Thinkpads Forum

Hi, did a search but couldn't find anything relevant.

Anyways, my new X61T is great, but in battery mode it has this very high-frequency noise chatter / buzzing.

I have this same exact problem on my T61. Heck, I've heard the same noise on my coworkers' X61.

I have research briefly in the past and it seems like the problem comes from the Core 2 Duo. I know the problem is NOT the harddrive since I got them to replace the harddrive before and it still had the same noise.

There seems to be extra noise when the harddrive is working (but the noise is not the drive itself; probably the drive interacting with something?), and when the drive is idle there is a lower volume constant on-off buzzing.


Anyone shed some light?


Its not particularly bothersome since I got used to it on my T61 already. But [censored] did it piss me off when I had to get used to it on my T61!


Thanks.

It's a known problem with Core 2 Duos--the processors emit a high frequency buzzing sound when they are in lower-power C-states (i.e. this should not occur when you're in "Performance" mode).

I'm not sure about the HDD noise you're experiencing...

There are definitely other topics about this on this forum...

tamasrepus wrote:It's a known problem with Core 2 Duos--the processors emit a high frequency buzzing sound when they are in lower-power C-states (i.e. this should not occur when you're in "Performance" mode).

I'm not sure about the HDD noise you're experiencing...

There are definitely other topics about this on this forum...

I see. Thanks for the info. As long as its not a specific defect with my machine then I guess I cant do anything about it.

I have a high pitch noise coming from my HD area and i am pretty sure it is the HD. I have a hitachi drive and it seems like others are experiancing this problem to on other boards.


This is seperate from the C2D whine.

The C2D whine is near the cpu area. This whine is definitely the HD and is loud!

Anyone know id the x6x series have bad sata controllers or are hitachi drives just crap? Can you call up lenovo and ask them for a replacement drive that is not hitachi?

I have 3 friends with t60s and they have seagate drives and do not experiance any whine from their machines.

it could be the voltage regulation parts, they talk much these days ... my x41t buzzes, especially when wireless is on... Do you have original battery?

Yep my battery is original and it's an 8cell.

I really hate this noise.

I had this noise on my X60t and it was very loud; since I use the tablet to take notes in quiet rooms, it was a big problem.

After sending it to the depot twice with no results, Lenovo replaced it with my current X61t at no cost; now I have no noise at all. I think it varies; you might get lucky and get one with no whine or you might get a bad one. In any case, it seems to be a problem affecting all Core 2 Duos, not just limited to ThinkPads.

So the Core 2 Duo / Wireless buzzing happens mostly when I'm in battery mode; when in full power (plugged in), it is minimized (the noise). This matches with my experience on my T61.

However, you are right about the HDD -- my x61t is a hitachi and it does have this constant background noise ("chatter") of a different sort thats different from the Core 2 DUo / Wireless. Quite annoying.

I think I'll be giving Lenovo a call later this week and seeing if something can be done to change the drive..

snots wrote:.....but in battery mode it has this very high-frequency noise chatter / buzzing.

I have same problem on my R60, that has CoreDuo (not Core2Duo), when on battery power.....check this and this thread.......I think the problem is in Centrino platform itself (not cpu)....not sure though.....this topic is unfortunately very popular and comes up from time to time....you can try to tweak it, instructions and comments are here....

Resurrecting this from the dead...

I just received my x61T back from easyserv. I had a number of issues fixed such as the bezel and hinge fixed. And also my HD.

I noted that if they were to install a new(refurb) hd that it not be a hitachi. They installed a Toshiba.

The high pitch noise is gone. I believe it was the hitachi drive that was making the ridiculous noise.

Also they updated the embedded firmware controller to version 1.02

High pitch noises are gone for now from what i can tell.

What model of Toshiba HDD is it?

I seem to have found a solution - though I am not sure what it means.
I installed RMClock - http://cpu.rightmark.org/.

Then, in the Advanced CPU Settings page, under the Chipset TAB, I checked "disable C4 mode, apply" The sound immediately stopped. Can someone tell me what this is doing and whether there is a disadvantage to running the X61 in this fashion?
Thanks,

"C4 mode" is a power-saving state on the X61t's CPU. If you disable the ability of your machine to go into it, it will have to stay in a more power-consuming state (C3 would be the next lowest), using more power.

This may or may not affect your battery life, depending how you use your laptop. Other than that there should be no other effect.

I don't have the laptop in front of me now, but the high pitch noise is back...

It only happens once in awhile. So now it leaves me to believe some component around the HD is making this noise. The toshiba is not as quiet as the hitachi and has a whoosh sound to it.

It must be some controller that is going wacky sometimes, overall the computer is better than before and more tolerable.

This whole C4 vs C3 power state thing made me curious as to just how much power consumption one sacrifices for making the electrical buzz go away. I found this useful web site:

http://www.devx.com/go-parallel/Article/30737

The new Enhanced Deeper Sleep mode take the power down even farther with two more modes; without getting into the details, C3 and C4 keep dropping the voltage/frequency down as far as they can go. The C4 mode even shuts down the L2 cache. C3 represents a processor current draw of 2.2 watts, and the C4 mode is a mere 1.8 watts.

So the magic number seems to be about 0.4 watts when the processor is in an idle/power-saving/buzzy-in-C4 state.

joelfisch wrote:I seem to have found a solution - though I am not sure what it means.
I installed RMClock - http://cpu.rightmark.org/.

Then, in the Advanced CPU Settings page, under the Chipset TAB, I checked "disable C4 mode, apply" The sound immediately stopped. Can someone tell me what this is doing and whether there is a disadvantage to running the X61 in this fashion?
Thanks,

Thanks, that high frequency noise was driving me crazy! Guess I can live with higher power consumption.

RMClock is great but for some reason I only have 5 CPU States :
SuperLFM : choice of 6x, 7x, 8x
Normal : 6x
Normal : 7x
Normal : 8x
IDA : 9x

Ok after some testing, it seems that setting "Maximum Performance" in the "IBM Utility" allows RMClock to kick in and with 6x in SuperLFM it does step down to 600Mhz!

Will run Prime95 to see if it can take an undervolting from 1.025v to 0.95v at 8x/1600Mhz...