T61 CPU upgrade T7300 -> T9500

[cjedwa]

Hi All.

I read that you can upgrade the T61 CPU to the Intel T9500 CPU and purchased one. According to comparisons it looks like you get around a 40-45% bump. I want to replace the thermal paste anyway so I figured I'd also upgrade the CPU when I did that. I was just curious if there are any gotchas about upgrading the CPU? I'm thinking unexpected cooling issues or battery life decrease. Has anyone done this upgrade and can you speak to whether you had any issues?

I have already flashed the middleton bios.

Thanks!

[Cigarguy]

Many people have done this upgrade. It's well worth it. You've already flash Middleton's BIOS so you're all set. Do it, give it a clean and new thermal paste while you're at it and never look back.

[cjedwa]

Awesome! I'm sure it'll go well. I'm still waiting for the new CPU to ship but I'll update this post once I get it in. I'm sure plenty of people have posted benchmarks and stats but I'll try to throw a couple up for before and after.

[Cigarguy]

Benchmark and stats means nothing to me. Normal everyday usage and experience is more meaningful. Back in the day I used to be a hardcore overclocker and was really into the benchmark points, timing, speed, etc, etc. Then one day the law of diminishing return won me over. For example, upgrade from a HDD to SSD was significant. Spending more on a faster SSD? Nope.

[cjedwa]

I'm with you there. I'm not a big benchmark person myself but I know a lot of people are into that. I've been exclusively a Linux person for the past decade and while I hear it's gotten better, I've never really been a gamer since the options were so limited on Linux. I mostly use my laptop for work, browsing and youtube/podcasts. As long as my computer is fast enough for that, I mostly just want stability, a comfortable keyboard and decent battery life.

[MikalE]

Any reason why you did not choose the T9600, or is it not compatible?

[cjedwa]

It's my understanding that the 1066 MHz FSB makes it not compatible. I think the max is 800MHz. Maybe someone else can chime in to verify though because I'm not 100% on that.

[MikalE]

I didn't know if that would make a difference or if the memory would just run at the slower speed.

[Cigarguy]

A T9600 is not compatible though some have installed a 1066 FSB CPU with a pin mod. Not worth it in my books but some have done it.

[wujstefan]

A T9600 is not compatible though some have installed a 1066 FSB CPU with a pin mod. Not worth it in my books but some have done it.

Nope, it's not compatible.
Yes, it can become compatible with the pin-mod. RAM needs to be SPD-odified.
No, I don't agree it's not worth it. Easy upgrade that lets you use quadcore CPUs (Q9100, QX9300), go for more power efficient / cooler options (P9700 etc.) or pure power (X9100). (but, this is written by someone that tries to prolong his 4:3 system life )

Brought to you by FSB-modded R61i.

[Screamer]

Installing a T9600 with a simple pin-mod, that consists of a wire which transfers voltage from any VCC pin to BSEL1, is not worth it. I believe this is what Cigarguy meant. If you perform the pin-mod alone, you would get a T9600 that operates on the slower front-side bus speed of 800MT/s. This means that the T9600 will operate at approximately ~2.1GHz, which is slower than its stock rated clock speed of ~2.8GHz. Adding that with the locked multiplier on the T9600, you will just get a T8100 with 6MB of L2 cache instead.

This simple pin-mod does not require the RAM's SPD to be modified though, it only applies if the chipset is running at 1066MT/s.

Forcing the GM965 or the PM965 chipset to use a front-side bus speed of 1066MT/s, requires you to cut 1 tiny trace and solder a wire to connect a resistor and a capacitor together (this is how it looks like). After this modification, the RAM will be operating at a significantly higher clock speed. This is when the SPD modification is required; to downclock the RAM for stability.

Remember, this modification is only for running 1066MT/s dual-core Penryn processors, not 1066MT/s quad-core Penryn processors. The quad-cores on the other hand, requires another wire soldered to form a connection from D22 to AD26. All of these modifications, excluding the pin-mod, requires soldering with a steady hand. Plus, not a lot of RAM manufacturers have their SPD EEPROMs unlocked.

It makes sense that some people view it as something that is not feasible, or not being worth it at all. Though, the pin-mod does benefit the X9100 or the QX9300 (needs the quad-core modification to operate), or any processor with an unlocked multiplier. The processors with an unlocked multiplier can easily regain their speed loss by raising their clock multiplier, which negates the disadvantage of the pin-mod. An additional advantage with this combination, is that the SPD EEPROM does not need to be modified (it is still operating on the 800MT/s front-side bus speed after all).

[storm-chaser]

Thanks for the clarification. I always here about the pin mod recommendation without the backstory.

IMO not practical for even 99% of enthusiasts after talking about the logistical nightmare created when going with the 1066 mod.

