?

edit: MBO-s are listed as "planars"

 

Hi everyone.

I'm currently interested in the L440 Thinkpad because my Sager NP7352 (Clevo W350ST) decided to die after 18 months, and I need a good laptop that will be able to live through the remaining 3 and a half (possibly plus one more) years of university. I had a few questions in regards to modifying the L440 and whether or not it would affect the warranty.

So since my Sager is dead and out of warranty, I thought I could salvage parts from it into the L440, most notably the CPU. What's currently in there is a i7 4700MQ. Although it seems like it should work fine in theory, I have no idea whether or not it would actually work. Would it be possible to take the i7 4700MQ out of my dead Sager and install it into a new L440 shipped with the base i3-4000M?

Would I also be able to take the 7260AC Wi-Fi card and replace the stock 7260BN as well? I would think yes, but from this thread it seems like Lenovo has/had a history of blacklisting non-approved parts or something like that.

Since I see others reporting to be successfully installing a certain FHD 1080p display into the L440, I would also like to do that as 1. Both screens offered by Lenovo are TN and I'd much rather have an IPS display and 2. 768p and 900p are not to my liking and I would definitely want 1080p over those resolutions. Mostly for the added workspace, but also because I would be attaching the laptop to two additional monitors for a triple monitor setup as I've done with my Sager until its sudden demise.

Continuing with the parts I plan to salvage from my Sager, my Intel 335 SSD and 1TB hard drive. I have a generic 12.7mm HDD caddy that has served me well in my Sager, but I am unsure whether a generic caddy will work in the Thinkpad as I hear a lot about using an Ultrabay as their swappable drive bay solution. I have tried searching for information regarding the Ultrabay and whether a generic HDD caddy would be compatible or not with Thinkpads, but could not find anything that wasn't vague or inconclusive. Therefore I'll ask now, would a generic HDD caddy work fine in the L440 or does it require their propriatary Ultrabay drive bay?

One last question, for all the modifications above, which of these would void the warranty? It seems that business notebooks are more lenient in regards to aftermarket part modification compared to your off the shelf laptop from Best Buy, but possibly not as much as a Sager? I'm wondering where they draw the line as I can see that basically everything except the screen is easily accessible from removing the one back panel. Would I be able to repaste the CPU as needed? Or is all I can do one/some of the mods above? I'll also be adding in the RAM from my Sager as well, but I don't think there's any question about compatibility in regards to that.

Thank you to anyone that answers my questions.

 

Hopefully someone else can shed some more light on this, but here's my thoughts:

I'm not sure on the CPU - same socket, although the L440 doesn't offer the 4700MQ - but it does offer the 4702MQ. However, the 4700MQ has a 47W TDP, while the 4702MQ is 37W (actually, I think all of the L440's CPU options are 37W, including the 4600M and 4000M).

And as for the wifi, I could've sworn I've heard of people buying 7260AC's off amazon, putting them in Haswell T series Thinkpads (ex. t440s/t440p), and them working without an issue. I don't see any reason why an L440 would be any different in that regard. However, no guarantees in either case, proceed at your own risk.

 

Keep in mind warranty might be lost when you replace the CPU and the display because both aren't so-called CRUs (customer replaceable units).

 

I'd like to ask, what would be the downsides to having a higher TDP CPU installed besides increased strain on the power supply? Would artificially limiting the TDP in Intel XTU help deter any of said downsides? IIRC I could modify the TDP in XTU. I don't mind limiting the CPU's full performance (including underclocking) to the level of the other "supported CPUs" as long as it saves me the money of having to pay to upgrade to them from the base CPU.

Sounds good on the WiFi. I should be able to save $30 to not pay for something I already have then.

Thanks for the help.

The thing about that is, how would they know? For the CPU, looking at pictures from Notebookcheck's review, the one removable back panel also exposes the CPU and its heatsink and fan. Visually, I can't see in any way that they would be able to implement any kind of indicator as to whether the customer removed it or not. I imagine its done to allow the end user to be able to repaste the laptop as needed, but what's to say I couldn't swap the CPU as well since it's already visible?

Same with the display. According to Post #31 of this thread, the only thing that's needed to replace the display, is just removing two screws on the front bezel of the display, disconnecting the old display, reconnecting the new one and pulling it back together. The only thing that they could really look at as far as I know is the two black bits of (probably) rubber that are used to cover the screws.