Compaq C302TU upgrades (semi-worklog), a look back @ sub-$1k laptop

[BuzzPuppy]

G'Day Everyone,

This 11-month old laptop was bought from jamesri83 last week for $330 with a funky Crumpler bag being thrown in. What caught my eye was its potential to do some ol' fashioned tinkering and see what I could upgrade it to after shopping around.


Courtesy of sanjay in this thread

Here was my sole requirement:

Set up a laptop to demonstrate/teach the Vista/Server 2008/Office 2007 courses (enterprise deployment, first-look, Aero-capable, etc), with Vista Ultimate as the platform to hook up to the overhead projector.

Let's go through the stats:

- Celeron-M 420 (1.6GHz Yonah-based)
- Intel 940GML chipset (C036 Rev 3.0 motherboard), onboard Intel video.
- 256MB DDR2-533 single module
- Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN
- 15" WXGA widescreen (1280x800)
- Realtek 10/100 LAN
- 2 USB 2.0 ports, Mic/Audio jacks, TV-out, VGA out, 56k modem
- Original F.05A BIOS
- 60GB Western Digital 5400rpm SATA drive

So what am I going to do with it? Well, after scouring a number of forums, I'm just going to collect my thoughts here so please bear with me on this. Obviously, the RAM has to be changed and the manual mentions upgrade to the T2250 CoreDuo CPU. I have a spare 100GB Fujitsu 5400rpm SATA from my Dell 9400 (upgraded to Seagate Momentus 100GB 7200rpm for VMWare/Virtual PC 2007/Virtual Server 2005 work) so that will have to be crammed in.

Here goes!

[BuzzPuppy]

Ok, update on some testin' (after a few beers and quiet BBQ at home with the girl, two dogs, the cat and miscellaneous insects) it's back to some tinkerin' and typin'.

BIOS upgraded no problemo from F.05A to F.24A (skipping F.14A all together).

However,, I've come across my first stumbling block. The RAM.

I have put the 2GB module in and it recognised it in the BIOS. Placing an extra 1GB (to take it up to 3GB for a 32bit OS) it was looking good since the BIOS reported that 3072MB was recognised. However, when I fired up Vista Ultimate, XP Home and even booted up Ubuntu 7.04 they ALL reported 2GB of system RAM available.

Hmm, looks like I'll have to go 2x1GB to keep dual channel going unless someone knows of a work-around.

Other issues so far include:

-The MUTE SOUND button doesn't light up orange in Vista.
-HDD bay is completely sealed so your drives (and the area where your wrists rest) will get quite warm.
-Screen folds out to 135 degrees, not the full 180 degrees like my Dell 9400.

Parts bought:

-T2250 CoreDuo won on eBay, and it'll be interesting to see if it'll go with the motherboard.



There are reports that the T1350 works fine, bringing not only a quicker platform but power savings due to Speedstep on www.notebookforums.com but no-one yet with this CPU.

Also, I wonder if this laptop has the 137.6GB limit that keeps me to using HDDs that are 120GB or less?

[SLATYE]

Originally Posted by BuzzPuppy

I have put the 2GB module in and it recognised it in the BIOS. Placing an extra 1GB (to take it up to 3GB for a 32bit OS) it was looking good since the BIOS reported that 3072MB was recognised. However, when I fired up Vista Ultimate, XP Home and even booted up Ubuntu 7.04 they ALL reported 2GB of system RAM available.

That's a really interesting problem. Did they still say 2GB was available even with just the 2GB module in there?

A lot of laptops from not long ago do have a 2GB limitation, but it seems really odd that the BIOS would be able to detect more than that.

Originally Posted by BuzzPuppy

There are reports that the T1350 works fine, bringing not only a quicker platform but power savings due to Speedstep on www.notebookforums.com but no-one yet with this CPU.

That will be very interesting. Intel say that it won't work - but Intel say a lot of things, and they're often wrong (Core 2 Duos with the i865 and i945 chipsets, for example). It's quite possible that the chipset is just a re-labelled i945GM.

Originally Posted by BuzzPuppy

Also, I wonder if this laptop has the 137.6GB limit that keeps me to using HDDs that are 120GB or less?

