Thinkpads Forum

Hi everyone,

After many unsuccessful repair attempts, I finally decided to replace the motherboard of my ThinkPad x60s in order to resurrect it.

The motherboard serial number is something like FRU42T0021: Here is a picture I took in order to better identify it.

I could not find an exact match of this serial number on ebay, however, I found a few which visibly look very similar to mine, despite having different serial numbers (i.e. FRU42T0213, FRU42W7682...). I was thinking about giving them a try, considering their low cost (around 25 euros plus shipping), but first I wanted to ask you senior ThinkPadders what you think of this idea: worth trying or total waste of money?

Thanks in advance!

If you want/need a new motherboard, you may want to consider upgrading to an x61 or X61s motherboard, they all fit.
Get the X60/X61 manual from the HMM link above and look at the motherboards with Santa Rosa CPU (but without the 2nd fan) on pages 183 and further.
They are all 64-bit CPUs and can take up to 8GB RAM.

Thank you for your answer @RealBlackStuff!

RealBlackStuff wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 27, 2022 7:41 am

If you want/need a new motherboard, you may want to consider upgrading to an x61 or X61s motherboard, they all fit.

I would like to stick to the X60s, although it is 32-bit.

RealBlackStuff wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 27, 2022 7:41 am

Get the X60/X61 manual from the HMM link above and look at the motherboards with Santa Rosa CPU (but without the 2nd fan) on pages 183 and further.
They are all 64-bit CPUs and can take up to 8GB RAM.

Uhm... I assume what you mean is that they would all fit? Does the same principle apply to the x60s motherboards I mentioned above? I assume they will all "physically" fit, but I am afraid I may enconter some "incompatibility issues" with other components, ie. the display. But I may be wrong! Is it worth trying?

Just check that your current low-voltage fan can be used on the new mobo (or get the correct standard voltage fan) and stay away from mobos that need a 2nd fan, everything else will fit.

Thank you @RealBlackStuff. May ask you for another little help in determining whether the motherboard I'm about to purchase is compatible?

As I said, I need a replacement for the 42T0021. Here's what the HMM says about it:

Planar Intel Core Duo processor L2400 (1.67GHz) Low voltage with WWAN
- 1702-CTO, 68x, 63x
- 1703-CTO
- 1704-CTO, 63x, 69x, 66x
- 1705-CTO
- 2507-CTO
- 2508-CTO
- 2533-CTO

On ebay I found a 42W7682, which I'd like to use as a replacement. The HMM says:

Planar Intel Core Duo processor L2500 (1.83GHz) Low voltage OA2 with WWAN
- 1702-CTO
- 1703-CTO
- 1704-CTO
- 1705-CTO
- 2507-CTO
- 2508-CTO

I assume you suggest me to check whether both motherboards support low voltage, and it looks like that's the case. Also, in the pictures attached in ebay, I cannot see a secondary fan, and the motherboard overall looks very similar to mine. May you confirm that would be a suitable replacement? And thanks again

None of the X60s boards have a second fan-- that was introduced in the X61 series.

Thanks everyone for your kind answers. May I only ask you to answer the question in my previous post, and tell me whether the motherboard I'm about to purchase is worth giving a try? I went through the HMM (you can find informations about the two motherboards in my previous post), but I am not truly an expert, and therfore cannot completely "translate" the informations it contains. Thanks again

The 42W7682 you are planning on, is only a minimal improvement over the 42T0021, and it has still only a miserable 32-bit CPU, with a limit of just over 3GB RAM.
I would look for a Santa Rosa 42W7765 or 42W7766 instead

You could get 64 bit support with an X60 motherboard, right? As long as you have the right components: Core 2 Duo T7200 or Core 2 Duo L7400.