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Silent Thinkpad
Silent Thinkpad
Hi,
I'm about to buy a thinkpad and I would like to know which model has the most silent cpu fan.
Are there any modifications, like installing a different fan, or any tricks to make a thinkpad more pleasing noise whise?
Please tell me your thoughts and suggestions.
I'm about to buy a thinkpad and I would like to know which model has the most silent cpu fan.
Are there any modifications, like installing a different fan, or any tricks to make a thinkpad more pleasing noise whise?
Please tell me your thoughts and suggestions.
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QWERTY Andreas
- Junior Member

- Posts: 473
- Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:40 am
- Location: Copenhagen Denmark
Re: Silent Thinkpad
With my undervolted W500, and a CPU profile where it run on a very low speed (for browsing and text) i can run with the fan completely turned off.
The new tablets like Thinkpad 8, Thinkpad 10 and Helix 2 is passively cooled.
The new tablets like Thinkpad 8, Thinkpad 10 and Helix 2 is passively cooled.
Thinkpad Helix 2
Custom build ITX desktop (i5 4590, 8GB RAM, GTX 1050Ti, custom watercooling)
Thinkpad 8, Thinkpad W500, Thinkpad T61F 14" (2.53 GHz QX9300, 6 GB RAM, Quadro FX570m 256 MB), GPD win
FS: T61F
Custom build ITX desktop (i5 4590, 8GB RAM, GTX 1050Ti, custom watercooling)
Thinkpad 8, Thinkpad W500, Thinkpad T61F 14" (2.53 GHz QX9300, 6 GB RAM, Quadro FX570m 256 MB), GPD win
FS: T61F
Re: Silent Thinkpad
I can recommend the T540p in that regard. Despite its Quad Core CPU, the fan rarely runs and if it does, then with a very silent 1500 or 2000 RPM. It also stays very cool. I was actually quite impressed with the cooling system of the T540p.
Daily: Custom Mini-ITX (Ryzen 7, 4070 FE, 3:2)
ThinkPads: 600X (i3), A31p (FlexView), T43, T60 (FlexView), X61 (SXGA+), R61 (QXGA), X301 (AFFS), X1
ThinkPads: 600X (i3), A31p (FlexView), T43, T60 (FlexView), X61 (SXGA+), R61 (QXGA), X301 (AFFS), X1
Re: Silent Thinkpad
Even without that measure, the W500/T500 is extremely quiet.QWERTY Andreas wrote:With my undervolted W500, and a CPU profile where it run on a very low speed (for browsing and text) i can run with the fan completely turned off.
The new tablets like Thinkpad 8, Thinkpad 10 and Helix 2 is passively cooled.
W500x3 with T9900, , T400 highnit 1280x800 with P9600, X61sx3, X61Tx3.
Re: Silent Thinkpad
My T540p is as quiet as a mouse.600X wrote:I can recommend the T540p in that regard. Despite its Quad Core CPU, the fan rarely runs and if it does, then with a very silent 1500 or 2000 RPM. It also stays very cool. I was actually quite impressed with the cooling system of the T540p.
T540p Win 7 Pro 64
X1 Carbon Win 7 Pro 64 for my wife.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
Dogs must be carried on the escalator. Where can I find a dog?
X1 Carbon Win 7 Pro 64 for my wife.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
Dogs must be carried on the escalator. Where can I find a dog?
Re: Silent Thinkpad
I will side with W500 owners who note the laptop's quietness. As long as you're not gaming or stressing the machine, it's whisper quiet, and even still whisper quiet when it's pushed for a performance machine.
The W700 takes the bacon for laptops that have insane performance and quiet cooling. I've played with W700s and the DS model, with several different hardware configurations(Quadro FX2700M/3700M, T9400/T9600, Q9000 Quad-core, QX9300) and never have I come across a laptop that propels CAD, 3D animations and simulations, and of course... games so well, and made so little noise in concern of it's cooling.
