Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

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daroca
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2018 15:12
Product(s): Fujitsu Lifebook E756, Linux Mint 18.3, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 32GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook E754, Linux Mint Cinnamon 19, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 16 GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook AH531/GFO, Linux Mint 18.3, upgraded to 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 16GB RAM, i7-2670QM CPU, Intel Wireless 3160

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby daroca » Mon Apr 01, 2019 16:26

@mitsos, the AH531 is slightly different, you might have better chances to get the information you are requesting on this thread:

https://forum.ts.fujitsu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=48398
(Upgrading LH532 / i5-3210M CPU@ 2,50GHz, 16 January 2019)
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

aydinozdemirx
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 0:42
Product(s): Ah531

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby aydinozdemirx » Sat Jul 27, 2019 18:11

Hi everyone, I would like to thank you all for your input about upgrading AH531.
Based on your posts, my AH531 is now upgraded to i7 2630QM, 120GB SSD, 8 GB (one slot) DDR3 1600L low voltage ram and planning for a second 8GB to be total 16GB.

Additionally, to cool the cpu and gpu(gt 525m) , I installed water cooling.

Still looking for a screen upgrade if you have succeeded please share.

daroca
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2018 15:12
Product(s): Fujitsu Lifebook E756, Linux Mint 18.3, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 32GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook E754, Linux Mint Cinnamon 19, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 16 GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook AH531/GFO, Linux Mint 18.3, upgraded to 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 16GB RAM, i7-2670QM CPU, Intel Wireless 3160

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby daroca » Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:19

@aydinozdemirx you installed a water cooling system? Super cool! Could you give a couple of details, please, and maybe post a photograph or two? How did that fit into the case, in the first place?

I have abandoned the idea of a higher resolution screen, the main problem seems to be the connector on the laptop side, and it remains totally unclear if the connector even has the number of connections to the GPU required for 1920*1080 resolution.

Which OS are you running?
Last edited by daroca on Sat Nov 21, 2020 16:56, edited 1 time in total.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

aydinozdemirx
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 0:42
Product(s): Ah531

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby aydinozdemirx » Mon Jul 29, 2019 10:00

@daroca

I am using Windows 10.

https://ibb.co/jbCSMMC

Before deciding to water cooling, I installed aluminum heatsinks with seperate fans which fit very well and was able to close the back cover. Unfortunately, with a minimal load on either gpu or cpu, temperatures went above 90, while heatsinks were cool. In my opinion, aluminium was the wrong material to select, they definitely failed...

https://ibb.co/1rHwp7r
https://ibb.co/ZLHF8NZ

Please see attached photos for water cooling. Back cover is open, pipes goes out, water pump is a bit big, and radiator is huge. When I find some time, I will modify water block screws, install smaller pipes and close the back cover. I may go further and fit a mini pump+mini radiator inside in future :)

I opened insulators of default lcd connector, took pictures and in case you interested to see them, please let me know and i will upload for you.

daroca
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2018 15:12
Product(s): Fujitsu Lifebook E756, Linux Mint 18.3, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 32GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook E754, Linux Mint Cinnamon 19, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 16 GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook AH531/GFO, Linux Mint 18.3, upgraded to 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 16GB RAM, i7-2670QM CPU, Intel Wireless 3160

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby daroca » Mon Jul 29, 2019 12:04

Wow! I call my modded Lifebook the Frankenbook, but yours looks like open heart surgery! :lol: What's your next step, liquid nitrogen? :idea:
Could you post another photo of the whole bottom of the machine, please? I just realised that there is plenty of space when you remove the fan…

Great piece of work, @aydinozdemirx!
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

aydinozdemirx
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 0:42
Product(s): Ah531

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby aydinozdemirx » Tue Jul 30, 2019 22:25

@daroca Thanks much :) :)

My next plan was to use the space of battery + space of fan in order to install a pump or radiator or both. However, current huge cooling capacity with absolute silence has attracted me more than portability :) Temps never go beyond 30°C under full cpu/overclocked gpu load while ambient temp is 28°C. Radiator fans are triggered every 5-30 minutes and operate less than 30 seconds depending on load. Now this Lifebook can compete with more decent laptops and so far it has been my only computer for gaming/surfing/office programs.

Please see photos attached, I placed a ruler for your reference.

Do you have any plan for your Lifebook?

https://ibb.co/J5bCgqW
https://ibb.co/2h58cdq
https://ibb.co/WGdwhRt

daroca
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2018 15:12
Product(s): Fujitsu Lifebook E756, Linux Mint 18.3, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 32GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook E754, Linux Mint Cinnamon 19, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 16 GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook AH531/GFO, Linux Mint 18.3, upgraded to 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 16GB RAM, i7-2670QM CPU, Intel Wireless 3160

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby daroca » Sun Aug 04, 2019 11:28

@aydinozdemirx very impressive, thanks for sharing.

Currently my AH531 is sitting on the back shelf, I didn't have too much time lately. I was thinking about attaching two wifi antennas to the casing, similar to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7P4hEcZc3o

I have all the parts already, but not had the time yet. And maybe see how I can attach a larger passive heat sink. Oh, and I'm definitely looking into overclocking the GPU.

