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    Info on T520 ram and screen upgrades

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by pjw27890, Jul 5, 2012.

  1. pjw27890

    pjw27890 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I decided to leave a post of my upgrades on T520 since I got quite some help from this forum.

    I bought a used T520 with the following specs:

    i5-2520m
    integrated graphics
    4 gb ram
    1366x768 resolution.

    I don't play games or run cpu intensive programs, but I do multi-task heavily, which can benefit from upgrading the RAM and the resolution.
    I bought a stick of G.SKILL 4GB ddr3 ram from newegg at $18.99 and B156HW01 v.4 (FRU 04W1544) from laptopscreen.com at $114.44 (both prices tax, shipping included).

    *I AM NOT RECOMMENDING ANY OF YOU TO PURCHASE FROM THESE VENDORS. BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK. One thing, though, I want to emphasize is that when you do want to get the panel (B156HW01 v.4) from any seller, ask for the EXACT part. Sometimes you might get a compatible model by another company that does not perform as well as the one manufactured by AUO. Also, v.4 is MATTE. Any v.4 that is glossy isn't genuine.

    The installing of the RAM and screen was surprisingly easy. This was the FIRST time EVER opening up a laptop of any kind (built a desktop computer once before), but I had no problem whatsoever.

    I watched the following videos as tutorial:
    For screen replacement
    Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Laptop Screen Replacement Procedure - YouTube

    For installing RAM
    [HD] Installing RAM on a Lenovo Thinkpad T420 Guide T410 T400 - YouTube

    From what I remember, the only difference between T410 (shown in the video instead of T520) and mine was an extra screw in the middle of the screen on the bottom. For RAM, everything was exactly identical.
    The panel took about 15 mins to replace and maybe a minute or two for the RAM. The hardest part in screen replacement was removing the screw covers.

    After a couple of weeks of using the computer with the upgrades, I have to say they were worth every penny and more. I spent only a fraction of what one will pay on Lenovo website ($250 for FHD and around $50 for extra 4gb of RAM).

    There are, however, a few things you should take into account before pulling the trigger.

    1) Swapping LCD voids your warranty. The screen is NOT a user replaceable part. Just keep the stock screen that came with the unit and when you need to use the warranty, replace the screen with the stock one.
    2) Find out if your laptop has 1 or 2 sticks of RAMs already installed. For my cpu, there are only two cores, which only supports 2x RAMs. If your cpu has 4 cores, then it can support more than 2, up to 4, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong).
    3) More RAM supposedly uses more power, thus generating a little bit more heat (also drains battery quicker). Honestly, I can't really tell the difference AT ALL, but in theoretical sense, that is the case. If you're hyper sensitive about it, then give it a second thought.

    I think that is all, and good luck upgrading.
     
    pjw27890, Jul 5, 2012
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  2. Kaso

    Kaso Notebook Virtuoso

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    Cool upgrades. Awesome screen you've got there. Congratulations!
     
    Kaso, Jul 5, 2012
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