X9000 in the T61p

[Raidriar]

I recently installed the Intel X9000 into the T61p and it is certainly, the best CPU to have in these systems without any motherboard modding. To those of you who say "no it runs too hot", no it doesn't, not at all. Using throttlestop to tune the multipliers and voltages, it confirms my long standing theory that intel extreme CPUs tend to be the best binned compared to their standard counterparts. I can achieve 2.2Ghz (11x multiplier) on the lowest possible voltage of 0.9250V, the voltage typically reserved or SLFM mode (6x multpiler, for 1.2Ghz):
https://i.imgur.com/JlLJQhU.png

The stock multiplier of 14x (2.8Ghz) has been dropped down from 1.175V down to 1.0875V:
https://i.imgur.com/dxKbGnM.png

And for fun, it can also do 3.2Ghz if you really need extra umph (at the expense of a voltage increase to 1.2250V)

https://i.imgur.com/8psu8aW.png

All in all, X9000 is definitely worth it. I typically run either 11x @ 0.9250V or 12x @ 0.9875V, only run the max multiplier when doing many things at once. The temps you see in the screenshots are at load. At idle or low load, the chip comes down to around 38-44C at the lower voltage ranges. Great chip, and really should be installed in any T61p fanatic's computer.

[Thinkpad4by3]

You should probably get those pictures off tags before the ubiquitous admin warning comes.

[Raidriar]

You should probably get those pictures off tags before the ubiquitous admin warning comes.

I simply reverted to links. Point is, X9000 should be more recommended than it is.

[Screamer]

Point is, X9000 should be more recommended than it is.

Well, the price tags for the X9000 are still stupidly high. Considering that as a downfall for X9000, I think it would be more economically feasible to purchase a X9100.

All it takes for the X9100 to work in a T61/R61, is to just form a wire bridge to give BSEL1 voltage on the socket. I'm fairly sure it takes less money to buy a small piece of enamel wire and a X9100, compared to a overpriced X9000. Though, I don't know if placing wires on the socket is considered a motherboard mod.

[Raidriar]

Point is, X9000 should be more recommended than it is.

Well, the price tags for the X9000 are still stupidly high. Considering that as a downfall for X9000, I think it would be more economically feasible to purchase a X9100.

All it takes for the X9100 to work in a T61/R61, is to just form a wire bridge to give BSEL1 voltage on the socket. I'm fairly sure it takes less money to buy a small piece of enamel wire and a X9100, compared to a overpriced X9000. Though, I don't know if placing wires on the socket is considered a motherboard mod.

Needs also PLL clock mod to make fsb1066 CPU run in FSB800 PM965 chipset. BSEL mod alone did not work when I tested the X9100. X9100 15$ vs 40$ for x9000, I think 25$ is worth no hassle.

[wujstefan]

BSEL mod works alone, it's really that simple.

You also need to load a proper BIOS, and remember about RAMs SPD.
My hand still up at X9100, however...

[E350]

Any plans to do a step by step build thread so that we mere mortals can follow in your footsteps?

[Screamer]

and remember about RAMs SPD.

A little correction. If I remember right, the SPD does not need to be modified if the front-side bus is running at 800MT/s or 200MHz. Unless the front-side bus is running at 1066MT/s or 266MHz, then the SPD needs to be modified. Since the RAM gets overclocked by the phase locked loop, and in turn the front-side bus, the SPD modification in that kind of a situation is required.

Any plans to do a step by step build thread so that we mere mortals can follow in your footsteps?

A guide to running the X9100 in a T61/R61? If that is your question, you need the following:

● a C0/E0 stepping X9100
● BIOS that has working microcodes for the 1066MT/s processors
● a 26 gauge or smaller copper wire

Firstly, flash that BIOS in DOS. You need phlash16.exe for this. The phlash command should be something like this to flash the BIOS: phlash16.exe /s /x /c /mode=3 BIOS.ROM, that is if the BIOS file is in the same directory as phlash16.exe is in.

