My T42P is so noisy...

[T42P_User]

Hi everyone!

I'am new on this board because I passed all my nerd life on Apple Computer but one day, I'll have to go on the other board to the dark force
So I would like to follow the best way : buying a laptop from IBM and buying a good one. So I choose a T42P (2.1Ghz/1GB/60Gb/DVD-R/15"SXGA). I was very happy with my box
But now...
I tried a lot Apple Powerbook but they were always almost silent...My IBM is so loud! Why ?
I can hearing the fan on the left and the drive on the right and (maybe?) an another fan for the graphic card! And this fans never stops... Is it normal ? Do you have a tricky way to reduce this noise ? It seems impossible to work like that!
As you know Apple consumers are very helpful between them are the IBM's users too ?
I wait and really hope!
Many thanks.
Dave.

[daeojkim]

There is no separate fan for CPU and GPU, they use a common heat sink connect to one fan.

Set your CPU to adaptive mode. You can do this by using battery maximizer and adding a new configuration for AC use.

This way your CPU will idle at 600MHz and speed step accordigly to demand. It will not affect your performance at all, and you computer will run cooler and fan will not be as noisy.

During normal use I cannot hear the fan on my computer. I literally have to stick my ear on the fan vent to hear it.

T42 runs much much cooler than titanium MAC that I used before.

[T42P_User]

Many thanks for yours advices.
I would try this trick but I'am not sure that it will change the noise.
Maybe the hardrive is too loud or too warm ?
But I never heard a powerbook like my Thinkpad

[Cecilia76]

Hallo,

I have both a T42p (1.8Ghz, 60 Gb 7200 rpm, 1.5 Gb RAM, etc) and a new PowerBook G4 1.67 with 80 Gb 5400 and 1 Gb RAM.
Well, I must admit the the T42p is *more noisy* than the PB. I Do like very much both my laptops, and I use them in developing cross platform applications, but sometimes I prefer using PB because of the noise. Maybe in my case is the HD with its spinning noise, I don't know. The LCD panel of my TP, anyway, is fairly superior with its super resolution 1600 x 1200.
They are VERY quite in respect to other laptops I had or seen.
They are the best machines out now, I think.

Carmine

[T42P_User]

Thanks Cecilia!
My Thinkpad runs at 2.1ghz maybe it is more hot than yours ? It will explain that the fan is often on ?
I don't know but I'am really disappointing for my first pc...
Maybe IBM will correct that ?
I read a lot of news where people are worry about the noise of their T42...

[Marc_G]

Dave-

Follow the advice given. Create a power profile that forces Adaptive CPU speed even when on A/C. My T42p (1.8 gHz model) dropped from typical temperatures of ~54 C to about 41-42 C when running in adaptive mode. At the lower temperature, the fan runs at a lower, quieter, setting.

I run plenty of CPU hogging applications, and when these go full blast, the CPU adapts to the need, runs faster, generates more heat, and the fan gets louder, but most of the time the system is cool and quiet.

Give it a shot.

Marc

[James314]

to all mods/admins - would it not be a good idea to post a sticky on the fan issue? It seems that every week there are a few questions on the fan issue. Its just getting boring to see now and its not helping the tp community understand it more at all. This a thread I helped create with Ero Zsolt, it has loads of links to all the main posts on the subject in this forum and should introduce anyone with fan issues to the key debates - http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... highlight=

hope it helps!

J.