IBM T41 palmrest replacement and other questions

[dkm777]

Hi,

Recently my father gave me his old T41 ThinkPad that he hasn't used for years and... let's say it isn't in a shape you'd want other people to see. The biggest problem is the broken palmrest - cracked in a few places and missing a small chunk of plastic. Looking through classifieds I found T40/T41 palmrests both with and without the trackpad. Since I greatly prefer the pointing stick thingy, the trackpad is not going to be used and is just in the way. So, the biggest question is - are all T41 palmrests interchangeable? Will I have problems fitting a trackpad-less one on my laptop?

Also I would like to know how picky ThinkPads are about RAM and is it possible to upgrade the CPU (disassembled the thing and it is indeed socketed and not soldered; 1.6GHz PM Banias, i855PM chipset)? It currently has a single 512MB stick (DDR333) and if it can take 1GB sticks then I could upgrade it to 2GB.

 

[mrblotto]

I dont believe all T41 palmrests are interchangeable. There may be small differences. It all depends on the model/type of the T41.

As far as RAM is concerned, you should be able to up it to 2G (maybe more). Again, the model/type will determine that.

I THINK I upgraded a CPU on a T41, but can't remember. It may have been a T30 lol.

Check this link and you'll get some good info:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/homeLenovo.do

 

[SooperDave]

Looking at the hardware manual for the T41 the fastest CPU in the series is a 1.7. You could try a different series but the T41 only supports a 24 watt CPU. The bios might not support any other series either. The T42 seems to support a much wider variety of CPU's. The hardware guide seems to show most T41's had a touchpad option. Check your model number to be sure: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-46464
Also says you can upgrade to 2gb RAM

Honestly, the T42 has better options than the T41 and can be had for sub $100 on ebay but usually doesn't come with HD/memory/powwer brick. Use the ones from the T41. If you shop around enough and you can get one with a higher resolution display too. I picked up an R52 with a UXGA screen for $70+$15 shipping.

 

[flensr]

Some t41 palmrests are interchangeable, but you need to get the service manual and look up the part number to make sure. There is a complete list of part numbers in the service manual, available for download from lenovo support. I had to get a replacement palmrest for my t41p and I got it on ebay.

The last bios for the T41 allowed, believe it or not, an upgrade to the dothan cpus from the original banias. This occurred when the T42 (?) was selling with the dothan cpu and they were apparently using an almost identical motherboard as the t41 so the t41 bios updates after that included dothan support. I wrote up a cpu swap article here, taking my t41p to a 2.0ghz dothan cpu:

http://www.chaosmanorreviews.com/open_archives/sl_20070205.php

I think the cpu upgrade was not too difficult and it was absolutely worth it at the time. The computer ran faster, and temperatures and battery life remained the same. My t41p is still working fine with win7, although it's not terribly fast. As others said, you probably want to max out the ram too.

If you really want to keep using the t41, check the bios updates to see if they will allow the cpu swap. I went with a 2.0 ghz Pentium-M 755, but a 765 might also work if you can find one for a reasonable price. I got my 755 on ebay for about $160, and finding a decent cpu for a decent price is probably going to be the hard part.

 

[flensr]

As for memory, crucial 1gb sticks worked fine in my t41p.

 

[dkm777]

Thanks guys. Much appreciated. I'll keep you posted if something comes out of this. The reason I want to hold on to this machine is it has the high res screen. A shop here that deals with laptops exclusively sometimes has batches of refurbished ThinkPads for sale and models similar to mine usually go for around 2/3 the price of cheapest N455 netbooks. But what netbook has a 1400x1050 resolution ?

 

[SooperDave]

Damn it! I'd sworn off the cheap ebay lappys. This thread got me looking at some T series. Bought a T43 last night for $6o+15 shipping. Needs a backilight and HD. My wife is gonna kill me

 

[dkm777]

Been looking around for cheaper parts and came across Boston Power Evergy batteries that are supposed to last much longer than ordinary ones. Anybody know anything about them? The lack of information online kinda smells "scam" to me.