Questions about X60s build: Mouse key, palm rest and HD seek

[ozmann]

I just received my X60s (1704-69U) with Atheros wireless, WWAN, 100GB HD and 2 GB RAM. The good news: It came 20 days earlier than the estimated ship date.

Compared to my X40, the screen is much whiter and brighter. The keyboard feels a bit more flimsy, with more lateral wiggle/play to the keys. Hard drive is much quieter, without the constant park noise.

I have some questions for the group about the build quality on my unit.

- The left mouse key clunks when pressed (right and middle are silent); it's much louder than the rest of the keyboard. The noise is enough to disturb my wife. Is this anomalous? Do others find the same thing?

- I can barely hear the HD spin, but there is a distinct chattering noise when it seeks. I've read posts stating the HDs are inaudible. Do others hear the seek noise?

- With the ThinkPad Default power setting and the computer plugged in with wireless access but WWAN and BT off, Fan Control typically shows APS = 46-48 C, CPU = 56-63 C, GPU = 54-61 C. The CPU temp seems warm. There is a clear smell of hot electronic components in the fan exhaust. Is this similar to what others find? My computer came in a month after getlow's http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=28400 so I guess Lenovo has not fixed the problem.

Interestingly, on my X40, APS=47, CPU =53, GPU =39. However, despite the similar APS temperatures, the right palm rest is much cooler on the X40 than the X60s. The underside of the X40 also is cooler. The X60s palm rest certainly is not unbearable, just a bit uncomfortable and sweat-inducing. I find it less pleasant to use than the X40 for that reason.

All in all, I like the X60s. It's fast and responsive. I'm trying to decide if annoyances with the mouse key and the right palm rest (and to a much lesser extent, the HD noise) warrant sending the machine back. If it does go back, do I ask for replacement or repair?

Advice will be appreciated...':D'

[lucas]

i wouldn't worry about the play in the keys too much.

as for the left mouse button, i've never heard of that. you should get it fixed.

i think i had the same seek noise with my hdd. and the heat issue was similar.

if you rma this one and get a new one, i doubt your hdd will be any better, and your heat issue won't be solved.

i bet you'd only get your mouse button fixed. you could try an rma to see if the hard drive and heat issues are less blatant on the new tp. at the same time, you might find even more problems on a new one, not to mention the downtime before you get your new one.

regardless, i wouldn't settlefor less. if you aren't happy, then do something about it.

[jon]

Left mouse key: all sound/feel about the same on mine.

HD seek noise: normal. They're rarely inaudible. I hear some faint seeks, louder than an old Samsung 2.5 drive I have, but not the loudest 2.5 either.

Temp/smell: mine gets warm too, and as you say it's probably not as comfortable as it could be if you keep resting your hands on it. And yes, mine has that wonderful electronics smell if I put my nose up to the exhaust. Love that!

I don't think you are seeing anything abnormal - if you return it for repair they will likely have nothing to fix, and if you get a replacement it will likely be the same on all counts. Sounds like you have your X40 to use in the meantime though, so might be worth a try...

[anthers]

- The left mouse key clunks when pressed (right and middle are silent); it's much louder than the rest of the keyboard. The noise is enough to disturb my wife. Is this anomalous? Do others find the same thing?

- I can barely hear the HD spin, but there is a distinct chattering noise when it seeks. I've read posts stating the HDs are inaudible. Do others hear the seek noise?

- With the ThinkPad Default power setting and the computer plugged in with wireless access but WWAN and BT off, Fan Control typically shows APS = 46-48 C, CPU = 56-63 C, GPU = 54-61 C. The CPU temp seems warm. There is a clear smell of hot electronic components in the fan exhaust. Is this similar to what others find? My computer came in a month after getlow's http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=28400 so I guess Lenovo has not fixed the problem.

Interestingly, on my X40, APS=47, CPU =53, GPU =39. However, despite the similar APS temperatures, the right palm rest is much cooler on the X40 than the X60s. The underside of the X40 also is cooler. The X60s palm rest certainly is not unbearable, just a bit uncomfortable and sweat-inducing. I find it less pleasant to use than the X40 for that reason.

My left mouse button is also louder than the other two buttons, but I would describe it as more of a muffled clunk than a clunk. My HD also makes some noise when seeking, but I actually don't hear either of these noises unless I am in a totally silent environment (and that's pretty rare).

The smell is pretty normal, just outgassing of plastics. Every computer part I've ever bought does that. (Unless of course you're talking about a BURNING smell, that's not normal.)

The right palmrest on mine is also noticeably warmer than the left. I've turned down the power settings on the wifi card a notch, and that seems to help a little. The bottom of the laptop also gets pretty warm on battery (and very hot on AC), but for the most part it's not uncomfortable. I'll probably be looking forward to it during the wintertime.

[syrahnose]

- The left mouse key clunks when pressed (right and middle are silent); it's much louder than the rest of the keyboard. The noise is enough to disturb my wife. Is this anomalous? Do others find the same thing?
mine is audibly louder than other two, more a thunk than a chunk, and nothing that I noticed until you mentioned it, no louder than other keys.

[asiafish]

The mouse buttons are part of the keyboard assembly, so just call and complain about the keyboard. Lenovo will overnight you a new keyboard, swap it out yourself when it arrives, and then hopefully your problem is solved.

My T42p had the same problem, but after a day it was corrected, and Lenovo didn't even want the bad keyboard back, so you get a spare set of keycaps for when you wear the letters off.

[ozmann]

Thanks to everyone for very helpful comments.

After more time with the machine, I've discovered that using a spacer to increase air circulation under the bottom significantly lowers the palm rest temperature; using the Ultrabase makes it much worse. My APS and CPU temps are in the low to mid 40's. Palm rest is still a bit warm, but not uncomfortable.

I enjoy the chattering noise of the HD seeks, and am reassured that others hear the same thing. As jon and anthers said, the "new computer" smell of baking electronics is kinda nice.

My major frustration is with the clunking/thunking left mouse button! I'm very grateful to Asiafish for the suggestion about getting a new keyboard without sending the whole computer back and taking a chance on a replacement.

Again, thanks for the support and kind words.

[smvp6459]

I've discovered that using a spacer to increase air circulation under the bottom significantly lowers the palm rest temperature

I'm curious what you're using as a spacer. It's an idea I've considered but I haven't thought up a good method.

[asiafish]

The ultrabase on any X-series will raise the temperature somewhat, with my X22 perhaps the worst offender I've used.

On the X41 the biggest annoyance is the position of the fan on the left of the case, where my left hand often sits while playing games or surfing the web. After a few minutes I feel like my hand is cooking.

The palmrest gets a little warm, but nothing too bad.

CPU ranges from 30 to 65 Celsius, depending on load. Far better than the 90+ that my MacBook (pre-firmware update) hit.

[ozmann]

I'm curious what you're using as a spacer. It's an idea I've considered but I haven't thought up a good method.

Google CoolPad. I think it's made by Podium but sold with various brand names. I have the equivalent of the Traveller version. They also sell a model with adjustable tilt.

[ozmann]

On the X41 the biggest annoyance is the position of the fan on the left of the case, where my left hand often sits while playing games or surfing the web. After a few minutes I feel like my hand is cooking.

The palmrest gets a little warm, but nothing too bad.

Advantage of X60s over X41 is that the fan is at the back of the case on the left side; possibly away from your hand.

Disadvantage: The right palm rest is substantially warmer than in the X4x series