T61 cpu compatibility and upgrade

[Boxxer]

I have a T61 (7661-Z3W) which has never been tampered with apart from the hard drive. Due to its 2GB RAM and dated T7250 cpu I've been considering getting a new laptop, but I believe maybe something can be done to improve it.

Regarding the cpu, can I drop a T9300/9500 in there and expect it to work without any issues? Will I have to upgrade the BIOS as well?
Other than that, will that setup plus an upgrade to 4GB RAM allow the T61 to run Win 7 64bit?

Thanks

[Raceboy]

You most likely have to upgrade BIOS to Middleton one in order to run Penryn CPU (T8100/8300/9300/9500/X9000).

But you can run W7 64bit already with your current CPU/memory.

[Boxxer]

Thanks, those are good news! I thought it was too old to support the T9300/9500.

Regarding the BIOS update, I can run it from Windows itself, or is it a "bootable" sort of update requiring external media (usb pen, cd, dvd...)?

[miro_gt]

you can run bios update from Windows. That's the way I prefer to do it anyways.

[Boxxer]

you can run bios update from Windows. That's the way I prefer to do it anyways.

Great, I'll give it a go tomorrow and report back
Already ordered a T9300 from eBay.

[Oro]

I just spent many hours figuring out the best way to do this on a pair of T61s. What I learned from the forum (miro_gt, TuuS, others) was this:

1) Flash the bios from within the existing 32 bit Windows installation - the Middleton package makes this very easy; there is a "wsetup.exe" or something similar in the 32-bit file folder. Do this before you switch to 64-bit; it's possible of course to do within a 64-bit OS, but the installation is different and a little more complicated.

2) Then I did the Windows 7 64-bit install after the BIOS. This was from a 4gb USB stick that had been a) made bootable from an MS boot creator utility, and then b) the Win 7/64 iso copied to the stick. Very fast and painless. The following linked article has an embedded link to the MS tool to create a bootable installer (like most all things, it's nearly impossible to find on your own in the MS webmaze (it would be utterly dishonest to call MS's web presence a "site" - it's a "maze.")):

http://arstechnica.com/business/2009/12 ... ash-drive/

There are other ways to do it, but this is simple.

With a T9300, 4gb ram, and Win 7/64, I am very, very pleased with performance in a t61p. I will add an SSD soon, and I am taking advantage of the Middleton wifi white list to add an Intel 5300 wifi card. With these fairly inexpensive and easy updates, I don't think I'll be looking for another computer for several years.

I added the T9300 after the bios/OS change and honestly the difference vs. a T7300 (for my albeit not-taxing) uses was not huge. But the T7250 has 1/2 the L2 cache of even the 7300, so you'll probably see a bigger jump. If you don't swap chips all the time (I don't), be aware you need a small packet of TIM or "thermal paste/grease" to install the new CPU.

[Boxxer]

Thanks for putting it all together, this is really helpful. I feel a lot more confident and will definitely give my feedback.

[Boxxer]

I was checking the link provided in another thread for the (middleton) patch to upgrade the BIOS but I don't know which one to download, because my 7661 is not listed there. Does it mean mine doesn't support it?

[miro_gt]

it will work fine, my intel laptop is also 7661.

[Boxxer]

It did work fine, ran it under WinXP 32bit. Will proceed to upgrade CPU (when it arrives) and OS to Win7 64bit

[Boxxer]

Hi guys, I need your help again.
I ordered a T9300 from a 100% seller in eBay but it turns out he sent me a quad core Q9000 SLGEJ.
I'm guessing this has nothing to do with Penryn and I'm also guessing T61 does not support it. Am I right?

[Fixed_Rider]

Check with TuuS. I believe he is running a Q9000 in a unit of his.

[ajkula66]

Check with TuuS. I believe he is running a Q9000 in a unit of his.

Nope. TuuS has X9000, Q9000 is a no-go in these machines AFAIK.

[Boxxer]

Yes, I read something about the X9000, but not the Q9000.
Have to send it back, then.

[TuuS]

As far as I know only the W700 supports the Q9000, but the chip is worth slightly more then a T9300 from what I recall, however there are limited applications for it. It's also a different bus speed from the T61 series. Would be nice if it would work, but not a chance of that.

It's also not an easy chip to sell because if I recall, it's the lowest quad core option on the w700. It might be a suitable upgrade chip on other brands of laptops though.

[Boxxer]

Thanks, I actually returned it and got the T9300 but I sold my T61 in the meantime, so I ended up with a fresh T9300 to spare.