Interest in X61 T9900/P8800/T9600 motherboard? (North America Only)

[RMSMajestic]

OK as you probably know my crazy-razy friends in China has put the 1066Mhz FSB CPUs on X61 using BGA reworking station a few month ago.

And some of them (especially plclife and csuthdy) are even crazy enough to get several X61 P8800, T9900 and T9600 motherboards.

I'm posting this in order to see people's interest in such motherboards, and maybe schedule a bulk shipping in order to save money from international shipping.

To ship a 1.8KG parcel from China costs about 400 RMB, equivalent to some 66-70 USD, which is high but when dividing between several people, cost is much lower.

Please let me know what you guys think (By either voting or reply with the price you want)

[ajkula66]

Is no one over there playing with X61 tablet boards?

[charlesd]

I would be totally interested in a T9900 on a X200t motherboard to put in my X201 tablet.

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=43279113276

Is your friend only reflowing X61?

[RMSMajestic]

I would be totally interested in a T9900 on a X200t motherboard to put in my X201 tablet.

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=43279113276

Is your friend only reflowing X61?

Yes... so far X61 and X301 only.

I doubt that you can put a T9900 on X200 tablet, since all X200 tablets were shipped with SU9400, SU9600, SL9300, SL9400 or SL9600 (small form factor CPUs). so I guess the best you can put on X200 tablet is SP9600 unfortunately.

[RMSMajestic]

Is no one over there playing with X61 tablet boards?

The tablet version of X61 won't work with 45nm CPUs even if the microcode is added to the BIOS. This is due to the EC module. On a X61 tablet, the EC module has the support of all tablet functions, but not the support for 45nm CPUs. Even a t8100/T8300 won't work on X61 tablet.. Unlike the ordinary X61, they didn't come with any 45nm CPU and obviously lenovo hasn't add the support either.

It is possible to put a 65nm T7500,T7700 or T7800 on X61 tablet. But I don't think it's a good idea.
Plclife has a X61 tablet with T7700 and it's even hotter than a Macbook air.

[600X]

Did I hear X301?

[FryPpy]

Yes... so far X61 and X301 only.

Interesting - X301 already have penryn (45nm) CPU. What you are doing? Installing SL9600 (or even SP9600) instead SU?
This is very interesting that SL9600 is 2.13GHz @ 1066 FSB = SU9600 + BSEL mod, but without troubles with SPD and memory.

I have P8600 X200 and it is very good thing. IMHO the good CPUs for X61 is a P-series (P8800/P9600 - P9700). I think T9900 is little overpriced and more power hungry for a such small beauty like X61. In a high price boundary $250+ - it is better to pray and wait for X62 mobo. in $150 - $180 boundary may be it can get some demand.

I am from outside of US - so my words it is only IMHO;)

[shawross]

I would be interested in an X301 modded but I will be in Thailand . Please keep us in the loop

[RMSMajestic]

Did I hear X301?

Yup you did!
They have put SP9600 on X301, but it just runs absolutely hot and have random restart problem due to insufficient power supply, just like the quad core T61. restarts under prime 95 and intel burn test

[RMSMajestic]

Interesting - X301 already have penryn (45nm) CPU. What you are doing? Installing SL9600 (or even SP9600) instead SU?
This is very interesting that SL9600 is 2.13GHz @ 1066 FSB = SU9600 + BSEL mod, but without troubles with SPD and memory.

I have P8600 X200 and it is very good thing. IMHO the good CPUs for X61 is a P-series (P8800/P9600 - P9700). I think T9900 is little overpriced and more power hungry for a such small beauty like X61. In a high price boundary $250+ - it is better to pray and wait for X62 mobo. in $150 - $180 boundary may be it can get some demand.

I am from outside of US - so my words it is only IMHO;)

The price is high because the BGA version of T9900 is quite hard to find at a reasonable cost. And moreover one fail will add 30-50 USD to the average cost to a batch of 5 X61 T9900 motherboards. There's risk involved.

Maybe this time last year you can afford that $250? lol only joking, no offense

[600X]

Did I hear X301?

