just completed dropping a T43 motherboard in a T42 chassis (i had the same problem we all get after a while re: graphics chip, was killing me, wouldn't boot after a while. well documented in the forums).
just thought i'd share my experience. this forum was 100% amazing resource, without it i wouldn't even have attempted it. btw this will definitely void your warrantee. i had been using mine for about 3 years before this, and hope to keep using it for another 3 years..
acquired components added/used
- 1 new t43 motherboard
2 1gb sticks kingston ram
1 tube rubbing alcohol
1 speaker wire
1 pair pliers
1 tube arctic silver 5
1 new PCMCIA card assembly for T43 motherboard
- 1 1.7ghz dothan 400mhz FSB 2MB cache
everything but the motherboard on the t42, including bluetooth chip, excluding PCMCIA card assembly
- 1.7ghz dothan, radeon 9600/64, 1gb ram, unstable (motherboard problems)
to
2.26ghz dothan 533mhz FSB 2MB cache (overclocked), radeon X300/64, 2gb ram (stable)
- 1. replace motherboard, install new PCMCIA controller part (1 piece)
- this is the easy part
2. overclock
- see these guides on how to do it.
- http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=452126
- this one is most helpful.
- http://www.notebookforums.com/thread114523.html
- http://laptoplogic.com/resources/detail.php?id=35
- i added a wire to overclock to 2.26GHZ, added a wire to overvolt to 1.404 volt (0.64 more than stock). use the pliers to slice out some wire to do it. 1 strand contained in std speaker wire works OK, mine was copper.
- use the first guide's attached excel spreadsheets to make sure you don't screw up anything during the overvolt.
3. add AS5
- use rubbing alcohol to clean bottom of heatsink/fan, top of CPU & GPU. remove pink pad from under heatsink (above GPU).
- apply an extremely thin layer of AS5 to center of top of CPU and top half of GPU. See AS5 website on how to do this. I used a the platic bag + finger approach, seems to have worked fine.
4. profit
- 2.26 ghz is nice, don't need anything double-core for now...
- 1. can't actually run at 2.26ghz all the time.
- machine runs too hot.
- download Notebook Hardware Control to see what you can do about this. Set it to use fastest when you need it, slower when you don't.
- download the thinkpad fan control app from these forums to keep from having the super fast fan problem all T43 people have.
- mine runs at about 45C idle @ 800 and 80C load @ 2.26 ghz which is basically too hot for long periods of time. still OK for a few minutes/seconds, which is useful anyway.
2. could be risky
- if you screw it up, this could be risky, could blow up various things including parts of your body. hacker beware.
3. you might be unstable after the overclock
- can be corrected by adding voltage (see first link above regarding how to do this, it's a hardware hack)
- use some software called "prime 95" to test for stability after the OC. it is 100% accurate, do the 'torture tests'
- you can use Notebook Hardware Control to throttle your chip to the next-to-fastest setting in the meantime while you build up the courage to crack your machine open and hack the voltage again
4. a note on drivers
- all T43 drivers from IBM website worked OK for me.
- do NOT try to install the 'UNKNOWN DEVICE' which will come up. it is a MS 'Trusted Platform Module' has something do to with security. your machine will freeze during the driver install, because this setup obviously isn't a standard setup which MS/IBM authorized.
- you might get some weird bluescreen before hibernate restart sometimes regarding ACPI BIOS security or whatever. delete the hibernate and it will be fine. I get this <10% of the time, and only after i have screwed with the bios immediately before.
5. other general notes
- very fast machine after it's all said and done. not for gaming though (your machine will melt -- i suspect -- with 80-85C load temps. other people have had lower temps than me though, your mileage may vary).
- the tech who i spoke to said the quality of the T60/T61 sucks compared to the T40 series and he has repaired a bunch of them already. another reason to keep ol' bessie around for another 3 years.
- i run 2 hard drives (1 in ultrabay), no problems there.
- this should be possible with all 400MHZ 2MB cache dothans. see other websites posted above regarding those possibilties.
- you will need the T43 new PCMCIA card assembly (1 piece) at hand before the install. otherwise you will get NO BOOT!
will try to be around to reply to questions. but in actuallity the main reason i did this hack is to avoid wasting a ton of time on a new machine/new installs....still running OK a week or so later, no problems. cheers p.s. i added a poll for pointless overgeneralization regarding this project
edit -- some things i forgot to mention
- you don't HAVE to overclock your 400MHZ dothan, but it's no fun if you dont
- i have NO IDEA where to find parts. i am not in the US currently so it is easier/harder than where you may be at this time.
cheers again