Finding an easier way for quad core mod T601F

[TinkerMan]

Hello
I am starting this thread in order to help total noobz, like myself, get a better understanding of the process involving a quad core CPU on a T61 mobo.
there are several other threads that talk about this but I found them to be difficult to follow due tot he many changes on strategies and also the many edits these postings have accumulated. not to mention that the people doing the explaining are not necessarily very descriptive in what must be done, by that I mean someone who is well versed in doing the mod will get it, but a noob, wont.

the purpose of this thread is to see if an easier to implement hardware mod is possible, or not. A mod which will not necessarily unlock all the potential of a C2Q, but just to allow the usage of a C2Q inside a T61 or a T601F.
If by not having FSB 1066 or 4 core at full speed will significantly reduce the hardware complexity as to allow lower skill thinkpaders to do this mod, I believe this would be a major win for the entire community as a whole and especially for those low skill people like myself who are not comfortable soldering and doing other crazy stuff to their mobos.

as an example, there was a discussion on another thread about using this simple mod, see image https://thinkwiki.de/images/9/9b/Intel_X9100_1.jpg, which would presumably allow the use of CPU that runs normally at 1066 fsb, to run on a 800fsb, like the X9100.

on another thread there it was presented a complex mod which required to drill the cpu socket as to allow the isolation of 5 cpu pins, later someone proposed to simplify this by simply cutting the pins from the cpu rather than drill the cpu socket, yes it will ruin the cpu for other applications, or if you want to sell it later, but there are plenty of us here who dont care about that, we just want a quad core, and we are not planning on reusing the cpu in another laptop anyway.

also, in these other threads people were linking to german and chinese forums in order to get memory timing tables and other bioses etc. well, needless to say that most people dont speak german or chinese, and I am not even a brit or an amurican, so english already is a foreign language for me, I am not speaking from a laziness point of view.

the reference thread so far has been this one
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=110620

there is also a secondary development which appeared on this topic here, but the discussion went sideways when undervolting came into discussion, So, I want to avoid this here.
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=127404

I believe there are plenty of people following this forum that would appreciate if a simpler solution could be found, so any help from major modders here like TuuS, El-Sahef, Screamer, RMS Majestic, ajkula66, Realblackstuff, FryPpy, and others, I am sorry if I forgot to mention someone, there is just soo much talent and know how on this forum. So if you people could come and discuss this here, sort-off getting the best newest and up to date info in one place, that would be great, and we , the rest of us, will be eternally grateful.

[Screamer]

the purpose of this thread is to see if an easier to implement hardware mod is possible, or not. A mod which will not necessarily unlock all the potential of a C2Q, but just to allow the usage of a C2Q inside a T61 or a T601F. If by not having FSB 1066 or 4 core at full speed will significantly reduce the hardware complexity as to allow lower skill thinkpaders to do this mod, I believe this would be a major win for the entire community as a whole and especially for those low skill people like myself who are not comfortable soldering and doing other crazy stuff to their mobos.

I honestly doubt that this can be done, but you could skip the 1066 MT/s front-side bus modification. It is not necessary for the mobile Core 2 Quads to function properly, but the clock speed would be reduced.

You see, the mobile Core 2 Quads require a 2nd GTLREF (GTLREF_2, pin D22) voltage input for its additional die on its substrate. If this pin is not given the required voltage, the mobile Core 2 Quad's 2nd die would be unable to communicate over the front-side bus. What this means, is that you have a mobile Core 2 Quad with only 2 functional cores.

The bare minimum requirement for a mobile Core 2 Quad to work on the T61's platform, is to have pin D22/GTLREF_2 given the required voltage. This also means that you would need to at least solder a connection from pin D22 to pin AD26/GTLREF, to provide GTLREF_2 with the voltage that it needs to allow the 2nd die of the mobile Core 2 Quad to function at the very least.

There is no other way to reliably perform this modification, so you cannot skip this step. Unless you prefer to have a semi-functional mobile Core 2 Quad?

on another thread there it was presented a complex mod which required to drill the cpu socket as to allow the isolation of 5 cpu pins, later someone proposed to simplify this by simply cutting the pins from the cpu rather than drill the cpu socket

That sounds rather extreme, and dangerous if I might add.

May I suggest using some non-conductive material to wrap around the processor's pins, to isolate it that way? Then, if the wrapped/covered pins do not properly fit into the socket's pin holes, you could grab a tiny 'circle-head' screwdriver to gently stab the socket's pin holes to make them bigger. It does not damage the socket that badly, as far as I know. I had done that on several sockets, but I had to be extremely gentle with my violent screwdriver stabbing rampage.

also, in these other threads people were linking to german and chinese forums in order to get memory timing tables and other bioses etc. well, needless to say that most people dont speak german or chinese, and I am not even a brit or an amurican, so english already is a foreign language for me

The memory timing tables are not necessary, that is if you are not performing the 1066 MT/s front-side bus modification.

The BIOS images? Do you need any help with them?