Windows 7 upgrade on ThinkPad Z61m?

I'm currently using XP Pro and have upgrade-titis since Win 7 can be bought cheaply with student discount. Will it work on my Z61m or is it going to run like a turtle?

Spec:
Core Duo Processor T2300 (2M Cache, 1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB)
1GB Ram
80GB HDD
GMA 950 integrated graphics

Thanks!

 

I don't foresee any problems for you. It won't be as fast as XP, but it'll totally work.

 

Your laptop can run Windows 7 but I think to make things run smoothly I recommend upgrading the Z61's RAM to at least 2GB so it has enough headroom for any applications you plan to use on top of your OS. The RAM's you need is the DDR2 PC2-5300 variant and they shouldn't be too expensive for the single 1GB SODIMM's.

I assume that you're probably want to get the Home Premium version, due to your processor opt for the 32 bit version as it is not compatible with the 64 bit version.

 

If you wanted you could probably get a T5500 or T5600 for less than $40 on eBay.

 

Do the core 2's drop right in to thinkpads with cores? Any memory upgrade needed?

 

It should work, and a memory upgrade isn't needed, but will make your computer feel a lot faster. Windows 7 by itself uses almost 1 GB

EDIT: Opps, I forgot that only socket M core 2 duo:
Intel® Celeron® M410 (1.46 GHz), 1-MB L2 cache
Intel Celeron M420 (1.6 GHz), 1-MB L2 cache
Intel Celeron M430 (1.6 GHz), 1-MB L2 cache
Intel® Core™ Solo processor T1300 (1.66 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core Duo processor T2300 (1.66 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core Duo processor T2300E (1.66 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core Duo processor T2400 (1.83 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core Duo processor T2500 (2.0 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core Duo processor T2600 (2.16 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5500 (1.66 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5600 (1.83 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7200 (2.0 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7400 (2.16GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7600 (2.33GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
(not a complete list)

EDIT: And only if your BIOS supports it, so i recommend googling others who upgraded to see if it works.

 

Yup, I've done it on a number of machines, including ThinkPads. Usually, the only notebooks that do not allow it are the ultraportables. Often the CPU is soldered to the board, which means you have to do the whole motherboard. I suppose you could upgrade the memory if you want, but it is not required.

 

I concur with this completely. If you use more than just WordPad and Paint, get more RAM.

 

It depends on the OP's usage. If they plan to use it for standard web browsing, music listening, video watching and minor photo touch ups then 2GB RAM is enough under 32 bit conditions. Obviously if you doing software engineering, intensive graphic design and VM's you need a lot more but bear in mind this is a Z61m that is limited to 3GB RAM.

As a test i'm running 10 applications on my Windows 7 including Firefox with 20 tabs open (and HD video playing in background), iTunes, Photoshop with 3 large images open, MS Word, PDF, Thunderbird etc. and overall it consumes around 1.5GB which is well under 2GB RAM given the amount of apps running, plus you can still open WordPad and Paint on top if you wish .

 

When I mentioned memory upgrade, I was referring to ram type, not amount. I was just curious if the core2 requires a different ram speed than the core.

As for Windows 7 32bit, it runs just fine on 1GB...it'll even run alright on 512MB, although I wouldn't recommend it if your gpu is sharing memory.

 

I does not use different memory.