Thinkpad T500 produces noises during operation

[tedin]

Hi everyone,

I bought a used Thinkpad T500 (Intel Core Duo P8400) some years ago and I installed a GNU/Linux distribution on it (EDIT: and librebooted it).

When I use it, especially if the computer is "doing something" (like loading a webpage inside a browser, using GIMP, even moving the cursor up and down in a ViM terminal session) a buzzing sound comes out of it, I think near the ethernet and USB ports.
I mitigated this problem by setting processor.max_cstate=2 and intel_idle.max_cstate=2, but it didn't help so much and the noise is very annoying.

I tried looking for the problem but I found no solution: is it a problem specific to all the T500? Is it a random issue?
I was wondering if someone of you has some kind of fix to this problem because it drives me crazy to hear that buzz every time I do something, or the computer does something (I admit it's particularly weak, but if I'm in a silent room I hear it distinctly).

Thanks a lot in advance for all your help.

[unixed]

Welcome to the forum!

Try running something like htop to see if the noise corresponds to CPU usage. You may also have a discrete ATI GPU, which may also be more strained with the activities you mention. If the CPU looks the likely culprit, try replacing it with a cheap alternative to confirm.

[tedin]

Welcome to the forum!

Try running something like htop to see if the noise corresponds to CPU usage. You may also have a discrete ATI GPU, which may also be more strained with the activities you mention. If the CPU looks the likely culprit, try replacing it with a cheap alternative to confirm.

Thanks a lot.

I tried running htop and do something. There is a correlation between CPU usage and those buzzes, but the buzzes sound different depending on the task. For instance, if I'm sending/receiving data through ethernet, the buzz is almost inaudible, while if I'm scrolling a webpage it becomes more clear. During the installation of new packages or a system upgrade, a loud beeping sound is produced (and that's the only task that produces it). I noticed that there is also a correlation between those annoying sounds and the use of the disk (I installed an SSD on that machine).

The discrete ATI GPU should not be a problem: I librebooted that T500, so that card should be disabled (I will edit the original post to add this information, sorry it slipped)

I can try to replace the CPU: I can choose whichever CPU listed in this page, right? And the manual to change the CPU is this, right?

[unixed]

Yes to both CPU and HMM questions. However those listed CPUs are what the T500 were sold with, but are a subset of what will work. For example, if you happen to have a T9900 or P9700 CPU available, say in another machine or that of a friend, they would work too.

[kfzhu1229]

I had the "reverse" of this issue on a ThinkPad T43 before, where the machine would buzz loudly when it is on battery and when the CPU is on idle, and the buzz disappears when either it is plugged in, or the CPU load goes up. That turned out to be somehow I let Windows power settings to disable speedstep and the CPU was running at the full 2.26Ghz the entire time. Enabling speedstep and allowing the CPU to step down the clocks and voltage during idle solved the problem for that.

[Oelmuvun]

You could always have some fun with it: https://rkapl.cz/thinkpad-coilwhine/
I could not get the binary on the website to run, but it would compile on my T420 running Mint after some googling.

Code: Select all

gcc -o whine whine.c -lpthread -lm

This machine is pretty quiet(T420, coreboot, i7 3630QM, mSATA) , but my T510(stock BIOS&i5 520m, Intel 330 SSD) has had the odd comment about it's "HDD noise" by people who don't know what is up with coil whine.
I can't actually help you because I never actually tried to mitigate it on the T510. You might just have to get some 90s hacker movie sunglasses, and pretend you live in a hollywood movie where computers constantly make noises.

Other thoughts if you are handy with hardware and willing to go all-out:
viewtopic.php?p=600378#p600378

[RealBlackStuff]

If all else fails, turn on the radio...

[axur-delmeria]

Does it make noises while on battery? If no, have you tried a different charger?

[tedin]

Thanks a lot everybody for all the replies.
I'll make sure to try out the fixes you suggested as soon as I can.

Does it make noises while on battery? If no, have you tried a different charger?

Yes it does. It might be me, but if the battery is low I think the strength of those noises increases, but I can be wrong...
The charger has a similar buzzing, but all the chargers I've ever tried in my entire life buzz and I can hear it only if I stick the ear on the charger, otherwise I hear nothing (which is way more than I expect since I have some that have a strong buzz audible even if I'm a meter far from them).

[axur-delmeria]

I think the buzzing sound is coming from the power circuitry. It might be coil whine.

[tedin]

I tried the thinkpad-coilwhine program and I confirm I can hear the Star Wars motive, so trying to change the CPU should be a good idea (I

I think the buzzing sound is coming from the power circuitry. It might be coil whine.

In case it comes from the power circuitry, how can it be fixed? Should I try to run the Thinkpad with the internals exposed, try to identify the exact component that whines and then cover it in epoxy (just as the link posted by Oelmuvun -- viewtopic.php?p=600378#p600378 -- suggest)?
Would it be a good idea to try to replace some of the circuits that provide power to the mainboard?

Thanks a lot.

[axur-delmeria]

Changing the processor seems to be the easiest approach, so you could start with that. If it gets fixed, great! Otherwise...

Unless you're proficient with electronics, I don't recommend tinkering with the circuits.

Regarding epoxy, just as the linked comment says, it has to be the right type, and honestly, I don't know which is the correct one and where to get it.

You could completely disassemble the laptop (remove it from the magnesium chassis), as it might make it easier to locate the noise component by ear.

[tedin]

Changing the processor seems to be the easiest approach, so you could start with that. If it gets fixed, great! Otherwise...

Unless you're proficient with electronics, I don't recommend tinkering with the circuits.

Regarding epoxy, just as the linked comment says, it has to be the right type, and honestly, I don't know which is the correct one and where to get it.

You could completely disassemble the laptop (remove it from the magnesium chassis), as it might make it easier to locate the noise component by ear.

Thanks. I bought a P8700 (the cheapest I could find) to see if it works. I will keep you up to date as soon as it arrives!


Thanks for all your help people!

[tedin]

Update:

I tried the P8700, but the noise persists (I think it may also be a bit louder, but it's difficult to tell).

I will try to pinpoint the exact component that buzzes and get back to you. Just a question: is it safe to run the Thinkpad while opened with the components exposed?

Thanks a lot.