Thinkpads Forum

Posted: **Mon May 07, 2007 10:06 pm**

I was able to run some 3d apps with "Optimal Battery Life" set, but they were a bit slow and sluggish, not unusable, but a bit painful. I still had 3 lock ups in 3 hours though. Average GPU heat was around 90 C. This was with both DIMMS of RAM in the machine (2 GB total), it's never run more than 20m without a lockup with both DIMMs in there before.

I tried the 'balanced' setting as well and that brought the heat up to 96 C, so I had to go back down to the minimum.

I'm starting to think that the more RAM and faster RAM just enables the FireGL V5200 to overheat that much faster and easier.

I really wish I was just able to return this machine, too bad that's not an option atm.

Posted: **Tue May 08, 2007 9:19 am**

Well I've tested out the System Stablity Test using Everest Ultimate. This test stresses the CPU, FPU, Cache, System Memory, and local hard disks. It does not stress the GPU or use any sort of 3D graphics.

So far after running for 30 minutes the temps have stablized. CPU at high load seems to level off at 90 C. HDD levels off at 47 C. The machine also feels quite hot (palm rest, keyboard). My ambient temp in the room is currently 23 C.

The really strange thing though is that with Powerplay maxed, during these tests my GPU sits at 95 C even without any 3d graphics. With Powerplay at minimum, the GPU sits at 91 C.

The fan reached around 3777 RPM max.

That's pretty hot considering we're only dealing with minor 2d graphics on the desktop and Everest's 2 graphs for CPU load and Temp. But after 30m, no crashes or lock ups, so that's a good thing. This is using all the latest Lenovo drivers (including video, bios, etc).

3m after turning off the stress tests, the temps dropped as expected, GPU 83 C, CPU 68 C.

Posted: **Tue May 08, 2007 12:28 pm**

Very strange.... did some 3d DirectX testing...

I just recorded data for 2 lock ups with Powerplay set to Max Performance:

1) CPU 74 C, GPU 100C, Fan 3453 RPM
2) CPU 75 C, GPU 99 C, Fan 2854 RPM

Then I changed it to 'Balanced' setting in Powerplay. I ran this for a good hour and did not see a lock up. I monitored the temps during this time and saw the following surprising results:

CPU 82-86 C, GPU 100-105 C, Fan 2700-2900 RPM

Edit: I got it up to 107 C two days ago without a crash, lock up, or over heat shutdown.

Finally got a lock up in 'Balanced' Powerplay mode:

3) CPU 78 C, GPU 97 C, Fan 3281 RPM

So this appears to indicate that my lock ups are not directly being caused by heat (though my system is running blazing hot!). They appear to mainly happen when a lot of textures/areas/things are being loaded.

My question is "Why can the fan be running at 2800-2900 RPM when the temps are 86/105 C and running at 3777ish when the temps are 90/96 C?"

Is there some way to control the fan speed? Fan Control doesn't allow me to change any of the settings, it only reports BIOS mode. I guess I'll load up my BIOS settings and look around in there.

Posted: **Tue May 08, 2007 1:02 pm**

In the BIOS under Config->Power there is a setting for AC adapter. Max Performance was selected. I changed it to the only other option, Balanced.

Then when I tried to boot, Windows XP's loading screen froze and was barely visible (similar to almost 0 brightness). I tried booting this way a few times and each time failed. Changing this setting back to Max Performance allowed me to boot XP again. So I guess that's not one way to control the fan

Posted: **Wed May 16, 2007 1:49 am**

okay so here is the deal,
my roomates got new t60's from Cisco, with the lenovo branding,
and his fan barely turns on, and temperature was stable at 54C
I ran tpfancontrol and did not conflict once with any other device trying to access the temp sensors.

his specs were:
x1300 gpu
2.07 bios
1.83hz
1.5gb ram

so my point is I am trying to figure out what Cisco did to the t60's settings to make it stable like that. hopefully I can apply the same settings and achieve the same temp stability.

any comments on this

ennma

Posted: **Sat May 19, 2007 5:09 pm**

Okay, i got in touch with lenovo's support. They told me that temperatures that high are not the norm. They offered me to replace the mainboard. i will post as soon as i get the notebook back.

