T400/500 heat?

I'm using a Vostro 1400 on my lap and at 48C it's pretty uncomfortable.

How's the T400/500 in terms of temperature when using it on your lap for a decent amount of time? I know there are numbers posted, but generally just from tests and not day-to-day usage.

Using a lap pad isn't an option either, because the wrist rests get very warm too.

Any thoughts?

 

I don't have "lap" temperatures because I use my T500 mainly in its dock on desk. But right now, after having been on for several hours, the hottest temperature reported by the embedded controller sensors is the P8400 CPU, at 40C. I bought the Intel GPU and have undervolted the CPU in order to minimize heat/noise. The fan ends up running most of the time anyway, but I haven't taken measures to slow it down because it is so quiet I can't hear it. Before undervolting, idle CPU temps were mid-high 40's. The "lap" temperature has to be less...

 

40C isn't too bad. Do you know where the air intake/output is on the body? I know for the Vostro, the intake is right where it rests on my leg, which adds to the problem. (Although sometimes if my laptop is laying upside down, it still heats up considerably.)

 

I don't think there are any major vents to be blocked on the underside of the T500 - I have mine laying all the time on my lap/couch/ottoman and the temps never rise.

 

I don't know where the cooling intake is! There are several small vents on the bottom that probably serve as intake, but I imagine that some comes through the keyboard, speaker grilles, etc, too...?

The exhaust is on the left side at the back corner, see pictures in review. There's also a grille on the back at the left side. You'd think I'd know, but I don't!... is this an intake? Or additional exhaust?

 

The T400 handles heat/noise better than any notebook I’ve ever owned. The two vents are on the sides of the left/back corner and I rarely feel much heat, if any, when using the machine on my lap.

Lenovo ThinkPad engineering tends to get things right more often than not.

 

it gets hot (t400) after a while

especially with a seagate momentus 7200 RPM 500GB HDD

but it is still much better than any older laptops ive owned

 

Under normal use (not gaming), my T500 is very comfortable to use on my lap. The only warm area that I would complain about is the left front edge, where the wireless card is. If you're not careful and block the vent there, the left edge can get pretty warm.

Running on my desk, my CPU typically idles in the range of 27-37 degrees, usually in the low 30s.

 

What utility do you use to measure your temps and thanks.

Gary

 

I use CoreTemp in my system tray, and I occasionally check that those numbers are accurate using HWMonitor as well. CoreTemp is usually a few degrees higher than HWMonitor reports.

Links to both these tools are in my signature.

 

In the T400, the fan is positioned on the top of the motherboard (i.e located below the keyboard). So, its taking in air from the top not the bottom, the exhaust vents are on the side and the back. My cpu typically idles around 30 - 37C with the ATi GPU running and switching over to the Intel IGP and it cools down by a couple of degrees. It is fairly comfortable to use on the lap as long as the ambient temperatures are within tolerable limits.

From my personal experience the T400 runs very cool and manages heat quite well.

I usually use HWMonitor...
http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

 

I think there's a difference reading 'Core' temperature and overall CPU.
For Thinkpad users I recommend Thinkpad Fan Control because it gives you detailed sensor temperatures on Thinkpads:
www.tpfancontrol.com

I really suppose the T400/T500 laptops equipped with the 25 watts TDP (P Series) processors run cooler overall than the normal T Series counterparts (35W TDP).
One good thing about Thinkpads is the fact that there are no vents in the bottom of the laptop, so it doesn't matter if you use to put the laptop in a couch or bed. Although new HDD's that use 2 platters tend to heat more considerably than single one and generate more heat (5400rpm vs 7200 RPM). Also the ambient temperature is another factor that comes whether the CPU temperature raise by a few degrees centigrade.

 

Well, my T500 has quite a few cooling vents on the bottom and along the front edge - in fact, the front edge gets quite warm if those slots are blocked, because of the WiFi card.

My 7200RPM drive (single platter) is actually a lot cooler than my old laptop's 5400RPM (single platter) as reported by HDTune. I suppose part of this is due to different laptops (the Thinkpad has better cooling), but the drives may indeed run at different temperatures.

Overall, though, I'd say that the T400 and T500 are some of the coolest-running laptops I've used.

 

Thanks.

Gary

 

My T400 only has the Intel integrated graphics, and it barely even gets warm. The quietest and coolest laptop I've ever used. Although I am using a SSD.

 

My W500 with SSD runs utterly without any sound when using the integrated gpu. It is an amazing experience after years of listening to hard drives and (even more so) fans roaring away cooling things down. When 1 switch to the dedicated gpu the fan runs fairly constantly. The dedicated gpu about doubles the heat produced by these machines compared to the integrated gpu. Switchable graphics is as good as it "sounds".

 

I have the t400 with a regular spinning hd, 5400 rpm. It stays pretty cool. I hear it only gets hot when you have a 7200rpm hd.

 

I'm currently using a T400 (P series) with Intel IGP. It's very cool and very quiet, and I say truly quiet. The optical drive (DVDRW/RAM) is also very silent, making it a pleasure to use.

I live in a warm climate (25-30C / 75-85F), but still it's very confortable to use on my lap. So I say it's one of the best notebooks I've ever used.

 

So the T400/T500 run far more cooler than T61's with IGP's??

 

My t400 is great on my lap, granted I don't have the ATi enabled. With the ATI enabled it runs cool on a desk or cooler, but def not for lap use unless you like sweating. Its not painful or burning hot, rather just warm.

 

the modern 7200rpm drives are just fine - little difference to a 5400rpm. the big difference is whether you are running the integrated or the dedicated gpu - or you go up to a SSD. i have tried all three options.

 

I don't have a T61, but it does seem like people with T400s and T500s are reporting lower temperatures than T61 owners.

 

My T400 with discrete graphics runs cooler than my T61 14.1 inch with an IGP.

 

I've found my T400 to be excellent in regards to heat and noise. I use it primarily on my lap for net surfing and find it quite comfortable. In fact the lack of heat and noise were my primary considerations in choosing it. It has the P8600 and I only use the integrated graphics. I also swapped out the HDD with an Intel SSD. With the addition of the SSD it is now totally silent, I never hear the fan. Of course, if you do any processor intensive work on it, it will heat up but still handles that better than almost any other notebook.

 

Interesting...
I've heard the Santa Rosa chipset on the T61's is it's nature to generate heat that's why Lenovo reingengineered the cooling system of the T60 to make it more efficient, even though in hot days like today the left palmrest heats up equally the right side (where the HDD is), and just below the left palmrest is the Northbridge chip that needs to be cooled down with the heatsink.
I'm tempted to get a T400 but I hate Widescreens.
P.S. As a side note I just noticed how much my T61 screen sucks compared to a new Samsung LCD TV I bought, I was gaming yesterday and the game just seems beautifully displayed with vibrant colors. Are the LED's on Thinkpads nice compared to a normal LCD HDTV monitor?