Lenovo T420/T520 upgrades for a newb?

I am VERY new to upgrading computer parts. Now that that is off my chest on to the questions.

I am buying a T420 or T520. I want t upgrade the following parts cheaper than what Lenovo charges to do it. I don't want to get in over my head and ruin something. I see how easy RAM is to install, so I will order the 2GB and add in another 4GB or 6GB for cheaper right off the bat. Please include brands/models!

• SSD Drive
• RAM
• Optical Drive
• Wireless antenna
• Broadband card

 

And the processor from the i3 to the i5 2520

 

so what do you want to know exactly?

if you question is whether or not you can upgrade all those components then the answer is yes. The CPU upgrade will require taking the heat sink off most likely, and if you want to put/change the wifi antennas then you will have to open the display as well. But the other stuff is easy, as long as you know how to transfer your OS, or clean install new one.

 

Hard drives and RAM are usually the easiest to upgrade provided you know how to dissemble your laptop and get access to them, and upgrading hard drive and RAM DO NOT void your warranty.

However upgrading your CPU will void your warranty in most cases, and it is definitely not worth it considering you are going to buy a new brand new machine.

Upgrading WiFi card, optical drive isn't worth the hassle because the stock ones from the manufactures are already good enough, just choose the cheapest RAM/HDD option and upgrade them yourself.

 

I need it by next week in a perfect world. This means that I have to choose between 2 SSD drives, the HDD drive is back ordered for 4+ weeks. Looks like the only upgrade I will be doing is RAM? I am not handy enough to do the others from what i have read and the couple responses here. Not worth me having a $1200 paperweight.

 

Are ll RAM created equal? What are the specs I need for it to fit into the T520 or T420?


Is Lenovo.com the only place to buy custom built Lenovo's?

 

I suggest you start a new thread here : Lenovo Laptop Forums - IBM Laptop Forums and Notebook Computer Discussions

 

I am VERY new to upgrading computer parts. Now that that is off my chest on to the questions.

I am buying a T420 or T520. I want to upgrade the following parts cheaper than what Lenovo charges to do it. I don't want to get in over my head and ruin something, then i will have a $1200 paperweigth. I see how easy RAM is to install, so I will order the 4GB and add in another 4GB for cheaper right off the bat.

Please include brands/models!

SSD Drive
RAM
Optical Drive
Wireless antenna
Broadband card
Upgrade to i5 2520

I am slowly realizing the most I might be able to do is the SSD and RAM without getting in over my head?

 

Maybe you can upgrade SSD and RAM by yourself, but the rest generally isn't worth it to upgrade unless you have specific needs.

 

All of the parts you've listed with the exception of the CPU are considered user replaceable on ThinkPads. Upgrading them won't void the warranty and they are fairly easy to replace. I'd agree with namaiki, most aren't worth the effort. Most users, unless you've got a specific need, can't use more than 4GB of memory. I say see how it goes. You can always upgrade later if needed.

 

this is basically the machine I have spec'd out, I want to save money and do any of the upgrades I can myself. Or find a coupon code for discounts on the T series machines.


System components
Intel Core i5-2540M Processor (2.60GHz, 3MB L3)
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
Intel HD Graphics 3000
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
720p Camera
Intel 160 GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA
DVD recordable multiburner
Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter
Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250
Integrated Mobile Broadband (Sierra Wireless MC8355 – Gobi 3000 (TM))
SIM Card: USA
Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (North America) - English

 

Generally, I would suggest upgrading the SSD and RAM yourself. The rest either won't be worth your effort or won't really even save you money. Lenovo whitelists WiFi and broadband cards, so that's an additional layer of problems, so you're best off sticking with their options for those. Upgrading the CPU will void your warranty (if they notice it, which they will if you sell the old CPU), so I also won't suggest it.

 

Thanks for all the great info!

How good is the SSD 160 drive that they offer? Should I just go with it, or should i get the cheaper HDD and upgrade into a nicer SSD drive?

Just spoke with Lenovo, and they do offer a 256 SSD drive, but it ships separately and I need to install myself, which then voids the warranty.....worth it for my intended uses?

 

Installing a hard drive doesn't void the warranty. Whomever told you that is an idiot.

 

Sales rep......shouldve figured.


Can the motherboard handle a Series II, or series III SSD? From what i can tell the 160GB they offer is a series I?

 

The Ultrabay and main HD slots are SATA III. The mSATA port is SATA II from what I've gathered.

 

Yes, upgrading the HDD does not void the warranty.

I think you mean SATAII/SATA III. The latest Tx20 generation supports SATA III in the hard drive bay, and the mSATA slot is SATA II. The 160GB SSD option that Lenovo offers is the Intel 320 160GB SSD, which is a SATA II drive. There aren't any modern drives that are SATA I. The question of SATA II versus SATA III only matters for the fastest SSDs; conventional HDDs and a bulk of SSDs do not saturate the SATA II interface.

 

The only time that upgrading/replacing the RAM, mini-PCIe cards, battery, hard drive, keyboard, or any other CRU will void the warranty is if you damage something in the process.

The hard drive is quite simple to replace, and I can't imagine you'll have any problem with it. Any 2.5" SATA II/III drive will work.

I'd recommend an Intel or Samsung SSD as those are the only two brands which have produced most of their drives without major reliability issues. OCZ offers some faster + cheaper drives, but they have an absolutely atrocious track record in terms of reliability. Kingston offers some good models, but you have to pay close attention to figure out what controller/flash they use, as Kingston simply re-labels other drives -- you can get a great deal this way, true, but you'll have to do your research.