[GTALUG] Thinkpad T420 as a VM host

[Alex Volkov]

So I replaced a 4GB memory stick in my Thinkpad  T420 with an 8GB one
bringing the total amount of available ram to 12GB with maximum of
16GB.Even though Lenovo say that the laptop supports only 8 GB of ram total.

As it stands now this 4 year old machine becomes a pretty cost-effective
platform for virtualization:

* Intel Core i5-2410M
* 16GB max memory (~$65 per 8GB stick).
* 2 SATA ports (built-in and ultrabay)
* 2 mSata ports (one could be used for solid state storage)
* 1 eSata port.
* 1 Gigabit ethernet
* 1 SD card

Canada computers sells refurbished ones for about $300 and I think there
are some available in Brampton. Also I saw a few similar refurbished
machines on Amazon.

Alex.