Thinkpads Forum

Hi everyone!

First time in this forum, trying to find a new MoBo for my T61. Does anybody know the compatible ones for a 7664-19G?
I've found many T61 motherboards, but how can I know if they are compatible? Checking ports situation and its size is enough to decide it?

Thanks in advance.

I'd be wary if the listing is on Ebay. I'd look at the Marketplace on this forum or better yet contact TuuS. You'll not find a more reputable seller.

These are the P/N or FRU of possible boards:
with Intel GM965 graphics:
41W1487 for Merom CPU (all T5xx or T7xx)
42W7866 for Penryn (T8xx or T9xx) but also take Merom CPU

with Nvidia NVS140 graphics:
41W1489 Merom
44C3933/42W7867 Penryn

Unless you really need the discrete nVidia graphics, I would strongly suggest you buy an Intel board.
nVidia boards tend to fail, and on eBay you never know whether it has been 'baked' or 'faked' already.

Thanks!!!
So, in my case (with a T7300) the best choice would be a 41W1487, right?

TuuS hasn't any 41W1487, but there are many on ebay.

Thanks a lot!

The 42W7866 is a newer revision and would be my choice, but you can use either one.

But having a T7300? I'd need to change CPU too, right?

Anyway, could i use 7659-CTO or 7660-CTO MoBos? I can get them cheap.

Thanks a lot for your help!!!

No need to replace the CPU, you can use your existing one. Having said that, since you'll have everything apart now would be a good time to upgrade the CPU if that's something that you want to do. A T9300 is ideal for these machines but even a T7500 can be had for cheap.

RealBlackStuff wrote:for Penryn (T8xx or T9xx) but also take Merom CPU

It would be sooooooooooooo nice if people would pay attention...

Cut the guy some slack. Maybe he doesn't know Intel's naming convention for their chips. Only geeks like us would pay attention. It's not as easy as the days of 286, 386, 486. Based on his OP I'm guessing he just wants confirmation and needed to know for certain. Which is OK because that's what this forum is partly for.

Cigarguy wrote:Cut the guy some slack. Maybe he doesn't know Intel's naming convention for their chips.

You are completely right Cigarguy, I didn't know Intel's naming. I'm a bit outdated! :s

Thanks for your help RealBlackStuff. I'll try to find a 42W7866.

I'll keep you informed!

Hi guys!

Following your recommendations... I've just bought a 42W7866. Now, my question is: "having a working T7300 at home, is it worth spending money in a T9300?

And if i finally maintain my current CPU, is a moded BIOS needed to plug a Merom CPU in a 42W7866?

Thanks!

You could continue with your T7300 without problems, selling it will bring you only ~$6.-
The T9300 costs $45.- and up
It is the best value for money if you want a faster/better CPU.
It also runs cooler than your T7300, which (even in northern Spain) would be a very good thing.
You should definitely apply Middleton's BIOS, it will give your laptop SATA-II speed (only SATA-I without that BIOS).

The order of upgrades I would do is SSD first, 4 GB of RAM then finally a T9300. The SSD will give you the biggest overall performance gain. You will notice a slight performance gain going from a T7300 to T9300 but not as dramatic.

Sauron_EH wrote:is a moded BIOS needed to plug a Merom CPU in a 42W7866?

Thanks!

The 42w7866 is the latest revision of a 14.1 widescreen board with intel graphics and supports both Merom and Penryn cpu chips so no modded bios would be required.

These are great boards and one of the best options for converting a system from a failed nVidia board being nVidia boards with the updated gpu chip are so rare and expensive, but if anyone does want one of these rare boards, I just got one in, it was installed by lenovo on-site warranty as a brand new (not refurbished) board, model 42w7867 and the nVidia chip is dated 9-11 (2009/ 11th week). It's an extremely rare board, even more so then the coveted 08/08 boards. I also have a brand new NOS 42w7866 that is new-in-box, as well as some used pulls that have been fully refurbished. As for cpu chips, you might want to consider the T8100 chip, it gets overlooked but is a worth chip and the most efficient cpu that you can run on one of these systems. The T9300 is both faster and more powerful, but the T8100 can be purchased very cheap and will run so much cooler then the rest that you'll rarely need the fan running, the passive cooling will provide enough for lite use and the penryn's ability to run cooler will also prevent thermal throttling and allow you to run at full speed while faster chips will get throttled down when temps get high so much like the parable of the tortoise and the hare, the faster chips may need to slow down and rest while the more efficent chip walks right past. It's actually one of my favorite cpu chips and very affordable. offering a clock speed of 2.1ghz and a die that's half the size of the T9300 and about 1/3rd the size of the t7300.