Thinkpad R60 Upgrade

I have this older 15-inch ThinkPad R60, (model 9455-38U, T2400, Intel GMA 950 video, with 1400 X 1050 screen) that I am looking to upgrade both the components and system to Windows 7 64 bit. You may ask why bother - mostly for fun, plus I really liked this laptop.

I already have T7600 CPU that will replace clunky T2400; I also have spare 2 x 2 Gig ddr2 pc-5300 memory already. Now before swapping the CPU, I decided to look around to see what else could I do before actually installing Win 7 OS.

So I came across ZaZ's post here -
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/451068-t60p.html#post5738104. Now I am wondering if it is possible to also add UXGA (1600x1200) TFT ( 200 nits ) used/refurbished FlexView with IPS screen from T60p or just replace the whole lid with one from T60 (what are the correct part numbers?) but also possibly upgrade the motherboard with one from t60p with ATI® MOBILITY™ FireGL™ V5250 and 256 Mb memory (or something else? - suggestions are welcomed)

If so, this shroud give it enough oomph to run Win 7/64 and have nice “play-top” for living room.

So it boils down to these two questions:

1. Will T60p 1600x1200 15.0” lid work with R60 chassis?
2. Is T60p motherboard with Ati Mobility FireGL V5250 compatible swap with my R60 chassis? Or maybe I will need the motherboard with base?

If anybody has any experience with such swap upgrade please comment. Part numbers are welcomed, so I do not buy something that would not work. Thanks!

 

I don't know if the whole lid assembly is compatible, my guess would be no, but I've never done it. The two most common T60 FlexView LCDs - the Hydis UXGA(13N7076) available here and LG SXGA+(13N7078) are both compatible with the R60. It's a straight swap and I've done them both.

I believe the boards are not compatible as they have different mount points. The V5250 is so old, I'm not sure it's worth the effort. When I got my R60e I thought about doing the UXGA, but it was going to cost me 2x as much and it's only a secondary machine for me. It mainly sits in the guest room.

I don't know that spending for 64 bit is worth it on the R60 since it's chipset limited to 3GB. If you want to have some fun I'd suggest doing the LCD upgrade and getting a small SSD, then putting Linux on there. I got a $30 16GB SSD in my R60e and it flies in way that Windows does not. It boots in like 7 seconds. It's my fastest machine, but battery life isn't great if you care.

 

Thanks for a quick reply, did not expect your answer so soon.

Linux would be great idea ) - I am smiling already ), if this would be for my use only – well, my wife and kids do not know Linux ( yet ?). Also since I already have Win7 upgrade, so that would not be an extra expense for me.

In regards to “Win 7 32 vs 64 controversy”, even though my R60 system has 3 Gb usable (945GM chipset), I have noticed that many apps on 64 bit that are written natively for 64 bit system are faster/more responsive/better optimized even for the same hardware, just to mention IE9 (64) for example – it is way faster than 32 bit counterpart running on 32 bit system. I assume they take better advantage of compiler optimizations, so my personal preference is to go 64bit if the CPU allows it. I specifically have upgraded 945-based system to 32 bit before for family member (Toshiba A105-S4004) and my impression was it was way slower than 64 bit version. I do not have nay benchmarks to prove it, like I said, just my impression.

In the mean time, I have looked up some options for IPS screens and came up with the following, priced well below $100:

“Refurbished IBM ThinkPad R50 15” UXGA LCD screen, PN# 92P6672 FRU 92P6683 N150U3-L01. This LCD screen was pulled from an IBM TP R50.”

Curious - Do you think it would work for R60? If so, I better snatch it soon

Also , I read somewhere that these IPS LCD’s, being much brighter than regular TFT’s, have some tendency to burn out, get yellowish in the corners etc. – what is your experience with that? Important question since this particular screen above comes form a laptop that’s roughly 5 yrs old…

As per the motherboard, my R60 currently “boasts” only Intel 945 GM chipset, so not much “sheer power” here….I read that you have upgraded/gotten a board with ATI X1400 before, which according to benchmarks is like 1/3 – 1/2 faster than 945GM, whereas FileGL V5250 is about twice as fast as theX1400; hence my interest in motherboard upgrade options…but it seems like X1400 board would be my only choice, would it?

More comments are wolcomed as usual

 

92P6683 is an IDTech panel, which was used in the T60p, but you'll need to flash the EDID to get it work. You'll also need a T4x or R5x to flash it. Back then the 200 nit was fairly bright for a laptop screen, but that's fairly average for a notebook these days. The LG SXGA+ does have a tendency to yellow/dim over time, more so than the Hydis, but if you can get one, it'll probably cost less. Pick your poison I guess. I went cheap as mine doesn't get a ton of usage.

