Thinkpads Forum

I've currently got a T8300-2.4ghz 3MB 800mhz processor with 8gb RAM and an SSD on my T61 running Linux.
I am considering going to a T9300- 2.5ghz 6MB 800mhz, ( or perhaps a T9500- 2.6ghz 6mb 800mhz) with an eye on the increased L2 cache.
Often my processor temperature goes above 170F when running VMware Workstation.
Would I see any performance improvement (increased efficiency under load) with such an swap? TIA

The switch from 2.4 Ghz to 2.6 Ghz (and vice versa) will be virtually unnoticeable. HOWEVER, the extra cache *will* be a considerable increase in performance. I would advise trying to find the lowest TDP CPU with the most cache.

You might notice a slight improvement. Might be worth it, might not be, depends on the price. You're at the point where everything is maxed out on that T61, only significant performance improvement is to get something newer. Having said that, my daily runner is still a maxed out T60 and will be for a while yet.

portsample wrote: Would I see any performance improvement (increased efficiency under load) with such an swap? TIA

The faster Penryns (T9300/9500) throttle less than their T8100/8300 siblings so you might see an improvement in the aforementioned usage pattern.

T9300 - especially at today's prices - would be my pick.

Two things to consider:

a) Running Throttle Stop

b) Upgrading to a faster/stronger fan depending on the GPU and size of your system.

Happy upgrading.

ajkula66 wrote:

portsample wrote: ...b) Upgrading to a faster/stronger fan depending on the GPU and size of your system.

...oooh now that is tempting. Would this be from one of the next generation of Lenovo T-xxx machines?
This unit is the Nvidia GPU machine in my signature and is my daily driver.

You can also consider replacing the thermal paste with something like arctic silver. It should decrease temps quite a bit compared to the OEM paste.

brchan wrote:You can also consider replacing the thermal paste with something like arctic silver. It should decrease temps quite a bit compared to the OEM paste.

...did this years ago.

It would be a wasted effort. A slight bump in clock speed and going from 3MB to 6MB cache are not things that would be noticeable. Without any other modifications, the only upgrade that might be enough to be noticeable would be an X9000.

How is your battery life now?
I'm thinking that the better processor, fan, and using Throttle Stop to put it in dual IDA mode:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads ... uo.477704/

But this will cause more heat and less battery life.
I'm not an expert but can dual IDA be set up so that it does not increase heat so much?
The OPs question is of interest to me also since I also need to do some upgrades.

Still, I think at best you'll see about a 10% increase.

Pete B wrote:How is your battery life now?
I'm thinking that the better processor, fan, and using Throttle Stop to put it in dual IDA mode:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads ... uo.477704/

Actually this machine is almost always plugged in, so battery life is really not a big issue. I am curious about upgrading the fan...do you have a part number for the unit? I also have not tried Throttle Stop, I'll look into that as well. Thanks.