It probably will. It's a pretty recent laptop - by the time it was produced, every BIOS should have had 48-bit LBA support.

[BuzzPuppy]

Originally Posted by slatye

That's a really interesting problem. Did they still say 2GB was available even with just the 2GB module in there?

Yes. I'm down to the single stick of 2GB and it says that 2GB is availble (minus the MBs used for graphics, of course). I don't have two sticks of 2GB but then again, it may be wasted on a 32bit OS but I'll give it a go on Tuesday when the shops re-open. The BIOS definitely reports 3072MB RAM detected however with a 2GB/1GB combo.

As you've probably read, Slatye, from the notebookforums, I don't think anyone could get their hands or have tried the T2250 CoreDuo (staticice gives those at $200-ish). I can't wait to get mine next week in the mail. A few people are curious to see the results.

Speaking about the 48bit LBA support, I've actually seen a number of recent laptops which do not support HDDs over 120GB due to the 40bit LBA support even with the latest of BIOS upgrades (a few people at work with a certain model of Dell Inspiron come to mind. Will check again on Tuesday).

If the motherboard is a re-labelled i945GM then that'll be even a bigger bonus!

PS>> I did my other quirky laptop mod... I put the screen protectors from PDAs (go Belkin!) where my wrists rest below the keyboard so the paint doesn't wear thin and I've been doing that lil' mod ever since I've owned laptops

[BuzzPuppy]

Well, another part arrived and went in today. HP dc7700 Lightscribe-capable DVD burner from eBay @ $99.00 so out goes the DVD/CDRW combo drive! Had to change the driver covers of course to make it all nice and neat.

Now to find some lightscribe discs to play with... hmm...

Received a Pentium-M 1.6GHz on Friday, still waiting on my T2250 CoreDuo to arrive as well as a T1350 CoreSolo. I'll test all three CPUs in one hit.

[edit] Woohoo! The T2250 arrived

[BuzzPuppy]

Dammit.

It's a bust... this confirms that the 940GML Intel chipset doesn't support CoreDuo at all. CPU was installed but no posting so it looks like I'm selling it if anyone wants it?

It definitely works with the Celeron-M 4xx series and the 64bit capable Celeron-M 5xx series.

Next up, T1350 CoreSolo, with reports of happily working laptops given a significant boost in processing and less power with SpeedStep being supported.

Current running time: Vista 32bit Ultimate on "Power Saver" is 1:45-1:50 on average (wireless LAN "on", 50% brightness, browsing and emails) to "High Performance" at 1:25-1:30 hours under the same workload conditions. Could I crack the 2:30 - 3:00 hour mark?

[Falls]

I'm looking forward to your efforts. Mucking around with laptops is alot more brave than desktops.

F.

[BuzzPuppy]

Tell me about it!

Without widely available BIOSes and VERY limited support... it is a factor of trial and error with parts on hand (and yes, having 2.5" EIDE, SATA, DDR2/DDR SODIMM on hand to muck around and swap with).

Although, after disassembling PLENTY of laptops you get to know your way around them

[sanjay]

lol, i thought id seen (and indeed taken) that photo already.

i must say, kudos to ya for attempting this, but it seems like a colossal waste of money to me. after all, a celeron is just that - a celeron, no matter how fast it may be.

plus these laptops are known for terrible screen, keyboard and build quality, and they blow motherboards on a regular basis (look for dead ones on ebay for proof of this...)

but yes, playing with laptops is much more fun than with desktops, considering the skill level and learning curve. but i got out of the game a few months ago seeing how much it costs and how little you benefit from it (once youve upped a few lappies)

[BuzzPuppy]

Not necessarily a waste of cash... if you have a HELLUVA lot of spares already! Cheers for the comments though sanjay.

I've always been fascinated in laptops and how they keep them cool and running, the intricacies of the cables and the heatpipes! I've modded the chassis of a mate's 9400 to refit the 7900GS, replacing the ATi X1400 Mobility in there.

Laptop: $330 (actually less if you factor out the Crumpler bag)

2x1GB DDR2-667 sodimm: already had it from my Dell 9400 as spare parts

2GB DDR2-667 sodimm: returned to MSY for exchange for more bits after it didn't work.

