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    T400s (and others) 5300 AGN Card

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by dimension6, Sep 12, 2009.

  1. dimension6

    dimension6 Notebook Evangelist

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    I recently purchased a loaded T400s, that has nearly every upgrade...except for the Intel 5300 AGN wireless card. I would like to upgrade the one in my notebook. Does anybody know the part number, where to purchase it, or if the part can be purchased? I know generic ones will not work, and I don't want to mess with modifying the BIOS on my machine.
     
    dimension6, Sep 12, 2009
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  2. dimension6

    dimension6 Notebook Evangelist

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    Well, I found it. The part number is 43Y6519, and it's not cheap to purchase. I just went ahead and bought it anyway (for $105!!), since I could really benefit from the increased performance of the 5300.
     
    dimension6, Sep 12, 2009
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  3. zephir

    zephir Notebook Deity

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    zephir, Sep 12, 2009
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  4. tobyg

    tobyg Notebook Consultant

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    tobyg, Sep 12, 2009
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  5. zephir

    zephir Notebook Deity

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    Oh I see, then the price shouldn't be a surprised, since there's no supplier of the IBM-certified half-height 5300AGN card yet.
     
    zephir, Sep 12, 2009
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  6. jaredy

    jaredy Notebook Virtuoso

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    Is there any confirmed testing that shows the 5300 offers that notable amount of performance over the 5100? I know there are more antennas, but has anyone confirmed it is really that much more beneficial in the real world?
     
    jaredy, Sep 12, 2009
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  7. LoneWolf15

    LoneWolf15 The Chairman

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    The 5300 offers more robustness against interference, so I would believe it has better performance in poorer conditions. It also has more transmit/receive channels, but that only offers a theoretical benefit, since max. throughput is never achieved with any wireless standard, be it A, B, G, or N.
     
    LoneWolf15, Sep 12, 2009
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  8. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I thought someone in the forum showed that the 5300 didn't perform any better than the 5100 in any real life test.
     
    sgogeta4, Sep 13, 2009
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  9. jaredy

    jaredy Notebook Virtuoso

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    I think jon did some comparisons, but it is pretty hard to test with a bunch of interference or not and how to quantify that unless you really were going to go in depth. So I still don't know, heh.
     
    jaredy, Sep 13, 2009
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  10. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

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    Read the 802.11N performance link in my signature. I have used both the Intel 5100 and 5300 (purchased off eBay for ≈$20) and have posted detailed results.

    The 5300 has very slightly better range and achieves parity for transmit/receive. The 5100 can only transmit (over 802.11N @ 2.4GHz) at ≈80% of the speed it can receive. However, for the vast majority of users in the vast majority of situations the 5100 is more than good enough.
     
    jonlumpkin, Sep 13, 2009
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  11. dimension6

    dimension6 Notebook Evangelist

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    I've used both extensively, and the 5300 definitely provides better interference robustness, upload speed, and allows for a slightly better range in my experience. For most people, I wouldn't recommend spending the money to upgrade it, but I use my wireless network to transfer large files from my OpenSolaris server (my AP is a dual-radio Cisco 1252 AGN).
     
    dimension6, Sep 13, 2009
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  12. LoneWolf15

    LoneWolf15 The Chairman

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    I'd agree on this. The time to buy the 5300 is at purchase if you want it; if you don't get it then, it isn't worth spending the extra once you have a 5100. It's a much bigger cost upgrading after purchase than it is getting the card straightaway.

    One of the reasons I got mine was also that I was unsure that Lenovo would include the third antenna on the Realtek and 5100-equipped models for later upgrades. At the time of the T61, if you didn't get a 4965AGN card, you only got two antennas, and adding a third was a pain in the rear. It didn't cost a lot extra, and the slight increase in range is also a big deal to me.
     
    LoneWolf15, Sep 13, 2009
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  13. charles.finkel

    charles.finkel Newbie

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    Can anyone here confirm if the 533AN_HMW INTEL 5300 Wireless LAN Half Mini PCI-E Card will work with the T400s?
     
    charles.finkel, Dec 5, 2009
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  14. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Read the previous page. If you got it from eBay or another store that isn't Lenovo (certified), then most likely no.
     
    sgogeta4, Dec 5, 2009
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  15. Ethyriel

    Ethyriel Notebook Deity

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    That's not necessarily true. I bought a 4965AGN off Ebay that works like a charm. You just have to make sure you're buying a Thinkpad compatible model. Not only that, but one which lists your specific model. If the PCI ID isn't listed in your BIOS whitelist, it will not work.

    Also keep in mind, that at least with 4965AGN cards, some have N disabled. This might be the case with the 5000 series as well, so be mindful and read the full description.
     
    Ethyriel, Dec 5, 2009
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  16. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    I believe this issue was limited to the 4xxx Intel WiFi Link series, the 5x00 series should all have enabled N capability, so no worries there :)

    On eBay, make sure the wireless card says that it is Thinkpad compatible. Both HP and Lenovo whitelists wireless cards, so when shopping for a card, you have to make sure that that particular card is listed in the BIOS.
     
    MidnightSun, Dec 5, 2009
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  17. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Hence why I said "that isn't Lenovo (certified)".
     
    sgogeta4, Dec 5, 2009
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  18. Ethyriel

    Ethyriel Notebook Deity

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    Sorry, the way you wrote that it sounds like you're applying the 'Lenovo Certified' to the store, not to the wireless card.
     
    Ethyriel, Dec 5, 2009
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  19. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    It's ok. I should have written it clearer. No harm done anyways :)
     
    sgogeta4, Dec 5, 2009
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  20. BinkNR

    BinkNR Knock off all that evil

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    Nice AP—wish I had one of those…
     
    BinkNR, Dec 5, 2009
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