Once that is done, disassemble your ThinkPad till you can access the heatsink. Now, place the wire in the socket to form a bridge for B23/BSEL1 to get voltage from A20/VCC. It must look similar to this. In theory, you could use another VCC pin if you don't like the arrangement of the current wire bridge.

The last thing that is needed for this is to bring the X9100 back up to speed. This is due to a bus speed of 800MT/s which causes it to POST at 2.3GHz. You need ThrottleStop to fiddle with the multiplier to get it back to 3GHz, though I'd say that is just 67MHz slower than the original clock speed.

If a mistake is present in this statement, I apologize if I had gotten anything wrong or mixed up.

[storm-chaser]

Point is, X9000 should be more recommended than it is.

Well, the price tags for the X9000 are still stupidly high. Considering that as a downfall for X9000, I think it would be more economically feasible to purchase a X9100.

I just installed an X9000 in my T61p as well. I too can attest to the massive resistance I received from the overclocking community (not here, another overclocking forum), almost pleading and begging with me not to use this CPU because it was gonna run way to hot. And much like the thread starter, I pressed forward, despite the naysayers, and I was able to use ThrottleStop to easily mitigate the extra heat. For fun, I did get it running at 4.0Ghz at 1.4v, but for 24/7 I have it dialed in @ 3.4ghz @ 1.215v OR 3.2ghz @ 1.185v. Heat has not been an issue, at idle the CPU runs 105-110*F and under full load 130-140*F, very reasonable for daily use. I would highly recommend the upgrade 100% as it requires zero hardware modification, direct drop in and FYI Screamer, the price has come down substantially in the past few years. I picked up my X9000 for a mere $44 shipped. So I paid $85 for the laptop (in mint condition) and $44 for the CPU and for $130 I have a beast of a T61p. If you want to check out my build I just posted my own thread here on this forum w/pics (not trying to steal your thunder, just thought you might be interested).

[Screamer]

the price has come down substantially in the past few years. I picked up my X9000 for a mere $44 shipped.

Alright, I can agree that it has gone very far down from its original price of $851 according to CPUWorld. Though, I do not get the idea of spending over $20 or more on an old processor.

While $44 might seem mere to you, to me it just does not make any sense. For maybe $20 or so, you could buy the X9100 that is much cheaper than the X9000 itself. I do understand that it does require a mod though, but a wire bridge and a modded BIOS being flashed does not seem to be a big problem.

If people can read instructions on a hardware maintenance manual to replace a processor on the motherboard, I am confident that the same person can drop a wire in the socket for it the X9100 to work. That gets me confused, is there a big difference in a drop-in replacement between a wire bridge and the 'drop-in' replacement?

I would definitely like to hear how you view that comparison, to me it is just something I can't comprehend.

[storm-chaser]

the price has come down substantially in the past few years. I picked up my X9000 for a mere $44 shipped.

Alright, I can agree that it has gone very far down from its original price of $851 according to CPUWorld. Though, I do not get the idea of spending over $20 or more on an old processor.

While $44 might seem mere to you, to me it just does not make any sense. For maybe $20 or so, you could buy the X9100 that is much cheaper than the X9000 itself. I do understand that it does require a mod though, but a wire bridge and a modded BIOS being flashed does not seem to be a big problem.

If people can read instructions on a hardware maintenance manual to replace a processor on the motherboard, I am confident that the same person can drop a wire in the socket for it the X9100 to work. That gets me confused, is there a big difference in a drop-in replacement between a wire bridge and the 'drop-in' replacement?

I would definitely like to hear how you view that comparison, to me it is just something I can't comprehend.