I didn't notice IE9 being any faster under x64, but I didn't use it a ton either. As for Linux, if your wife and kids only to go on the Internet and listen to music, Linux will do that quite well.

 

Thanks ZaZ,

Hehe, point taken on Linux; my kids are only 8 and 10 yrs old, all they know right now is Windows/IE/Chrome for web, MS Office for school and some flash games. But I guess I’ll setup some desktop or VM for them to train on.

Appreciate your info, I was not aware of flashing issue; thought this pertains only to enabling the QXGA mode. I only need IPS with 1600 x 1200 and I will be happy. This is a bummer then. I do not have any other Thinkpad available, just Dells. A matter of fact, I was just ready to buy another used LCD from Ebay (see here) and you just stopped me in time but I guess this one would also need flashing EDID too?

I do not have the flashing software nor want to go through that headache. Long and short, am I only to get BOE-Hydis panels (as listed here: TFT display - ThinkWiki) to make it to work via a straight swap on my R60 or do I have other options? All I could find for BOE-Hydis on Ebay was around $500...

 

This is the one I linked in my first post.

Link

A number of people have bought from that seller over on ThinkPads.com with good results. $180 was kind of expensive to me for a machine that only gets occasional use, but $150 is about as low as I've seen it go on a new panel. If that's what you want, $180 isn't too bad, much less than buying it from Lenovo. You might want to post over on ThinkPads.com. Someone over there may have something they're looking to get rid of on the cheap. It never hurts to ask.

As far as I know any of the T60 screen will work as a straight swap. Anything else will probably be more complicated. There's also a Hydis SXGA+(13N7196) and a sRGB Hydis(13N7194), but those are extremely rare and hard to find.

 

Thanks,

Since I currently have SVGA+ TFT, I am interested in UXGA resolution with IPS. The product you are listing definitely has reasonable price, just not sure how long will it will take to get it shipped overseas form HK.

You have also mentioned other part numbers, how about these screens which seem available locally:

From CodeMirco:

1. IBM 13N7194 IBM 15 UXGA TFT LCD SCREEN New
2. N/a HV150UX1-102 Hyundai 15 Uxga Tft Lcd Screen New
3. HYDIS 13N7076 15 UXGA TFT LCD T60 (1600X1200) New
4. IBM HV150UX1-100 ThinkPad T60, T60p 15' UXGA LCD Display Refurbished
5. IBM 13N7076 LCD 15 UXGA TFT LCD T60 Refurbished

Of course I am not sure if the new screens (which are either made by LG or Samsung) are flashed with correct EDID for it to work on my R60 or you don't think so? What is confusing that most listings use correct FRU P/N freely but in reality in measn "compatible" e.g. different type alltogether. Sorry to bother you so much but I guess I do not want to make mistake and get the "wrong" screen that will not work for me

I'll wait for your reply,

 

Another option (even better? or not - I am not sure how it actually looks is it readable on 15 inch screen) would be to go for QXGA IPS panel like is is mentioned on ThinkWiki: Installing a QXGA display in a R/T60 or 61 - ThinkWiki, (see the yellow note mid-page). It seems that it is possible to get QXGA IPS screen already configured for t60/R60 w/o need to flash, wonder where they guy purchased it?

 

For others who also might be interested in this thread:
I researched my upgrade issue some more and found the following:

• Thinkpad R60 should support UXGA LCD upgrade providing it's EDID is flashed properly and contains needed data for R60 to recognize available resolutions, as this info is not stored in anywhere else like it was on R50/R50p.
• R60 model with Intel 945GM will not support QXGA as it's maximum LVDS output resolution is 1600 x 1200, e.g. UXGA. QXGA should however work on R60 models with discrete ATI Mobility cards, e.g X1300 or X1400. Funny thing is the onboard Intel Mobility 945GM does support QXGA resolution on it's CRT (VGA) output w/o issue, so one can easily connect external QXGA monitor
• I called CodeMicro (see my links above) trying to find out what are they are actually selling and it seems like they are not exactly sure; for the items listed as *NEW* I was told they were most likely LG's or Samsungs, not sure if they are IPS-es or "regular" TFT's. For the ones listed as BOE-Hydis they did not know the actual manufacturer/part numbers are - I am still waiting for their reply, hopefully I will know something next week?

So thanks to ZaZ's referral, it seems the best bet is to go with his source.

For those looking to get QXGA screens, here is another recomendation from someone who has purchased and installed it with success: from this company: [email protected] (purchase via Alibaba) or direct via website (accepts Paypal)

 

I'd just say about the QXGA, the pixel density is 170+. Text will be very small. It's 133 on the 15" UXGA, which is very close to 14" WXGA+. The other thing about the QXGA is it's rated at 150 nits of brightness while the UXGA is 200 nits.

