Intel 5100-->5300 manual upgrade and RAM

Ok I realized I made a mistake choosing the Intel 5100 instead of the 5300 when I ordered my T400. The computer already shipped so I can't cancel the order. My question is can I manually perform the upgrade or is the card soldered onto the motherboard?

I aslo wanted some help to understand the memory limitation of Vista (business). I know it can only detect 3 GB but will it be able to use 4 GB if I install another module (I ordered 2GB/1 DIMM)? What is the max amount of memory the T400 will support.

Thanks a lot.

 

All Intel WiFi Link 5000 Series Wireless Adapters have the same form factor, and are removable. They are usually installed into a socket/slot. You can access it by probably removing the rear thermal module cover of your notebook (somewhere near the RAM bays).
And the T400 can support upto 8GB DDR3. (You obviously need a 64-Bit OS )

 

As the the RAM issue, 32-bit windows will only detect 3GB, but 64-bit will detect more. The T400 is listed as supporting up to 8GB (which will work, assuming of course, you have a 64-bit version of Vista).

As to the 5100 v. 5300 issue. Changing the card will be the easy part. They're just mini-PCI express cards, they pop in and out easily. The hard part will be wiring the new antennas (5300 has 3 antennas total). This involves finding and installing new antenna wires, which means popping open your LCD screen to run the new wires. I can't say for sure, but I'd think this could void your warrenty. Perhaps they could be installed by an IBM tech?

Edit: I'm thinking the antennas could be pre-wired. Maybe someone who's already got one could speak to this.

 

As has already been stated, changing the antenna's will be a problem if they are not already there.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I will mainly use the computer at home and work and never use WWAN. So maybe the 5100 will still serve my purposes.

I would think all T400 frames should be made the same (with 3 antennas). This need to be confirmed though...

 

I would try out the system with the 5100 card first before you start thinking about replacing it. I honestly doubt it will be a big problem in everyday use.

 

While I definitely recommend the 5300 over the 5100 for the paltry sum, think about it this way; do you have any problems connecting with your current non-5300 card? You won't get the throughput, consistency or range, but it'll work.

 

Here is a succinct review of the differences between the 5100 and 5300 from AnandTech: LINK

Quick summary:
5100 is very similar to the old 4965 but at a slightly cheaper price
5300 has better throughput than the 5100 (450Mb/s vs 300Mb/s) (for draft-n networks only)
5300 has slightly better range than the 5100

It seems to me that the only advantage of the 5300 over the 5100 for most users is slightly better range. With that said, the range of the 5100 should be as good as the old 4965. The increase in throughput for the 5300 over the 5100 won't matter for the vast majority of people who only connect to g-networks and primarily use wifi for Internet connectivity rather than file transfers anyway.

For the price difference between the 5100 and 5300 (+$20 on the X-series, +$15 on the T-series), I am inclined to pay for the upgrade for the handful of times it might offer me a working connection to a poor signal open network.

 

If these are anything like older Thinkpads, all chassis are shipped with the maximum number of Wifi antennas, it just makes their Lenovo's simpler. To prevent shorting, the extra leads are in a little paper pouch under the wireless card.

If you are up to replacing parts, 5300s can be had fairly cheaply at online resellers.

 

I definitely ordered the upgrade to the 3X3 5300.. It is worth the $20.

 

Yes I agree, in my case I am waiting for the 5350 with Wimax and Intel Anti Theft for 4th quarter 2008.

 

And that is even better I didn't have the option though..

 

Be careful with this.. If the setup is the same as in previous TP models, you MUST buy the 5300 card from Lenovo, or the BIOS will blacklist the card and refuse to boot. Nice, Huh?