Sure, I can definitely see where you are coming from. You are saving money and getting a better processor to boot. I might even try this mod down the road. But we are talking essentially direct "drop in" replacement here vs hardware modification. Some people would prefer not to modify the system board, myself included. I have neither the tools nor the knowledge to perform this task and if we are talking strictly convenience, the X9000 wins out, in my humble opinion. I think in terms of risk, the x9000 wins out again. It's always a little risky to modify the mainboard and you run the risk of damaging and/or bricking the mobo if you make a mistake. T61p system boards are hard to come by as it is. I think these factors make the X9000 a much better candidate for your average computer enthusiast (for example, I’ve been in the computer hardware industry for more than a decade but I’ve never modified a motherboard and have zero soldering experience). And confidence level come into play here as well. In my opinion the extra $25-30 is well worth it because you can have the confidence knowing it’s a simple drop in replacement, no fuss, and no concerns 100% confidence it’s going to work.

[wujstefan]

I can second storm-chaser here. Since the mod is very simple, it is actually more efficient when looking at better battery runtimes and lower temps with P8xxx/P9xxx CPUs. Also have in mind that the mod also enables quad cores, wwhich are unavailable to non-modded systems. If X9000 does the trick to you, go with it and stay happy with how it actually work.

When I've done my first machine (now am unable due to hand damage), X9100 was prices at ~$20 while X9000 was around $150 (local market), which virtually consumed all the money I was planning to spend on the system. Whole system

[TuuS]

Be careful buying an x9000, most are fake knock-offs from china, and if you do find an original it may have burned out transisters from overclocking. When I source them I buy original workstations from corps and remove the cpu since it's the only safe way to get one.

I too have never had a problem and found they don't run hotter than a t60 with t7600. I suspect those with temp problems got

Fake Chips From China

[storm-chaser]

Be careful buying an x9000, most are fake knock-offs from china, and if you do find an original it may have burned out transisters from overclocking. When I source them I buy original workstations from corps and remove the cpu since it's the only safe way to get one.

I too have never had a problem and found they don't run hotter than a t60 with t7600. I suspect those with temp problems got

Fake Chips From China

Have you ever seen or purchased a fake X9000 CPU? The reason I ask is that the counterfeit CPU craze from China is a relatively recent phenomenon that typically effects retail box core I7 processors and usually involves delidding a genuine heat spreader and swapping it to a slower chip or using an old LGA 775 chip with I7 etching on top. Point being, the X9000 is a processor with no heat spreader, therefore I would think it's highly unlikely this would be a target CPU for swindlers from China. Considering it's age and that it's relatively obsolete, one would think these counterfeiters would set their sights a little higher. I am a little skeptical because I have yet to find any examples of a counterfeit X9000 CPU on the internet (correct me If I'm wrong). Most of these sellers you find on eBay are electronics dealers from China who sell in mass quantities. Some of these are running auctions with well over 20 or even 30 X9000 CPUs sold, yet feedback from buyers all over the world appear to support the case that these are indeed, genuine Intel CPUs. Just curious if you've seen this first hand or know of others who have been duped by these Chinese knockoff X9000 CPUs?

And what is deal with burned out transistors? I've been overclocking for nearly two decades and I've never heard of this. Are you saying that some of these core 2 extreme chips were so heavily tortured or abused that the inner workings of the processor have been partially compromised, yet will still boot you into an operating system? This seems strange to me. I've never had a CPU "partially fail" like this. It's typically all or nothing. And what specific model of rigs are you pulling these X9000 processors from?
EDIT: Congrats on 2,000 posts!

[TuuS]

I think if you read carefully you'll find it the fake chips coming from China goes back a lot further than you think. The United States military was duped into buying millions of dollars of the ships that went into fighter planes and Communications equipment. They were purchased from legit defense contractors who were either greedy or purchased from another contractor who was greedy. If you follow the link I posted you'll see that they are getting so good at copying them it's difficult to see the difference if you don't have both of them in your hands to compare and even then it would be hard to say which one was the fake. As for burned-out chips, yes it's very possible and very come in from overclocking. One reason Intel chips have such a good reputation is that they are designed to continue working even when parts of the Chip have completely failed. No I don't have an engineering level understanding of how these chips are built but I have researched it and I understand there are enough transistors in one of these chips so that both course could fail and redundant circuits would take over to keep the chip running. I have seen chips that were so busy abuse that they would barely run at factory clock speeds and even at that wood crash relatively easily. I've also noticed unexplainable heat spikes that appear to be totally random and often very severe. I test the chips under stress and look for any thermal issues. With the Nvidia GPU chips, we were seeing fake ones coming from China back as far as 2009, probably earlier, and the series of chips was first built in 2007.

