T60, ATI x1300 -- GPU running hot? Can apply Arctic Silver?

[Muse]

I got this a few months ago. I haven't opened it up yet. Could someone maybe provide me with some guidance? I don't know what I'll find if and when I open it up, remove the palm rest and keyboard and etc. Is it possible to cool down the GPU by applying some world class thermal compound, i.e. Arctic Silver 5?

TP Fan Control indicates the GPU temperature is pretty high, seems to me. Right now, idling basically, it's showing 72C. I have to wonder if the sensor is correct because awakening the machine from sleep in a cool room (under 60F), the GPU temperature is shown as 59C right away, climbing into the 60s immediately and upward.

The CPU (T2400 Core Duo 1.87GHz) is showing 41C right now, idling in a 58F room (i.e. cool environment). That doesn't concern me like that over 70C GPU reading. I'm not knowledgeable about these issues particularly. I do already have a new tube of Arctic Silver 5, and some experience using it, but not a whole lot.

My TPFC (BIOS mode, fan running ~3400RPM) current readings idling and stable in a room at about 59F = 15C:

1 cpu 40°C
2 aps 26°C
3 crd 35°C
4 gpu 70°C
9 bus 40°C
10 pci 39°C
11 pwr 39°C

[Harryc]

The heatsinks on these T60's are meant to use thermal pads for the GPU, not thermal paste. I don't recall ever having a T60 or T60P where the GPU temperature was much below 65*C, so yours in close to normal. I wouldn't hurt to pop the keyboard and give the fan a shot of compressed air for normal maintenance. Just hold the fan blade still while doing it. The T60P's with the V5200 and V5250 GPU's run particularly warm.

[Muse]

The heatsinks on these T60's are meant to use thermal pads for the GPU, not thermal paste. I don't recall ever having a T60 or T60P where the GPU temperature was much below 65*C, so yours in close to normal. I wouldn't hurt to pop the keyboard and give the fan a shot of compressed air for normal maintenance. Just hold the fan blade still while doing it. The T60P's with the V5200 and V5250 GPU's run particularly warm.

Thank you. Can you please comment on this -- I opened up my first T60, the one I bought new in November 2006. I did this a few months ago, and not knowing the situation, I put Artic Silver 3 (that's all I had at the time) on the CPU and I removed the thermal pad from what I suppose is the North Bridge, replacing it with Arctic Silver 3 (at the time I thought it was the GPU thermal plate, but the machine has Intel GMA950 integrated graphics, and I was told that the surface I removed the thermal pad from had to be the north bridge). The CPU temperatures on that machine are still rather high (ranging up in the high 50s, sometimes over 60C, in very light use), and I've been intending to open up the machine again and apply Arctic Silver 5, which I've since acquired, hoping to bring the CPU temperatures down. I was told that my CPU temperatures are way too high.

[Harryc]

They are not crazy high, but it never hurts to reapply AS5. Give it a shot. The problem with removing a thermal pad and applying thermal paste is that you'd have to really put a huge glob of it on to make up for the space left by removing the thermal pad, and that would make for inefficient cooling. The pad is there for a reason. When the heatsink is screwed down, there is a gap left for the pad...the heatsink does not automatically adjust to your thermal paste job. On all T60's I work on, if I destroy a pad I order a brand new heatsink. Extreme? Well, I never had a temperature issue on any of them. If I could find a supplier of efficient thermal pads of the right thickness I might consider it. EBay is not necessarily the right spot for that research or purchase. Who knows what you are getting there...could be a piece of rubber with no thermal dissipation characteristics. The other variable is that there are different applications for the pads, even among the different T60 models. You mentioned two of the different applications, southbridge vs GPU.

[RealBlackStuff]

If all else fails: you can get these a.o. in the Shack: http://us.startech.com/product/HSFPHASE ... ckage-of-5

[Harryc]

Seems too thin and tears easily. See reviews here - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6835230030

[Muse]

Hmm, this is a real issue, then, that thermal pad on one of the MB bridges...

I think I might have a thermal pad or two around, unlikely to be the right thickness. I could cut it to size, probably, but the thickness would be off and there's no guarantee concerning how efficient it is at heat transfer.

Edit: I found a thermal pad. It seems quite thin. Maybe I can double it up?

Walt here (I forget his user name, an engineer) talked about carefully bending his Thinkpad heatpipe. Maybe I can employ that strategy. Worst case, I'm shopping for a new heatpipe should mine break. He's the guy who said my T60 T5500 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo CPU temps were way high being over 60C idling.

[Muse]

On all T60's I work on, if I destroy a pad I order a brand new heatsink.

-snip-

You mentioned two of the different applications, southbridge vs GPU.

Where do you get your new heatsinks? Direct from Lenovo?

I don't know if it's a southbridge or a northbridge, someone said "north," IIRC. It's whatever heat radiating rectangle was exposed other than the CPU's when I removed the heatpipe from my T60 with T5500 Core 2 Duo 1.87GHz with Intel GMA950 machine. Dang, I'd heard that thermal pads were bad, replace with Arctic Silver, which might be great advice for a CPU with an independent HSF, but bad advice indeed for a heatpipe that doesn't simply clamp down.

[dr_st]

TP Fan Control indicates the GPU temperature is pretty high, seems to me. Right now, idling basically, it's showing 72C. I have to wonder if the sensor is correct because awakening the machine from sleep in a cool room (under 60F), the GPU temperature is shown as 59C right away, climbing into the 60s immediately and upward.

It has been hinted more than once that the sensors may not be correct (showing up to 10C higher than actual). I haven't got actual confirmation as to the truth of it.

[Muse]

It has been hinted more than once that the sensors may not be correct (showing up to 10C higher than actual). I haven't got actual confirmation as to the truth of it.

Indeed, it seems inconceivable that the GPU is 59C in a 15C room less than 10 seconds from the time the machine is asked to wake from sleep. Unless somehow there's heat generated in the sleep state, but why would they do that?

[Harryc]

Where do you get your new heatsinks? Direct from Lenovo?

You can get them direct from Lenovo, or from EBay, or from an online retailer. What is the machine type/model number from the sticker on the bottom of this T60?

[dr_st]

Indeed, it seems inconceivable that the GPU is 59C in a 15C room less than 10 seconds from the time the machine is asked to wake from sleep. Unless somehow there's heat generated in the sleep state, but why would they do that?

I agree. My T60 (with T7200/X1400, which is supposed to be even somewhat hotter than X1300) is idling now in a room about the same temperature (maybe even a bit higher), and both CPU and GPU have been consistently reading 49-50C. Standard heatsink, no customizations.

[Muse]

You can get them direct from Lenovo, or from EBay, or from an online retailer. What is the machine type/model number from the sticker on the bottom of this T60?

T60 1953CTO

Has T5500 C2D 1.6GHz with Intel GMA950 graphics.

[Muse]

I agree. My T60 (with T7200/X1400, which is supposed to be even somewhat hotter than X1300) is idling now in a room about the same temperature (maybe even a bit higher), and both CPU and GPU have been consistently reading 49-50C. Standard heatsink, no customizations.

And I'm using my T60 with T2400 Core Duo with x1300 at the moment, pretty much idling in a room under 15C and the CPU is 41C, but GPU shows 71C, according the TP Fan Control. I've been wondering why the GPU always reads so high on this machine. I got it about 3-4 months ago. At least the CPU runs a lot cooler than my other T60.