Lenovo Thinkpad T420 Laptop Upgrade - RAM, SSD, and Dual Hardrives

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2019 UPDATE: Recommended 2.5" SATA III SSD: amzn.to/2Vg0sfo
Here are the upgrades I made to my Lenovo Thinkpad T420. I'm sure this voids the warranty so check with Lenovo if you are concerned about that.
This is part of a larger article:
www.speakerfeature.com/learn/c...
Please check the link for specific hardware used
I installed a clean version of Windows 7 and the OEM serial number still worked.
Restart time went from 67 to 27 seconds and cold startup is now 18 seconds to ready!
The following article does a great job of explaining the hardware drivers included on your laptop if you want to pick and choose what to re-install after a clean windows 7 installation:
support.lenovo.com/en_US/detai...
NOTE: I'm not sure if these techniques work for the T420s or not, please research sizes if you have a T420s
9.5mm rubber rails:
www.ebay.com/itm/Hard-Drive-Ru...
Windows 7 Download info (if you don't have DVD):
social.technet.microsoft.com/F...
Official Lenovo HDD Caddy (T420 and T520):
support.lenovo.com/en_US/produ...
NOTE: according to learc83 (thanks) the T430 can only fit 7.0mm SSDs (I'd assume T530 is the same) so please call Lenovo or look up the max size before you buy your SSD. Obviously T420 can still support 9.5mm height
Zenthenium - Here is the link to the song if you'd like it:
www.speakerfeature.com/audio/S...

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Опубликовано:

23 мар 2012

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Комментарии : 339

@Martin-we1rm 8 лет назад

I wish laptops were still made this way

@alexshi8583 7 лет назад

a laptop that can be fixed and upgraded is a customer lost.

@LannisterFromDaRock 7 лет назад

Nowadays they integrate everything together to make it slim.

@enda0man 7 лет назад

reson why I just got a T-430

@raguspag55 6 лет назад

You can still find Lenovo T-420 , T-430 for cheap, you can upgrade for under $100 for 1tb drive and ram and you have an awesome new and fast laptop

@omsujesh4123 5 лет назад

Modular designs are best.

@jaymartini 3 года назад

Still using and upgrading this laptop in 2021. Solid machine

@olek0019 7 лет назад

i've bought this laptop yesterday, and now i'm really impressed about this modification potential

@DrDaab 8 лет назад

Great instructions, esp about dual storage media - didn't know about HD caddy to replace DVD module. Thanks a lot.

@sdaiwepm 8 лет назад

Short, to the point, and exactly what I needed. Thanks!

@SonnyB273 2 года назад

What a great video, I got one of these 2nd hand, nice to see it's so easy to upgrade!

@karl213374u 9 лет назад

Love the music and the voice! Matches the progress, the mechanic is making! This is how all tutorials should be! :)))

@kakablee 4 года назад

The music is great

@kakablee 4 года назад

Do you know what is the genre?

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Hey, really appreciate the positive feedback! Glad I was able to help.

@garretttobin7451 3 года назад

Hey, I was hoping you might be able to help me. I recently bought a new SSD, the Crucial MX500 250GB 2.5 inch SSD to be specific. I also bought a 30 euro optical drive caddy for the original HDD drive in my lenovot420 laptop. I wanted to basically swap in the new SSD drive for the original HDD without any change in the laptop user interface i.e. OS, or the files/app's/software, taking place, so I cloned the HDD to the new SSD using Macrium Reflect cloning software ensuring to follow the steps properly and making sure an exact replica of the HDD is now on the SSD (including its partitions, etc.) However, my T420 won't boot from this new SSD, it is recognized in the bios, and it even tries to boot from it, i.e. the windows 10 logo appears along with a loading symbol but then a black screen appears which normally appears just before logging into window 10 but instead just stays on that black screen. This SSD is advertised as being perfectly compatible with a T420 laptop so I really didn't think I'd have this much trouble. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

@henninb 8 лет назад

This video was very clear and extremely helpful. Thank you!

@laptopdr 2 года назад

For more information watch out this link : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kFEGFqjGLog.html

@LRBScarecrow 8 лет назад

The voice in this video is pleasant.

@cynic5581 7 лет назад

LRBScarecrow Sounds like a T420 wasn't the only 420 he was working on....

@MarcosCodas 9 лет назад

Thanks for making this video, I did this to my T420 today.

@jamescarson4507 3 года назад

A nice short and straightforward video, Thanks.

@kakablee 3 года назад

I return for the music. What a masterpiece!

