Notebook temperature T61

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Maden · #1 Post by **Maden** » Tue May 13, 2008 1:21 pm

Hi all,
my T61 is getting really hot recently. I can't even touch it on the bottom and the keyboard isn't very pleasant, too. I downloaded Notebook Hardware Control 2.0 and it tells me when I turn on my laptop 63C (145F) CPU temp. and after 10min gaming (CS1.6) above 85C (185F). I can't remember it being that hot? Maybe cause the weather is quite hot (25Celsius)?

Has anybody encountered this problem? I'd just like to avoid a CPU meltdown and burned fingers. Is a notebook cooler recommendable?
Thanks,
Maden

T7300 Duo Core
2GB Ram
140M Nvidia
120BG HD
Widescreen

aaa · #2 Post by **aaa** » Tue May 13, 2008 1:36 pm

Most likely it is either clogged with dust or the fan is broken. I believe NHC shows the fan status somewhere.

Maden · #3 Post by **Maden** » Tue May 13, 2008 1:53 pm

well, after I stop gaming the temp is down within half a minute to 67C. Is 67 still to hot?
and I can hear the fan working

it just shows s.th about
thermal constant for passive cooling 1 value 5
thermal constant for passive cooling 2 value 4
I can't find more info in NHC - could you recommend a better/ other tool/ app?

Maden · #4 Post by **Maden** » Tue May 13, 2008 2:03 pm

aaa wrote:Most likely it is either clogged with dust or the fan is broken. I believe NHC shows the fan status somewhere.

can I clean it myself, or do I loose my warranty if I open it up?

aaa · #5 Post by **aaa** » Tue May 13, 2008 2:09 pm

There the tpfancontrol tool.

I am not sure about the warranty thing, I don't think they would care. It's just removing the keyboard and blowing the stuff out I think.

Pascal_TTH · #6 Post by **Pascal_TTH** » Wed May 14, 2008 4:23 pm

Those temperatures are correct according to your use. It's possible to get better.

You can use : TPfancontrol + RM clock + RivaTuner

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=60695

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/9243/image1oi2.png

pailhead · #7 Post by **pailhead** » Wed May 14, 2008 7:33 pm

My T61 is between 40 and 45C under normal use. 67 sounds way to high a temperature on start-up.

kchung · #8 Post by **kchung** » Fri May 16, 2008 6:10 pm

My recommendation would be to remove the palm rest and keyboard and visually check the CPU Fan. Also shine a light (direct sunlight will work) through the fan from the inside pointing through the rear of the laptop - can you see the light through the heatsink with out obstructions from dust and lint?

I've seen several T60/p and T61/p laptops with clogged heatsinks, some in as little as 5 months. Problems that occur with badly clogged heatsinks are runs hot, random freezes or shutdowns, etc.

I've seen chunks of lint 1/2 inch by 1/8 by 1/8 come out of the fan (sometimes I have to use two toothpicks like chop sticks to get the lint clumps out.

To Clean:

1) Take the laptop outside with the keyboard and palmrest removed (5 screws I think)
2) Open the lid and while gently holding fan and using canned air duster, blast though the fan outward through the back and left side.
3) While still holding the fan in place, blast air through the rear and left side vents.
4) Check for lint in the fan, rotating it 360 degrees and remove any found.
5) Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4.

Warnings:

1) The air duster can should not be tipped in such a way to have the liquid propellent sprayed out and should not be used to blow dust off the lcd screen
2) Keep face away from laptop when blasting the fan and heat sink - a lot of dust can fly out at high velocity. Nasty stuff!
3) Make sure to test the keyboard and touchpad before tightening down the screws, and make sure the palmrest is seated flush on the front edge.

Maden · #9 Post by **Maden** » Sat May 17, 2008 12:11 pm

@kchung: I opened it up and cleaned out the fan

looked like this (quite nasty, but no big chunks, the picture looks worst than it actually was)

I played some games on it and it still goes up to 90C. So I guess its ok!?
thx

EAkamai · #10 Post by **EAkamai** » Sat May 17, 2008 6:17 pm

Sorry, i know i'm a Noob here but i have been around the Tech industry for quite a few years. Actually i am Certified Warranty Repair for just about every brand of system including servers and even TPads.

I've come across something that i had originally thought was some kind of Snake Oil, but turned out worked like a charm. My T61 is extremely cool but i used this and it got even cooler. It is a device that is non electric made by Targus and it is shaped like an X. You simply extend the arms and stick the laptop on it and BINGO, cooler days prevail. I'm not sure if i can list where i got it, but it is available all over the place and very inexpensive. It works better than anything i've seen that uses powered fans. It simply raises up the unit so air can flow better. Amazingly simple and it works.

Hope this will help in some way.

Maden · #11 Post by **Maden** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:28 pm

It seems like the temp. normalized again. Now its down to around 50-60 normal usage and 60-70 gaming

Thanks for you help

Pascal_TTH · #12 Post by **Pascal_TTH** » Thu May 22, 2008 10:54 am

Maden wrote:@kchung: I opened it up and cleaned out the fan

looked like this (quite nasty, but no big chunks, the picture looks worst than it actually was)

I played some games on it and it still goes up to 90C. So I guess its ok!?
thx

[censored], I understandwhy it was overheating. Never let so many dust in your fan. How old is your T61 ? Lower air intakes are nice for cooling, but this new feature of the T61 act like a vacum cleaner.

sayurann · #13 Post by **sayurann** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:48 pm

yeah, my T61 also acting like that..
when i bought my t61, most of the time, i put my thinkpad like a pc desktop, so, i never touch it unless i bring it for school/work..
i use keyboard, lcd, etc and put my thinkpad on the side, just like a cpu desktop...
when i first have my t61, i dont have an external lcd, so i use it like a laptop, it was SUPER cool.. i play games, etc, its cool
but after like a few months, i got my lcd, and put t61 as a cpu desktop... then, after like almost 1 year untouched, suddenly my t61 is SUPER hot... only after booting up, no programs turned on, its already hot (i dont know wat the exact temperature is)
when i turned on games, it became hot, something like untouchable hot... its weird..
and it also freezes often... when u leave it idle it can freeze... so similar problem
probably because of me leaving my t61 like a desktop cpu, the fan is clugged with dust... ill try to clean it...
and yeah, i format it a lot of times, even change my OS to xp and it still freezes often (currently using home premium)

do u guys any other idea to help this? other than cleaning the fan?

Notebook temperature T61

Notebook temperature T61

Amazing Simple Cooler

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