decided to keep the T420 for 2 more years

So I've decided to keep my T420 for a couple more years as I'm not sure what to expect re the next thinkpads. I'm looking into upgrading the ram to 16gb. I tend to have lots of tabs open in firefox and chrome, citrix for work, excel, a vm to play with linux and a bunch of other stuff. The computer tends to get slower and 80% used ram.

Thanks

 

And I'll tell you that you're one of the many people hanging onto their *20 series ThinkPads for dear life...

Adding RAM never hurt anyone that I know of...

If you get *really* bored you may want to throw a QC CPU in there for good measure as well...

 

Niiice!!

Any recommendations, pointers, guide?

I'm thinking, upgrading this, battery and maybe new palm rest and keyboard might be worth it? and less $$$ than a new thinkpad?

 

I've also decided to upgrade the cpu. I didn't find much information on the net. I came across this success story but the user hasn't been active since Oct 2013, so I can't contact him.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/624256-t420-upgrade-i7-2720qm-es-q154-successful.html

 

It's a very popular mod - from what I'm to understand - amongst members of German ThinkPad Forum

T4xx Erfahrungsbericht: Quadcore im T420 [Archiv] - ThinkPad-Forum.de

Happy upgrading.

 

Many people have upgraded to a Quad Core CPU on the T420 fine, the i7-2720QM is a popular choice with many ( here and here). The Core i7-2670QM is also said to be compatible with the T420 but the Core i7-2630QM is not from one user's experience.

I would recommend getting a 90w power brick as a minimum to run the Quad Core otherwise it may throttle down in certain scenarios, be sure to have this before swapping over!

 

Thanks! Though I don't understand a word on that forum...

Should I go for that cpu?? Intel Core i7 2720QM 2 2 GHz Quad Core FF8062700835817 Processor SR014 0675901058346 | eBay

 

I guess that Google could help you there, as rough as its translation services are...

Never have I performed this mod myself, so I'll leave it for someone else to answer your question.

Good luck.

 

I might hold off on the quad core for now because I'll need to buy a new 95w power brick for that, and that would just add extra expense.



For now, I'll focus on ram and maybe I can get a higher resolution screen in tere



From the below, which one should I go for, the cheapest? They're all DDR3 1600 1.35v.



Crucial $186 CAD Crucial 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model CT2KIT102464BF160B - Newegg.ca


G Skill Ripjaws $209 CAD G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GRSL - Newegg.ca


Corsair Vengeance $203 CAD Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory (CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10) - HookBag.ca

 

I'm running a 2670QM in my T420, added a 8gB stick of ram so I have 12gB total, running 1.37 bios so my memory can run at 1600mhz (newer bios limits you to 1333mhz), slapped a 1tB into an ultra bay to go along with my stock 320gB drive, I DID have a msata solid state that just burned up, but I love my t420!

edit: I believe the t420 can even run 1866 memory, but that might depend on the processor

 

Nice. How long have you had the quad core and how's the real world experience? You had to buy a 90w adapter?

Any recommendations for the ram from the 3 above?

 

I already had a 90w adapter when I got my t420, it's hard to say if its that much faster in real world use, but it sure feels good having a i7 lol.
The gskill memory has the best timings of those 3 and 'should' be the fastest

 

so the cpu i listed is the one i go for?

 

sorry, what happens if I just use the regular power brick?

 

CPU throttling and/or AC adapter overheating.

 

ah, ok. So the 90W AC will cost about $65, CPU $205, ram $200. Total = $470 to upgrade. Worth it? :/

 

Huh?

Adapter is $20 or so...not sure about CPU/RAM

 

ThinkPad 90W AC Adapter (U.S. / Canada Power Cord). Compatible with ThinkPad Edge/L/SL/Z Series R60, R60e, R61, R61e, R61i, R400, R500, T60, T60p, T61, T400, T400s, T410, T410i, T410s, T410si, T420, T420s, T500, T510, T510i, T520 Dual Core Models, X6

Canadian.

Will a 1.35v ram work on the t420 as opposed to the 1.5v?

 

I would try to source an ex-leased genuine 90w power brick from IT recycling companies or brokers which can be bought for not a lot of money.

I acquired a used but genuine R60 90w Power Brick from an IT recycling company on eBay that recently passed its annual electrical safety test (still had the inspection label) and it worked well as it was interchangeable with my R61e, T61 and T420.

The best thing is that it only costed me £9 rather than the brand new price tag of £80 so it was pretty pleasing to know that I have a safe to use power brick that also saved me a bit of cash in the process!

 

Nice to see other options. I'll look into brick off ebay (genuine ofcourse).
So you think this upgrade is worth it?

 

Yes it should.

 

If you plan to put a Quad Core in then yes as it would draw quite a bit of power under load, if I recall when I did some testing it was drawing 63 watts under load on my 90w brick so you can imagine the stress and heat it would put on the standard 65w brick.

I also noticed the 90w power bricks tend to charge my batteries quicker than the standard 65w version so you can call that an added bonus if you need to charge and go quickly.

 

So, what do you think of this combination?

Intel Core i7 2720QM 2 2 GHz Quad Core FF8062700835817 Processor SR014 0675901058346 | eBay

and

Original 90W Lenovo ThinkPad T410s T410si T420 T420i Laptop Adapter Power Supply | eBay ---> $36 from Toronto
or
90W Genuine AC Adapter Charger Power Supply IBM Lenovo ThinkPad T410 T420 T510 | eBay ---> ~$30 from China?

 

I've purchased both HP and Lenovo (newer slim tip) power adapters off Amazon for around $20 USD, and as far as I can tell, they're genuine OEM. The power cords included (IEC 60320 C5/C6 end) don't look the same as what HP and Lenovo include though.

 

do you think the ones I listed are legit? The first one the label is dated Nov. 2006....

 

The first one doesn't look genuine; it's not the picture but the listing keywords - COMPATIBLE MODEL, Brand New GENERIC Replacement Product, works as Genuine parts, 100% OEM Compatible!!.

The other one (China) seems genuine though.

 

I ended up buying this: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model CT2KIT102464BF160B - Newegg.ca