Although I don't like to give away all of my trade secrets, I will tell you that we had a large shipment of Dell mobile workstations with x9000 CPU chips. Normally they go right to auction where Brokers can bid for them in lots, which many of them have certainly going on to secondary sellers by now. I'm sorry that I don't recall the exact model numbers, but we negotiated to purchase a small lot of these before the auction and I swapped out the CPU chips so I could harvest the x 9000 chips.

I can also tell you that the chips I've used don't have overheating problems, but many people buying chips from China have reported severe heat problems. In the past I've also search them from Alienware gaming laptops. We turned off and get these in liquidation though, as they are not commonly used by corporations. I think some of the HP mobile workstations also use the x 9000, but it's odd that Lenova never did that I'm aware of.

I have an x 9000 in the first Franken pad I ever built, and it still runs like new nearly a decade later.

I do have a w700 that shipped with an X 9100. It has no thermal issues, but one that I bought from an ex member of this forum who was banned for scamming members and I believe it's a fake knock off. It definitely runs hot for no apparent reason.

Please forgive any nonsensical autocorrects, no matter how hard I try some seem to sneak by.

[storm-chaser]

Well, I have to say you leveled a pretty bold statement saying that most X9000 chips that come from China are fake knockoffs.

Granted, doing business with Chinese based computer suppliers is deemed higher risk, and it is for the most part, something I avoid, but I am still questioning your premise.

Not sure how this opinion can be grounded in fact if we cannot find any examples of fake X9000 CPUs actually occurring in the real world.

Surely if this was happing en mass, you would see at least see a few people step forward with a story or two on how they got duped.

I watched your linked video, however, at no time was a fake or knockoff X9000 CPU discussed.

I am also skeptical of your blanket statement that most of these “legit” X9000 chips are burnt out from overclocking. You have no way of knowing that. Just like the history on every used car is different, the history on every CPU is all its own. I’ve been buying, selling and harvesting used CPU chips for decades now (including Core 2 extreme) and I’ve never encountered this problem.

I am not sure what your motives are, but I am thinking this may be an effort to constrict the availability of the X9000 and in a way, keep its use purely exclusive.

[123434]

Has anyone any info how to spot counterfeit Core 2 Duo Penryns ? ( Chinese are very good counterfeiters )
I bought a new T9300 this week from China seller 10usd$.
( Half a year ago I bought a new chinese AMD 64 754 socket 3200+ Venice processor which played ok.)
I don't know what to trust processors are mass produced in China and 10-20 years ago new overproduced processors were putted in to potato sack vaults like morgan silver dollars...waiting for users.

[TuuS]

Has anyone any info how to spot counterfeit Core 2 Duo Penryns ? ( Chinese are very good counterfeiters )
I bought a new T9300 this week from China seller 10usd$.
( Half a year ago I bought a new chinese AMD 64 754 socket 3200+ Venice processor which played ok.)
I don't know what to trust processors are mass produced in China and 10-20 years ago new overproduced processors were putted in to potato sack vaults like morgan silver dollars...waiting for users.

There are people copying anything of value in china, from those little blue pills, to extremely rare US coins worth thousands of $$$ You can buy such a coin for $1 usd, and $1 to ship, so its amazing what lengths they will go to sell something for a dollar. One would think setting up a microprocessor factory to produce knockoffs is crazy, but this is china, they can make them in a wharehouse, who needs a hepa filtered cleanrooms and quality control, if a chip doesn't last a few weeks, refund it and sell a thousand more. They will make things like t shirts, ship them to usa hoping to sell them to walmart for $1, so they can be sold to us for $5, while an american company has to charge $20-30 for a similar shirt. This is an entire country based on trading crap for dollars, euros and pounds and its amazing what they will do to get a tiny bit of our currency.

