Thinkpads Forum

Hi all -

I have a T60p, and when playing games, the GPU temp gets up to 102C, then the machine turns off. Im assuming that 102C is way too high?

What temps are you guys seeing on your GPU? I have th ATI FireGL 5200. I also have access to 3 more T60p's (at work). I can't game on them, but I'm tyring to put them through their paces, and see what GPU temps they come up with. I'm using ATI Tools 'Scan for Artifacs' as sort of a benchmark, and letting it run for 10 minutes. Temps are taken with TPfancontrol, set to Maual control, speed 7 (max rpm). Here is what I see:

My T60p: 95C idle: 69C
T60p #2: 91C idle: 61C
T60p #2: 95C idle" 71C

Is 4C statistically significant? is 91C still too high? Are all three of these T60p's bum?

Any thoughts?

Hi cavtroop and welcome to Thinkpad forums.

I wish I could know the cause of the GFX chips on T60 overheating, it's a design flaw in 1st instance. The heat generated in the GPU is carried on by a thermal pad (which is thick IMO) and that causes problems because the heat is not transferred as it should.

Some user here took some pics on his T60p to show the thermal pads. I think this could be fixed modding the fan heatsink firstly removing those horrible thermal pads and then applying Arctic Silver 5 and to fill the gap between the heatsink and GPU use a piece of copper. Of course, this is not tested, and I cannot do that because I do not own a T60p, but 102C seems exaggerated.

For example, my T42p 128MB FireGL T2 card reaches at most 75C at full load. In Ati Tools only reaches about 65C (I changed the pink thermal pad on my machine to Zalman SuperThermal Grease) and the results are incredible.

Or you could save the hassle and return the machine to Lenovo, although idle temps like yours are considered normal on a T60p

Search around here; there are a ton of threads discussing head issues with the v5200/v5250.

That said, I think others have seem those temps without a crash.

My t60p w/ v5250 crashes or becomes unstable after running graphically intense games for only a few minutes. It takes me a full day of intense graphics work to get it to that point otherwise.

Some people have solved this problem by removing one of a pair of poorly matched SODIMMs from the system RAM. (This doesn't resolve my instability issue.)

I'm attempting to install Omega drivers as a last ditch attempt before sending my T60p back for a new motherboard.

Thanks for the replies. At first I thought it was temp related, but now Im not so sure.

I've got boxes of the T60p's laying around, so I pulled another one out and am running tests. Right now, the second box (brand new) has been running with a 106C GPU temp for an hour now, no problems.

Im beginning to think something is funky with the original T60p (duh, captain obvious! ) I just have no idea what...

Hmmm, I have to some loading tests on a sample T60 when I get the time, but a GPU temp anywhere past three digits is quite worrisome. If it was more in the 70-80 range, then it wouldn't be that bad.

I don't quite know what the critical shutdown temperature for the GPU core is, but if it starts getting to the point where it adversely affects other components of the Thinkpad eventually leading to a thermally-triggered shutdown, then it is an issue.

Yeah, I've run this on two different T60p's now (both identical, with the FireGL card), and they both get up north of 100C. If I can find the time, I'm going to try it out on a third.

Anyone have a program to monitor temperature, runnning VISTA?