Thinkpads Forum

Hi.

I'm concerned about the temperatures in a T500 and a W500. Both have T9400 2.53 ghz TDP 35W processors set to Adaptive and Switchable Graphics. These are their temperatures.

T500 T9400 Energy Saver mode
- Idle: 45c at fan 2
- Load: 80c at fan 64

W500 T9400 High Performance mode
- Idle: 50c at fan 3
- Load: 80c at fan 64

With CPU load (utilization 50% to 100%) for example running a browser flash game or working with multiple autosaving documents, with or without svchost.exe chasing its tail in the background, the T9400 reaches 80 degrees C as reported by TPFancontrol, it will stay there at fan 64. W500's user has ATI graphics enabled, T500 is in Intel energy saving mode except for rare lan parties. Both experience the same CPU temperature under load, since they have the same CPU. Turning off ATI doesn't help.

I feel with my hand that hot air is blowing from the vents; I have vacuumed both from outside. I have taken apart the W500 and changed its thermal paste to cheap gray gunk I had at the time, I have not opened the T500. Also of note, the T500's left hinge has some warping in its base, and the W500's hinge froze and snapped at one point (luckily without taking the rest of the lid with it). Heat related?

I do not know what are safe temperatures to run these machines at without them dying horrible deaths like T42p. I also don't know what are safe speeds to run the fans at without them dying horrible deaths. I am scared of how hot the T9400 will reach without fan 64.

I can repaste the machines with gold thermal paste but the heatsinks seem to be working as they are.

Any guidance would be appreciated. If I can leave the fans at 7 without the chips melting that would be nice since 64 is like a jet engine.

If you turn your switchable graphics to integrated graphics your temps will be significantly lower. Those high temps do not seem high to me for discrete graphics under load. In TpFanControl use Smart Bios 2 setting. That should take a few degrees off your temps. You probably want to get a tube of Arctic Silver 5 on Ebay or Newegg to repaste your CPU's and GPU's.

I have a custom TP Fancontrol setting due to insufficiency in stock fan mode 1 and fan mode 2. In stock fan mode 1 the fan turns on too late. In stock fan mode 2 the fan switches to slow Bios mode and the computer overheats.

At low temps I run Fan 2 until 45 degrees C at which the computer can idle with the fan off saving power. I run Fan 3 until 60 and Fan 7 from 65-78 then Fan 64 at 80. Never Fan 128, slow Bios mode, which Smart mode 2 switches to at 90 to kill your computer.

As my study shows, both T500 in Integrated mode and W500 in Discrete mode using Web Browser with Autosaving Documents and svchost.exe molesting the second core achieve CPU temperatures of 80 C - the W500 reports a GPU temperature of 50 something, since it's not doing CAD and browser hardware acceleration is underutilized. The T500 reports no GPU temperature because the ATI is disabled.

I don't like the noise of Fan 64 but I need it to hold the temperatures below 80 C at which point the CPUs seem to throttle down - but without Fan 64 they reach 90 C.

It is disconcerting to me that the CPUs get this hot. I understand T series T500 are office machines meant to work in an HVAC environment and not doing anything more tasking than searching for Vista updates - but it's silly to equip them with CPUs that can't cool themselves. These are neo-classic era redressed T61s before Lenovo turned dumb and even IBM put hot processors in T43, so their stock equipment should function as intended. I've vacuumed the computers and repasted them to no beneficial effect. Next I will give them gold paste and disassemble the fans - but if nothing comes of that and they're still the same:

I want to know if it intended to run T9400 continuously at 90C at quieter Fan 7. I want to know if it is safe for the health of the CPU to do this.

That being said, it's my opinion 35 watt processors should never have been offered on these computers.

TPFanatic wrote: Next I will give them gold paste and disassemble the fans

That's what I would do...

I want to know if it intended to run T9400 continuously at 90C at quieter Fan 7. I want to know if it is safe for the health of the CPU to do this.

That's very hot in my book. I wouldn't be concerned about the CPU itself, but more about the motherboard.

I have repasted the W500 with gold paste and blew out dust from under the heatsink, in the fan, everywhere accessible without lifting the frame from the case. I am typing from it now. Idle temperatures are very nice, 45 degrees at fan 0.

CPU is currently jammed at 100% playing Youtube with Flash Player and Steam. CPU temperature is 71-72C at Fan Mode 3. Very impressive.

I attempted a game and Fire GL V5700 temperatures seemed normal. This is very good temperature and very impressive for a load temperature. I take back everything bad I said about 35 watt processors.

Thanks for your help Hans Gruber and ajkula66!

edit: I blew some dust out of the T500, a nice 09/10 model, without changing its thermal paste. I am now testing Prime 95, 100% CPU load and the CPU temperature cycles between 80 C at Fan 7 to 75 C at Fan 64.

I do not feel the need to upgrade the thermal paste yet since it is working as is.

Idle temperatures are nice and low, 45 C CPU and around 50 for GPU following a cooldown at Fan 3, nice and quiet.

Can anyone tell me what are pci and pwr sensors on T500?

Thanks again.