X61 overheating

[positive]

Hi All,

I purchased a used X61. It has the T9300, and my hopes are to install an SXGA+ screen.

I installed Win7, and the laptop shuts down after a few minutes of use. The back left side on the bottom gets very hot, and I assume this is the problem.

Can someone please offer advice on how to troubleshoot this issue? New fan? Heatsink issue?

Thanks

[Thinkpad4by3]

Check the fan if it is spinning. Check the thermal paste. Check to see if the fan bolts are tightened(yes I had a T40 perform badly because the fan had no screws in it)

[positive]

I lifted the keyboard, and the fan definitely spins. It is a bit dusty.

I don't know how to check the thermal paste. Do I need to disassemble the laptop further?

Thanks

[Thinkpad4by3]

1: Take out the fan and heatsink assembly.
2: Check the grills for dust. I had a little 7W Pentium chip do the same thing fron a super clogged fan assembly. If it looks like this: YOU NEED TO CLEAN IT! http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachm ... png.96514/
3: If the vents are clean, check the silver paste on the CPU. You will have to replace it whe. you remove the heatsink. Buy some ahead of time. I'm going to recommend Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut(RBS loves this stuff, so it must be good)

[axur-delmeria]

I lifted the keyboard, and the fan definitely spins. It is a bit dusty.

I don't know how to check the thermal paste. Do I need to disassemble the laptop further?

Thanks

Yes. The thermal paste is sandwiched between the heatsink and the processor. Accessing the heatsink requires removing the system board -- a near-complete disassembly. Grab a copy of the X61 Hardware Maintenance Manual and check the disassembly instructions.

[positive]

Looking at the fan (and the dust all around it) I suspect it will be clogged when I do disassemble the laptop. Is it better to buy a new fan, or just keeping this one and clean it? Thanks

[axur-delmeria]

Clean it first. You'll need new thermal paste for the CPU, a small thermal pad (20mm x 20mm x 1mm is more than enough) for the northbridge chip, light machine oil (like Singer oil) to lubricate the fan, small brush and some kind of air blower (compressed air or squeeze bulb-type).

[shawross]

Depending on your usage it might pay to throttle the CPU. That will always be a hot X61 I think.


Undervolt it after you have cleaned it and replaced the thermal paste and see how you go. I use RMClock for mine.

[Thinkpad4by3]

For it to reboot every 5 minutes, it is clogged. I know the X61 assembly may be small, but the internal thermal thorttling should take care of it. An X62 could aso increase performance !

[shawross]

Obviously this X61 is clogged and needs a thermal repaste of the CPU and undoubtedly that is the problem here.

But with the heatsink and fan refurbished it is still likely to run warm especially if used on your lap.

This is probably to be expected of a 10 year old ultraportable though especially one that has a high spec'd full voltage CPU.

These machines with core 2 duo CPUs respond well and will run cooler if they are undervolted and can run anywhere from 5 - 10 degrees cooler.

[axur-delmeria]

But with the heatsink and fan refurbished it is still likely to run warm especially if used on your lap.

I wonder if installing a somewhat thick thermal pad between the southbridge chip and the chassis will make the bottom hotter or cooler. I remember reading an old thread about crafting a heatspreader for the southbridge, but I don't know if it was successful or not.

These machines with core 2 duo CPUs respond well and will run cooler if they are undervolted and can run anywhere from 5 - 10 degrees cooler.

It's a bit time-consuming, as the CPU must be stress-tested to ensure stability every time the voltage is lowered-- but it's worth it.

[positive]

Thanks all for your help. I am going to clean the fan when I do the SXGA+ mod later this week. Never done anything like this before, but the HMM and videos should help.