I'm happy with my T61p X9000 at 3.4Ghz. I have another Lenovo in mind for the QX9300

[pm23885]

I apologize and don't mean to hijack this thread. Very much a noob when it comes to the T61. I plan to upgrade from T7100 -> T9300. Already flashed Middleton and wanted to know about the error is suppresses - thermal sensors. Is this safe to do? Will a merom board still keep the CPU cool? Will it be better if I stick with merom cpu's like the t7700? Thanks in advanced.

[Cigarguy]

An upgrade to a T9300 is while worth the effort. It will run faster and cooler than a T7700. While you are at it, take the opportunity to give everything a good clean. Apply good thermal paste on the CPU. It's not that difficult to do. Take your time and follow the maintenance manual. It's fairly straight forward.

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

I apologize and don't mean to hijack this thread. Very much a noob when it comes to the T61. I plan to upgrade from T7100 -> T9300. Already flashed Middleton and wanted to know about the error is suppresses - thermal sensors. Is this safe to do? Will a merom board still keep the CPU cool? Will it be better if I stick with merom cpu's like the t7700? Thanks in advanced.

It's perfectly fine to run a Penryn on a Merom board that was flashed with Middleton's BIOS. Some of us have been doing it for years.

T7700 is a much hotter-running CPU than a T9300. The latter wins in all respects any day of the week and any hour of the day.

[pm23885]

Welcome to the forum!

I apologize and don't mean to hijack this thread. Very much a noob when it comes to the T61. I plan to upgrade from T7100 -> T9300. Already flashed Middleton and wanted to know about the error is suppresses - thermal sensors. Is this safe to do? Will a merom board still keep the CPU cool? Will it be better if I stick with merom cpu's like the t7700? Thanks in advanced.

It's perfectly fine to run a Penryn on a Merom board that was flashed with Middleton's BIOS. Some of us have been doing it for years.

T7700 is a much hotter-running CPU than a T9300. The latter wins in all respects any day of the week and any hour of the day.

Fantastic. Thanks so much. You guys are amazing.

[MikalE]

That's why they make the big bucks!

[RealBlackStuff]

Daily haul...

[ajkula66]

That's why they make the big bucks!

Well, I don't know...in 12 years that I've been living here in NEPA I haven't hit a big buck yet, just two regular deer...

[wujstefan]

Well, I don't know...in 12 years that I've been living here in NEPA I haven't hit a big buck yet, just two regular deer...

You'd be forced pay big bucks for that in Europe. This is what the "eco-nonsense" mean. I've been fined heavily last year after hitting a boar with my car on the road - it just jumped out of the forest directly under my wheels. $300 for car fix, and another $350 I've been fined for poaching (!). And still I was not allowed to take it and turn into kielbasa

Sorry for offtop

[Sydney]

Poaching ??? LOL. So if you collide with a bison and die, are they as politically correct and charge it with murder ?

[storm-chaser]

BTW once you get your T9500 up and running you can use ThrottleStop to force dual IDA mode and go from 2.6 to 2.8Ghz, roughly a 13% performance increase. I've heard that the middleton BIOS will force IDA mode as well but I've always used ThrottleStop to achieve the higher clock speed. You can also your TS to undervolt. You should be able to run 2.8Ghz @ 1.0875 vcore, or thereabouts.

[Sydney]

ThrottleStop for Windows, I guess for linux it's msrtool ?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads ... ux.539117/
https://askubuntu.com/questions/337147/ ... for-ubuntu

[iamdmc]

A T9600 is not compatible though some have installed a 1066 FSB CPU with a pin mod. Not worth it in my books but some have done it.

Nope, it's not compatible.
Yes, it can become compatible with the pin-mod. RAM needs to be SPD-odified.
No, I don't agree it's not worth it. Easy upgrade that lets you use quadcore CPUs (Q9100, QX9300), go for more power efficient / cooler options (P9700 etc.) or pure power (X9100). (but, this is written by someone that tries to prolong his 4:3 system life )

Brought to you by FSB-modded R61i.

great tips! So if you have SPD modified RAM, pinmod (does the Dell DW1705 card work for pinmod on the T61 in the same way it does the X61?) then you can get the Intel Q9000 or QX9300 working in the T61 motherboard? Can this be true? I can get one on ebay for about $10 equivalent here in the UK

[wujstefan]

great tips! So if you have SPD modified RAM, pinmod (does the Dell DW1705 card work for pinmod on the T61 in the same way it does the X61?) then you can get the Intel Q9000 or QX9300 working in the T61 motherboard? Can this be true? I can get one on ebay for about $10 equivalent here in the UK

It requires soldering and (AFAIR) Highsun BIOS.

And I do not have this system anymore Swapped the mobo in R61 to R500, and it does great job now