Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message

Finally!! Cheap 256MB Memory for Early T Series

T20-T23 Series and T30. NOT for T25-Retro.
Message
Author
JHEM
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 5576
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 8:03 am
Location: Medford, NJ USA
Contact:

Finally!! Cheap 256MB Memory for Early T Series

#1 Post by JHEM » Fri May 12, 2006 1:24 pm

Crucial.com is selling relatively inexpensive PC133 RAM as the proper choice for early T model Thinkpads when using their online "Memory Advisor" tool.

T20.

T21.

T22.

Apparently, Crucial/Micron has finally overcome the lo-density memory requirement in these PC133 sticks and we are the ultimate winners. I.e., no more searching for expensive lo-density PC100 memory for these systems.

Oddly enough, the above listed sticks are even cheaper than the PC133 memory sold for the T23 systems, which have always been spec'ed for PC133 memory.

Go figure!

Regards,

James
5.5K+ posts and all I've got to show for it are some feathers.... AND a Bird wearing a Crown

skou
Sophomore Member
Posts: 189
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2006 11:36 pm
Location: Mesa (near Phoenix) Arizona

#2 Post by skou » Fri May 12, 2006 11:56 pm

James, this is some GREAT news!

THANKS!

Oh, enjoy your new T21.

steve

JHEM
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 5576
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 8:03 am
Location: Medford, NJ USA
Contact:

#3 Post by JHEM » Sat May 13, 2006 8:50 am

skou wrote:Oh, enjoy your new T21.
Thanks Steve, they won't be here long before being parcelled out to family members who have been busting my as...... er, uh, politely requesting laptop upgrades.

Regards,

James
5.5K+ posts and all I've got to show for it are some feathers.... AND a Bird wearing a Crown

skou
Sophomore Member
Posts: 189
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2006 11:36 pm
Location: Mesa (near Phoenix) Arizona

#4 Post by skou » Tue May 16, 2006 12:59 am

Luckily, I got 5 of them. I just possibly, may be able to sell a couple of them. (Although, 2 of them are going to friends.)

steve

JVG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Valencia - SPAIN
Contact:

#5 Post by JVG » Tue May 16, 2006 9:34 am

Hello!

I ordered yesterday a couple units for my T-20... let's hope they will work fine :D !. BTW, my units come from UK to Spain and price is higher than in USA. But it still is good enough to upgrade my 256Mb T-20!

I will let you know if they work as promised.

Regards and thanks for the hint!

JOSE
http://jvgavila.com
JOSE V. GAVILA
http://jvgavila.com
T20 900MHz 512Mb 20Gb
T720 50MHz

JHEM
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 5576
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 8:03 am
Location: Medford, NJ USA
Contact:

#6 Post by JHEM » Tue May 16, 2006 12:24 pm

Hola Jose,
JVG wrote:Regards and thanks for the hint!
De nada.

Regards,

James
5.5K+ posts and all I've got to show for it are some feathers.... AND a Bird wearing a Crown

JVG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Valencia - SPAIN
Contact:

Memory received... and WORKING FINE :-)!!!

#7 Post by JVG » Tue May 16, 2006 12:31 pm

:D :D :D :D :D :D

Yes!. I placed my order on Monday... and have received it today (tuesday) :o

It came by courier from UK but shipping was just 7 Euro. And shipping time less than 24hours. Great :o !!!

And, of course, the best thing, once put in my old T-20 (it is a 650MHz unit), they work fine! :D

Total cost to Spain from UK has been 105 Euro for two units. About 25% more than in USA but still a good price.

Best regards from a happy camper!

