New to me: Thinkpad T61P (secondhand) restoring for everyday use

Hey guys, I just picked up a nice second-hand T61P w/ the high resolution screen. I have a couple questions about the unit before using her as my daily driver and would appreciate your thoughts and comments.

Battery:
When I purchased the unit, the original 9-cell battery lasted about an hour and only had 122 cycles. I decided to perform the "battery reset" in the Lenovo power options. While this operation was running, I was playing counter-strike to pass the time. I noticed she got warm during the process (not hot, sitting on a table) and all of the sudden she did a hard shut down and the battery light started blinking Orange.

Now, The original 9-cell battery is toast and will not take a charge (orange blinking battery light). After a cost/benefit analysis, I decided to purchase a generic 9-cell battery ($30 v $180) as I purchased the whole unit for $90.

New battery is being shipped at the moment. If anyone has an OEM battery in good condition, I would be interested.

GPU:
Quick research shows that I am within the window for potential gpu problems with a manufacture date of 07/10

With that in mind what is suggested to prolong the life of this unit? New thermal paste and fan inspection? Should I run any software tests prior to this?

Hard drive:
First thing I did was swap the 100gb drive with a 1TB 7200rpm drive. I am looking at purchasing the ultrabay adapter for a second drive. When I do this, should I have the SSD in the original location or the ultrabay? (I have already flashed the Middleton bios)

Memory:
I purchased her with 6GB of memory (4GB stick and a 2GB stick). The brands are mis-matched, but research on the prices of this outdated DDR2 memory make any replacement cost-prohibitive.

Screen:
As stated, I have the high resolution screen. While the screen resolution is excellent, the display brightness is abysmal Is there a LED mod compatible with this screen?

Hinges:
Last but not least, I am a victim to the ever-so-common "hinge wobble". There is able 1-2in of play in the screen at viewing angle. Will the amount of play in the wobble increase over time? If so, I have found the part number as (FRU P/N: 45N4181). Where is the best place to purchase replacement hinges from?

I figure if I need to crack her open to inspect/replace the fan and thermal paste, I may as well also replace the hinges. In short seek advice on:

1. GPU
2. Ultrabay adapter
3. LED mod
4. Hinges

I thank you in advance and look forward to your comments and suggestions.

 

I'm not much help, but I'm typing this on a T61p, so that makes me an expert, right? Is your T61p 14" or 15"? My 15" has had hinge wobble from practically day 1 and has not gotten worse over time. Annoying to use on the go, but fine for me at a desk. I have used a generic battery without issue. Mine lasted 3-4 years, almost exclusively used plugged in. Watch ebay, sometimes new in box stock batteries pap up for cheap. My screen is too dim for my tastes as well (1680 x 1050 resolution) and would love to know if there is a way to make it brighter. How were the 1920 x 1200 screens on these machines for color/viewing angle/brightness? I might be tempted to switch out my screen if it's worth it, or score a unit with a hi-rez screen on ebay. Processor upgrade to T9300 is pretty cost effective and easy to do, and you can thermal paste everything while you are in there. I have not had heat issues with mine, and I have my graphics card overclocked using MSI Afterburner.

 

If i were you, i would have just bought a refurb W500 instead. Same overall cost, better performance, and 16:10.

 

T61p came in two forms: a 14" 4:3 format and 15.4" 16:10.

Before we go any further, two things I'd like to know:

a) A full 7-character model number located on the same sticker that holds the serial number and the production date on the bottom of the laptop.

b) Production date from the same sticker.

Enjoy your "new" T61p.

 

Oops I forgot to mention she is the 15.4" 16x10

a) 6457-5KU
b) 07/10

 

Your machine as it left the factory:

ThinkPad T61p (6457-5KU)
T7700(2.4GHz), 2GB RAM, 100GB 7200rpm HD, 15.4in 1920x1200 LCD, 256MB nVIDIA Quadro FX 570M, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11agn(n-disabled), Bluetooth, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, Fingerprint reader, 9c Li-Ion, WinVista Ultimate

Nice and fully-loaded 1st generation T61p.

Install Middleton's BIOS>Throw a SSD>do not upgrade any further and enjoy.

October of 2007 is not a good date for a T61p, since its motherboard is "graced" by a defective nVidia chip. The fact that the machine is still kickin' means that it was likely taken care of.

Install ThinkPad Fan Control and monitor the temperatures.

Clean the fan, re-apply thermal paste and try to minimize heat cycling circles by keeping the machine on 24/7/365 and only shutting the screen off when not in use.

I'd stay away from attempting to LED-mod the panel, especially a Samsung one which is what you most likely have in there given the dimness.

Hinges are a PITA to source and replace, and I swap them only when the machine reaches the point of screen refusing to stand up properly.

Third-party HDD Ultrabay adapters are $10 or thereabouts on feebay.

Good luck.

 

Looks like I am just going to run it. I'll make sure to install the fan control software. Only planned upgrades are the ultrabay adapter and a SSD.

If the hinges bother me enough, I will crack her open and do the thermal paste at the same time.

By the way, what is UltraNav and Secure Chip?

 

UltraNav is Lenovospeak for TouchPad/Trackpoint combo.

Secure chip enables password/passphrase security in BIOS and a couple of other things.

If you're taking the SSD route, install Middleton's BIOS. Makes a world of difference in more ways than one.

 

Middleton bios has already been flashed. Any input on whether I should have the SSD in the original drive spot or in the ultrabay adapter?

 

Definitely in the main slot and not the UltraBay, the latter is limited to sata I speeds and not affected by Middleton's BIOS.

 

I don't think so. W500 costs a lot more than a T61p...

 

Other than a T61P with a date of 08/08 or newer, what other models should I be on the lookout that are compatible for a mobo swap?

 

There aren't any apart from T61/p in the same 15.4" format.

 

OP isn't just buying a T61p, he is also buying some parts to go with it, the W500 ends up being the same.

 

True, but he'd likely be upgrading a W500 as well...and he did get this T61p dirt cheap.