Thinkpads Forum

hello, i spilled some water on my t60 and shut it off / took out batteries / etc. After waiting a few days i turned it on. it worked for a little while then the whole screen turn to bars of color. This happened a few times, now the screen will not power on at all. (power light comes on, screen does nothing) Is their a part to replace or way to fox this or is the mobo totally screwed?

Water damage is usually lethal for a motherboard.
Unless you get at it immediately, it's a very rare occasion indeed, that it can be saved.
Start looking for a new motherboard.
For a regular (4:3 size model, 14.1" or 15") T60 there are 4 mobos to choose from: Intel graphics, ATI X1300, ATI X1400 and ATI FireGL.
Any board will work with whatever else you have.
What is the TYPE of your T60 (see label on the bottom)?

Unfortunately sounds like you're screwed. Water and electronics just don't mix. Just not design to swim.

It's too late now, of course, but when computing at home on my TP, I keep a bottle of 91% Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol within arms reach.

It may be an old wives tale, one who worked in IT, but aside from pulling out the plug and battery, supposedly, pouring pure, or near pure, Isopropyl alcohol into an electronic device will wick away the water and evaporate it more quickly than letting it stand. I have yet to prove this, and hope to never do so, but it sounds plausible at least. 99 cents isn't much to spend to have the option available to me.

Radioguy wrote:It's too late now, of course, but when computing at home on my TP, I keep a bottle of 91% Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol within arms reach.

It may be an old wives tale, one who worked in IT, but aside from pulling out the plug and battery, supposedly, pouring pure, or near pure, Isopropyl alcohol into an electronic device will wick away the water and evaporate it more quickly than letting it stand. I have yet to prove this, and hope to never do so, but it sounds plausible at least. 99 cents isn't much to spend to have the option available to me.

That's why I love electronics. Can't swim but loves to drink.

thank you so much for the responses. I guess on the plus side i could update the graphics along with the mobo. The "Type" listed is a 2008-CTO (s/n L3-AL718).

any suggestions for a mobo? (does the firegl have more memory/clock then the other types? if so what is part number please)

If you remove the battery, you might see a small white label with the P/N or FRU number on it.
If there's no label, you need to remove the palmrest and the RAM modules to find another white label under them.
2008 indicates it has ATI graphics, but that's all (see also my first post).
And your S/N is not registered in Lenovo's database...
I have an X1400 and a FireGL mobo lying around here, that I could sell you.

under the memory their are three labels. one says " PLANAR FRU P/N 42T0120 "

i have used some 3d applications before and noticed some lag, so whatever card you believe is more powerful would be ok. (i am not very familiar with notebook GPU's)

ones on ebay seem to be about 20-25, what do you think is fair?

That $20-30 on eBay is for mobos that don't even work...

Yours is an ATI X1300 64MB mobo 42T0120.
I have an ATI X1400 128MB mobo 42T0163 for $35.- shipped.
And an ATI FireGL V5200 256MB mobo 44C3710 for $70.- shipped.
Both cards will run warmer than your 'old' card, but with Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste that will stay manageable
Obviously the FireGL is the most powerful of those two.
If you don't feel up to replacing the mobo yourself, you can ship the laptop to me and for a reasonable $50.- I will swap it for you.
Payment is accepted via USPS Money Order or via PayPal (but add 3%).
PM me if interested.

hello, i believe this user is offering me a good deal and i will buy from him, but i am wondering if anyone else here has bought from him and could post, just to be on the safe side, thanks.

RealBlackStuff is a good guy. About as good as it gets buying from a stranger. Buy with confidence.

sona1111 wrote:hello, i believe this user is offering me a good deal and i will buy from him, but i am wondering if anyone else here has bought from him and could post, just to be on the safe side, thanks.

If you're considering buying form RBS, then don't give it a second though, you will get exactly what he offered, exactly as described. He is one of the most respected sellers here, just check our positive feedback thread. You'll see many names mentioned many times, his included... and perhaps even my own and I buy/sell/trade with RBS regularly and can't recommend anyone higher.

Additionally, the prices he has offered you on these boards are way below any I've seen. We're talking about boards that Lenovo sells for about $600 used. I'd grab one of these fast before someone else gets them all.

RealBlackStuff wrote:For a regular (4:3 size model, 14.1" or 15") T60 there are 4 mobos to choose from: Intel graphics, ATI X1300, ATI X1400 and ATI FireGL.

There are actually five types as there are two FireGL cards, the V5200 and the V5250. The V5200 is basically an X1600/X1650 (not sure which) designed for CAD work.

Fifty bucks is dirt cheap for a motherboard swap.

Overall, that's cheaper than buying the parts and doing it yourself in most cases. I have no problem doing them but at that price I'd "sub-contract" to RBS!

Sorry to disappoint you!
buying a motherboard has its price.
Swapping it out is in addition to the motherboard's price!
There's no such thing as a free lunch!

I recently bought a ATI FireGL V5200 256MB mobo 44C3710 from RBS to replace a motherboard that had the fan fuse burn out, would highly recommend.