Any other ideas for mods out there? :)

Cheers!
Last edited by daroca on Mon Aug 05, 2019 17:02, edited 1 time in total.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

Helga
Posts: 192
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:55
Product(s): AMILO D-1840 (=entfallen)
Lifebook E-8110 (Win7x86/ULT)
Lifebook E-8420 (Nvd-Gfx, Win10x64/PRO)
Lifebook T935 (i-Gfx, Win10x64/Pro, 16 GB RAM)
Celsius H730 (Nvd-Gfx, Win10x64/Pro, 32 GB RAM)
Location: DL
Contact:

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby Helga » Sun Aug 04, 2019 13:19

@aydinozdemirx:

Gibt es eine Bezugsquelle für die gezeigten Wasserkühler-Blöcke?
Please, give me the Vendor's name of this watercoolers!
Thanks!
Fakten Fakten Fakten - und immer an den User denken!

aydinozdemirx
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 0:42
Product(s): Ah531

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby aydinozdemirx » Mon Aug 05, 2019 18:13

@daroca your suggestion about wifi antenna extension is brilliant and new to me, I am currently using usb wifi adapter with a lengthy antenna, may fix one antenna in future to my AH531 as well.

My very first upgrade was replacing my hdd with a 120 GB ssd, then I removed DVD writer and installed an HDD Caddy with a 1 TB HDD, might be a good idea if you have a spare 2,5 inch hdd. My windows/frequently used files are located in ssd while large files/less used archive files are located in hdd.
HDD Caddy;
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32863110746.html

My full hd screen upgrade + intel 2960XM upgrade plans are pending as well :)


@Helga
I ordered 2 water blocks from this website

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32839597996.html

This store has most necessary items for water cooling. This is my pump which works very silent under 5v;
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32919366692.html

Buckles and screws(I used the original cpu holder that I took from behind of AH531 motherboard);
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32840320557.html

Radiator(too big but very efficient);
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32836044711.html

Pipe(i am not satisfied with this one as it was thick);
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32840666975.html

Barb fitting two pieces for radiator pipe connections
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32924242258.html

Helga
Posts: 192
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:55
Product(s): AMILO D-1840 (=entfallen)
Lifebook E-8110 (Win7x86/ULT)
Lifebook E-8420 (Nvd-Gfx, Win10x64/PRO)
Lifebook T935 (i-Gfx, Win10x64/Pro, 16 GB RAM)
Celsius H730 (Nvd-Gfx, Win10x64/Pro, 32 GB RAM)
Location: DL
Contact:

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby Helga » Sat Aug 10, 2019 23:12

Excellent! Thank you for this useful information.

(This link don't works unfortunately, radiator: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32836044711.html )
Fakten Fakten Fakten - und immer an den User denken!

daroca
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2018 15:12
Product(s): Fujitsu Lifebook E756, Linux Mint 18.3, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 32GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook E754, Linux Mint Cinnamon 19, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 16 GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook AH531/GFO, Linux Mint 18.3, upgraded to 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 16GB RAM, i7-2670QM CPU, Intel Wireless 3160

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby daroca » Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:48

[quote="aydinozdemirx"]
Pipe (i am not satisfied with this one as it was thick);
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32840666975.html
/quote]

@aydinozdemirx if you are not happy with the flexible tube: maybe you have an aquarium shop somewhere nearby, they usually stock various makes of them. You might be able to find something more adequate.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

syn_burz
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2020 23:32
Product(s): Fujitsu Lifebook AH531/GFO

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby syn_burz » Mon Nov 16, 2020 22:21

Thanks, everyone. Using the information you provided I was able to upgrade my AH531/GFO to 16GB, which is amazing. :D
But now I need to upgrade my WiFi card (Centrino WIRELESS-N 1030) to 5 GHz and I could use some help. I noticed that @daroca has Intel Wireless 3160 which has 1 antenna and can achieve up to 433 Mbps. It looks like the best Half MiniCard I could try to use under Windows 7 is Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 which has 2 antennas and can achieve up to 867 Mbps. Do you think this card will work :?: Can there be a problem with Bluetooth :?: Here's a comparison of the three aforementioned cards: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/pl/pl/ark/compare.html?productIds=59481,75442,75439.
Any help greatly appreciated.

daroca
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2018 15:12
Product(s): Fujitsu Lifebook E756, Linux Mint 18.3, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 32GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook E754, Linux Mint Cinnamon 19, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 16 GB RAM, upgraded display from 1360x768 to 1920x1080
Fujitsu Lifebook AH531/GFO, Linux Mint 18.3, upgraded to 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 16GB RAM, i7-2670QM CPU, Intel Wireless 3160

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby daroca » Tue Nov 17, 2020 16:20

Hi syn_burz,

sorry but I won't be able to help you with that one. What I did was to find a WiFi card that is compatible with Linux. And yes, I remember there was a problem with Bluetooth, but there was plenty of workarounds I found just googling.

I would guess if you can find a Windows 7 driver for the WiFi card you should be fine.
Just make sure you don't depend on your WiFi to download the driver, is the only advice I can give. Download it before you swap the card, or make sure you have LAN cable access to the internet.

It's good to see that users are still profiting from a thread that is two and a half years old, on a laptop model that has been around for more than 10 years. Nowadays sustainability is a big thing, and I think this type of upgrade is very, very sustainable and environmentally friendly. :D
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

syn_burz
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2020 23:32
Product(s): Fujitsu Lifebook AH531/GFO

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby syn_burz » Tue Nov 17, 2020 22:14

Thanks a lot, @daroca, especially for the drivers advice. I think I will probably go with the AC 7260. I'll let you guys know how it went.

syn_burz
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2020 23:32
Product(s): Fujitsu Lifebook AH531/GFO

Re: Upgrading a Lifebook AH531

Postby syn_burz » Wed Nov 18, 2020 17:10

I've read some more and it looks like there can be an antenna problem. @daroca, does your Intel 3160 actually work at 5 GHz? Or just 2,4 GHz? Or maybe you've modded your antenna to make it work?


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