100GB Fujitsu 5400rpm HDD: already had it from the same laptop. Considered upping to a 7200rpm unit (Seagate Momentus... mmm) but there are no vents and a trial from a borrowed unit showed it was WAY too hot.

T2250 CoreDuo CPU: RRP @ $200 but picked it up for $60. It'll be back for sale soon on eBay (removing from OCAU forums) after it didn't work. Ah well.

T1350 CoreSolo CPU: $10.37 on eBay ($3.32 winning bid, $7.00 postage) and should thump the Celeron-M 420 in battery life and performance.



Screen? Not too fussed. I actually don't mind the low angle view. Sometimes there are things you're peeking at that you don't want someone sitting next to you to view on an airplane (or get one of those crazy 3M overlay filters, I suppose). However, Aliens vs Predator and good ol' Q3 Arena run fine with the screen keeping up

So all up, it's a cheap tinker which I'm not too fussed about if i botch it. What happened to my Dell 9400? Sold to krug to finance my trek to Base Camp @ Mt Everest (leaving Anzac Day tihs year)

[sanjay]

if you have a big bucket of spares and got specialist, expensive processors like the core duo and core solo so cheaply, then what youre doing is awesome.

i love playing with lappies as said but the only thing that stops me is the cost of bits. fact of the matter is, you could have a great laptop with a core solo that supports speedstep for under $400 very easily - a hard feat to accomplish if you just get a second hander off ebay!

[BuzzPuppy]

*laughs* thanx mate...

My study (as anyone who's picked up parts from my place in the For-Sale section knows) has been described as the PC equivalent of the "Arizona Aircraft Graveyard". My interest actually began with the Asus EEEPC... but for $500 brand new, it makes you wonder how much firepower you could amass in a laptop with leftover parts.

Anyway, better stop spamming my own thread. Got a new CPU arriving this week to try out

[BuzzPuppy]

Well, I decided to refit something else (another eBay purchase). There was an HP (model AH043AA) Lightscribe-capable DVD-RW dual layer burner for sale and was bought for $99 which has now replaced the DVD combo drive. Not bad considering a brand new unit would be double that at least. I know I've mentioned it already, but since this is a worklog, people may want to know part numbers, etc.

Bonus part of getting it is that the faceplate cover was a straight swap (HP/Compaq, brilliant) since some faceplates are custom between optical drives.

The T1350 CoreSolo CPU is arriving today! However, I've got an MCSE exam to study for (70-293 Server 2003 Network Infrastructure) that is at 9am tomorrow so the tinkering will have to wait.

The T2250 has been sold as well (should be somewhere in WA as we speak). If there's a future BIOS update (highly unlikely) for the 940GML chipset, I'll be kicking myself. We'll worry about that when it happens.

[edit] News just in. The T1350 is here!



[edit2] F*&$%*($&% !!!!, the CPU arrived masking-taped to hard foam and put in a padded bag. multiple pins are bent at 10-20 degree angles.

[BuzzPuppy]

Ok, bent the pins back.

The fact that I'm posting tells you something... ah screw it, let the picture speak for itself.


(note: I didn't put it fully back together just in case it didn't work. Like the T2250 I tried!)

Should this link expire, it's the successful upgrade of a T1350 CoreSolo CPU into a 940GML chipset

However, it was a lil' tricky to get to the cpu. I've seen some Compaqs/HPs have "access hatches" like the RAM and HDD covers on the underside to remove the heatsink assembly (for example, HP's DV4000 laptop) since the CPU is mounted on the underside. It pretty much meant that I had to disassemble the entire thing to get to it.



But it ended up being a normal socket assembly, with the screw-based locking mechanism and their use of thermal paste instead of a pad/wax came as a bit of a surprise actually.

[BuzzPuppy]

Ok, update with regards to Vista Ultimate with SP1 (drivers, etc)...

Installed with no problem/conflicts and wireless/LAN throughput is a definite improvement

As tempted as I am to put in an SSD drive, it'd cost what I'd spent on the laptop so far!