@laptopdr 2 года назад

For more information watch out this link : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kFEGFqjGLog.html

@makaveli2tt 11 лет назад

Thanks this video was very informative. I've bookmarked it to help me with my laptop in the future

@ChrisLawley43 7 лет назад

Thanks for sharing, I've got some issues with a Lenovo thinkpad and think the hard drive is going, I had no idea how easy it was to replace it.

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Yes, I've been really happy with mine so far and with SSD's about 1/2 what they were when I upgraded it really makes it attractive now.

@laptopdr 2 года назад

For more information watch out this link : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kFEGFqjGLog.html

@zoobiewa 11 лет назад

Thanks for the reply. If it helps anyone else, I did a full drive transfer using paragon migrate. The main reason I did this upgrade was to reduce my hibernate / resume time, which was taking about three and a half minutes to four minutes before I could work without heavy lag. The switch of SSD only reduced that time to less than 30 seconds. Amazing.

@tiggersmith7393 6 лет назад

I enjoyed watching and listening to this video.

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

Yeah it did. I had a OEM DVD of Windows 7 Home Premium around so I used that to install and just used my Lenovo serial. Windows had me call in to activate but everything worked. If you don't have a Win7 DVD I just added a link to the bottom of the description of where you can download it. Thanks!

@dwmkryft 2 года назад

2021, Linux Mint 20, 8gb ram, purring like a beauty! Programming and web dev, this machine is beast!

@BEAST9945 9 лет назад

Awesome Video!! Thanks for all the

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

Thanks for the clarification. I added this to the video Info.

@cobaltnightsky 8 лет назад

hint : on the T420, next to the secondary memory slot, there's a mSata slot

@alexakasloth 6 лет назад

First thing I installed was a spare m.2 ssd. Didn't know about the ssd caddy though.

@phlooke 5 лет назад

Sweet. Is it an extra empty m.2 slot? Or do you have to remove the wifi or Bluetooth card?

@KuntalGhosh 5 лет назад

that m.2 slot is for lte or hspa modem ! it has connection to the built-in sim card slot! and I don't think it support any sort of ssd!

@mrslimtar 4 года назад

@@KuntalGhosh it does support an Msata ssd, not m.2.

@YesthisisCharlie 2 года назад

I install 240Gb mSata on that slot and install windows on that. The original 500 Gb HDD keep as is and slap in 1Tb HDD on the caddy

@hwnwhaler1 4 года назад

clear concise and accurate. Thank you for posting!!

@mbigras 4 года назад

You're good to go!

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

You are correct - according to my screw driver set, I used the #1 phillips head

@DonAle_97 2 года назад

I got one for $120 this morning, as a backup Windows computer, since I have a 16” MacBook Pro and it cost me so much money to risk it while I’m working on the street (I’m a part time photojournalist). Things are running pretty bad in my country so getting this cheap laptop was one of my Best Buys ever. It’s pretty modular and easy to repair, even better than my first MacBook Pro from 2012.

@DaveFarr 6 лет назад

Thanks! This was really helpful.

@bahadir0321 2 года назад

Perfect video bro thanks. I learn

@TheGoonerTube 10 лет назад

Did the same to my T60 years ago. Just picked up a T420 cheap after the T60 gave me a good 8 years of service and have already ordered my caddy.

@TheGoonerTube 10 лет назад

Actually one thing I would note is to remove the existing hard drive from it's caddy. Not sure why you kept it in the caddy. It's not going to be difficult to change the SSD with no strap too.

@AntonSamokat 2 года назад

Thanks for the video. Liked and subscribed.

@dexterhunte4410 4 года назад

Excellent vid.

@maiko60 3 года назад

Awesome video! Thank you!

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Hey, thanks for the interest! I'm not familiar with the T410 layout personally, but from a quick search, yes procedures seem to be the same on T410 (double check first). Search "t410 hardware maintenance manual" and look through there and you'll see diagrams for removing HDD, Ultrabay, and RAM (seem the same as T420). Search "T410 SSD" in lenovo forums to see what others have done. One thing to note is the T410 uses SATAII (so you won't be able to get full speed of SATAIII SSD drives available).

@laptopdr 2 года назад

For more information watch out this link : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kFEGFqjGLog.html

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

Thanks for the info on warranty. I put the SSD in the main HD bay for a few reasons: I can still swap out my DVD if i need to read CDs/DVDs. I plan on upgrading HDD once it's full (which is realistic). The HD bay had the best change of actually being SATAIII (never got a clear answer if caddy was SATAIII). I hear you though - without a ribbon I'll have to use needle nose to yank it out - but I don't plan on removing unless it's failed or obsolete, so low risk.