JOSE
Last edited by JVG on Tue May 23, 2006 2:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
JOSE V. GAVILA
http://jvgavila.com
T20 900MHz 512Mb 20Gb
T720 50MHz

JHEM
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 5576
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 8:03 am
Location: Medford, NJ USA
Contact:

Re: Finally!! Cheap 256MB Memory for Early T Series

#8 Post by JHEM » Thu May 18, 2006 11:25 am

JHEM wrote:Crucial.com is selling relatively inexpensive PC133 RAM as the proper choice for early T model Thinkpads when using their online "Memory Advisor" tool.
I received the two sticks of PC133 memory from Crucial yesterday (finally!) but only got around to testing them today.
******************************* SYSTEM SUMMARY *******************************
OS information: Microsoft Windows 2000
OS version: 5.00.2195 Service Pack 4
Processor: x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 6
Memory: 523,760 kb
BIOS version: 1.13 (KZET31WW)
Machine type-Model: 264787U
In other words, SUCCESS!!!!

For the record, the sticks are marked 256MB 144-PIN SODIMM 32MX64 PC133 CL2.

So, go to www.crucial.com and use their online memory configuration utility to find the correct, CHEAP, PC133 memory for your T20, T21 or T22 Thinkpad.

Regards,

James
5.5K+ posts and all I've got to show for it are some feathers.... AND a Bird wearing a Crown

seifja
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 2:09 pm
Location: Madrid

Upgrading T20 with PC133

#9 Post by seifja » Wed May 31, 2006 2:27 pm

Dear all,

soon I´ll be owner of a used T20 (2647-84G) :D , and I´ve planned to upgrade it with the www.crucial.com SDRAM SO-DIMM 2 x 256 Mb which you were talking of in earlier posts and which aparently work fine with older T-models.

My question is if this kind of RAM works fine in every T20 model, or if there are some exceptions.

Also I would like to buy a faster CPU (actually the T20 runs with a 700 Mhz CPU) and a bigger HD.

I would be very thankful if anybody could give me an information what´s the fastest CPU which works fine with the last BIOS and also regarding the HD. If somebody knows also a link where to buy the items for a good price, it would be great.

Thanks in advance and greetings from Spain

JVG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Valencia - SPAIN
Contact:

#10 Post by JVG » Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:23 am

Hello!

Well, so I am not alone in Spain with a T-20 :lol:

My unit was an older one, just 650Mhz. It came with 256Mb (2x128Mb) and I replaced it with Crucial memory (2 x 256Mb). It works perfectly.

I have also got a 900MHz processor which should work on my unit, based on previous threads, but have not had yet time to change it. I got also a T-22 fan so it will keep the CPU cool :P

I will post a message when I swap the CPU. Please, if you do it before, let me know :)

Regards,

JOSE (Valencia - SPAIN)
JOSE V. GAVILA
http://jvgavila.com
T20 900MHz 512Mb 20Gb
T720 50MHz

seifja
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 2:09 pm
Location: Madrid

T-22 fan

#11 Post by seifja » Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:37 am

José:

Can you give me a tip where to buy the 1 Ghz CPU PIII an fan of T-22 in Spain (or other country) ?

Greetings

Jan

slipnfall
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2006 6:12 pm

#12 Post by slipnfall » Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:43 am

Hi folks,
I skimmed over this thread but didn't see it mentioned: has anyone mixed this PC133 with another stick of PC100?

My T20 has an IBM certified(not sure on the mfg'r without opening it up) stick of 128M that I don't want to pull out just yet. I'll be replacing the other 64M module with the 256M

Cheers,
Jamie

::edit:: Had I realized that they were now selling their PC133 for PC100 applications, I would have bought two. I used their 'application selector' before coming across the sticky atop this forum. ::edit::

slipnfall
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2006 6:12 pm

#13 Post by slipnfall » Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:58 am

Looks like we depleted their stock. :(

Mikkeli
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:30 pm
Location: Finland

#14 Post by Mikkeli » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:21 pm

Dadaa, first post :D

I ordered two 256 Mb Crucial PC133 SO-DIMMS yesterday. Now, less than 24 hours later, shipped, installed, tested and running smoothly.
Thanks to this great forum, i have already installed NEC ND-6650A burner.
slipnfall wrote:Looks like we depleted their stock. :(
Stock in UK/EU store is not depleted.

