Thinkpads Forum

Hi folks,

Last year I purchased T43(14.1 in) with great excitement but it didn't last long. It just was too noisy to me. I tried my hardest to configure it only to fail. I returned and got another one which was worse than the first one. So I went to X41 tablet, which is fantastic in terms of heat and noise. I loved it.

But after using it for more than 6 months I'm a bit tired of using this slow HDD, which does not give any hope of future upgrade. I upgraded the memory to 1.5gb, which gave me a bit of enhancement but still the 4200rpm 1.8inch HDD is painful.

So I'm thinking about two options: getting x60s or T60.

The reason I'm considering T60 is that I really miss the screen. 12.1 inch screen on the tablet was fine. But I needed more work space.

So the only concern that I have for T60 is the fan noise. I know many of you folks are talking about this problem, which sounds very similar what was going on last summer about T43.

What I noticed is that people with 15inch models(both T43 and T60) tend to say its quieter, while people with 14.1inch models say it is louder. Is this observation correct?

Since I'm considering only 14.1 inch model, if it is still noisy I cannot go with T series, but perhaps have to go with X60s although its screen resolution is low and its keyboard is inferior because it is equiped with 2.5 inch HDD.

So do you think 14.1 inch models of T60 is hopeless regarding its noise problem? Thanks folks, I really appreciate your help.

We use a X41t tablet in our company. NO WAY I would allow it to replace my T43p or T60p. They need a X60t tablet with more horse power. Ours gets the job done but between the OS and the stuff that IBM loaded it up with the processor has little to spare for the user.

Give me a higher powered tablet and I would consider using another. My VP users the 41 tablet and loves it but has never used any other laptop.

heiss wrote:while people with 14.1inch models say it is louder. Is this observation correct?

I've got a 14" and it's quiet, no complaints on the fan at all!

Mine is a 15" and very quite.

heiss wrote:So do you think 14.1 inch models of T60 is hopeless regarding its noise problem?

My 14" T60 is quiet as a mouse and runs cool. I frankly do not know what all the fan noise complaints are about. Maybe it's a T60p problem with the FireGL...I don't know.

I have used ThinkPads for years. In my opinnion they are the high end laptop, and like high end automobiles (or any other for that matter) there are certain models that are not up to the overall standard for the company. Ex: my T43 was the worst of all the thinkpads I've had. All the rest were terrific. I had a 2002 E55 Mercedes that was constantly at the dealer for warranty issues. I have had many Mercedes and they've been great! My current 2005 E55 is perfect and it has 25k already.
My current ThinkPads especially the T60 & X60s are quiet, fast, and of very high quality. I use the T60 everyday, and the X60s when flying on business in Europe.

Archer

archer6 wrote:I had a 2002 E55 Mercedes that was constantly at the dealer for warranty issues. I have had many Mercedes and they've been great! My current 2005 E55 is perfect and it has 25k already.

There's nothing like an AMG!
I had a 2001 CLK55 that I installed a KLEEMANN supercharger. 550HP
It would do 11.4sec in the 1/4 mile. Although it was my daily driver I drove it on the racetrack, too. Roadcourses & drag strips. What a BLAST!!!
I sold it last year and bought a Toyota pickup truck.

Some people say T60 computers are noisy, some say they are quiet. I suspect that it mostly depends on graphics. Nobody ever posts what graphics they have. Yes, they post model numbers, but then it requires a look-up.

Here are the different graphics versions. I suspect this list is ordered in terms of quietest to loudest:

Intel integrated 950

ATI X1300

ATI X1400

ATI V5200

I've handled seven T60's so far, most p- models, both 14" and 15" and the fans are quiet on all. The fan run more than on my T42p and push more air so there is a little more sound, but *nothing* like the noise that comes out of the T43s that I've worked with.

I do find the V5200 gets a little warm (heat transmits to the bottom of the case) when powerplay is off, even if not doing any 3D work. Lenovo put some extra vent holes under the GPU but that's not enough. It bugs me because I use the laptop in my lap on AC sometimes and I'm going to have to start turning powerplay on and off by hand now to keep the temp down.

The battery life on the T60p is pretty bad by traditional standards too (4-5 hours of office work compared with 7-9 hours on the T42p).

I think both of these problems would be solved if you get one of the models with integrated graphics. All other aspects of this machine are stellar.

