heat/noise

[kangazoom]

Hi, I'm new to these forums. I am now considering purchasing one of the T series notebooks.

I was wondering if someone could comment on how hot the notebook gets and how noisy it is (and the fan).

Thanks a lot

[Chun-Yu]

During normal use, they don't get hot at all. However, when the CPU and GPU start working hard, the bottom does get pretty hot, just like on just about any other notebook. The fan is pretty quiet, especially when the CPU load is low. I have the "original" T41 fan, so I get the changing speeds sometimes, but it really isn't nearly as annoying as some other people would like you to believe I even sleep just a couple of feet away from my ThinkPad, and it has never bothered me.

I would definitely recommend getting a T series, as they are far better than any other notebooks I've ever seen/used (certainly much, much better than my old Dell Latitude D600).

[cynic]

During normal use, they don't get hot at all. However, when the CPU and GPU start working hard, the bottom does get pretty hot, just like on just about any other notebook.

I wouldn't say that. A Powerbook (any Aluminium Powerbook) is far warmer/hotter than a T series will ever get. I was wearing jeans one night working on a 17"PB 1.3 and after 2 hours I couldn't stand it (I literally got an ice pack out.) On my T40p, I can work 7 hours+ and never be bothered. IBM does a [censored] good job managing heat.

[Chun-Yu]

That's true - PowerBooks do get quite hot. However, have you ever pegged the CPU at 100% on the T series for a while? A good example is http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm (running the torture test or whatever they call it works quite nicely) - that will get the bottom so hot it's uncomfortable to use in your lap without an extra layer like a blanket.

To be honest, my old Latitude D600's CPU stayed MUCH cooler than this T41's (both have 1.6 GHz Pentium Ms). In the D600, it never got over 63 C, but on here it isn't uncommon to see temperatures of 78 C or higher (especially when the GPU starts working hard too - I once got it up to 88 C). The bottom of the case is well insulated though, so the actual temperature of the outside is about the same as the D600's. However, having the CPU run as such high temperatures certainly can't be good for it - good thing I have the 3 year warranty

[taphil]

In my experience...

At 100% CPU and GPU, the T41 gets hot underneath, but not near hot enough to be uncomfortable sitting on my lap under some thin shorts or jeans.

I've been to Apple Stores and felt the underside of Powerbooks that idle and sitting on a table. They definitely feel hotter in idle than my T41 at 100%.

I had the hmonitor CPU temp monitor installed for a while, and I don't remember my 1.6GHz CPU ever going above 52C.