Posted: **Thu May 24, 2007 10:01 am**

Hi All,
I guess 3d Mark 06 is one of the best tool available to stress test a GPU. However I am wondering how I can measure the GPU temperature. Which is the widely used tool to measure GPU temperature.

Posted: **Thu May 24, 2007 12:21 pm**

Do a search for 'Thinkpad Fan Control'. This tool is made for T41's or something, but works for T60's for determining temps. I can't get it to control my fan on my T60p though.

Posted: **Fri May 25, 2007 9:51 am**

I tried to run Thinkpad Fan control on my T60p , however it failed with the error msg saying "winio.sys cannot be loaded or found in the app". But the sys file do exist inside the folder. I got the version from http://sourceforge.net/projects/tp4xfancontrol

Posted: **Fri May 25, 2007 10:00 am**

That's the correct link, strange.

Posted: **Fri May 25, 2007 10:06 am**

skpsm wrote:I guess 3d Mark 06 is one of the best tool available to stress test a GPU.

When I had temperature problems with my R50p, the best stress test I found was ATI RenderMonkey. Free download here. Open the file Fur in the GL2 example directory. The DX9 sample is less CPU intensive.

It is extremely heavy on the GPU and not much on the CPU, unlike 3DMark. It will quickly boost your GPU temperature. The temp on my T60p quickly goes up to about 91°C and peaks at about 104°C. The preview window must be in the foreground, or else it stops running.

skpsm, you have to right-click and choose Run as administrator.

Splaktar, have you changed Active to 1 in fancontrol.ini?

Posted: **Fri May 25, 2007 10:56 am**

Nope, I hadn't messed with the settings much. Thanks a lot that does seem to work. I've managed to crank the fan up to 3800 RPM with the manual setting. Still running GPU at 94 C on 'Balanced' mode though. At least I don't have to worry about the fan dropping down to 2800-3200 RPM even when I'm still at 100 C anymore.

Posted: **Fri May 25, 2007 11:08 am**

You can get the fan even higher, up to 4700 by entering 64 in the Manual control. The docs says it's unsupported and may cause damage though.

Posted: **Fri May 25, 2007 2:14 pm**

skpsm wrote:I tried to run Thinkpad Fan control on my T60p , however it failed with the error msg saying "winio.sys cannot be loaded or found in the app". But the sys file do exist inside the folder. I got the version from http://sourceforge.net/projects/tp4xfancontrol

Run fan control with administrator rights.

Posted: **Fri May 25, 2007 2:27 pm**

Well setting the fan to max has got me running 4 C cooler on average for my GPU. Not a big difference, but it will help, specially since I've seen it up to 114 C with Powerplay on "Optimized Performance" mode.

Posted: **Fri May 25, 2007 10:19 pm**

I'm getting the same results as "goodgirl" with my machine turning off without warning. Not running anything graphic intensive. Altough, I can take it to 105 C with a constant pan on Google Earth. But I have had it turn off with the laptop on my lap typing in Notepad. The fact that I am crashing while typing something and not playing any games is killing me.

goodgirl wrote:T60p 2613H5U

Doing nothing, just a web browser open:

CPU 87°C (0x78)
APS 52°C (0x79)
PCM 50°C (0x7a)
GPU 96°C (0x7b)
BUS 57°C (0xc0)
PCI 69°C (0xc1)
PWR 70°C (0xc2)

Trying to work with large PSDs or authoring a DVD or burning a CD, machine turns off without warning, in rare cases goes to sleep.
After this happens, I can usually not boot Windows at all until I leave the machine in peace for 10 - 20 minutes.

The fan never seems to do much, always very very quiet.

Since I use Photoshop, extreme multitasking and burn DVDs every day, I can not use the machine anymore.

The support ticket has been unresolved for 2 months now, after many on-site appointments, exchanging all possible parts, and after having the machine taken from me for a week, still not resolved, nothing was fixed, still turns itself off.

I spent so much time with their techs, the time and having to be available for these appointments all the time that sometimes lasted for up to 3 hours was worth more for me that a new machine or a couple of new machines.