@GameHead 11 лет назад

Thanks for the quick reply.

@mastertung7 5 лет назад

Very good,and helpful video !!!

@scyllabub 11 лет назад

What a clear and concise video, thanks so much :-)

@luqmanalikhan554 5 месяцев назад

Thanks for information ❤

@HowBuds 11 лет назад

Good deal...thanks for posting!

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

Thanks! I've never upgraded a T400, but it looks like a 9.5mm SSD will fit. Also - I think T400 is SATAII so you won't get max throughput on a lot of the current SSDs. The DVD bay can be made into a 2nd hard drive, just find a compatible hard drive caddy. I found a lot of this info in the lenovo forums - just search T400 SSD and you should get a lot of information specific to your model. Hope that helps.

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

Awesome, thanks - yeah I was too impatient also and cut the rubber out.

@balltilldie 11 лет назад

thanks for the video!

@ronnymontalvo2374 8 лет назад

thank you so much..it helped me a lot

@1alabella 11 лет назад

Thanks. Will check it out.

@Hubieee 11 лет назад

Hi there, I got myself a T420 in march this year and upgraded the drive to a SSD 840 250 GB. Sometimes it seems like on the left side of the touchpad it heats a little up but nothing serious (that's where the connector is of the drive to the mainboard). All in all I have around 45°C without the fan on when I am surfing (Thinpad Fan Control activates the Fan when the CPU reaches 70°C, under that its passive and completly silent!). 50-55°C doing Origin/Excel/Word/Matlab. ~65°C with Full-HD on YT!

@bstheeo 12 лет назад

Great explanation, thanks! I appreciate your reply. I agree that a hard drive bay install is cleaner and your reasoning for swapping makes a lot of sense. I think my only hesitation for putting an hdd in that dvd bay is that I'm concerned that it (the caddy) doesn't offer the spinning hdd the same level of vibration and ratting protection that you would get from the hdd bay. I will probably try it the way you did it, but I'm a little worried that my hdd won't last as long in that caddy.

@laptopdr 2 года назад

For more information watch out this link : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kFEGFqjGLog.html

@droidzatom7634 10 лет назад

Hi I dont really now how to change my RAM but this video help Me thanks !

@ninjashaw5991 6 лет назад

fantastic, makes me wanna try the same

@rafaelmoreir 9 лет назад

So nice video and explanation! There's also possible to use a mSATA SSD, but it is limited to SATA 2 speed and if you have a cellular module (3G modem) you will probably need to remove it. It's more complex to install, but you would still have the convenience of a optical drive. Thanks!

@laptopdr 2 года назад

For more information watch out this link : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kFEGFqjGLog.html

@k8myx 3 года назад

thanks for the video

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

Correct - you can start from scratch and re-install OS (my suggestion) or you could always clone the drive. Check the links in the description above for Windows7 download links and there is also an article on Lenovo drivers that will explain what each driver does and you can choose what you want to reinstall. It's not difficult, I (re)installed OS on the SSD before I put in the 2nd HDD.

@krzysztofnowak2465 6 лет назад

You can add 1 or 2 USB 3.0 ports using adequate ExpressCard.

@isla2416 Год назад

2022 and still relevant

@sandrejs 11 лет назад

Great video.

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Awesome, Thanks!

@JO-jq5cp 5 лет назад

Amazing laptop

@zorilla0 10 лет назад

I would strongly advise keeping the hard drive in the original bay. They tend to have rubber grommets or rails, and this provides the necessary shock protection and sound dampening it needs. Moving it to an optical drive replacement bay will result in increased platter noise and greater risk of shock damage. Obviously, an SSD has none of these issues, so it's much better suited to going there instead.

@rafamalinowski515 9 лет назад

You're Goddamn Right, and i wonder, maybe in orginal bay is better thermal spread.

@damagedghost9766 5 лет назад

Wait so what your saying is put the New ssd into the disk thingy and leave the one he was going to put in the disk thingy alone?

@KuntalGhosh 5 лет назад

but putting the ssd inside cd drive slot will make it lose half the performance! most cd drive slots r sata 2 spec with 300mb/sec max! ... and ssds can do close to 600mb/sec (limited by sata 3 spec and that's why they use pci express for super fast ssds!)... u can configure the windows to turn the hdd off when not in use .. like after 10min of no access to the drive it will turn it self off ! saving battery life and hdd should also last longer! ...

