ThinkPad P50: best upgrades for CAD/rendering/video editing?

[Tio]

I got a ThinkPad P50 from 2016 — a really solid (& loud) machine with a great keyboard and a decent 4k screen — and I’m thinking about upgrading it for better performance with CAD work, rendering, and video editing, without breaking the bank.

I’m a newbie with hardware and can only perform upgrades that are easy to implement and for which I can find good tutorials. E. g., no soldering.

Current specs:

• Intel Xeon CPU E3-1505M v5 @ 2.80GHz

• NVIDIA Quadro M2000M

• 32 GB RAM

• 1 TB Samsung SSD (MZSLW1T0HMLH-000L1, Samsung PM961 series NVMe SSD / 960 EVO)

• 500 GB Western Digital HDD, though that one doesn’t seem to work properly

Recommendations I collected so far:

• Replacing the current RAM with 64 GB of RAM using 2 kits of Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 2133MHz C13 XMP 2.0

• Replacing the 500 GB HDD with a Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD, 2 TB, PCIe 3.0 (probably replacing the 1 TB SDD with this, too?)

• Replacing the GPU with an NVIDIA Quadro P4000

• Disassembling everything to clean fans and heat sinks with compressed air

• Removing the original thermal paste from the CPU and replacing it with Arctic Silver 5

Things adds up pretty quickly, though, based on a quick look at the Amazon prices.

What do you think? Do these upgrades make sense? Is there a cheaper way?

[TPFanatic]

Sounds like you need more GPU power but want to continue using the P50-platform.

P50's GPU is soldered to the motherboard and cannot be replaced.

I relate to this!! I own a P71 with a P3000 GPU (techincally it is MXM on p71 and could be upgraded, BUT I opted to go for an eGPU upgrade). I also own an AKITIO NODE with a NVIDIA RTX 3060 12GB that I can plug into one of the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the back of the P71. Total cost to me was around $440 USD. Therefore...

PLAN A: My recommendation: Upgrade your P50 with an eGPU

STEP 1:

Make sure your Thunderbolt firmware on the P50 is patched.
-- Read more: https://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=135746
-- watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1xC_xQF8d4

STEP 2:

Buy an Akitio Node or equivalent eGPU box.
-- Ideally it comes with, or you also get, a Thunderbolt / USB4 cable. You can get these for cheap on aliexpress or stores like Microcenter and Best Buy.

STEP 3:

Buy a powerful GPU to put in the eGPU box.

STEP 4:

Setup your software and drivers so they use the eGPU as demanded.

ENJOY!

[Tio]

Thanks TPFanatic, that’s an interesting solution and I’ve never heard of it before. The nonchangeable CPU is indeed a major problem for upgrading the P50.

One disadvantage of the eGPU solution is that the machine would be much less portable, right?

Another potential issue: the P50 only has A-type USB ports, but for a Thunderbolt connection, you’d need a C-type port, wouldn’t you?

[mencalico]

I’ve worked on a P50 before, and honestly the biggest gains came from storage and thermals, not maxing everything out. A single fast NVMe as your main drive and ditching the dead HDD is an easy win, and 32 GB RAM is already enough for most CAD unless you’re doing massive assemblies. Cleaning the cooling system and repasting the CPU can drop temps a lot, which helps sustained performance more than people expect.

GPU swaps get expensive fast, and the jump isn’t always worth it on this platform. If you also do a lot of media prep, tools like https://www.movavi.com/audio-converter/ can help speed up workflow outside pure hardware upgrades. Sometimes smarter software choices save more time than new parts.