Boost Your Lenovo ThinkPad T490: RAM, SSD Upgrade, and Ubuntu Linux Installation Guide

Let's discuss a powerful and practical upgrade for the Lenovo ThinkPad T490, demonstrated on a 2019 model featuring Intel Core i5-8265U processor. If you own a T490 and want to bring it up to speed for today's demands, this guide is for you. We will walk through each step, from installing additional RAM and a faster SSD to loading a fresh, open-source operating system.

Part 1: Enhancing Memory

The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 is equipped with 8GB or 16GB of RAM soldered onto the motherboard, alongside a single DDR4 SO-DIMM slot. This dual-channel design supports added memory for smoother multitasking. In this video, we will demonstrate how to add an 8GB Kingston DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM to our model, which has 8GB already soldered, bringing the total to 16GB of RAM. Notably, the T490 supports up to 40GB of RAM (8GB soldered + 32GB SO-DIMM) or even 48GB for models with 16GB soldered, allowing for impressive future-proofing.

Part 2: SSD Upgrade for Speedier Performance

Nothing upgrades a laptop's performance like a new SSD, and in this video, we replace the stock drive with a 512GB Micron NVMe M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 SSD. This upgrade provides faster boot times and speeds up application load times, making your T490 run more efficiently and with less lag.

Part 3: Ubuntu Linux Installation

To further improve usability, I installed Ubuntu, the popular open-source Linux distribution. Using the latest 24.04 LTS version, the experience is a seamless setup with rapid boot times even without any advanced additional tweaking. With Linux, you get a fast, secure, and versatile operating system perfect for development, browsing, and everyday tasks.

With these upgrades, your Lenovo ThinkPad T490 can handle more demanding tasks with ease. Watch the video to follow along, and get ready to breathe new life into your laptop!