T60p overheating - options for improving cooling?

[Zak]

I have a T60p with a Core Duo T2500 and a FireGL v5200. Typical CPU and GPU temperatures at idle are 50C and 70C respectively, and the GPU routinely exceeds 100C under load. The fan runs continuously at just under 3300 RPM. Ambient temperature is around 74F (23C) and the computer sits on a wooden desk.

I'm looking for ways to improve cooling. I'm sure a surface allowing airflow under the machine would help, but I'm hoping for a bigger improvement, and one that will help if I use this thing on my lap. Does anyone have experience with alternate thermal transfer materials for the GPU? I imagine it's possible to improve on the stock pad. Any suggestions for making this thing run cooler would be appreciated.

[hki]

This is not really about cooling, but rather heat output. With the help of this guide I undervolted my cpu (t2400) to minimum voltages for all frequencies. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=235824This lowered the load temp of the cpu about 25C. Be careful to test the stability once you have found good voltages.

I am not doing anything video intensive and my t60 has x1300 which is cooler by default I am running the gpu at minimum clocks at all times. This you can do with ati powerplay function. For regular 2D this lowers the temps of the GPU significantly. For GPU I may have followed this guide. Not sure anymore. http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 159#442159

Good thing about all the above is that it is good for battery life as well.

I hope this helps.

[ssd_thinkpad]

The cooler of the dedicated T60 models like yours does not fit very good to the gpu. That's why the cooler can not cool the gpu that much as it does not have good contact to the gpu. There is a thread in the T6x forum about manually putting a coint (no joke) somewhere on the cooler system to fix this problem.

[underclocker]

Read this thread --> http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=54334

I noted in the above thread that I had good results just by removing the thermal pads, applying Arctic Silver, and bending the heat sink and tension bar in a few places.

[wild_bill]

I removed the thermal pads, carefully bent my heatsink to make better contact with CPU & GPU and greased both processors with a very thin layer of Arctic Silver 5 and even added a US dime coin (91.7% copper) between GPU & heatsink to help the contact be really tight! Now my CPU temps are around 40°C and my GPU temps are around 45°C even under moderate load!

and my Thinkpad has been increased in value by 10 cents

PS - vacuuming the fan, ducted areas, and copper heatsink vanes while brushing with a clean paintbrush, made a bigger difference in temps than any other single thing I did!

Don't use the US penny, it is only 2.5% copper

[idxman01]

PS - vacuuming the fan, ducted areas, and copper heatsink vanes while brushing with a clean paintbrush, made a bigger difference in temps than any other single thing I did!

I didn't mess with the heatsink, but I second wild_bill's vacuuming recommendation. My T60p has been running at 68-75+ (gpu) for normal work and simply blowing the dust out and sprucing up has brought that down to 61-62. I had a bunch of dust in the fan and intake/exhaust areas.

Seems like bending the sink to fit the gpu would be the next step - I just couldn't have mine down any longer. Not convinced that I wouldn't bork up the install just yet.

Code: Select all

1 cpu 46°C
2 aps 40°C
3 crd 37°C
4 gpu 62°C
5 no5 29°C
7 bat 30°C
9 bus 40°C
10 pci 47°C
11 pwr 44°C