-darren

hmmm i got a t43 and it's VERY quiet

I imagine it's quiet too....

danny_isr wrote:hmmm i got a t43 and it's VERY quiet

If it's so quiet why do you feel the need to run NHC (as you posted in another thread)?

Listen, I've heard tell of quiet T43s out of the box and I don't doubt that people have been able to quiet T43s through tweaking, but I handle a bunch of them and the noise on most (all?) has been offensive for a ThinkPad T- model. It also baffles me why the fans *still* sound like this. Lenovo, if it's a defective fan then redesign it. If it's poor decision making by the BIOS, reprogram it. But as recently as last week I received a T43 that was every bit as loud as the first one I received.

I'm not slamming people who have the T43. If you're happy with it then it's not too loud for you. It's too loud for me and I put my money where my mouth is. I bought two laptops for myself *after* the T43 was introduced and both were T42p's which cost more than faster T43p's. The only two reasons I did so were the graphics chip and fan noise.

Thankfully the T60p, while producing more heat, has a pretty quiet fan, a kick-butt video chip, dual-core CPU, etc *and* is about the same price as the T4xp. Now it's a no-brainer.

-darren

I don't understand the attitude ....

the "need to run NHC" is to lower the heat , to make the fan work less Use less battery etc.
if i had a laptop that the fan wasn’t kicking in at all , i would still use NHC.
I’m VERY sensitive to noise and fan noise can be too loud for me as well.

this laptop from day one had quiet fan , if you will do search back a year ago you will see my posts since then. Saying the same thing all the way.

Not all T43 are the same i guess , most of the people ARE happy with them , you see only the complaining people here . the one that are happy wont bother posting here anything or in most cases not part of this forum.

darrenf wrote: If you're happy with it then it's not too loud for you.

it's not about what is loud for me , it's just not loud...

darrenf wrote: Thankfully the T60p, while producing more heat, has a pretty quiet fan, a kick-butt video chip, dual-core CPU, etc *and* is about the same price as the T4xp. Now it's a no-brainer.

i never claimed it's wise to buy now a T43. i would never buy old tech wile the new one is here. ....like buying a T42 when the T43 was out ..

darrenf wrote: If it's so quiet why do you feel the need to run NHC (as you posted in another thread)? "

unless i'm lying here and it's very noisy , i'm probably just in love with T43s and lost my hearing by now – so how can I know if it’s loud

OK, fine so it would be quiet to me too -- is that what you want me to say? The originator of this thread found the T43 too noisy and wanted an opinion on whether the T60 was an improvement. If you think that the T43 is silent then you really can't contribute to the conversation so why you came over to the T60 forum to make your post is beyond me.

-darren

darrenf wrote:If you think that the T43 is silent then you really can't contribute to the conversation

i don't think , i know mine is

i guess a T60 isn't an obvious improvement to a T43 in the noise department . (Just do a search and see how many people complaining about the T60 fan).Sounds like it's ON all the time but quiet - just like my T43.

And each case is different. So my post is relevant here.

darrenf wrote: so why you came over to the T60 forum to make your post is beyond me.

sorry that it's beyond you.

You people are acting like spoiled kids!

Greg Gebhardt wrote:You people are acting like spoiled kids!

you are probably right .

I just tried to "level" the opinions here about the T43 by saying that mine is quiet (and it is)
Not more not less. Without slamming or any kind of offense , that I experience as a result .

I wouldn’t jump to a T60 posts and say , hey my T43 is that or this . But when people talking and comparing to a T43 here , then It’s legit for me to talk about it .
Especially when they saying “it’s the worst machine I owned “ or something like that

And by the way
For me it’s the best machine I owned. I can probably replace it with a T60 without adding a cent but I don’t’ see a reason for doing that.
I know that the T60 is a great machine , but the T43 is great too . not to mention the work I will have to spend on moving to a new machine. Too much hassle . .
If the fan issue was terrible as some people saying here , I wouldn’t hesitate a day with this upgrade

As for me I will probably wait for a Vista machine, with much more power. But that’s me and my choice each one can decide whatever .
For people that buying a new machine , if they are both in similar price then I recommend to go with the 60 off course. Just because it’s the latest and the greatest .

Thanks forlks all of you. You're conversation really helped me to see the problem from a various point of view. I ordered T60 and let's see how it works.