Thinkpads Forum

Just ordered Arctic 5 thermal paste and was wondering if the Win 7 32 isn't overtaxing the T61. Everything is going smoothly so far, for the most part, and I prefer the Win 7 interface. I was thinking though, that the more basic Win XP 32 might be less demanding on the system and would leave more resources open for other applications and would cause less trouble when trying to install vintage games from the 90s or early 2000s.

But who knows, maybe this question will become obsolete once I attempt to change the thermal paste and break the cpu or any other important part in the process.

My temperatures I would also like to mention here briefly (screened with TPFC.62): CPU: always 50>°C, GPU: always 60>°C, I am thus far only on desktop, using just the browser (Chrome).

T61 (in case there are differences):

CPU: T7300 @2Ghz
RAM: 3Gb

Regards.

I thought the same way you did, so I've been running WinXP 32bit for half a year on my T60.
I had trouble playing HD movies on youtube and x264 files. Also flash performance was not at best.

I switched to Windows7 x64 and performance actually increased! HD movies where playing fine and flash was faster
Apparently Win7 directs the hardware better than WinXP.

I have Win XP/vista/7 each in 32 and 64 Bit at my disposal. I fear lots of compatability problems when using 64 bit os. Does it make a big difference to a 32 Bit os? I thought 64 bit is mainly useful if you have more than 3 Gb of RAM, isn't it? What are other perks of a 64 Bit os, maybe I can be swayed to make the switch to 7 64 bit, even though it is supposed to be even more demanding than the 32 Bit version of the same os.

I'm running W7x64 on my T61p - 6GB RAM. No issues here. Does well.

zemlin wrote:I'm running W7x64 on my T61p - 6GB RAM. No issues here. Does well.

Wow, 6Gb RAM is massive. That of course offers the 64 bit version enough room to operate. I have only a meager 3 gb of RAM, maybe that is a sufficient argument for the 32 bit version.

The only benefit of using a 64-bit OS is that it can utilize more than 3GB of RAM, while a 32-bit can only access 3 or less.

Some people say they notice a performance increase with less than 3GB of RAM with 64-bit, but I have tried it and did not see it. I think it was a placebo effect.

Peyton wrote:The only benefit of using a 64-bit OS is that it can utilize more than 3GB of RAM, while a 32-bit can only access 3 or less.

Some people say they notice a performance increase with less than 3GB of RAM with 64-bit, but I have tried it and did not see it. I think it was a placebo effect.

Yes, that's what I thought as well. so the 32 Bit version should be sufficient with my 3 GB RAM. Are there any arguments pro Win XP or even Vista or is 7 32 still the best option for my T61?

XP is far leaner on startup. I had a system trimmed down and it would boot up in under 100 MB, where you'll be close to 1GB of RAM usage on startup with W7. I have not done any performance comparisons between the two, but I assume that info is out there.

zemlin wrote:XP is far leaner on startup. I had a system trimmed down and it would boot up in under 100 MB, where you'll be close to 1GB of RAM usage on startup with W7. I have not done any performance comparisons between the two, but I assume that info is out there.

So XP will run everything 7 runs and it is far less demanding and therefore, I suppose, working with XP is smoother, especially if you have lower amounts of RAM?

my older T61 (with 3GB RAM limit) runs Win7_Enterprise x32 - at blazin fast speeds with Middilton Bios mod; and 8GB memory loaded physically - anything above 3.2GB ram = I use as SSD via Super Cache
(( never needed a SSD as its noth worth that money IMHO))
Laptop is in use daily by teens @ home and hasnt missed a beat.....

I also added the lenovo "rapid boot" app from T5xx...boot times in sub 15 sec to desptop after fingure swipe at post !

Hope this is helpfull to someone

I would either stay with 32-bit Windows 7 or, if you don't mind the time and money, install some additional RAM and get 64-bit Windows 7 or Vista. Your hardware is 64 bit, there's no reason why your software shouldn't be. 64-bit browser versions are being released, and i suppose web pages will render faster with these. I suppose that 32-bit software only uses half of each register, not very effective. Microsoft will support Win 7 for longer than Vista, so that speaks for Windows 7. Forget XP. Support for XP ends in less than two years.

TheAnyKey wrote: working with XP is smoother, especially if you have lower amounts of RAM?

In general, yes, because it is a lighter operating system. But some anomalies do occur; for instance, 7 just runs more smoothly than XP on my old, low-spec laptop.

Also, if it is a possibility, you could give a distribution of GNU/Linux a try. I am currently running Xubuntu 12.04 on my T60p and IMO it runs better than any Windows installation.

I'm thinking my T61P will be the first place I try Windows 8. I don't use my laptop for anything mission critical, so it's the lowest risk - the rest of the computers in the house are higher horsepower, so it will be a good test rig.

Actually Win 7 with all it's processes (nothing disabled), utorrent, gmail app, TPF only use 448MB RAM as soon as i can open the task manager at start up.
XP about ~200MB less

I prefer Seven or Vista over XP anyday, and there are other benefits to x64 over x86 besides the limits mentioned so inaccurately here, so first lets set the record straight...

You can run 64gb of ram on some versions of XP 32bit, specifically Windows server 2003 Datacenter or Enterprise editions (just to name two), but there are other restrictions of the x86 architecture besides the address space, but first...

