Thinkpads Forum

I am buying a T61p 2.4GHz Nvidia fx570 1920x1200 display 160GB hard drive 4 gigs of ram 802.11n wifi blah blah Type: 6458-c58. I currently have a W520 4270-CTO for my main machine. I am going to use the T61p for Linux. Anything specific I should know about this model T61p? I know that the NVS 140 graphics chips had an issue is certain years, but I don't know about the FX570. I am paying $125 for it with original power adapter and a battery that lasts 3 hours. sound like a good deal? Anything I should know? Thank you everyone

Only the last few T61p machines manufactured with the nVidia chips are not affected by the defect. I bought mine new in 10/2007 (6459-CTO) and your model number being nearly identical tells me it's about the same age... in short, there's little chance yours is not affected unless it has a motherboard that was replaced by Lenovo with a remanufactured board with a non-defective chip on it. The only way to tell would be to open it up and have a look at the date code on the die of the GPU itself to determine when it was manufactured (I've read that chips manufactured after about the 12-14th week of 2008 are most likely the fixed version).

That said... I got 6-1/2 years of hard use (let's just say... 6 years of on-time) out of my original defective chip motherboard before it got to the point where I couldn't stress the GPU without it crashing the machine. I had a custom fan schedule set in TPFanControl to keep temps as low as possible during heavy use and would clean dust from the heatsink regularly, which is my explanation as to why I got as much time out of it as I did considering the "heavy" use I put it through.

Early last year I bought a used "100% working" motherboard of the same type (0811 GPU date code and the new BIOS which fully supports Penryn CPUs) to replace the original motherboard, and so far it's been working fine. The original motherboard still works fine for everyday computing (just no gaming or 3D stuff), so I built a spare for my wife to use.

I'm not sure if there's a Linux equivalent of TPFanControl, but definitely use it to keep your GPU cool. 75C is my "ideal peak" temp; I would set the fan to "64" for maximum RPM at anything over 65C.

Thanks for the info, I'm assuming that it would be best to pull it apart and clean out the fan and replace the thermal paste when I get it? Also take note of the date on the graphics chip? $125 a good deal for this machine?

Moderator edit: Snipped unnecessary quoting.

Yeah, I guess $125 is in line with what I'd expect to pay for one like you described. A good battery, working FX570m chip and the WUXGA screen (the latter of those is what pushed me over the edge in deciding to get the T61p in the first place).. As long as it's not a cosmetic lemon, I'd say you did well.

The T61p is a power hungry beast. At full load mine will draw 60 watts from the battery; "idling" (still some 40% core usage) with a dozen tabs open in Firefox with full brightness it still draws nearly 30W. My original 6 cell - when new - would give 2.5 hours of battery life if I babied the thing. I opted for the 6 cell + 3 cell ultrabay battery, combined they would give me up to 4 hours with minimum brightness, low workload etc. I'd imagine you could squeeze 5 hours out of a new 9 cell + 3 cell if you needed to. Realistically I'd say 15-20 minutes of use per cell.

Definitely open it up and give the fan/heat sinks a good cleaning and use a good thermal paste after properly cleaning all contact surfaces. For reference, I believe the date code on my original GPU was somewhere in the realm of 0736.

Out of all my ThinkPads, this one is still my favorite. The 1920x1200 res just has me hooked.

I'm running Xubuntu 14.10 on my T61, and there is fan control software known as Thinkfan that you can use with, I believe, any Debian-based distro like Ubuntu. It takes some tinkering in the Terminal to set it up correctly, and you need to be comfortable with editing the configuration file yourself. But it is very effective at controlling the fan.

I can post some instructions that worked for me if you want. In this thread or through PM.

sethwm2 wrote: Anything I should know?

Once you've re-pasted CPU/GPU and installed the hard drive/OS, install TPFC, then Furmark.

With TPFC on "manual" (fan 7) Run Furmark for at least 6-8 hours, occasionally observing the GPU temperatures. Report back.

Do not let the machine sleep or hibernate - keep it on 24/7/365 - just turn the LCD off when not in use.

