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-   -   DIY: Laptop hardware upgrades (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/206241-diy-laptop-hardware-upgrades-2.html)

Nice thread - thanks for sharing!

I'm not much of a DIY guy and prefer to outsource everything. However, there are two things I do myself when it comes to computers:

- Reinstalling the OS. First thing I got my Latitude laptop, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 10 & removed all the bloatware. I'm very particular about which software are on my computer and how they are tuned. Takes me 7 - 10 days to completely set up a new personal computer. After this, I take an Acronis image backup so that it's easier to restore.

- With my last laptop (Latitude again), I'd swapped out the regular hard-drive for an SSD! Man, that was like adding a turbocharger and a supercharger to a naturally-aspirated petrol. It made my 5 year old laptop so fast that when I bought my new Latitude (with a lot more CPU, RAM etc.), there is no difference at all in the speed.

Would strongly recommend Acronis image backups to all of you DIY fellows.

Check out this video, it explains difference between SLC, VNAND and other nomenclature used to define architecture of SSD. It also talks bout life expectancy and speed compromise. Just a good source of info.
https://youtu.be/-XZNr7mS0iw


I did it only because a few months ago when i removed the fan for cleaning, the thermal layer was broken. Wanted to redo the same. Wasn’t facing any heating issues.

I checked the processor specs on arc intel website. Max supported was 8GB. Took out the old ram which was 4gb. Noted down model, serial and any other number marked on it. Found and ordered the exact same stick on Amazon. It gets too confusing if you start considering options available from the mayriad of manufacturers out there.
Points to be noted:
PC3/PC3L one works at 1.5 volt and the L works at 1.3 volt.
1xR or 2xR it just means the memory banks are diffrently placed on the stick, shouldnt be of much consequence.
For the remaining I just matched the Hynix model number.

Nice idea.
While installing a fresh copy of Win 10 does the system automatically detect the license key of the OS that comes with the machine?
I'm guessing there is no need to buy a fresh license key.

Acronis license is a one time purchase or is it a subscription?

I did not do it at all. First, I just formatted the SSD drive as NTFS, replaced the SATA with the SSD and did a fresh installation of the OS with all drivers and 3rd party softwares. Simple! :)

Two things here.
1. Frequency of your RAM: The new RAM should have same or higher frequency. If the RAM is of higher frequency, it will automatically downgrade itself to your old RAM
2. Latency of your RAM. This should be same or lower than your old RAM

I have added a 256 GB SSD RAM into my Y520 and use the old HDD as storage. I had to format both the drives and convert it to MDR format and reinstall the Operating System.The system actually feels different and super fast. Its like putting a NOS to your car

Which caddy did you use? I have been mulling about switching to this configuration for a while, but unable to find a caddy with good reviews.

TIA.

Yes. You are right. There is no need of purchasing a fresh license unless there is a major change in hardware like motherboard.

I tried my hand ad doing the same upgrades for another idle laptop at home. It had repeated I/O errors indicating a failing hard disk. This one was a Dell Inspiron N4110. By Golly! it was a task, just accessing the hard disk.

Removed back panel screws>optical drive>keyboard>palm rest>screen>cooling fan>communications card>motherboard - on which the hard disk was mounted.

After this there was nothing else left on the chassis.

Found out that the screen hinge mount points in the chassis are cracked. Decided to let the upgrades be and sell it off on cashify after removing all data.

I have an Fujitsu Laptop Lifebook AH531 bought in 2012 having i3 2350m processor with 4GB RAM. In the recent years, especially after upgrading to Windows 10 Pro, it was getting slower day after day, even keeping open few tabs of your browser was troublesome.

15 days back, I stumbled upon Fujitsu users forum where in they indicated that the RAM can be upgraded upto 16GB although the original spec. indicated it as 8GB only. So I ordered one 8GB RAM from Amazon and another (used) 8GB RAM in OLX and replaced the 4GB RAM myself. Now the laptop is faster and has no lags.

The Fujitsu forum also says that we can replace the processor to i7 2640m or i7 2620m without any modifications, which will make the laptop even faster for about $60. But I am still in dilemma, whether to go for changing the processor.

For me, Crucial 1TB SSD made a huge difference to my 2015 Dell Inspiron 7548 laptop.This laptop has 16GB DDR3 and was slow to boot and took almost 10 mins after windows load to allow me to do any activity. Disk usage was 100% for 10 mins after windows boot and this was even with disabling Superfetch and other windows 10 optimizations.