@loic7867 3 года назад

Yes but your system won't boot from your ssd that way...

@zorilla0 3 года назад

@@loic7867 It's been about five years since I last owned a T420, but I don't recall the two that I had configured in this exact manner ever having a problem selecting the optical drive bay's SATA port for booting. Same for the T520 I had for a short while afterwards.

@javiergf 9 лет назад

awesome video

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

Yeah, good points. I would think the HDD would be more susceptible to shock damage in the DVD bay. I know you have a different form factor but for the T420 I have upgraded from the 5400 RPM to a 7200 RPM and i can now feel vibration from the HDD in my right wrist as i type, but it's not horrible and that HDD isn't spinning all the time either. I didn't notice the vibration with with the lenovo supplied 5400RPM. So far no reliability issues though.

@TheJedimaster6788 2 года назад

t420 will always be beast laptops! you can upgrade them to beat the hell out of A LOT of even "newer" laptops. laptops should always be made this way! very upgradeable and expandable !

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Thanks, Yes - I know that Crucial M4 256GB works fine. Maybe Lenovo was just commenting on the largest SSD that they would ship with (when they were still in production). Let us know what you get working!

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

I always like to start with a fresh OS (and just reinstall only the Lenovo drivers I need) but if you want to keep your OS configuration/programs look for a SSD version that is "transfer kit" or "installation kit". Those will include the necessary software and cables needed to clone your drive, after it's cloned, then do the swap from the video. That should be the easiest way. If you already have your SSD look into Ghost or making a windows system image. Let us know what you end up doing! Thanks

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

A 2.5" SSD will fit. The only thing you need to be aware of is the rubber rails. My Lenovo HDD was only 7.0mm and the retail crucial m4 is 9.5mm, it fits, but you need to buy new rails (ebay link in description). Crucial also sells a 7.0mm m4 on their website if you want to get a smaller one, but I think Lenovo can ship with 7.0 or 9.5mm HDD, just depends on the HDD. As far as RAM goes:I used 1333 and I get mixed answers when I search google for your question, but worst case is 1600 runs at 1333

@kdhd9014 3 года назад

Thank u bro

@busywl69 10 лет назад

Just got one last week. So nice, these older thinkpads. After maxing the RAM to 16GB and adding a SSD and 2nd hard drive, I got the same power my friend has on a macbook pro for less than $400. Even has the FN/CTRL switch in the BIOS :)

@MarcosCodas 9 лет назад

I believe this model can only handle up to 8gb of RAM?

@busywl69 9 лет назад

2 Crucial 256GB ssd's and 16GB of G-Skill Ram in mine :)

@MarcosCodas 9 лет назад

I think I only have 1 DIM slot :(

@busywl69 9 лет назад

Look under your keyboard. It pops out real easy, you don't have to take the whole thing apart. Second slot is under there. Google to find the instructions

@MarcosCodas 9 лет назад

Holy crap! I didn't even know that was there! I thought it was the X1 model without the 2nd slot! Cheers! Thank you!

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Mine is 1600x900 but the base is 1366x768. At the time of ordering it was an extra $50 or so to upgrade to the higher resolution. That's why you're getting different replies - there were 2 resolution available.

@AntonSamokat 2 года назад

It's a good idea to set SSD drive to slot where HDD is placed. And HDD to set instead of CD ROM.

@keithrockpro 11 лет назад

you have a good voice

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Thanks! I don't see an improvement in battery because I still have the HDD as a secondary hard drive but if you went with just SSD I'm sure you'd get an improvement, how much I'm not sure. I can only use the T420 for 2 or maybe 3 hours on a charge (but I try not to deep discharge the battery too often). As for dual OS - sure that would be fine, but do some research to see how others did it (which OS first, etc) and check to see if ubuntu treats SSDs differently, I know Win7 does. Good luck!

