W520: Questions regarding heatsinks and fans.

[Surfrider]

I'm finally getting around to putting that 2860QM in my trusty W520 (4282-24U), and I was wondering:

1. Are the 55w-rated HSFs used to cool the XM "Extreme Edition" chips (FRUs 04W0437, 04W1574, and 04W1575) compatible with the 45w chip in my machine, and...
2. ...If so, is it reasonable to assume that such a modification would allow the machine to run cooler and quieter?

And, lastly:

3. If the best plan is to continue to use my stock HSF, I'll need to replace the fan. There appear to be three fan FRUs for my machine. Is one among them superior to the others, or are they all functionally the same?

Thanks!

[RealBlackStuff]

I would definitely buy the 04W1574 fan for that CPU.
It certainly fits all discrete gfx models.
Cooler: yes.
Quieter: probably, depending on age.

[Surfrider]

Thanks for your suggestion, my friend. With your long history of contribution to the knowledge base here, I don't doubt that your recommendation is sound. However, would you mind sharing why you recommend that particular FRU (04W1574) over the other two options (04W0437 and 04W1575)? I've googled a little bit, but I'm having trouble discerning the difference between the three parts?

Again, thanks for your input. You're a real asset to the community here, and I appreciate your contributions.

[thinkpadcollection]

04W1574 is triple heatpipes for 55W rating and uses delta fan (nice quality), very specific to W520. W530 55W heatsink has different screw mounting pattern.

Cheers, thinkpadcollection

[theterminator93]

What's the difference between the 55W heatsink and 45W heatsink? I've looked up photos of the 55W heatsink and looked at the one I have, and they appear to be identical from a photographic vantagepoint...

[jcvjcvjcvjcv]

Which one do you have now and what Quadro / CPU did your W520 come with originally?

The 2860QM + Quadro 1000M I have in my (now broken down... awaiting new mobo...) W520 has three heatpipes.

On the sticker it says FRU PN:04W1576

I have yet to see a difference between pics of the 04W1574 and the 04W1576 I have. Just the fan?

[theterminator93]

The W520 I have was originally shipped with the i7-2860QM and Quadro 2000 (4284-A15 - despite what MTM lookup says that is the factory CPU - it has the Lenovo FRU label on it) - same 3 heatpipe design. I originally thought mine would have the same 45W heatsink P/N yours has - but when I removed the keyboard, to my surprise I saw I have the 55W 04W1574 heatsink. Photo: http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h30/t ... k0jqzm.jpg

I guess the ultimate test of what the difference (fan possibly?) measures up to would be to measure the same system/CPU under the same conditions while measuring temperatures, fan RPM, and (maybe) noise level.

Edit: If I tell TPFanControl to ramp the fan up to level 64 (max) I get 4650 RPM.

[jcvjcvjcvjcv]

I uninstalled TPFancontrol on my W520 years ago, when it randomly put my system to hibernate. Some issue with using both TPFancontrol and Lenovo Power Manager.

[theterminator93]

Supposedly version .63 fixes that - and adds support for the extra sensors on the 20 series that version .62 doesn't find.

[jcvjcvjcvjcv]

I'll check it once I got my W520 functioning again.

Another funny thing; the fan header has a connector for 6 pins, but only 4 are used. (PWM, RPM, +12V, GND, I guess). No idea why they picked a bigger 6-pin connector for that. Perhaps they intended in early design to implement two fans?