 

Update:

Thanks to ZaZ's recomendation, purchased BOE Hydis HV150UX1-101 screen from eBay My World - cgsplcd last weekend, and suprisingly got it delivered this Thursday already. Whoa, 4 days, did not expect it so soon, this is faster than my Ebay deliveries from CA!

Installed my new screen, and it works like a charm. I mean 1600 x 1200 is really something. And it is bright. Suffice to say that to go easy on eyes, I lowered brightness from maximum to 5 out of 7, that's how bright it is.

So this is my setup now:

• Windows 7 64 Bit running on T7600, (had it already)
• 4 Gig (3 Gig usable) memory (digged it from my drawer)
• 1600 x 1200 QXGA HV150UX1-101 LCD ($183 delivered)
• Seagate Momentus XT with SD28 firmware ($99 on newegg)
• Mobile Intel 945 Express Chipset Family WDDM 1.0 driver - which suprisingly seems much faster for AERO experience (reacts much faster to right-clicks w/o spinning wheel) for AERO than Intel's last version 8.15.10.1930 for 945GM graphics

And I must say, this Thinkpad suprised me a great deal - I mean I did not expect such nice desktop performance from it.

Now, one more thing I'd need for this laptop would be a 812.11n wireless card with MIMO. My house has multiple floors, and with my D-LINK DIR-655 it would really help to get a better signal and 300 Mbps.

To test it, I tried poping Intel Centrino 6230 from my other laptop and of course quickly found out about infamous 1802 BIOS boot show stopper.

So what is what is the best card I can get for this Thinkpad that would do 802.11n, 300 Mbps with AES and WPA/WPA2 (this is what I need to get 300 Mbps from my DIR-655) and where to get it?

 

if you need 300 Mbps then you would need flash a modified bios and then you can use most of the intel wireless card on the market. For example the 6205 or 5100, etc.

 

I thought of that, found one here Modified BIOSes for Thinkpads but the mod is based on Lenovo BIOS version 2.22, whereas the last one released by Lenovo is 2.23 which included Windows 7 support. Since I have Windows 7, I cannot go back to 2.22

 

I found on ebay this card 42t0825 which mentions 300 Mbps and R60 support, can anyone confirm it will work?
According to ThinkPad 11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Mini Express Adapter - ThinkWiki it should...

 

that card wouldn't support 300 mbps.

 

So what are my options for 300 Mbps 802.11n mini-PCIe WPA/WPA2 adapter for Thinkpad R60 running Win 7 64 bit?

 

I say go with the G card unless you've got a specific need to transfer large amounts of data. If you do, USB might be a better option.

I think Intel did make a half height card which supported N with only two wires. I don't know if there's a ThinkPad version of the card, which you'd need to bypass doing the BIOS hack, or if it would work in an older ThinkPad such as the T60. If you can find one, you'll need a bracket to make it fit.

 

I currently have Intel/PRO Wireless 3945ABG in my R60; I was looking to upgrade it to 802.11m with MIMO, which will be of great help for throughtput since my house has multiple floors. I do not like the external USB dongle option too much.

My research of this subject (based on this post here: Wireless N for an R60 - Lenovo Community) indicates that IBM Atheros AR5BXB72 ar5008 card as found on ebay (for example here: IBM Atheros AR5BXB72 ar5008 42t0825 T61 X61 T61p card | eBay) will support R60 without need for BIOS mod. Some posts even indicate possible speed up to 300 Mbps but I would not count on it, I guess it does depend on the driver I can get.

Alternatively (as mentioned before and suggested by you above) I already have newer Intel Centrino 6230 mini PCIe half card (a combo card with 802.11n 300 Mbps with MIMO/WPA/WPA2 and BT 3.0) with mounting bracket, but of course R60 will not boot with it. Question is how do I go about getting BIOS mod for R60 that is based on Lenovo version 2.23 (need it 2.23 for Win 7 support) ?

I found few pages with BIOS whitelist mods for R60 (for example here ) but only based on previous Lenovo version 2.22 which I believe does not fully support Win7. According to Lenovo BIOS v. 2.23 README, it is first version to include Win7 support.

With BIOS mod, this Intel card I have (e.g Intel Centrino 6230) should work well with 802.11n, but I doubt it will support BT 3.0 as it most likely needs some BIOS support to detect combo card components; I tried it on my older DELL Lattitude D630 and wireless N was OK with 300 Mbps, but, as predicted BT 3.0 device would not show up in device manager.

So my issue is how I could get someone to mod 2.23 BIOS for me as I am not versed in BIOS mods myself just yet. Do you know where to turn to or should I just post a new thread "BIOS whitelist mod for R60 v.2.23 needed" and wait if someone responds?

So basically it is down to getting the Atheros card or hunting for BIOS whitelist mod.

Suggestions are welcomed