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Yeah, I never messed with the laptop pre-upgrades so I can't speak to the heat. I do get a decent amount of heat and fan noise from the T420 now running dual harddrives, but the hottest parts aren't around either of the hard drives, more towards the battery/fan exhaust port. I supposed in theory the SSD would cut down on some heat since it is less power but I doubt it'd be noticeable. Have you looked for any fan speed control software? That would at least give you more control over heat vs fan

@juanmartinezparedes6541 3 года назад

You can also change the cpu and add an expresscard gpu adapter to have a Gamer Laptop for such a small price

@bikramyogalondon3130 7 лет назад

Hi @speakerfeature, great video! We have a T420 running Win 7 and the OEM 500gb HDD and are thinking of performing a similar upgrade, to a Crucial 1TB SSD (£280), and moving the HDD into the CD Rom bay, as you've done. A couple of questions: (1) Is it easy to xfer all applications to the SSD (e.g. Norton, MS Office, Windows, etc)? I believe the first step is to plug the SSD externally using a supplied cable, and a utility to perform the xfer? and (2) If the application data (Excel, Word etc files, 100GB of photos, etc) remain as they are on the HDD, is there a latency involved in accessing and working on those files? If so, we may place all files on the SSD. Thank you!

@BusinessLunch 11 лет назад

That was the most soothing soundtrack I've ever heard. Also, great job with your straight talking, bah, cheapest ram is fine, ebay caddies and rubber bumpers... thanks to you there's no need for the 999$ ssd drive upgrade from lenovo.

@laptopdr 2 года назад

For more information watch out this link : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kFEGFqjGLog.html

@hishamwahab 11 лет назад

Thnx you're the best

@learc83 12 лет назад

Not sure about the t530, but the t430 only works with a 7mm drive. There are USB ports and a display ports that take up the rest of the room. Just found this out today when trying to install a 9mm m4. The 9mm m4 model number is CT128M4SSD2 The 7mm model number is CT128M4SSD1

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

I would guess that it's USB or perhaps eSATA, but you have both of those inputs on your T410si. Check the description to see if it includes a connection cable, but they usually do. Yes, that would be able to act as an external hard drive once you have it up and running.

@LuisGarcia-lv3vh 7 лет назад

HI. im cofused about what you were rtying to say from 1:28 to 1:42. are you saying that the solid stated dirve measures 7mm and that the one your laptop comes with is 9.5mm? I think you said it backwards? am i right?

@SpeakerFeature 10 лет назад

You can either clone the existing drive (some SSDs come with this software) or reinstall windows

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

wow thanks!

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Yeah, from what I've read it's not practical since there is soldering involved. One thing to try is download the latest intel video drivers since they have made performance upgrades in the past through software. You'll still be limited in what's (pleasantly) possible but at least you'll get the best graphics to date.

@nesttea2239 5 лет назад

I also heard that there was an extra battery caddy attachment.

@martincampbell8655 5 лет назад

I would have installed an mSATA SSD in the spot next to the memory stick that you installed...in fact I did! I also installed an SSD in the hard drive bay. One detail that you missed, YOU NEED TO USE THE HD CADDY...the metal plate attached to the hard drive.

@Hubieee 11 лет назад

I replaced my harddrive disk (320gb) with a 250 840SSD from samsung. No problems at all. Download Wifi driver and system update from lenovo driver homepage and install them. System update will install everything on its own afterwards (chipset, AHCI and other crucial drivers included).

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

Thanks! It's just a cheesy song I made for the video. I bounced a version without the voice if you'd like a copy. The link is in the bottom of the video description.

@kakablee 4 года назад

You should be a dj too. This song is calming.

@zoobiewa 11 лет назад

I'm curious: does the SSD reduce the overall heat coming from the laptop? I am thinking about doing this upgrade and am hoping that I can get less fan noise and heat coming from my system. It seems like you did this upgrade before you used the laptop and did a fresh install, but if you didn't, I'm curious what other subtle differences you perceive.

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

hahah, Thanks! Let me know if you need anything narrated

@szymongruszczynski 11 лет назад

yeah, and that's one of the reasons i love thinkpads!

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

I bought it from Amazon. Check the links in the article on speakerfeature (article link in description) for all the hardware I used. Thanks!

@SpeakerFeature 12 лет назад

You can, but here is why I didn't: #1 I use my SSDs for system drives (C: with OS/Programs) so it's nice to still be able to use the DVD when I need to install new software or watch a movie, etc. (just swap the DVD bay back in). #2 is specific to the T420 in that I never got a definitive answer if the optical bay was SATA III, so I figured that hard drive slot had the best chance of being SATA III. I just think that SSD in the hard drive bay is cleaner, especially if you're re-installing OS.

@laptopdr 2 года назад

For more information watch out this link : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kFEGFqjGLog.html

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

Yes, just use the same process as in the video, but put an SSD in ultrabay instead of a HDD

@SpeakerFeature 11 лет назад

I would go with 250 these days, even 500 if you're not planning on putting in a 2nd. Prices are a lot more reasonable than when I did my upgrades. Let us know what you end up doing, thanks!