[ltp] T520 Wireless

[Richard Neill]

> took them up.  It is not the same specs - lower resolution graphics (13XX by
> 7XX, IIRC vs. 1900x1600), slower CPU, 2.5GHz vs. 2.6GHz.  Stuff I suppose I
> could live with.  The hard drive from the old machine was tranplanted, so
> that's the same size.

If you're prepared for a little hardware hacking, you may be able to 
improve this. Get the hardware maintenance manual (free download), and 
try the following:

1. Open up the machine. You can swap the WiFi pretty easily - it takes 
about 15 minutes.

2. If you do rather more disassembly (perhaps an hour), you can get the 
screen off and swap it with the old one; you can also swap the CPUs.

In general - it's not a difficult process. Things to watch:

1. Ensure you are well grounded - take antistatic precautions.

2. Have the right tools - set of screwdrivers and hex drivers. Don't 
overtighten. Write down which goes where.

3. When swapping CPUs, be very gentle, don't bend the pins, replace the 
thermal grease if necessary.

4. Either remove the sticky screw covers very carefully with a thin flat 
screwdriver (so you keep them sticky), or buy spares for $5 on eBay.


My T60p has had:
   - CPU upgrade from Core to Core 2 (now 64-bit)
   - RAM up to 4 GB
   - Wifi upgraded from a/b/g to a/b/g/n
   - New keyboard (wear and tear)
   - New screen (failed backlight of original 1600x1200, now 2048x1536)
   - HDD -> SSD
   - Replacement heatsink/fan (old fan bearing)

It's really not that hard to replace bits.


HTH,

Richard