Thinkpads Forum

I'm trying to install a T9300 in my T61 laptop. The laptop contains the NVidia graphics chip and I'm not sure if that is a problem.

The problem is whenever I put the T9300 in the laptop it won't post. When I put the T7300 back in it works fine. I've even taken the memory out to see if I get the beeps but I get nothing.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong or if this motherboard just doesn't support the T9300 chip?

*I have installed the modified BIOS as well.*

Thanks,

Adam

Welcome to the forum!

I'm suspecting a bad CPU here - have you tested it in another machine?

Even without a modded BIOS, a T61 should boot but give a "thermal error" warning on boot. Nvidia vs. Intel makes no difference in this particular scenario.

Good luck.

ajkula66 wrote:Welcome to the forum!

I'm suspecting a bad CPU here - have you tested it in another machine?

Even without a modded BIOS, a T61 should boot but give a "thermal error" warning on boot. Nvidia vs. Intel makes no difference in this particular scenario.

Good luck.

Thanks for the quick response. I purchased the chip online... actually this is the second chip I purchased. The first one was a T9500 and didn't work either so I returned it and the seller said it worked fine. I then ordered another, this time a T9300 (hoping maybe the slightly slower speed might help). Both were doing the exact same thing. It is possible this chip and the first were both bad but I don't know. The only other laptops I have to play with are a T60, T42 and a T41p. I don't think the T60 can use this chip and I know the T4x can not.

Thanks!

Put your old CPU back in, then apply Middleton's BIOS: http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo- ... ost6501443
You need the 5th BIOS.
When done, try the new CPU again.
If still no go, it's a dud.

Thanks, I've applied this BIOS once, I'll reapply just in case.

Thanks,

Adam

Tried it again with no luck. The 7300 and 7500 chips work without any problem.

I put the 9300 in another T61 with Intel graphcis that I borrowed from a friend and it worked fine (other than the the thermal warning).

Guess there is something on my Nvidia board preventing it from posting.

This is interesting, I've never seen any T61 that won't run a Penryn cpu with the middelton bios installed. Please give me the full model, serial and date code from the laptop, and the FRU number from the system board, you can send them to me privately if you like, but I'm leaning to suspect you may have something defective on the board that only the Penryn class cpu seems to trigger, but it would be nice to know exactly what parts you have in case we run into this again.

ps. depending on how serious you are about trying to track this down, I may be willing to look at this system for you and see if I can sort it out... mostly for informational purposes, so if you want answers and are willing to pay some postage, I may be willing to do some testing, but the best solution might be to just put a faster merom chip in it, or get a penryn board.

Sorry I don't have any answers for you, but just thought I'd chime in with a real similar scenario I ran into when using different T61 cpu chips in some of my T61 boards (all 14.1 WS, both Intel and Nvidia).

For example, I had (3) T7300 chips that I had planned to use to upgrade the processor chip on some of my T61's and one laptop in particular 2 of those chips didn't work while the 3rd one did (with no BIOS updating or anything done before/after). I don't think anything is wrong with those other 2 chips, just haven't tried them in a different machine yet.

I also had at one point a T9300 cpu, and that wouldn't work in a couple T61's I had (all 14.1 WS). So I was kinda bummed out in thinking it was a dud part, but then finally found a machine it did work in. But thinking back, I may have done the Middleton BIOS on that one, can't remember.

I don't see a reason why a T7300 chip would not work in that T61 (Intel board I believe) running the stock IBM bios (that was probably a couple years old at that).

But yeah, I've run into this as well on a couple T61 machines...

Every Merom T61 that I've tried a Penryn CPU in has failed to even POST. I've never tried a modified BIOS, but I thought it was just to eliminate the thermal sensing error. Is it possible that certain T61 boards won't work at all with Penryn CPUs?

that's interesting. I have T9500 in my 14" standard screen T61 (nVidia), and I just purchased another T9500 for my other 14" wide screen with intel graphics. I'll see if it gives any problems, but frankly didn't think it would be of a problem.

miro_gt wrote:that's interesting. I have T9500 in my 14" standard screen T61 (nVidia), and I just purchased another T9500 for my other 14" wide screen with intel graphics. I'll see if it gives any problems, but frankly didn't think it would be of a problem.

I've never had a problem with a Penryn in an Intel board, and I've installed quite a few.

In all fairness, I don't have sufficient experience with nVidia boards to claim the same thing, but haven't seen any issues yet...

I've installed T9300 chips in every flavor of T61 board made, 14.1 standard merom and penryn boards, intel, nvs140m and fx570m, 14.1 wide merom and penryn, intel and nvs140m, and 15.4 wide merom and penryn, intel, nvs140m and fx570m, all have worked.

My only guess is that some very old boards might be different somehow, or perhaps you have a different cpu, perhaps an engineering sample? What are the codes on it? can we get a photo? and the fru of the system board as well as the model serial and date code on the laptop (you can send that privately if you don't want to post it in the forum).

Without any more info I'm leaning towards a special revision of the chip, or an experimental version that are commonly smuggled out of the factories and sold on the black market via ebay. I've also read that some BGA (ball grid array) chips were converted to PGA (pin grid array) by chinese years ago when these chips were new to save money. Perhaps you could have ended up with one of these chips?


I'll see what I can figure out.


ps. Every T9300 chip I've used originally shipped in a late model T61p except for one that I bought brand new in january 2008 in my first T61, first month of production. all have worked in everything I plugged them into.

just as I though - works like a champ