Yup you did!
They have put SP9600 on X301, but it just runs absolutely hot and have random restart problem due to insufficient power supply, just like the quad core T61. restarts under prime 95 and intel burn test

The jump from 10W to 25W is probably too big. The X301 cooling can handle a lot more than 10W, but almost tripling heat is probably a bit too much. I think a SL9600 would be perfect. But great to hear that the X301 is getting some CPU upgrades as well! Is there some way of adding a better graphics? The MacBook of that time used to have a good nVIDIA integrated into its chipset. Maybe one can transfer it?

[RMSMajestic]

The jump from 10W to 25W is probably too big. The X301 cooling can handle a lot more than 10W, but almost tripling heat is probably a bit too much. I think a SL9600 would be perfect. But great to hear that the X301 is getting some CPU upgrades as well! Is there some way of adding a better graphics? The MacBook of that time used to have a good nVIDIA integrated into its chipset. Maybe one can transfer it?

But if you look at SL9600, clock frequency is just the same as an overclocked SU9600 --- On a portable machine like X301 I don't really care about the extra 3MB cache (I'd prefer less 3MB over the 6MB for longer battery). There's no way to upgrade the graphics, the next generation used a completely different technology and the northbridge has completely disappeared, the only way to get a bit extra performance out of X301 is to overclock the RAM and NB. Also you should feel lucky that lenovo used the crappy intel graphics----- nVIDIA still have their famous bug in the 9000m series. And W700 at the same period was just another victim of nVIDIA.

[600X]

You're right, I just checked, the SL9600 even runs at the same voltage as the SU9600 and what's more, a SU9600 can be overclocked to reach 2,4GHz. So yes, SL9600 is useless.

As for the GPU: The GeForce 9400M (G) was used in the mid 2009 MacBook line-up (even in the air). Shouldn't it be bug-free? (post 08/08) The generation is the same as the X301, so it should use the same architecture and technology right?

[RMSMajestic]

You're right, I just checked, the SL9600 even runs at the same voltage as the SU9600 and what's more, a SU9600 can be overclocked to reach 2,4GHz. So yes, SL9600 is useless.

As for the GPU: The GeForce 9400M (G) was used in the mid 2009 MacBook line-up (even in the air). Shouldn't it be bug-free? (post 08/08) The generation is the same as the X301, so it should use the same architecture and technology right?

The FX3700m was also mid 2009 using the new 65nm process. But there has been quite a few roasted FX3700m both here and on 51nb. consider how many W700s are out there, it's not a low proportion. Post 08/08 just lower the chance of a bug, but the bug still exists.
I can't be very certain but I don't think that the nVIDIA made chipset has the same pin layout as intel's GM45

[600X]

I can't be very certain but I don't think that the nVIDIA made chipset has the same pin layout as intel's GM45

In that case it's a lost cause anyway. Thanks for the clarification. Still curious about the NVIDIA bug thing though. I am aware that the W700 GPU's tend to fail as well, but can't recall coming across MacBooks with a dead 9400M (G). I'm sure there are some, but I think the risk is low enough to take the jump.

Anyway, it was just an idea. If we could adress the GPU, then most of the X301 flaws could be fixed. CPU has been done (overclock or solder), RAM is fine at 8GB, AFFS mod has been done, fast 1.8" SSD's exist as well and a 6c + bay is enough for most people. So if we could improve the GPU, the X301 would be pretty much perfect.

[axur-delmeria]

So if we could improve the GPU, the X301 would be pretty much perfect.

Don't forget USB 3.0. Then again, a mini-PCIe USB 3.0 host controller card could do the trick.

The HMM says there's slot for the Wireless USB/Turbo Memory card, but I don't know if the connector is always soldered like the X61, or only in certain models like the WWAN-equipped X60.

[600X]

All X301 have 3 mPCIe slots. Most people will have 1 free slot on their X301 (who uses wireless USB or turbo memory) and those who don't use WWAN will even have 2 free slots. I'd probably use the WWAN slot for USB 3 and the turbo memory slot for an easy access SD card slot, to adress that issue as well.

But to get back to topic, personally I would be interested in an X301 board with better graphics, since overclocking the CPU provides more than enough power for me, but I have no possibility to seriously improve GPU performance.

[axur-delmeria]

but I have no possibility to seriously improve GPU performance.

eGPU via the miniPCIe slot?

[600X]

but I have no possibility to seriously improve GPU performance.

eGPU via the miniPCIe slot?

I question the mobility of this solution.

[axur-delmeria]

I question the mobility of this solution.

I was actually going to mention that on the same post, but yeah, it won't be mobile.

AFAIK no one's built a portable eGPU setup yet, simply because almost everyone's aiming for high-end GPUs, requiring big desktop PSUs for power.

IMO it's possible to make a small eGPU setup, provided that you:

1. limit yourself to entry-level GPUs (even a GT 730 Kepler is light-years ahead of any old IGP)
2. find a small enough PSU (the GT 730 has a TDP of 38w).
3. have decent fabrication skills to make a compact enclosure for it
4. get a mini-PCIe HDMI capture card so you can send the GPU's video output back to your laptop instead of lugging around an external LCD monitor.

Still won't run on batteries though.

[RMSMajestic]

Did I hear X301?

plclife is also selling his SP9600 X301 motherboard, are you interested? Price is a bit shocking though.... $350, or some 220GBP. there is a much higher failure rate on X301 boards :/

[600X]

Did I hear X301?

plclife is also selling his SP9600 X301 motherboard, are you interested? Price is a bit shocking though.... $350, or some 220GBP. there is a much higher failure rate on X301 boards :/

Thanks for the heads up, owning such a X301 would be awesome, but I just don't have the money to spend on something like that right now, especially when considering that I already have an overclocked X301 which is serving me quite well. I hope it will find an owner that appreciates the X301 as much as I do though. These machines are true gems if you know how to set them up properly.

[Qing Dao]

That all sounds really expensive. I've bought normal voltage X61 motherboards on Taobao for $30, and a T9900 for $40, although now it seems the going price is about $60 for the T9900. How much would somebody charge to do the BGA rework, another $30? If it doesn't work the first time, it might be nothing is broken and you could remove the processor and try again. If one plans on doing a number of boards, they might as well just buy their own infrared rework station for about $300.

For shipping to the US, if you can wait 4 weeks for delivery, just go through the regular post office and ship the package by sea. For 400 RMB (~$60) you can ship A LOT of laptop motherboards.

Also might want to try a Q9000 in the X61. The Q9000 does run cooler at full load than my T9900 when both are undervolted. I haven't tried them in a laptop, but on an ITX socket P motherboard. The one downside would be slightly more power consumption at idle, which could be a problem if you use it on battery and spend most of the time with the CPU at idle. But still, E0 stepping Penryns are far better than or Meroms or even C0 stepping Penryns when it comes to idle power consumption, so that fact that it has twice the cores shouldn't hurt too much. I haven't gone over the X61 motherboard to see if the mod can be done easily like on the T61, but I guess it should be.

I also bought two E0 stepping X9100 QHBQ processors to try them out. They behave a lot differently than the T9900. They run at a higher stock voltage and can't be undervolted as much as the T9900. For our purposes they are a no-go, but that kind of behavior lends itself better to being overclocked if you can supply it with enough power and cooling (which an X61 can't.)

[mike20030405]

Did I hear X301?

plclife is also selling his SP9600 X301 motherboard, are you interested? Price is a bit shocking though.... $350, or some 220GBP. there is a much higher failure rate on X301 boards :/

Seems the price now is CNY950, around US$153
http://tel.nb591.com/thread-115582-1-1.html

[RMSMajestic]

Seems the price now is CNY950, around US$153
http://tel.nb591.com/thread-115582-1-1.html

But to take the hassle of getting it out of China..... errrrm personally I'd ask for at least $50 more.
Maybe plc is also trying to rip you guys off lol

[RMSMajestic]

Also might want to try a Q9000 in the X61. The Q9000 does run cooler at full load than my T9900 when both are undervolted. I haven't tried them in a laptop, but on an ITX socket P motherboard. The one downside would be slightly more power consumption at idle, which could be a problem if you use it on battery and spend most of the time with the CPU at idle. But still, E0 stepping Penryns are far better than or Meroms or even C0 stepping Penryns when it comes to idle power consumption, so that fact that it has twice the cores shouldn't hurt too much. I haven't gone over the X61 motherboard to see if the mod can be done easily like on the T61, but I guess it should be.

