Thinkpads Forum

I have a T60p with a very nice 15" SXGA screen that I love but it seems to run hot and even with TPFanControl installed the fan noise seems to be a constant dilatation and I'm considering getting another TP like a T61 or T400 to replace it to get some quiet.

Are machines with Intel integrated graphics cooler and therefore quieter than a T60p?

Is the T61 quieter than a T60?

Is the T400 quieter than a T61?

Thanks in advance for your advice and experience!

Set CPU modes to Adaptive instead of Performance in the Power Manager.

When I first started with the T60p it seemed cooler and quieter than the T43p that I was using. After upgrading the CPU there was more heat and noise. Using software and cleaning the fan helped. Similar T61p's appeared cooler. T400 is by far the quietest and coolest so far that I have used. Even with the P9600 CPU.

Brad

Does cleaning the fan involve anything more than taking the keyboard off and blowing compressed air in somewhere? Thanks for the BIO suggestion - will try that but I thought I'd tried all of the settings.

At rated frequency, the CPU will build up heat quickly. The on chip thermistor then ask the fan to turn on. The fan noise user hear is a necessary function to remove the built up heat.

Adaptive CPU setting will let the CPU operate at much reduced frequency most of the time and only go to rated frequency when called for by OS and applications. This is the best method of mitigation fan noise.

The latest generation of ThinkPads is definitely on the cool side. If you go for T400/500 or R400/500 with integrated graphics you'll be amazed at how cool they run, as well as with their battery life.

The hottest-running ThinkPad I've ever owned was a 15.4" WUXGA T61p...and I honestly feel that the newest generation (typing on a W500 right now) offers a huge improvement over T61/p units in most respects.

My $0.02 only...

ajkula66 wrote:...
The hottest-running ThinkPad I've ever owned was a 15.4" WUXGA T61p.....
My $0.02 only...

That honor would be the T22 with 1Ghz Coppermine. They ran 34 watts TDP.

yah i had a t60 with a 1ghz processor and it made a "warm Spot" in my room. almost like a thermal

sjthinkpader wrote:

That honor would be the T22 with 1Ghz Coppermine. They ran 34 watts TDP.

While I'm sure that you're correct in theory, but I've owned T22 as well as A22p with 1.0 Coppermines, and this unfortunate T61p was hotter...

As far as I am aware, the T60p's thermals are dominated by the GPU (on the V5200/V5250 models anyway). By bending the heat pipe to make the GPU portion sit lower, removing the GPU thermal pad & replacing it with grease, and putting some 8mm super-pliable thermal pad between the spring clip & copper plate, I dropped the GPU by 25+ degrees. The fan is OFF half the time while idling now. I bent the spring plate prongs a little as well, to apply more pressure. Just make sure to test-fit the heat sink & adjust it so that the GPU portion seats flat.

Ooooor, look into a different model if you like your warranty intact.

bmwman91,

That sounds like an awesome mod (25 degrees lower is an incredible result!).

Would you mind detailing exactly how you did, in a step-by-step guide and also specify what kind of thermal pad and grease you used.

T400 is also cooler than the rest because most of the CPUs the T400s use are rated at 25W Penryns. That's 10W lower maximum TDP than Meroms that sit in T61, which have (math!) 35W, which is not very cool.

My T61 has following temperatures WHEN IDLE (model: 7658-CTO, 14.1" WXGA+ Intel GMA X3100, 2x1Gb RAM, 100Gb 7200rpm Seagate Momentus ST910021AS, Intel 4965AGN WiFi link, Bluetooth)

(Degrees Celsius)
CPU: 36 - 43
MiniPCI slot: 36-39
HDD: 26 - 29
Battery: 22-27

And there are three more sensors, which are unknown to science

The most annoying one of these idles at 43 and up from there, thus being singlehandedly responsible for fan kicking in, more so than any other component including the CPU. I am suspecting the sensor is located where the two RAM modules are inserted.

Fan is off half the time, when on, mostly 2900 - 3100 RPM.

Running Ubuntu 8.10 with a good deal of power tweakings.

[censored] the t400s are sounding better and better. can anyone comment if they are essentially the same as the t500, im leaning towards that now due to the bigger screen.

from what i've read the t60>t61 but neither sound that appealing compared to t42/t43 or the newer models. and honestly i with i could get the t42 in widescreen i would have bought 2 already.

T400 has LED back light option on their high res LCD ( 1440 x 900 ), where as T500 only has LED option on their low res ( 1280 x 800 ).

Tony Chan wrote:T400 has LED back light option on their high res LCD ( 1440 x 900 ), where as T500 only has LED option on their low res ( 1280 x 800 ).

It´s a shame, isn´t it... T500 would have been even a greater machine if Lenovo had put LED backlit to the WSXGA...

sniper695 wrote:yah i had a t60 with a 1ghz processor and it made a "warm Spot" in my room. almost like a thermal

The T60's never came with anything less than a 1.66Ghz Intel Core Duo CPU.