Sorry for my poor english.
ThinkPad T22 2647-8EG
- Crucial 512 Mb PC133 memory
- NEC ND-6650A burner
- more to come...

duncan
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2005 7:34 am
Location: Exmouth, UK
Contact:

#15 Post by duncan » Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:58 am

I have a T20 [2647-21G] 650MHz PIII with 128MB PC100 in one slot only. I nipped off to Crucial as per this excellent thread but seem to have more questions than answers. Here they are. Crucial seem only to have PC133 for either 128MB or 256MB.
1. Would 256MB PC133 in the 2nd slot work? or should I bite the bullet and get 2 x 256MB PC133? [which I don't really need as I only use the T20 for the basics - word processing, website stuff, and ActionScript when away from home.]
2. I think the Crucial chips are SDRAM [?] whereas what I have I think is SDR. Same difference? Does it matter?
3. From previous threads 512MB seems to be the max for memory but according to the Crucial scan I have "max 1024MB". I assumed 512 max meant total in both slots or am I missing something? [apart from sufficient brain cells of my own!]
4. Should I update the BIOS before? after? inserting new memory? Current BIOS is IBM 1YET43WW [1.07] 12/12/1999. If I should update, could someone advise where? I have done this on other machines so not a total novice. First time I ended building a new pc [good for the character] and second time I updated without breaking anything. So it's Technology 1: Me 1. Time for the decider?
Thanks for any advice. Duncan

rkawakami
Admin
Admin
Posts: 10327
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:26 am
Location: San Jose, CA 95120 USA
Contact:

#16 Post by rkawakami » Thu Jul 27, 2006 3:18 am

duncan wrote:1. Would 256MB PC133 in the 2nd slot work? or should I bite the bullet and get 2 x 256MB PC133?
Generally, you should not mix different speed modules. Some systems are able to figure out what you have installed and adjust itself to the slowest one. However in this case, I do not believe this is true for the T20. I think the system is locked into using a specific timing. What is important when using PC133 modules is that you use ones marked CL2 and not CL3. This has to do with what is called the "CAS Latency" of the memory access. Lower numbers are faster parts. Your current PC100 module should be CL2. Whatever else you install should also be CL2. As to the amount of memory, I would say the more the better. Depending upon the operating system you are running and the number of processes executing in the background, 384MB may not be enough. I know for some demanding programs, 512MB is a minimum amount. Your call.

Edit Jan '08: Note, please disregard my comments about sticking with CL2. The T21 and T22 systems can use CL3. I'm assuming that with the same chipset, that the T20 would as well. Ray
duncan wrote:2. I think the Crucial chips are SDRAM [?] whereas what I have I think is SDR. Same difference? Does it matter?
Same thing: SDRAM = SDR = Synchronous Dynamic RAM, not to be confused with DDR (Double Data Rate).
duncan wrote:3. From previous threads 512MB seems to be the max for memory but according to the Crucial scan I have "max 1024MB". I assumed 512 max meant total in both slots or am I missing something?
The T2x series can handle two 512MB modules for a system total of 1024MB. This is what I am running in a T23 at the moment.
duncan wrote:4. Should I update the BIOS before? after? inserting new memory? Current BIOS is IBM 1YET43WW [1.07]
Shouldn't matter when the BIOS update occurs, but yours is way old. Current level for the T20 is 61WW [1.22] June 2004.
duncan wrote:If I should update, could someone advise where?
Go to the site at:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MOE-3VAM8Y

for a list of all current BIOS updates.
Last edited by rkawakami on Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

JHEM
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 5576
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 8:03 am
Location: Medford, NJ USA
Contact:

#17 Post by JHEM » Thu Jul 27, 2006 6:12 am

rkawakami wrote:The T2x series can handle two 512MB modules for a system total of 1024MB. This is what I am running in a T23 at the moment.
Only the T23 can use 1GB of RAM, the earlier T models are limited to 512MB.

