---
title: Thinkpad T440p Modification Guide
description: You purchased a T440p, now what?
author: Timothy Pidashev
tags: [t440p, mods, coreboot, thinkpad]
date: 2025-01-15
image: "/blog/thinkpad-t440p-modification-guide/thumbnail.png"
---

## The T440p

Whether for privacy related reasons, coreboot, or someones advice on the internet,
you are now the proud owner of a T440p. Now what? Well, I have been daily driving
this laptop for over two years now, and would like to share my knowledge on this 
lovely machine. If followed properly, this guide should help any privacy seeking 
individual or programmer how to setup the "reasonably" perfect T440p.

## Buying the Right Model

Although the T440p comes in various configurations and specs, when searching for
one online there are two things to consider. 

1. Online Marketplace
    * Purchasing from the right marketplace is important to consider, and while trusted
    vendors like Amazon might be preferred, consider Ebay or AliExpress. 

    * I personally have only purchased my thinkpad's on Ebay, as there are generally more listings 
    available from companies reselling retired units, usually at a steep discount.


2. Dedicated GPU
    * The T440p motherboard comes in two different varieties, one with
    a dGPU and the other without. There is only one dGPU model, which is the NVIDIA GT 730M.
    Featuring 2GB of VRAM, it will work, however if your looking for longer battery life and 
    an easier coreboot config should you choose to coreboot, I would recommend sticking to 
    a non dGPU variant. 

    * Finding a dGPU variant is quite difficult, as many online
    sellers don't always list the motherboard spec, making things quite the guessing game.
    When I was shopping for one, my strategy was to purchase the dGPU motherboard on its own,
    and then a T440p laptop listed with a dead motherboard, as I was going to swap it out anyways.

3. Quality
    * Finding the perfect T440p is hard, and you will likely end up purchasing one that looks ok 
    in pictures, but comes with a cracked palmrest or front panel. Consider purchasing one which 
    looks good, and then replacing any cracked or aged parts should you choose to do so in the future.

    * T440p plastics are aged. Although this machine is an absolute brick, which can probably be thrown 
    at the ground without any major damage, it will definitely chip and crack. I myself have replaced my 
    palm rest/keyboard cover thrice, as every half a year or so I will open the laptop in the morning to 
    find that my careless "throw it in the backpack" has finally cracked the palmrest yet again.

## Screen

When it comes to the screen, you really don't want to get one of poor quality, especially since the 
lousy 1366x768 panel is not great nowadays. Generally, I would recommend going for an ips 1080p panel, 
as this is generally most the most supported. I purchased this panel from amazon for ~$60USD and have 
never looked back. 

## Keyboard 

## Trackpad 

## Battery

## CPU

The T440p has a trick up its sleeve. The processor can be swapped out and replaced, allowing for an upgrade!
There are many models out there, however some aren't recommended due to thermal constraints, so finding the 
right balance can be tough.

## RAM

## Storage

## WLAN

## WAN

## MISC

1. Fingerprint Reader 

2. Disc Reader

3. Webcam & Microphone