Now the laptop is on steroids. There is no lag whatsoever and multiple apps load and run like a charm.

SSD is an addon which will make most significant difference to the overall usage.

I've been using a Core i3 based Lenovo B490 laptop purchased in August 2013. Had upgraded the stock 4 GB DDR3 RAM to 8 GB on day one but left the hard drive as it is despite coming from an SSD based desktop. This laptop is my daily workhorse and I used it for browsing, some CAD work, streaming movies, documentation, downloads etc. Absolutely no games and it doesn't have a dedicated GPU either.

The other day, the laptop wasn't booting because the fan gave up! It wouldn't go past the startup screen, not even the BIOS. Decided to get a replacement fan from Amazon (link; AliExpress had it cheaper but the shipping delay meant no laptop for almost 2 weeks to 20 days!). Used the maintenance manual from Lenovo's website (link at the end of the post) to dismantle it.

Off came the keyboard (pried it open):


The ribbon cable connectors were gently removed using a pair of tweezers and the screws removed to give access to the motherboard:


Removed the 4 spring-loaded screws from the HSF assembly and removed the assy:




The new fan had a problem. It was an aftermarket fan and the impeller was touching the plastic body of the laptop when mounted. Removed the impeller assy. by pulling it off and used the one from the stock fan. It worked! Also took this opportunity to clean the stock thermal paste which had dried up:


The whole mess on the dining table:




Reassembled everything and it booted up like a charm:


The built-in DVD burner was replaced with a caddy (sourced from Amazon) and a 250 GB Samsung 860 Evo SSD. Windows 10 and the apps are installed in the SSD whereas the 1 TB hard drive is where all the downloads go.

The mini PCIe WiFi module gave up few months back:


Removed it from the slot and instead of another unit, I got a TP-Link 150 Mbps USB based adapter (from Amazon). Tiny as a pen drive and it occupies another USB slot of the available 4 slots but works well.

Will continue using this laptop as long as it works. Will upgrade to another Lenovo next time, maybe a Thinkpad. :)

Lenovo B490 Hardware Maintenance Manual.pdf

Sorry for the delayed response. The first one I picked off Amazon was a brand called Storite which didn't work. Then I went for 'Riatech' which did (maybe because I discovered the micro switch that is embedded on the frame. I'm not sure if the first one didn't work because I could not find the switch.

Most of these are generic ones, perhaps 'Taiwan-made', priced between 900 - 1,200 bucks, if I remember and there is barely any difference between them. So, it's a bit like taking a chance with your luck. Also, none of them were 'returnable', you can only ask for a replacement.

If you have a reliable hardware shop nearby, you may consult them. I was not too bothered about this, meant a lot of travel and I just chose to try out the options after they were delivered.

All the best, it will definitely lighten your laptop a little apart from the additional easy storage.

In a single chip->HSF situation, thermal paste is ideal and I'm not questioning AS5's capabilities in an ideal scenario.
A potential scenario that happens a lot, is that a CPU and a GPU share a common heat sink in a laptop, and one chip is often taller than the other, while the heat sink surfaces are at the same height, so the shorter one ends up with a decent gap compared to the taller one

AS5 does not do well when there is a big (roughly few mm gap) between the chip surface and the heat sink - In such a scenario, the thermal pad does a better job,
To illustrate - I tried swapping the thermal pads with AS5 in my inspiron
First time - AS5 for both GPU & CPU - > CPU temps down, GPU temps up (compared to stock thermal pads)
Second time - AS5 for CPU, Copper shim + AS5 for GPU (to close the gap) -> -> lower temps for both CPU and GPU

I hope its a sunon or a known branded fan/OEM one. The generics don't last as much.

Good call on the adapter - Lenovo has a bios whitelist which restricts the wifi cards that can be added, which needs a bios mod which is a bit risky!

That's something which I do as a ritual with all my laptops. The spinners are immediately swapped out with SSDs. I do this for speed, reliability and also lesser power consumption.

With my OMEN, the system ran a Hybrid setup with 128 GB SSD for OS and applications, and the other disc drive was for data. Well ordered a 1TB Samsung SSD from PrimeABGB(the best name for SSDs), and got it in 2 days flat. clap:

Replacement was a breeze.

Some pics: