Upgrading X60s

[kuparikettu]

Hi everyone!

I have been reading this forum a few days now and decided to register before I begin some projects of mine

I own a X60s which I'm rather pleased with. However, due to Google Chrome dropping its 32bit support in Linux I'm now somewhat forced to take some action if I'm to watch Netflix in the future on this laptop. So towards 64bit...

I did think about buying X201 or some other later model but as I'm rather content with the keyboard, size, weight and the screen of this model I decided against it. Instead, my plan is as follows:

1) Replace motherboard (and palm rest?) with X61s pieces from this X61s carcass I just bought: http://goo.gl/aY61Qr
2) Replace mPCIe wifi with Edimax EW-7811Un USB 2.0 wifi (already bought)
3) Possibly install Crystal HD BCM970015.
4) Upgrade to Middleton BIOS

Things I'm wondering at the moment:
1) Anything I should take in to account before beginning the motherboard replacement operation?
2) Some say X61s runs somewhat hotter than X60s. Should I leave CHD out to keep my computer cooler -- after all, there is no extra cooler that is (apparently?) present in X61s.

Any thoughts?

[jaspen-meyer]

The southbridge gets hot in the x61s. Consider adding a heat sink to it.

If you get the Crystal HD working in Linux please share how you did it.
I spent an hour and couldn't get it working in xubuntu 14.04.

[kuparikettu]

I received the carcass today and decided to go forward with my project. I haven't received the Crystal HD yet, so it wasn't installed today.

Extra steps I took:
- Replaced the thermal paste on the CPU and CMH
- Opened the fan, cleaned it and lubed it
- Glued the back end of the palm rest (must be easy to snap this thing broken!)

Now everything it working, fan is quiet (but running, 3850 RPM), temperatures around 50-55 degrees Celsius. When CPU usage is really high, it can get some 62 degrees hot.

I didn't add heat sink on the southbridge yet -- any photos of its location, how large heat sink etc?

Without any wifi-card under the palm rest it is only warm. My computer runs now cooler than before this upgrade.

Next thing to do: Middleton's BIOS.

[RealBlackStuff]

Next thing to do: Middleton's BIOS.

Hold it!
Middleton's BIOS was NOT made for X60 series!
It only works on R61/T61/X61 series!

[kuparikettu]

Next thing to do: Middleton's BIOS.

Hold it!
Middleton's BIOS was NOT made for X60 series!
It only works on R61/T61/X61 series!

Thanks for the warning ... but...

It's X61s now X60s motherboard has left this laptop...

Instead, my plan is as follows:
1) Replace motherboard (and palm rest?) with X61s pieces from this X61s carcass I just bought: http://goo.gl/aY61Qr

[jaspen-meyer]

The southbridge is 31mm x 31mm.

The ICH8 chip has a 17-page document on thermal design, "Intel I/O Controller Hub 8 Family: Thermal/Mechanical Design Guide"

SOURCE:
"Intel® I/O Controller Hub 8 (Intel® ICH8) Family Datasheet" http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ ... sheet.html
page 869

[kuparikettu]

Okay, found it. Didn't guess it would be on the underside and behind that black tape.

Now I'm just wondering what kind of heatsink would fit there and whether it'd really help -- wouldn't warmth just accumulate under the laptop? Has someone had their X61s south bridge die from heat? At least I don't have any mPCIe cards there and now I have removed the modem as well.