I also bought two E0 stepping X9100 QHBQ processors to try them out. They behave a lot differently than the T9900. They run at a higher stock voltage and can't be undervolted as much as the T9900. For our purposes they are a no-go, but that kind of behavior lends itself better to being overclocked if you can supply it with enough power and cooling (which an X61 can't.)

Although the crazy guys on 51nb have installed a P9700 on X61, Q9000 is a different story. It's almost impossible to get a jumping wire underneath a BGA CPU
How does the E0 stepping X9100 overclock BTW? What's the voltage for 4GHz?

[RMSMajestic]

That all sounds really expensive. I've bought normal voltage X61 motherboards on Taobao for $30, and a T9900 for $40, although now it seems the going price is about $60 for the T9900. How much would somebody charge to do the BGA rework, another $30? If it doesn't work the first time, it might be nothing is broken and you could remove the processor and try again. If one plans on doing a number of boards, they might as well just buy their own infrared rework station for about $300.

For shipping to the US, if you can wait 4 weeks for delivery, just go through the regular post office and ship the package by sea. For 400 RMB (~$60) you can ship A LOT of laptop motherboards.

Also might want to try a Q9000 in the X61. The Q9000 does run cooler at full load than my T9900 when both are undervolted. I haven't tried them in a laptop, but on an ITX socket P motherboard. The one downside would be slightly more power consumption at idle, which could be a problem if you use it on battery and spend most of the time with the CPU at idle. But still, E0 stepping Penryns are far better than or Meroms or even C0 stepping Penryns when it comes to idle power consumption, so that fact that it has twice the cores shouldn't hurt too much. I haven't gone over the X61 motherboard to see if the mod can be done easily like on the T61, but I guess it should be.

I also bought two E0 stepping X9100 QHBQ processors to try them out. They behave a lot differently than the T9900. They run at a higher stock voltage and can't be undervolted as much as the T9900. For our purposes they are a no-go, but that kind of behavior lends itself better to being overclocked if you can supply it with enough power and cooling (which an X61 can't.)

[/quote]
Good luck with that XD. the $40 T9900 probably have fallen pads when the seller were removing the CPU and they used a board to cover that defect. such as this one here:
http://forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=att ... othumb=yes
or this one
http://forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=att ... g0Mw%3D%3D
to use on X61, you will need CPUs that have PINs directly soldered onto the pads.

Good luck with your experiment There are a lot of lessons to be paid for the electronics in China lol

But I agree with you on the price for the X301 SP9600 motherboard. I was a bit shocking when I first heard the price

[600X]

With that amount of thermal paste on the X301 board, no wonder it was running hot. Any laptop would. At that price, it's very tempting. Too tempting. You shouldn't have posted it here, now I might have to get one.

[Qing Dao]

Good luck with that XD. the $40 T9900 probably have fallen pads when the seller were removing the CPU and they used a board to cover that defect. such as this one here:
http://forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=att ... othumb=yes
or this one
http://forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=att ... g0Mw%3D%3D
to use on X61, you will need CPUs that have PINs directly soldered onto the pads.

Good luck with your experiment There are a lot of lessons to be paid for the electronics in China lol

But I agree with you on the price for the X301 SP9600 motherboard. I was a bit shocking when I first heard the price

The T9900 that I got for that price is perfectly fine. It is the BGA stepping but with pins in place of the balls, on the original pads. I bought it last year. I inspected it very closely when I got it and compared it to several other socket P processors since it was my first BGA with pins. I can't find any more BGA ones on Taobao anymore, or any T9900 for less than about $60. It has been a while since I checked, but I think the SP9600 can be had for maybe as little at 100RMB.

I couldn't really push the X9100's very far as I was limited by the slim ITX heatsink. Compared with good overclocking desktop Penryns, they share similar voltage/clock patterns. I could only find a few cases where people overclocked X9100 E0 processors, but they could do well over 4Ghz in a laptop with good cooling. That sounds right considering good desktop Penryns are about the same.

[mdancer]

Hi RMSMajestic, could your friend do X9100 stepping E0 X61 motherboard mod? After my T61 with X9100 died I switched to X61s and love its mobility but want slightly more power.