T61p vs T42p vs T500/W500. Heat & Noise

[agarza]

I'm wondering if the T61p produces more heat than a T42p laptop. I'm looking to replace my T42p with a new Thinkpad, but I'd like the machine to run cool with no so much fan activity and cool CPU temps.

1. What's the TDP (I see that newest W500/T500 would incorporate 25W processor, although I don't know if this is the same as talking about the TDP), so in this case, what's the comparison in wattage consumption among the T42p Dothan processor vs T61p processor vs the new W500/T500/T400 processors with 25w consumption)

2. Is a T42p 'cooler and silent' than a T61p, given I undervolt the CPU and GPU to enjoy a 'no-fan' experience. (I tend to leave my T42p on all night and it's completely silent, depending on the ambient temp, I wonder which replacement T series laptop would imitate this behavior)

3. Based on that I wonder if the new LED display would make such a huge difference vs the CCFL backlight used on T61p and older Thinkpads.

4. Do you think that the T61p would become discontinued after the W500 arrival on Lenovo's page. What price difference could we expect T61p vs W500.

5. Will there be any 14.1" 4:3 W500 (guess not)

Thanks in advance

[ajkula66]

T42p is definitely cooler and quieter than T61p

If you compare a 15" T42p with a LED-backlit display of a X300 (same base used in the new series ThinkPads), the latter looks pitiful. Nothing beats a FlexView, not yet anyway.

However, if you compare a 14" T42p with a TN panel, X300's LCD wins hands down.

Based on previous experience I'd say that T61p will be around for at least three more months.

Hope this helps.

[Wiz]

I never had any T42p so cannot really compare with that model, but i had a T43p, T60p and currently have a T61p. The T61p is pretty cool and compared to my previous models it's the most quiet one. The T43p is a piece of junk (execpt the IPS LCD) and very noisy. The T60p i found to be better, but the T61p is the first Thinkpad i had for a long time where i don't need NHC, Thinkpad fancontrol or any other tool to make it bearable because of the heat/noise. Like i said i never had a T42p, but if the T61p is more noisy then the T42p then the T42p have to very quiet at least if you compare to my T61p.

I also think it's hard to say how much noise/heat a T61p or other models create in general since it depend what model you have. You have a lot of different options for the HDD, GPU, CPU, LCD and so on. I guess some of these components create more heat then others so one T61p might cause more heat/noise then the other.

I currently have a T61p with the T9300 CPU and a nVIDIA graphics adapter. As far as i know the T9300 should be cooler then a lot of the other CPUs available for the T61(p) models. Also the intgrated graphics adapter is supposed to be cooler then the nVIDIA, but i don't have any heat/noisy issues with this computer even if i have the nVIDIA GPU. So to compare a T42p and T61p i think you also have to specify the spec for those models. Because of my previous experience with Thinkpads one of the things i found to be most important when i bought the T61p is the heat/noise and i find the T61p to be very good.

I also had a T22 a long time ago and that one created more noise then the T61p i have now. Even when working hard the T61p is pretty quiet which is something i cannot say about my previous Thinkpads.

[agarza]

Thanks, My T42p have a 1.8GHz pentium M processor, which you could say does not generate lots of heat, however since I like the fan to not run often, it triggers at 50C, so the CPU stays at around that range 48-50C.

I'm deciding which model will be my next Thinkpad, I plan on doing some CAD design and gaming from time to time. Heard the new GPU on the W500 is not 'a big improvement' over the Quadro 570M so I don't think if the new characteristics of the W500 would be that different than from the T61: that's why I was asking about the processor energy consumption, maybe as a result of the lower energy consumption on the W500 we could have a quieter cool Thinkpad even more than the T61p.

Also, this is the first time I hear about the TN panels, are these panels newer than the ones fitted on the T4x series, mine is a ID-Tech SXGA+ 14.1in panel. I've never experienced/viewed an IPS panel so it think it doesn't make that much of a difference comparing displays, but is it that new LED display are 'superior' in contrasts / brightness than the one on my machine?

[ajkula66]

Yes, the new LED-lit LCD on X300 is definitely brighter than your 14" SXGA+, and the contrast is better.

[Wiz]

If you are going to use the computer for cad and games i guess a nice CPU and GPU could be a good idea. My current T61p have the T9300 2.5GHz CPU and the Quadro 570M. I find it to be quiet, but still a highend model. Maybe the W500 and T500 models will be even more quiet, but i guess it's hard to tell before someone actually tested this models. To compare someone should have experience with the T500/W500 as well as the T61p with pretty identical spec or it's not really fair to compare. Just look at the spec and take a guess might not give the correct answer. The CPU voltage is relevant as well as the the GPU and some other components, but if a PC have a bad cooling system it might be warmer/more noisy then a model with a CPU/GPU that is supposed to generate more heat.

Also the noise when the computer is working hard might be relevant when playing games since some computers is pretty quiet when not working to hard and when working hard the fan is very noisy to keep the computer cool. I am not to worried about the heat as long as the computer doesn't get very hot, but more concerned about the noise. Usually heat is the reason for noise, but like my previous T43p it's very noisy even when pretty cool because of the fan.

As far as i read the LED is supposed to have better contrast and be brighter. I also read some that claim the IPS panel is better. I guess someone with real experience can fill in here.

[agarza]

I'll wait around until some reviews come out of the new Thinkpad line, no rush here. Hope to get my machine by December this year.

[Pascal_TTH]

First of all, I install a clean Windows XP on all laptops only with the drivers and the Lenovo stuff I really need and use.

T41p : I spend time with RMclock and TPfancontrol to get it silent...
T60p : I got to rework the fan assembly, use RMclock, TPfancontrol and set the FireGL V5200 to max battery.
T61p : I do nothing, it's cool and quiet. Fan only run from time to time and make just a little bit more noise than the Momentus 7200.2


Intel did not announce a lower TDP when they lunch the curent 45 nm Penryn. They keep the 35 watts TDP ! You can read all the review, about Penryn (including desktop cpu ones) all tells the real power consumption is lower than previon Merom 65 nm. And it's true.

Now, with Montevina, cpu did not change (still 45 nm) and TDP goes down from 35 watts to 25 watts ? This is only a marketing anoucement because Montevina plateform did not have true new features ! The only nice point is 4 serie chipset witch need less power and DDR3 witch aslo need less power.

xtr, if you buy a T61p, take care to buy one with Prenryn CPU ! You will enjoy it.