T40P non-stop 24/7 powered on..

[MTyn]

Hi all,

I want to use a T40P for weatherstation so it will be powered on for 24/7.
Can a T40P handle that? Or do i have to place it on cooler pad for example?

[ajkula66]

Nothing wrong with it being on 24/7/365...most of my ThinkPads have been living like that for years...

That being said, I don't know how stressful the application itself is...but keeping it on non-stop is something I usually recommend for ATi-based units.

[MTyn]

Thats good to hear! I will give it a try..
Thanks for info!

[Orclas]

Don't know what kind of time horizon you're looking at, but if you're planning (and hoping) for it to last for an extended period of time (years) - knowing that T40 fans have a tendency to run pretty much constantly when on AC, also on mild loads - you could consider hooking it up with some 3rd party fan control software. That's more a wear and tear safety precaution than absolutely necessary, but thought I'd mention it.

For Windows NHC is a very good choice, for other OS's I don't quite know.

[ajkula66]

The OP has a T40p, hence the M9 long fan which should be capable of performing the tasks required. If a more powerful cooling unit is needed, it may be upped to M10 or M24.

That being said, I agree that TPFC is a great piece of software especially on the older units with discrete graphics.

[Orclas]

I wasn't thinking about the need for more powerful cooling, but rather avoiding having a 5+ year old fan run unneccessary much (and thus running a higher risk of failure in the long run) due to the very conservative "on AC" bios fan settings.

Before installing fan control software (first TPFC, then NHC), my fan would kick in at as low as sub 40 degrees (Celsius) when on AC, which basically meant that it would run at any kind of use beyond full idle. With NHC it's set to kick in at 47 degrees (and off at 45), which is still a conservative setting, but one that keeps it off 90% of the time for my normal use (light surfing and remote desktop access over VPN). Also having the CPU undervolted may play a part too I guess.

Above may very well just be me thinking too far and complicating things, but ah well

[MTyn]

TP fan control installed :

cpu 44deg
aps 39deg
crd 28deg
gpu 45deg
no5 29deg
bat 25 deg

only it sounds like it continiously wants to start a fan... falls off and retry.
Its running on smart

[Orclas]

You mean it starts, runs shortly, then stops?

If so, that's the disadvantage of TPFC (over NHC). NHC has separate on/off thresholds, which means you don't end up with on/off/on/off as it hovers right at the start-fan-threshold. More specifically, NHC has thresholds for the speeds off=>low, low=>middle middle=>high and high=>max and vice versa.

As mentioned, my setting is on=>low at 47 degrees and low=>off at 45 degrees, which means once it kicks in, it cools the system enough to stay off for quite a while (at low system load), instead of going off and on all the time. At light surfing this means it doesn't go on more than once every 30 min (tops), runs for a minute or two, and then stays quiet for another 30 min.

If the T40 is going to be within hearing range, I'd make sure it stays quiet if I were you. If you're going to run Windows, I'd recommend using NHC for fan control, CPU speed stepping (dynamic works great for me) and CPU undervolting, which would mean that most of the time the only thing you'll hear is the HD.

Right, NHC let's you underclock the GPU too if you'd like

[floppydisk]

I would suggest to put a notebook stand with fan on the bottom to create the needed air flow for circulation to keep it cool, it also sits up the notebook on an angle so some heat can dissipate from the bottom.

/g

[ajkula66]

Put the TPFC on "manual" and make sure the fan comes on.

If it doesn't it must be replaced.

If it does, switch back to Smart and enjoy.

Notebook coolers are a waste of money IMO.

[MTyn]

The sound is from a starting fan.. after about a second it shuts off again. Then it repeats it.
I think it was just on the point of switch On and Off every time.

The fan itself works ok. On manual i can set the speed i want and then its sure more silent.
The Thinkpad is already lifted with small blocks to have more airflow. Now i only hear it increase speed when i use it (and the screen pops on again). TPFC i have set on bios mode after my post yesterday.

In the taskmanager i see the CPU is working continuesly between 60-85%.
Highests are CPU and GPU.. they say both 45deg (47 with screen on for 30 minutes) so no big changes with the values i posted a day ago.

Where can i find NHC? If this tool shows also the temperatures like TPFC i sure want to try this one.

[ajkula66]

Your machine should be on the solid surface, not lifted....

And NHC is here:

http://www.pbus-167.com/

[MTyn]

Ok thanks. I´ve also immediately put it back on the desk again.

Today installed also few more modules of the program but it seems the T40P cant handle all the load of it. CPU goes up to 100% and even the T40P freezes few seconds. On my 3.0GHz S50 desktop it runs much more smooth..

conclusion : i defenitely need to use a faster laptop. Hope a Lenovo will be as good as all my loved T4*s

[Orclas]

Ok thanks. I´ve also immediately put it back on the desk again.

Today installed also few more modules of the program but it seems the T40P cant handle all the load of it. CPU goes up to 100% and even the T40P freezes few seconds. On my 3.0GHz S50 desktop it runs much more smooth..

conclusion : i defenitely need to use a faster laptop. Hope a Lenovo will be as good as all my loved T4*s

What kind of weather station are you building?? Dutch National Weather Service mainframe?

[ajkula66]

Do you still have the original CPU in that T40p?

[MTyn]

Yes, it have the original 1.5Ghz CPU. It is reflowed and have 2GB memory..
What IBM/Lenovo can i compare with my S50 3.0GHz desktop? Have to be same or bit faster.

[ajkula66]

I'm not good when it comes to comparing anything to desktops, since I don't use them...

That being said, if you can pick up a cheap 1.7 or 1.8 Dothan-core CPU, you might be able to breathe some new life in that T40p...