So now I am going back to using my T43p ...
The new machines that they have on offer don't have 1600 x 1200 and I can't work on anything but that ..

Never had such bad support for a problem with a Thinkpad.

Posted: **Fri May 25, 2007 11:00 pm**

Geez, CPU temps rising to 95C and GPU to 105C

I'm sure this issue is because inproper installation of heatsinks. Maybe Lenovo is now using a cheapo thermal paste. Not to forget the thicker thermal pad they use to place in the heatsink to dissipate the GPU heat.

Anyone willing to mod their cooling mechanism on their T60?

Posted: **Sat May 26, 2007 2:16 am**

I am going to, just have to get the followings

Arti clean 1&2
Artic Silver 5

for GPU ??

because I read on posts the gap is too wide?

ennma

Posted: **Sat May 26, 2007 11:59 am**

How do you display the temperatures?

Posted: **Sat May 26, 2007 12:00 pm**

oh there is the tpfancontrol.exe
i forgot which post but if you put it in as the above
it should work on the search link

Posted: **Sat May 26, 2007 12:03 pm**

shizzer, Don, those temps are so un-cool man, have you tried everything:

old catalyst
old driver
reduce bit depth
power manager option(all lowest setting)

to see if any change the temps, and which process is continuously running, did you check from the task manager?

keep us up to date

Posted: **Sat May 26, 2007 5:52 pm**

ennma wrote:I am going to, just have to get the followings

Arti clean 1&2
Artic Silver 5

for GPU ??

because I read on posts the gap is too wide?

ennma

I think you should replace also the nasty thick thermal pad T60 heatsink has. You can place aluminum sheets between the GPU core and the heatsink using some Arctic Silver 5. I'm sure doing this the load temps on the machine would DRASTICALLY lower themselves.

Posted: **Sat May 26, 2007 6:44 pm**

ennma wrote:shizzer, Don, those temps are so un-cool man, have you tried everything:

old catalyst
old driver
reduce bit depth
power manager option(all lowest setting)

to see if any change the temps, and which process is continuously running, did you check from the task manager?

keep us up to date

Forgive my ignorance, I wouldn't know what to do to change any of the things you're talking about. My computer's settings are right out of the box.

Posted: **Sat May 26, 2007 8:01 pm**

xtr wrote:
ennma wrote:I am going to, just have to get the followings

Arti clean 1&2
Artic Silver 5

for GPU ??

because I read on posts the gap is too wide?

ennma
I think you should replace also the nasty thick thermal pad T60 heatsink has. You can place aluminum sheets between the GPU core and the heatsink using some Arctic Silver 5. I'm sure doing this the load temps on the machine would DRASTICALLY lower themselves.

When I get time, I will be doing just that. Using copper plates though. (better thermal conductivity) Ive already got the plates here (various thicknesses, from about .8mm-1.4mm)

one thing that needs to be watched is not to use too thick of a plate, as this will push the heatsink up and off of the motherboard Northbridge. Care must be taken to ensure that the northbridge is still cooled.

mabye I can do it tomorrow or monday.

Posted: **Sat May 26, 2007 10:55 pm**

Hi all. I'm running the T60 Widescreen and just downloaded the TP Fan Control, as my fan turns on very frequently so I expected to see the same high temperatures as the rest of you. However, strangely enough, things seem quite cool. Have other widescreen users tested their temperature? Maybe the build is different and thus the heat issue isn't occurring on the widescreen models?

I have a T60 8742-4SU, 1 gig of ram, X1400 ATI card, Core 2 Duo, etc. Here is what the TP Fan Control is showing. My laptop has been on all day, and I'm just surfing the web right now.

CPU 50°C (0x78)
APS 35°C (0x79)
PCM 35°C (0x7a)
GPU 50°C (0x7b)
BAT 31°C (0x7c)
BAT 29°C (0x7e)
BUS 34°C (0xc0)
PCI 45°C (0xc1)
PWR 45°C (0xc2)

With these low temperatures, is it normal that my fan seems to turn on every minute or so? It turns on at about 2900-3000 RPM's, goes off, then comes back on a minute or two later. Is this some kind of defect with my system? Also, does using this fan utility just to gauge temperatures actually change anything, or is it strictly a reading tool?