Install Middleton's BIOS, 4GB RAM, SSD, load W7 and enjoy.

ajkula66 wrote: Do not let the machine sleep or hibernate - keep it on 24/7/365 - just turn the LCD off when not in use.

I leave mine on stock fan settings, and put it into sleep and back out frequently throughout the day. No issues and it's an earlier one.

In my opinion, all of the T61s that should have died, are long dead.

micrex22 wrote:

ajkula66 wrote:Do not let the machine sleep or hibernate - keep it on 24/7/365 - just turn the LCD off when not in use.

I leave mine on stock fan settings, and put it into sleep and back out frequently throughout the day. No issues and it's an earlier one.

In my opinion, all of the T61s that should have died, are long dead.

I agree with this, mine has a Novell asset tag on the bottom of it. Its physical condition is almost mint like new. But I can only assume that it had a hard long life being used at a software development company. The track point is worn shiny and part of the N key has worn off. If the graphics chip was going to die I would think it would have already happened.

sethwm2 wrote:

micrex22 wrote:I leave mine on stock fan settings, and put it into sleep and back out frequently throughout the day. No issues and it's an earlier one.

In my opinion, all of the T61s that should have died, are long dead.

I agree with this, mine has a Novell asset tag on the bottom of it. Its physical condition is almost mint like new. But I can only assume that it had a hard long life being used at a software development company. The track point is worn shiny and part of the N key has worn off. If the graphics chip was going to die I would think it would have already happened.

Well, some ten days ago I sold a 14" T61p to someone whose machine - an identical one in most respects - had just succumbed to nVidia bug.

So yeah, many of these laptops are still running well but being cautious in the manner that I had previously described doesn't hurt.

To each their own.

I tend to agree with George... exposure to high temperatures and repeated heat cycles is what does these chips in. Relatively light or careful use will extend the lifespan, but the design flaw is still present and will eventually let go under the right set of circumstances. Nobody can really estimate how "used up" a particular defective chip is until it starts to show the signs of early failure.

I had been using my 10/07 T61p continuously for some 5 years before I started to see signs of GPU failure. I started to really take it easy on the GPU and paid closer attention to temperatures after that. I finally replaced the motherboard with one that wasn't as far advanced in its progression of GPU failure about 9 months ago so I could continue to use the machine normally. The original motherboard still worked/works for everyday use and gets used once or twice a month in a spare T61p I built.

I just acquired a T61 myself.

I'm surprised to hear that T60 series also have GPU problems. Being owner of T23 and T42 that were prone to motherboard failures, I hope I didn't get a problematic thinkpad again this time.

I am wondering why the T-series thinkpads are plagued by motherboard failures so much. These are supposed to be their premiere business models.

arabianights wrote:I just acquired a T61 myself.

Congrats! What size and which graphics?

I'm surprised to hear that T60 series also have GPU problems.

Not as bad as A3x or pre-T43 T4x series, but it does happen...

I hope I didn't get a problematic thinkpad again this time.

Let's hope that it serves you well...

I am wondering why the T-series thinkpads are plagued by motherboard failures so much. These are supposed to be their premiere business models.

True, but even the youngest T61 is going to be seven years old by the end of this year...let alone its predecessors...these things are OLD. Ancient in computer years...

ajkula66 wrote:Congrats! What size and which graphics?
...

T 61 used
2.0GHZ
Screen 14.1
RAM: 2G
H.D: 120GB
WIN 7
WIRELESS WI-FI
AC ADAPTER
CD/DVD/RW [BURN DVD AND CD]

got it for $85.00 off craigslist, haven't checked out the type of graphics yet.

arabianights wrote:
got it for $85.00 off craigslist, haven't checked out the type of graphics yet.

What's the 7-character model number shown on the same tag that holds the serial number and production date on the bottom of the laptop?

Don't post the serial, but DO post both the 7-character MTM and the production date.

ajkula66 wrote: What's the 7-character model number shown on the same tag that holds the serial number and production date on the bottom of the laptop?

the model number is 7659-W96, and the production date is 07/12.

That's a machine with Intel graphics and a "Merom" board. Basic, but not a bad catch for $85...presuming it's in good shape.