Advice on Upgrading IBM T20 Laptop

Hi guys. Not really sure if this belongs in this forum as I am just asking for advice. Im currently running an IBM T20:
Laptop Specs:
P3-Mobile 700Mhz
256Mb SD-RAM 100Mhz
30Gb IBM Deskstar

Now being a student I would definitely like to keep the laptop for a while longer as I cannot afford a new thinkpad/asus laptop. Also this laptop has the perfect blend of looks and weight/size. It fits into my backpack perfectly due to its size.

The parts I am trying to see if I can get/upgrade:

1) Battery: my current battery has a life of about 20 minutes providing I am not doing anything on the laptop. Should I start to do anything, it drains very fast.

So I am looking for the highest capacity battery that i can use in my T20. Does anyone know if they make a 9,12 cell battery for the T20. I think my current battery is a 6 cell.

Also since the thinkpad has the Ultrabay and since i dont use my dvd-rom drive I was wondering where i can get an UltraBay battery. I really want to make my laptop mobile again.

I would like atleast 3+ hours again on my laptop. I hate lugging around an adapter. Also at school, i have to sit at the back of the lecture hall since that is where the ac plugs are.

2) CPU: I currently have a 700Mhz P3-M in my laptop. According to my linux distro(gentoo) it has 2 states; 550Mhz and 700Mhz. The motherboard works on the 100Mhz fsb. Is there any way I can still get those P3-M cpus running on the 100fsb like from T21-23??

3) Wireless: After recently cleaning out my cpu fan/cooler i noticed that i have a internal minipci slot in my laptop? Does that mean i can run internal wireles?? I am currently using a wirelss b card from dlink. If i was able to run an internal wirless card how exactly would i install the antenaes??

any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
thanks:buyIBM:

-dj

 

Battery:

As far as I know (from the Tabook) there is only one type of main battery for the T20 (02K6649), plus the Ultrabay 2000 battery (02K6646). Your current battery is probably drained due to age and heavy usage. Getting a fresh battery will restore your battery life to what it was once.

CPU:

I think that the CPUs from the T21/T22 are compatible with your laptop, because it seems the same CPU type, board, chipset and FSB. The highest you can get is 1GHz. The PIII-M from T23 is different and probably can't be used.

Wireless:

Unless you have problems with your current PCMCIA card, don't bother with the MiniPCI and antenna installations. Might want to get Wireless-G, if you want to transfer large files wirelessly.

 

what is Tabook??

also would u know of any reputable places selling these batteries. I have checked on ebay and dont know if the batteries are used/refurbished and whether they are holding a 100% charge.

-dj

 

The six cell is it I believe. You can get the modular battery in place of the optical drive if you need more time. If you want better performance I would upgrade the hard drive to one with a faster rotational speed like 5400RPM or 7200RPM. Hard drive is usually the weakest link in the performance chain and will increase performance much more than upgrading the CPU. I have upgrade older ThinkPads. The boost is quite nice. Also max out the memory to 512MB. It is doubtful on the wireless since you need to have the the antenna which the T20 is unlikely to have.

 

The Tabook is a list of all currently available ThinkPad models. You can of buy the batteries from Lenovo, but that will be expensive. I would not buy a battery made by a third party.

 

@zazonz

thanks for the advice.

i think i have a 5400rpm travelstart in there.

why would you not use any 3rd party batteries>? the lenovo/ibm batteries are like $130+...thats pretty steep for a lappy thats about 5 years old.. but i guess i should be glad that they still making batteries.

i have seen some batteries online that are 4200mAh. How would i find out what are the specs of my current battery?

how much additional time can one expect from the ultrabay batteries? and usually what are the specs of those batteries?

 

Too big of a risk for me.

 

now i know my ibm t20 runs at a 100Mhz.

1) so using logic that means i am free to use a Pentium 3 mobile cpu as long as it works on the 100Mhz fsb>?

2) if i do use say a P3-M 900Mhz (my current cpu is 700Mhz) would my laptop be able to run it? i mean voltage wise and heat wise??

-dj

 

I just don't think you are gonna that much of a boost to be worth all the hassle. A 7200RPM hard drive and maxing the memory will help more than a few Mhz on the CPU.

 

https://www.eritech.com/results.php?manuf=IBM

They sell a new IBM battery for $95 for your model

 

thanks for the link
however they dont let you know what model the battery is.
im asking as im most likely going to get a 3rd party battery with a 4400mAh rating rather than the more expensive IBM battery with a 3600mAh rating.