Thinkpads Forum

I received my X60 (170686U, with T2400, 8 cell battery) yesterday and I like it a lot. The laptop is well designed and the battery life is amazing. After playing with it for a whole evening, I discovered some problems. I don't know if it's normal to all X60 or it's only mine. Please comment, thanks.

1. Noise from Hard Drive

There is no problem with the CPU fan. the CPU fan only kicks in when the computer starts, and then it rarely kicks in. But the noise from the hard drive (Hitachi 80GB) is clearly audible from normal use distance and it's like another fan located at the place of the hard drive. It's constant and it's not the clicking noise other people talked about. Also, the noise is more audible if I put the X60 on table than if I put it on laps. The space between the bottom of the laptop and the desk seems to amplify the noise. I can confirm that the noise is from the hard drive: TPFanControl reports the CPU fan speed is zero, and if I use the Hitachi Feature Tool to set the APM of the hard drive to 1 (spin down), then when I don't use the hard drive (like if I start the X60 to DOS using CD), it would spin down and the X60 is completely silent. Is this normal to all X60?

2. Noise from Trackpoint

When I use the trackpoint to move the cursor on screen, there is a electric noise from the area of the trackpoint. It's not very high frequency, and it's not so audible from normal use distance, but clearly audible if I put my ear closer (to about 10cm). Also, if I put my ear about 10cm to the hard drive, I can hear the same kind of electric noise from the hard drive.

3. Battery

The 8 cell battery has amazing battery life. But it doesn't fit very tight to the X60. It's a little loose and I can shake the battery a little bit.

Please comment on the above problems. Thanks.

Every one of the issues you notice is normal. However, I only notice the trackpoint sound when I'm on battery.

smvp6459 wrote:Every one of the issues you notice is normal. However, I only notice the trackpoint sound when I'm on battery.

I cannot believe a normal hard drive would be so loud. I am using my old laptop (Gateway 200X) and the hard drive is completely silent from normal use distance. It's a 5400rpm Western Digital. In contrast, the noise from the X60's Hitachi is clearly audible from 60CM away when I put it on the desk:(

ibear wrote: 3. Battery

The 8 cell battery has amazing battery life. But it doesn't fit very tight to the X60. It's a little loose and I can shake the battery a little bit.

Please comment on the above problems. Thanks.

There are two locking tabs on the underside of the machine which lock in the battery. One locks automatically and the other one must be slid into the lock position by you. If this 2nd tab is not locked, the battery will have more of a tendency to feel "loose."

I would think the HD noise is normal. I requested a new HD from Lenovo for my X60S and it is still noisy. It is not too bad but it is there and we have to tolerate.

ibear wrote:

smvp6459 wrote:Every one of the issues you notice is normal. However, I only notice the trackpoint sound when I'm on battery.

I cannot believe a normal hard drive would be so loud. I am using my old laptop (Gateway 200X) and the hard drive is completely silent from normal use distance. It's a 5400rpm Western Digital. In contrast, the noise from the X60's Hitachi is clearly audible from 60CM away when I put it on the desk:(

I don't think it is normal for laptop harddrives to be this loud, but I don't think it is abnormal for the X60/s to be louder...i.e. your machine isn't defective - it is part of a poor design.

smvp6459 wrote:
I don't think it is normal for laptop harddrives to be this loud, but I don't think it is abnormal for the X60/s to be louder...i.e. your machine isn't defective - it is part of a poor design.

is T60 better in terms of hard drive noise?

Ken Fox wrote:
There are two locking tabs on the underside of the machine which lock in the battery. One locks automatically and the other one must be slid into the lock position by you. If this 2nd tab is not locked, the battery will have more of a tendency to feel "loose."

i already locked both locks, still had the loose feel.

My 8 cell battery is also loose. My hard drive (a Fujitsu 120 GB, 5400) is fairly quiet, and I haven't noticed any noise from the trackpoint. (I think I have good hearing. )

Haven't heard the trackpoint noise but maybe I just haven't picked up on it.

HardDrive noise will always be there. The harddrive (40 gb don't know what brand or model ) that came in my x60s can be heared a few meters away in a quiet room. But in a class or something you'd struggle to hear it at all.

Noises are very subjective and really depend on what your doing. Don't think you could have a harddrive in the same room as you sleep and don't hear it if you listened for it.

Perhaps the x60 isn't that good at handling the vibrations of the harddrive.

My 8 cel battery is a bit loose too and many have reported it here, jus

I had the X41 tablet before and now the X60 tablet and indeed the 8 cell battery does feel a bit more loose than for the X41. Another poor design element.

I have the 120 Gb hard drive and it is somewhat noisy (fan). But at least, it doesn't have the annoying click of death noise that the X41 had; though after having started to fill it out a bit more, a little click sound would be heard intermittently (though a lot less annoying than the X41).

The cpu fan is always on though on my computer, even though the CPU temperature is at 30C. But it is just a mild humming noise.

ibear wrote:

Ken Fox wrote:
There are two locking tabs on the underside of the machine which lock in the battery. One locks automatically and the other one must be slid into the lock position by you. If this 2nd tab is not locked, the battery will have more of a tendency to feel "loose."

i already locked both locks, still had the loose feel.

Mine, which I'm returning due to a hot palmrest, does not have this loose battery problem you describe. It came with the 8 cell battery and I just tested it again to see if the battery is loose; it is not.

I do not hear the hard drive in the machine, either, but then maybe that is more a reflection on the sorry state of my hearing than an observation of the machine

think2much wrote:My 8 cell battery is also loose. My hard drive (a Fujitsu 120 GB, 5400) is fairly quiet, and I haven't noticed any noise from the trackpoint. (I think I have good hearing. )

i've read from different places that the Fujitsu ones are quieter than the Hitachi ones. hope that's true and i can ask for a replacement of the hard drive.