Shall I upgrade BIOS and other parts of my laptop

[yabi]

I have a Lenovo T60 with following spec.:

ThinkPad T60 (2623-D6U)
T2400(1.83GHz), 512MB RAM, 80GB 5400rpm HD, 14.1in 1400x1050 LCD, 64MB ATI Radeon X1300, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11abg wireless, Bluetooth/Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, Fingerprint reader, 6c Li-Ion batt, WinXP Pro

It is made on 2007.

Is it a wise idea to upgrade BIOS, Bluethooth, Modem, Camera and card reader, chipset, Display, Fingerprint reader, Mouse and Keyboard, USB device and other parts?

I don't have a problem with my laptop, except it is a bit slow in response. I am not sure upgrading the BIOS  and other parts will improve speed performance.

I feal it is better to upgrade and work with newer versions but on the other hand I fear to destabilize the OS.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

have you tried to a new fresh install of the OS? If you don't have a problem with the laptop, upgrading BIOS firmware is not something that i recommend doing, especially within the Windows environment, as you may brick your laptop.

Sometimes fresh install of your OS can help to resolve many slowness issue.

Also, have you upgraded your ram to something more than 512 mb?

[boniholmes]

You can easily update your BIOS with ThinkVantage System Update. To my best knowledge the latest official BIOS for your T60 is79ETE7WW, 2.27  dated 03/21/11, but the Gurus will correct me if I am wrong. FYI there is another topic, T60 upgrade questions. There you can find some info about the possible upgrades. I have a similar T60 as yours, and I am at the final stage of my upgrade project, meaning:

3 Gb RAM (the maximum)

new CPU, T7400

DVD RAM

new 320Gb 7200 RPM HDD

I am still waiting for a new battery to come. With these  upgrades my machine has a very comfortable response time.

FYI, upgrading RAM, HDD and CPU will not destabilize your OS.

For other parts I am not sure about upgrade possibilities, for expample chipset is determined by your MB.

I hope this helps.

[boniholmes]

@lead_org: I did the upgrade of my BIOS many times, without any hassle. Anyway, if you would not suggest this, I am not object to it...

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

it is more of an issue whether the person knows what they are doing or not.

If you laptop is running slow and have program compatibility issues, updating bios won't necessary solve it. And there is always a chance that during the bios update within the windows environment bricks their laptop as the result of the update program freezing.

[TuuS]

updating a bios rarely fixes any problems and if you do want to update it, you should make sure all your problems are solved first. If the process fails to complete due to a program crash your computer will be useless, and it doesn't matter if you do it with system update or manually, or using a boot disc, they all have risk and unfortunately these systems have no built in recovery from a failed bios update proceedure and system board replacement or repair is the only option.

I agree that some basic upgrades and a fresh windows install will give you the best results. A good reliable SSD drive is also a good option on a T60 since the 3gb ram limit could force use of virtual memory and an SSD will make this less of a problem.

Good Luck

[yabi]

Dear Lead

Thanks for your reply.

As I don't have a problem with my laptop, according to your notes, I decided not to upgrade BIOS and others.

Also as you mentioned, my 512 RAM is low and I think I have to increase it.

For my T60 with above-mentioned spec, how much increase do you recommend to have a stable system?

[TuuS]

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yabi wrote:

Dear Lead

Thanks for your reply.

As I don't have a problem with my laptop, according to your notes, I decided not to upgrade BIOS and others.

Also as you mentioned, my 512 RAM is low and I think I have to increase it.

For my T60 with above-mentioned spec, how much increase do you recommend to have a stable system?

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In my opinion your best option would be 3GB, which is the maximum your system will accept. You'll need a 1gb and a 2gb ddr2 pc5200 sodimm chip to get a total of 3gb. If your on a budget, then perhaps two 1gb chips (2gb total) will suffice, but as cheap as this ram is, I wouldn't go any less then 2gb.

Currently this ram is selling for about $7usd for a 1gb and $20usd for a 2gb chip in my area. You'll need to check prices where you are and decide what is best.  

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

as Tuus said, upgrade your ram will bring the best result. 512 mb is too low. I have at least 2 gigs in my T60 and 3 gigs are usually the norm.