Regards,

James
5.5K+ posts and all I've got to show for it are some feathers.... AND a Bird wearing a Crown

rkawakami
Admin
Admin
Posts: 10327
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:26 am
Location: San Jose, CA 95120 USA
Contact:

#18 Post by rkawakami » Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:10 pm

JHEM wrote:Only the T23 can use 1GB of RAM, the earlier T models are limited to 512MB.
:oops: :oops: James is correct and I need to check my facts a little better next time. T20-22 systems use Intel 440BX chipset which is limited to 512MB. The T23s use the 830MP chipset which allows 1024MB. Sorry for the error (as Ray goes and hides...).

edit: I just used my T21 and ran the system check that Crucial provides. It said that it could not identify my system but that it had 128MB in it (correct), that slot 1 was used (correct) and that it supports 1024MB (not correct). Did the same with my T23 that has 1024MB installed. It reported that it saw all 1024MB but that the system (it thought it was looking at a T22) has a maximum limit of 512MB. In short, don't trust the Crucial memory tool to tell you what you have/need. Go through the drop-down selections to find your system and that should tell you the memory requirements.
Last edited by rkawakami on Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

duncan
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2005 7:34 am
Location: Exmouth, UK
Contact:

#19 Post by duncan » Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:29 pm

Many thanks again Ray for an excellent post! Forget the sackcloth and ashes routine! [Thanks James for the added info and for the original post about Crucial.] I shall scamper off and update the BIOS and lash out on 2 x 256 provided they are CL2. Thanks again to all. Duncan

JHEM
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 5576
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 8:03 am
Location: Medford, NJ USA
Contact:

#20 Post by JHEM » Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:35 pm

rkawakami wrote: :oops: :oops: James is correct and I need to check my facts a little better next time. T20-22 systems use Intel 440BX chipset which is limited to 512MB. The T23s use the 830MP chipset which allows 1024MB. Sorry for the error (as Ray goes and hides...).
Don't go too far Ray!

I made exactly the same mistake myself yesterday. TWICE!

Regards,

James
5.5K+ posts and all I've got to show for it are some feathers.... AND a Bird wearing a Crown

Boricua65
Freshman Member
Posts: 115
Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 3:46 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA

#21 Post by Boricua65 » Thu Nov 23, 2006 2:57 pm

Yo pienso que el 256 MB se puede encontrar mas barato en otra tiendas.
A31 2652-Q3U Pentium 4-M 2GHz, 15" SXGA+IPS LCD, 512 MB PC2100, 40 GB HDD, Windows XP Pro, Sony Multi-Burner, Ultra Bay 2000 Battery, Intel Pro 2200 b/g mPCI wireless card

tfflivemb2
Moderator Emeritus
Moderator Emeritus
Posts: 5605
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:17 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Contact:

#22 Post by tfflivemb2 » Thu Nov 23, 2006 5:10 pm

Rough english translation?

I think that the 256mb sticks can be found cheaper elsewhere.

Correct?

pianowizard
Senior ThinkPadder
Senior ThinkPadder
Posts: 8545
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:07 am
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Contact:

#23 Post by pianowizard » Thu Nov 23, 2006 5:27 pm

Babel Fish:

I think that the 256 MB can be found cheap but in another stores

Of course one can buyer cheaper ones on eBay, but these low-density PC133 sticks on Crucial are still cheaper than the low-density PC100 sticks that 18004memory has for T20 - T22.
Dell Latitude 7370 (QHD+, 2.84lb); HP Pavilion x2 12-b096ms (1920x1280, 3.14lb); Microsoft Surface 3 (1920x1280, 2.00lb);
Dell OptiPlex 5040 SFF (Core i5-6600); Acer ET322QK, T272HUL; Crossover 404K; QNIX QHD2410R; Seiki Pro SM40UNP

zern
Sophomore Member
Posts: 181
Joined: Mon Sep 05, 2005 11:14 am
Location: Perth

T21 - mixing PC100 and PC133 does not work

#24 Post by zern » Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:39 am

Tried this years ago on my 2647-9BA when a friend offered to give me a spare 256Mb PC133 she had.