If they had huge quantities of these chips sitting in vaults, why didn't we see our auction sites filled with these chips a few years ago when they were selling over $300, but then suddenly the auction sites are filled with seemingly endless quantities of these very rare chips.

I am not sure what your motives are, .

Can we please keep this civil? questioning ones motives is a sure way to start drama online. I have none of these chips listed for sale and haven't in quite some time. I've stated my opinion. you have stated yours, lets leave it at that. If you want answers then I suggest you find a freshly retired mobile workstation to harvest an X9000 and compare it side by side with a cheap chinese chip and monitor temps closely, and form your own opinion.

[storm-chaser]

Below is a picture I took of the X9000 I purchased from a Chinese based seller last month. This CPU was $44 shipped. Listed as a used CPU.
I can find no evidence of tampering or fraud going on here. The CPU is registered in CPU Z as a Core 2 Extreme X9000. The voltage and temps appear to be spot on.
https://image.ibb.co/dADa9S/x9000cpu.png

Running ThrottleStop for fun I was able to achieve a stable overclock of 4.0Ghz @ 1.4v core. But for daily use and to keep temps under control, I run 3.2Ghz @ 1.1875v.
Running a battery of benchmarks with the AIDA64 engineer suite I can conclude that this chip performs exactly as it should in every single test. Running the CPUID details I can also report that it comes back listed as a genuine Intel CPU.


In close examination relative to my T9300 chip, which is a confirmed genuine Intel CPU I've had for years, the X9000 consistently outperforms it in every single benchmark. Just as it should. I think we can safely conclude that it is in fact a genuine Intel CPU that came from China.

[123434]

Happy to know you compared it with a genuine one.
When I have bought critical products from China I always buy both the genuine from Europe\Usa and then compare it to the China item very caferully: Letterings, sharpness, plastic finishing, smell, markings, holograms, weight, measures(+/-0.1mm), materials( leather,silicone,...) and such.

Older processors are usually harder to get if you won't buy the whole desktop computer\laptop with it at the same time.

One time chinese sent copied re-usable 3M respiratory masks(7000,6800,6500-series) and filters.
Faulty expensive 5pcs micrometers: misaligned measure rod= +/-1.0mm error.

[storm-chaser]

Happy to know you compared it with a genuine one.
When I have bought critical products from China I always buy both the genuine from Europe\Usa and then compare it to the China item very caferully: Letterings, sharpness, plastic finishing, smell, markings, holograms, weight, measures(+/-0.1mm), materials( leather,silicone,...) and such.

Older processors are usually harder to get if you won't buy the whole desktop computer\laptop with it at the same time.

One time chinese sent copied re-usable 3M respiratory masks(7000,6800,6500-series) and filters.
Faulty expensive 5pcs micrometers: misaligned measure rod= +/-1.0mm error.

Little bit easier to copy and fake 3M masks than it is to replicate and fake a CPU with delicate internal working components
Are you under the impression that your Venice chip and your recent T9300 purchase are actually Chinese knockoff chips?

[TuuS]

Storm Chaser, it would appear you got either an extremely well made knockoff (unlikely), or a used one pulled from a laptop that was damaged or could not be sold for other reasons (likely), but sounds like you have tested it sufficiently and it performs as expected. I'm not convinced every chinese seller is shipping chips that work as well and nor is the United States dept of Defense who bought thousands of knockoffs several years ago.

The last ones I sourced cost me about $80, certainly more than your Chinese seller was asking, but they came from the best available laptops rather than a damaged one, and I was fortunate to be able to test them before I purchased. I have no plans to source more any time soon as it's time consuming, but thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[Raidriar]

I also paid $44 from a US seller (who probably is the US frontman for the Chinese sellers) and the CPU is absolutely a genuine Intel X9000. It can hold higher clocks at lower voltages compared to my T9500 indicating better binning typical of Extreme class CPUs, and I've clocked it as high as 3.6ghz.

