Thinkpads Forum

I'm not sure if this has been asked before but my T61 with Nvidia graphics recently died (corrupted bios image and then blackscreen) and I'm thinking of switching the dead motherboard with one from a T61 with the Intel X3100 graphics.

It shouldn't be too hard to find one for a 14.1 widescreen model but will I need to replace anything else in my computer at the same time? (Such as the fan assembly or could the fan assembly from an Nvidia unit work?)

Also will the Intel motherboard fit in perfectly in the base? (will all the same screws align perfectly?)

As long as the old and new mobo are for the same size T61 (in your case 14.1" widescreen) then both nVidia and Intel mobos will fit.
Going from nVidia to Intel is the easiest, nothing else required.
Going from Intel to nVidia, you only need to replace the fan, that's all.
In either case you will need to install the matching graphics driver, once you are up and running again.

BTW, if your nVidia mobo died because you 'bricked' the BIOS, I would be interested in that old mobo.
I'm looking for such a mobo to experiment on.

Did you try crisis recovery of the BIOS, if it is just a corrupted bios image you might be able to recover. A T400 was recovered successfully couple of weeks ago by a friend. You will need a usb key to boot off of the crisis recovery.

Thanks for the tips. I guess I can keep the same fan then.

I didn't brick the BIOS, I think it's the famous Nvidia failure problem.
No image on screen (backlight is on) when booting. It barely works through the VGA port onto an external display but the image is corrupted (red vertical lines in BIOS), locks up when loading Windows but works with corrupted images when booting in safe mode.

That is typical of nvidia failure. A hard failure will result in 3 beeps and black screen, but a partial failure presents just as you described. Your initial post was a little vague and lead us to believe you had corrupted your bios, but I believe you mean the screen display is corrupted when booting into bios.

As mentioned, since you have the 14" widescreen, the intel board is common, so would be your best option. If you have a Penryn cpu (T8100, T8300, T9300, T9500) you'll probably need a modified bios because the penryn chip isn't supported in most Intel boards, but it's no big deal to either use a modded bios or swap cpu.

You should have no problem finding this board, here are two numbers for you....

41w1487 (merom cpu)
42w7866 (penryn cpu)

I usually have these on hand, but I sold the last over the weekend. I do have a 44c3933 which is a penryn board with nVidia, but if you don't need the more powerful graphics then you're better off with the Intel board.

Good luck

My first message was a little incoherent, but that happens when writing first thing in the morning
I ordered a penryn compatible motherboard off eBay for only $50. I'll post results when it arrives.


Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

I'd love to do this with my 15.4" T61p, but I haven't had much luck finding a safe replacement board. I expect there's an Intel-graphics board out there for 15" models, would someone happen to know some model numbers I might be able to dig around for? My old T61p has been sitting out of commission for over a year now and I would love to have it back

tannerj wrote:would someone happen to know some model numbers I might be able to dig around for?

My HMM lists two models with Intel graphics:

- 42W7651
- 42W7875

But I can't tell what's the difference between them (if there is any).

My 2 cents...

I'd look on eBay for a T61 for parts that has the intel board in it. You might be able to get one really cheap!

Not finding much of promise with those part numbers (that's in a price range I'm willing to pay at least). Found 1 untested board for $50 and I'm considering just giving it a shot.

I also found this guy here for an R61: http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Lenovo-Thin ... 3374bc6f6d

These machines are absurdly similar, any chance that board would do the job? It seems like it should, but I'm looking to get a 2nd opinion before I go for it...

Untested usually means busted, when you translate into English. The 15.4" R61 boards will not fit a T61. The firewire port (front left) is wrong and it won't fit into the case and frame. I don't have any Intel boards now.

Update: I ordered a Penryn-compatible motherboard off eBay for $50 (FRU 42W7866) and received it a day later. The swap process took no more than a couple hours and the only problem I ran into was that I dropped a screw that fell inside the fan assembly which required opening it out to remove.

Now I have a working T61 again!

richk wrote:Untested usually means busted, when you translate into English. The 15.4" R61 boards will not fit a T61. The firewire port (front left) is wrong and it won't fit into the case and frame. I don't have any Intel boards now.

Just wanted to update on this. With some "creative" modifications, it will fit. I now have my T61p up and running with an R61 board in it. I went this route as I got the board for far less then people were wanting for the intel-based T61 boards, and decided to just give it a shot (prior to seeing your response).

For the record, here are the big differences that make this replacement not viable for a simple swap:
-Wifi switch: The R61's wifi switch is off by like 1/8" inch. It fits... if you want your wifi switch permanently in the off position. I removed the plastic switch on the front of the bottom case. I never switch off wifi, so it's no loss to me, the front of the laptop just won't look as nice as it used to.
-SD card reader: The R61's card reader is taller and seems wider. It will not fit into the whole on the front of the bottom case for the T61. I expanded the whole with a Dremel tool. The palm rest assembly will also require modification in order to fit correctly.
-Firewire: As you stated, the connector for the firewire daughter board is different on the R61 from the T61, and actually sticks out about 1/4" on an island of sorts on the mother board. I have no use for firewire, and the traces on the circuit board start on the main part of the board. I cut off the 1/4" island, destroying the connector for the firewire daughter board. This was a last ditch effort and surprisingly caused no damage to the board.

I would not consider this a good repair by any means, but I was not willing to spend $200+ to bring this machine back to life. $50 and a little elbow grease? Yeah, I can do that