I already had a stick of 256Mb PC100. System hung on startup. :(

pianowizard
Senior ThinkPadder
Senior ThinkPadder
Posts: 8545
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:07 am
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Contact:

Re: T21 - mixing PC100 and PC133 does not work

#25 Post by pianowizard » Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:15 pm

zern wrote:Tried this years ago on my 2647-9BA when a friend offered to give me a spare 256Mb PC133 she had.

I already had a stick of 256Mb PC100. System hung on startup. :(
She gave you a high-density stick.
Dell Latitude 7370 (QHD+, 2.84lb); HP Pavilion x2 12-b096ms (1920x1280, 3.14lb); Microsoft Surface 3 (1920x1280, 2.00lb);
Dell OptiPlex 5040 SFF (Core i5-6600); Acer ET322QK, T272HUL; Crossover 404K; QNIX QHD2410R; Seiki Pro SM40UNP

yorgos
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2006 5:10 am
Location: HELLAS (aka Greece )

#26 Post by yorgos » Tue Dec 12, 2006 3:36 am

What!!! 75 Dollars per unit!!!

This is ridiculous! For such an old laptop.

I’m just a student; I can’t afford to bye them at this price!!! And if I could, I would just bye a new laptop!!!

Plain, simple, Logic guys!
IBM T21 2x128MB RAM 20GB HDD CPU850MHz
Bios Ver: (OLD:1.02a) (NEW 1.16)
5000mA Battery :-)

cinemafia
User with bad email address, PLEASE fix!
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:29 pm
Location: Hollywood, CA
Contact:

#27 Post by cinemafia » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:12 am

It's the unfortunate reality with obsolete hardware, yorgos. If you look on eBay, you can generally find them for $25-$50 a piece.
"If Microsoft had an original thought the company would immediately implode in suprise."
- David Every

asiafish
thinkpads.com customer
thinkpads.com customer
Posts: 1724
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:38 pm
Location: Bakersfield, CA

#28 Post by asiafish » Tue Dec 12, 2006 12:47 pm

The T20 was the single most reliable laptop I've ever owned, and in the last 20 years I've owned many. It is true that you can buy a brand-new laptop for about $400 and with that reality, putting $150 into T20 memory upgrades (to the low maximum of 512MB) might not seem such a great deal. The reality, however, is that your 512MB T20 is a MUCH better laptop than any of the cheap consumer-grade junk currently for sale.
"An atheist is just somebody who feels about Yahweh the way any decent Christian feels about Thor or Baal or the golden calf. As has been said before, we are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further."

Richard Dawkins, 2002

Purcy
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 921
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:29 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA, USA

#29 Post by Purcy » Fri Dec 22, 2006 8:30 am

Just wanted to pass on to any interested party that there is an eBay seller who has 25 pieces of FRU#33L3070 for $34.99 each (I bought two) 256mb SDRAM PC100 CL2 - pulled from working laptops and 30 day return policy. Seller name is worldrecycler.
IBM T23 (2648-4NU) 1.13Ghz Pentium III, 1GB, 60GB 5400rpm, CD/DVD-RW, Internal Wireless, Windows XP Pro SP2 [DONOR]

pianowizard
Senior ThinkPadder
Senior ThinkPadder
Posts: 8545
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:07 am
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Contact:

#30 Post by pianowizard » Fri Dec 22, 2006 8:46 am

Purcy wrote:Just wanted to pass on to any interested party that there is an eBay seller who has 25 pieces of FRU#33L3070 for $34.99 each
Plus $8.34 shipping!
Dell Latitude 7370 (QHD+, 2.84lb); HP Pavilion x2 12-b096ms (1920x1280, 3.14lb); Microsoft Surface 3 (1920x1280, 2.00lb);
Dell OptiPlex 5040 SFF (Core i5-6600); Acer ET322QK, T272HUL; Crossover 404K; QNIX QHD2410R; Seiki Pro SM40UNP

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “ThinkPad T20-T23 & T30 Series. NOT for T25-Retro”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 30 guests