Works fine for my needs. I mainly bought the chip in hopes for scoring a better binned example, and I did. Being able to run 2.2ghz (vs 2.0ghz in the t9500) at the lowest SLFM voltage is lovely

[storm-chaser]

Storm Chaser, it would appear you got either an extremely well made knockoff (unlikely), or a used one pulled from a laptop that was damaged or could not be sold for other reasons (likely), but sounds like you have tested it sufficiently and it performs as expected. I'm not convinced every chinese seller is shipping chips that work as well and nor is the United States dept of Defense who bought thousands of knockoffs several years ago.

The last ones I sourced cost me about $80, certainly more than your Chinese seller was asking, but they came from the best available laptops rather than a damaged one, and I was fortunate to be able to test them before I purchased. I have no plans to source more any time soon as it's time consuming, but thank you for sharing your experience with us.

This is one of the most bizarre threads I've ever been a part of, and you are dead wrong on all accounts, again. Dude... You are not a fortune teller! There is no way you can know the condition of the laptop from which my X9000 CPU was extracted. This is a major presumption that it was a damaged unit -- you are totally speculating... dealing in fiction... Chancy and dubious supposition! And it doesn't even matter if the laptop is damaged! So what if it came from a laptop with a broken screen? The notion that you can find great chips and I can only get ones from damaged laptops doesn't hold water and is pretty far from the truth. If you re-read my posts here you'll see that my processor is a CONFIRMED genuine Intel chip that came directly from China and is capable of 4.0 GHz with proper cooling which is dialed in as the norm at 3.4Ghz. The CPU IS IN PERFECT WORKING ORDER! There is no way this is a "fake" or "fraudulent" chip. There is no way a Chinese seller is making cloned or fraudulent Core 2 Duo chips and thereby flooding the marketplace with knockoff CPUs as you surmise. These X9000 CPUs are harvested for sale because smart sellers AROUND THE WORLD have found a market for them on eBay - period, the END! Don't over complicate this! Go ahead and look at some of the feedback on ebay... You are wholey mistaken. And the DOD / Chinese fraud scandal had nothing to do with purchasing fake Core 2 Duo chips! I call this misinformation, speculation, unconfirmed and unreliable conclusions relative to your supposition that most X9000 CPUs from China are fake knockoffs. Knock it off!! Pun intended!

Here is my compromised, burn out, toasted, baked, fried and cooked X9000 from a damaged laptop that may be fake coming from China running a solid 4.0Ghz for $44...
I'd like to see your tested & perfected X9000 chip from a mint and tested and untouched laptop do this....

Best part? You have no evidence!!! So far, we have anther confirmed X9000 owner in this thread who appears to have a perfectly operating X9000 that likely came from China. Lets try finding a fake X9000, shall we?

[TPFanatic]

Please try to maintain a more respectful tone when communicating on this forum, the members here are the major contributors to all of the Internet's knowledge of Thinkpads, some have volunteered their time for decades and more, and as a member of this forum your contributions are assuredly valued as well. The people here generally know what they are talking about it and if not will accept correction. From my understanding of his last post Tuus did accede to the reasonable possibility that your CPU is perfectly legitimate. This isn't a place for fights.

[storm-chaser]

Please try to maintain a more respectful tone when communicating on this forum, the members here are the major contributors to all of the Internet's knowledge of Thinkpads, some have volunteered their time for decades and more, and as a member of this forum your contributions are assuredly valued as well. The people here generally know what they are talking about it and if not will accept correction. From my understanding of his last post Tuus did accede to the reasonable possibility that your CPU is perfectly legitimate. This isn't a place for fights.

Okay I will tone it down. I'm sorry, I just got a little ahead of myself with this debate. I understand he has is opinion and I have mine, I guess we can leave it at that.

[RealBlackStuff]

Folks, you've all had your say.
Before this gets out of hand, I'd say: Enough is Enough!
Thread closed.