The x86 32bit processor has only 4gb of address space, so on a stripped down lean machine with no unneeded hardware the basic devices will use about 0.5gb leaving about 3.5gb for ram. On a typical thinkpad you get about 3gb or slightly less, but with PAE (phisical address extension) enabled you can go way beyond 4gb. I have 32bit windows running on this T61 with 8gb of ram and it uses all of it, however no app can use more then 2gb, which can be tweaked using 4 gigabit mode. Normally an app is limited to 2gb for app, 2gb for system, but you can adjust this to give more for the app, perhaps 3gb and 1 for system, however if you have a processor that supports AMD x86-64 extension to Intel's x86 architecture then you really should use an operating system that takes full advantage of this technology. What I'd recommend is doing the following...

Create multiple harddrive partitions, then get however many windows versions you want to try, start with the oldest and install them one in each partition. When you're done you'll have a boot menu and can select which ever you want to run. I think once you get used to vista or seven you'll never want to use XP again. I only use XP on old systems that won't run a newer os very well. If the system runs Seven well, it will outperform XP on the same system and the same goes for vista. They do require more resources, but they use these resources very well, they don't usually waste them, and a well tuned system should use as much ram as you have, there is no benefit to having 4gb installed and only using 2. Some people improperly call that being efficient to use less ram, but you have a faster and more stable system if it uses all the resources available. Think of it this way, if you go shopping and fill your refrigerator up half way someone might think you were being efficient by saving room in case you need it, until they realize you have to travel to the store twice as much as the person who keeps the fridge full, so in reality you'll spend less time waiting and more time having fun. XP was designed originally when systems had 128mb of ram, so it was forced to be inefficient, where vista and seven will use as much as you feed it.

Of course some people don't like change and if you're happy with XP then you should stick with it., there is no right and wrong opinions here, only preferrences.

I'm running Win7 x64 on my T61.
I maxed my T61 w 8GB of RAM, so I would not have to remove and replace if I wanted/needed more RAM later.

I would like to install Win7 x86 (32bit) on my older computers, but
- the laptop (Thinkpad G40) does not have video drivers for Win7.
- the desktop motherboard does not have HW drivers for Win7.
So I'm stuck w XP for them.

@zemlin
I would appreciate any tips on trimming down XP.
I would like to get those older laptops running a bit faster.

TheAnyKey wrote:Just ordered Arctic 5 thermal paste and was wondering if the Win 7 32 isn't overtaxing the T61. Everything is going smoothly so far, for the most part, and I prefer the Win 7 interface. I was thinking though, that the more basic Win XP 32 might be less demanding on the system and would leave more resources open for other applications and would cause less trouble when trying to install vintage games from the 90s or early 2000s.

But who knows, maybe this question will become obsolete once I attempt to change the thermal paste and break the cpu or any other important part in the process.

My temperatures I would also like to mention here briefly (screened with TPFC.62): CPU: always 50>°C, GPU: always 60>°C, I am thus far only on desktop, using just the browser (Chrome).

T61 (in case there are differences):

CPU: T7300 @2Ghz
RAM: 3Gb

Regards.

You shouldn't have any problem at all or I must be extremely lucky. I bought my T60p in 2006 (T7400 & 3GB) and have used Windows 7 since beta. I've also done a lot of batch video rendering using at various times Sorenson Media, MS Expression Encoder, and Adobe Premiere. There were times when it would be chewing through a batch of videos for 90 minutes or more with both cores at 100% and Core temps at 90C +/-. I've upgraded to a T61p and swapped in a T9300. As a torture/burn-in test I queued up an hours worth of video rendering and the T61p chewed through them in about half the time. the biggest difference is that while Sorenson Meda was running on the T61p, I could still use it to do other things like OL 2K7 and web surfing. I couldn't do that with the T60p.

ac12 wrote:@zemlin
I would appreciate any tips on trimming down XP.
I would like to get those older laptops running a bit faster.

This is the guide I've always used http://www.blackviper.com/service-confi ... gurations/

hoax32 wrote:Actually Win 7 with all it's processes (nothing disabled), utorrent, gmail app, TPF only use 448MB RAM as soon as i can open the task manager at start up.
XP about ~200MB less

I have not compared W7x32 vs W7x64 - all my installs have bit 64 bit. On those 1GB or more at boot is what I've seen. I have not tried to trim it down, as all my machines have decent RAM - and I'm lazy these days.

TuuS wrote:......
You can run 64gb of ram on some versions of XP 32bit, specifically Windows server 2003 Datacenter or Enterprise editions (just to name two), but there are other restrictions of the x86 architecture besides the address space, but first...

.......

Hiya TUuS;
can you tell me HOW ie which proc'or ? which MB? can do 64GB on a laptop??
(( know lots of PC/Servers/Workstations which are capable of doing/have got 64GB RAM running on XP Enterprise))......nevder heard of that much RAM on a laptop? so am curious?

Thanks
Mike

I run Windows 7 64-bit on both my T61p and W500. Both have 8GB of RAM. It absolutely flies, is dead stable, and I have no problems with anything remotely resembling overheating. I have *zero* desire for a new computer.

My boss is running a T60/T61 FrankNpad with 4GB of RAM, and a 7200rpm 320GB hard drive. His computer runs fine as well, running 64-bit Windows 7.

I'm not aware of any modern laptop that supports 64GB of ram. I am aware of some which do 32GB. I doubt Windows Server 2003 Enterprise/Datacenter would run acceptably on them due to a lack of drivers, nor can I understand why anyone would want to do so...

64-bit Vista (must have SP2) or 7 is The Way Forward... but if you're stuck with less than 4GB of RAM, I can see 32-bit being preferable as the RAM footprint is smaller...

I haven't used anything with <4GB in some time now, so I lack perspective...

IMO, if you want the best balance of great experience/money spent on a T61, use 4GB of ram, 64-bit W7, and get a cheap SSD. Doesn't matter what kind. Just back up often. Install Middleton's BIOS, and you're off to the races.