The W700 takes the bacon for laptops that have insane performance and quiet cooling. I've played with W700s and the DS model, with several different hardware configurations(Quadro FX2700M/3700M, T9400/T9600, Q9000 Quad-core, QX9300) and never have I come across a laptop that propels CAD, 3D animations and simulations, and of course... games so well, and made so little noise in concern of it's cooling.
Hand-on-heart Thinkpad addict with no end to the madness in sight.
701CS, 760ED, X24, A22p, A31p, X32, G41, T43p, X61T SXGA+, X61 SXGA+, T60, T61, T60/61F, X301, W500, W700ds, and that's just the fun stuff.
MEDESSEC
Make crazy the new normal!
701CS, 760ED, X24, A22p, A31p, X32, G41, T43p, X61T SXGA+, X61 SXGA+, T60, T61, T60/61F, X301, W500, W700ds, and that's just the fun stuff.
MEDESSEC
Make crazy the new normal!
Re: Silent Thinkpad
+1 For the W500. I hear my harddrive better than the fan for normal use, and even when running games it's not much of a noise.
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CPC464
- Freshman Member
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2014 8:47 am
- Location: Borricón de Arriba, Spain
Re: Silent Thinkpad
+1 for the W500 too. Of all Thinkpads I've owned this is the coolest and quieter, to the point that the HD is noisier than the running fan for nomal use too. One of these with SSD and a P processor will be really silent (and still pretty capable). The T61p was very silent too, but between the two models I would go for the W500.Ole wrote:+1 For the W500. I hear my harddrive better than the fan for normal use, and even when running games it's not much of a noise.
X220 IPS, i7 16Gb RAM 250Gb SSD+2Tb HD
X61 T8100, 8Gb RAM, Middleton BIOS, 480 Gb SSD, sxga+
W520 i7 quad, FHD, 32Gb, 512 SSD+2Tb HD
W701 24Gb RAM, WUXGA, 240 Gb SSD+1Tb HD,
others
X61t, X200t, W500, T43p UXGA, R50p UXGA, T60p UXGA
600, X21, X24, X30, X41, A30p UXGA
Re: Silent Thinkpad
Now, if you have a high budget, you can consider those fanless TPs, like Helix 2. No noise at all yet powerful enough.
X31 (since 2003), X61T (2007), X200T (2009), ThinkPad Tablet 2 (2013), P50 (2016).
Considering more Thinkpads. Retiring my X200T. PM me if anyone wants to home it.
OS: Ubuntu and Windows 10.
Considering more Thinkpads. Retiring my X200T. PM me if anyone wants to home it.
OS: Ubuntu and Windows 10.
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ArtShapiro
- Senior Member

- Posts: 663
- Joined: Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:48 am
- Location: Lake Forest, CA
Re: Silent Thinkpad
I'll chime in with a question: Having not used either the T500 or the W500, what are some of the important distinctions between them?
Art
Art
-
QWERTY Andreas
- Junior Member

- Posts: 473
- Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:40 am
- Location: Copenhagen Denmark
Re: Silent Thinkpad
The Graphics Card (256 vs 512 mb vRAM). And the possibility of a resolution of 1900x1200.ArtShapiro wrote:I'll chime in with a question: Having not used either the T500 or the W500, what are some of the important distinctions between them?
Art
Thinkpad Helix 2
Custom build ITX desktop (i5 4590, 8GB RAM, GTX 1050Ti, custom watercooling)
Thinkpad 8, Thinkpad W500, Thinkpad T61F 14" (2.53 GHz QX9300, 6 GB RAM, Quadro FX570m 256 MB), GPD win
FS: T61F
Custom build ITX desktop (i5 4590, 8GB RAM, GTX 1050Ti, custom watercooling)
Thinkpad 8, Thinkpad W500, Thinkpad T61F 14" (2.53 GHz QX9300, 6 GB RAM, Quadro FX570m 256 MB), GPD win
FS: T61F
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