Thinkpads Forum

Hello -

I'm aware that many people have been reporting high GPU temperatures and near constant fan activity, and wanted to pose a question about the fan. I'm running a T60 Widescreen with Windows XP, an ATI X1400, and a Core 2 Duo processor. Unlike many, I am not experiencing high temperatures. My GPU and CPU are usually around 50 degrees, and don't get too much higher than that. However, my fan turns on roughly every 2-3 minutes and stays on for about a minute before turning off, and this whole process repeats. The fan, when on, is about 2900-3000 RPM. Is that normal fan activity for the T60, considering how cool the system is running, or should I be concerned?

Thanks for the help guys.

My machine shows the exact same behaviour. I think its normal.

I agree, normal. My T60 does the same.

mine is same. i think that will also depends on the power scheme and program activities.

The infrequent fan usage is normal under XP, at least.
Vista tends to run the fan more often and at a higher rate. Apparently, even casual usage of Vista puts stress on the GPU (in my case, an X1300) if the Aero interface is in full operation.

There are ways to reduce performance and thereby fan usage in either XP or Vista. I'm referring to the Power Manager schemes and the ATI Catalyst options ("PowerPlay"). Turning on the power saving option in PowerPlay (to "Balanced" or "Optimal Power Saving") will greatly reduce the fan usage with little or no apparent change in performance (at least in terms of casual usage such as web surfing and word processing).

Hope this helps. Questions? Write to me....