Thanks!

Posted: **Sun May 27, 2007 2:35 am**

okashira wrote: When I get time, I will be doing just that. Using copper plates though. (better thermal conductivity) Ive already got the plates here (various thicknesses, from about .8mm-1.4mm)

one thing that needs to be watched is not to use too thick of a plate, as this will push the heatsink up and off of the motherboard Northbridge. Care must be taken to ensure that the northbridge is still cooled.

mabye I can do it tomorrow or monday.

Good to hear! I'd really like to see if really doing the trick of the copper plates should prevent the GPU from overheating. Keep us posted! (Finally the mystery of the overheating GPU could be spotted)

Seleur wrote: With these low temperatures, is it normal that my fan seems to turn on every minute or so? It turns on at about 2900-3000 RPM's, goes off, then comes back on a minute or two later. Is this some kind of defect with my system? Also, does using this fan utility just to gauge temperatures actually change anything, or is it strictly a reading tool?

Thanks!

Is perfectly normal (you're not having an hyperactive fan, which is good)

In the other part, T60 Widescreen in theory should run cooler than T60p primarly because of the video chip, but maybe Lenovo changed something on the new heatsinks.

Posted: **Sun May 27, 2007 3:33 am**

dgsowers wrote:But I have had it turn off with the laptop on my lap typing in Notepad. The fact that I am crashing while typing something and not playing any games is killing me.

My R50p started crashing when I put my hands below the keyboard, or when I jiggled the screen. Lenovo replaced the system board, and it was fine again.

However, it was still overheating under stress (GPU hit 118°C, then died). Lenovo replaced the system board 4 times. The design of the cooling system was simply insufficient. They eventually gave me a brand new T60p, which does not overheat for me.

I now have a 1680x1050 widescreen, and the V5250 GPU. It's somewhat annoying to not have a better resolution (had 1600x1200), but the upgraded machine makes up for it.

xtr wrote:In the other part, T60 Widescreen in theory should run cooler than T60p primarly because of the video chip, but maybe Lenovo changed something on the new heatsinks.

Really? I guess the widescreen allows it to run cooler simply because the case is bigger.

Posted: **Sun May 27, 2007 9:44 am**

I tried to run Thinkpad Fan control on my T60p , however it failed with the error msg saying "winio.sys cannot be loaded or found in the app". But the sys file do exist inside the folder. I got the version from http://sourceforge.net/projects/tp4xfancontrol

I had the same problem on a new 2623DDU, T60P. This has XP with all the patches. Are others having this problem?

Since this WINIO gives kernel access, I would expect MS to block it somehow as a security risk.

Posted: **Sun May 27, 2007 9:46 am**

I have a T60 8742-4SU, 1 gig of ram, X1400 ATI card, Core 2 Duo, etc. Here is what the TP Fan Control is showing.

How did you get TP Fan Control to run on a T60? I can't. Where did you get it? Did you have to put it in the path or such?

Posted: **Sun May 27, 2007 1:00 pm**

xtr wrote: Is perfectly normal (you're not having an hyperactive fan, which is good)

In the other part, T60 Widescreen in theory should run cooler than T60p primarly because of the video chip, but maybe Lenovo changed something on the new heatsinks.

Thanks for the response. So by T60 standards, having the fan come on every minute or two isn't hyperactive? I figured that with the cooler temps I'm running, it should be a little less frequent, but like I said it's coming on every 1-2 minutes at about 2900-3000 RPM and then shutting off a minute later, rinse repeat.

How did you get TP Fan Control to run on a T60? I can't. Where did you get it? Did you have to put it in the path or such?

I just downloaded it via a link provided earlier in this thread, I think on page 3 or 4. I downloaded it to the desktop, extracted it to a folder and opened it. It didn't give me any issues.

Thinkpads Forum

NEW T60 Temperature Thread - Especially high GPU Temperature

Re: T60p turns itself off all the time, overheating

Re: T60p turns itself off all the time, overheating