hot T61, fan always running

Hi All
I received my T61 last week, and along with all the regular problems of close to 90 processes, I realized that the fan is always running and the base (I guess near the HD, between below the right palmrest and red trackpoint) is hot. I dont know the temp, but it is not comfortable to put on the lap. I ran for many hours just to check the fan, but it never stopped and it never got cooled.
Other thing, more thatn 30Giga byte is used by the factory installed things and OS.
Please let me know if somebody have the same issue with the fan running all the time.
Thanks in advance.

My system:T61 14.1, T7300, 2Ghz, 2 G, Ram, Vista Ultimate 32, 160HD

 

I have those same specs.

My computer has been running for about 15 hours now straight
And earlier I was doing some large downloads and extractions (3-5GB)
it's warm but not uncomfortable at all.

 

Thanks unr1,
Does the fan stops or keep running? You didnot mentioned.

 

Check this thread http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=17715

TPFanControl lets you see the temperature of cpu/gpu/hdd/batt/etc as well as use smart fan control quieter operation.

You need to download v019svc (its on one of the later pages). Also, it takes some experimenting to get the right temperature thresholds.

 

You can also use RMClock and undervolt your CPU as well - to generate less heat.

 

If its overheating send it back. Theres always a chance they messed up when seating the heatsink.

Be sure to check the temps though.

 

I don't have my laptop yet and I could be completeley wrong, but a lot of times you can choose fan settings in the BIOS. Usually it says something like, Workstation, Server, or Laptop. Maybe someone at the factory has this set wrong. It's worth a shot. Server fans are supposed to run always, so maybe that's it. Just a suggestion.

 

If the BIOS is set up like my T60 - there is only "Balanced" and "Maximize Performance", or something like that.

 

Here is a great thread on how to make your notebook to run cooler:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=60914

I got this thing for like $10 (on sale) and it did make a big difference.

http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/13336.jpg

 

Don't spaz over the processes, if your cpu usage is effectively 0 at idle, you're fine. If there's something chewing up 1-2% continually, even at idle, *those* are the things you want to worry about.

As for the heat, lots of good advice already posted. If you feel you have unusually high temps, maybe it was a bad hsf install? If you feel it's worth the trouble, you can call tech support and try to convince them to let you send it in, have someone look at it, maybe reinstall the hsf mechanism.

 

As someone already mentioned here, fan running constantly and hot palmrest is not a good isign. I used my T61 yesterday in a hot room for 15 hours and it stayed cool.

 

The CPU isn't the only piece of hardware in your laptop. The processes may not take up CPU resources at idle, but they will be eating up RAM at all times. So yes, if more than 50% of your RAM is taken up by those 90 processes (and I guarantee they will be), you should spaz. Spazztastic!

 

Ive had some heat issues with my T60 for the past few months, and I didn't even know about it. I just found out today that I have temperatures reaching high 90s and around 80's. I am going to be opening up the computer to install ram so i plan on cleaning up any dust then, but is there any way to sets warnings in the BIOs to alert me as to when the temp is too high? Because it has been freezing up on me whenever it overheats, without any warnings whatsoever. And I have looked in the BIOs for an fan related or system temperature options and couldn't find them. If you guys could tell me where they are that would be appreciated. Thanks for the help!

 

I'm not sure specifically about creating an alert in the BIOS, but there is a lot of software out there that will let you monitor it. Try this one http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php. Download this program, click on configure and go to advanced. You can configure an event to alert you when the CPU temp exceeds the amount you specified. Let me know if you need any more help with this.

 

Allright, so my t61 is running hot at least to the touch. I downloaded speedfan and it seems to run at 27-31C...usually in the 30 range. Also, according to windows task manager I am running at 1-4% CPU at the minimum...never 0%. I also have 2GB of RAM and I've only seen it below 1 GB once.

So, what should I do? I have not done a clean install...I suppose I can do this, though I'm not exactly excite about it since I already have a decent amount of info already loaded.

I'd love to hear suggestions.

 

I just picked up a T61 last week specifically because it DOES NOT run hot at all.

In my limited use so far -- it's been on and under excessive use for at least a few hours a few different times -- it does not seem to get even mildly warm in comparison to the HP dv2000 or the Gateway 3550 that I used before hand.

Unless the warmth has something to do with the specs of your computer -- some processors run warmer than others, for reference I'm running the T7300 -- I'd suggest having it looked at if it's bothering you.

As an addendum to be filed under you-can-never-get-what-you-want category, my PC did arrive with a few stuck pixels. The retailers's service department is ordering a new screen and will replace it next week. Hope this puppy runs as well after the replacement as it is at present!

 

This kinda threads can be very confusing in the sense that it's hard to figure if everyone's on the same page.
One man's warm is another man's hot and vise versa.

Besides the whole notion that the T61 runs cooler than the T60 seems to be an unsubstantiated myth.
I could find only one side-by-side comparison test and showed that they're virtually identical thermally.

 

Agreed.

To qualify my statement, the T61 runs much cooler (palm and lap) then the HP dv2000 series. I think it is fair to say that the right palm, after use, becomes warmer than room temperature. But my comparative here is the dv2000 which had a left palm that actually felt marginally hot to the touch.

I am about as anal a consumer as you can get so by no means am I dismissive of somebody's suggestion that the PC is warmer than average. I guess my suggestion to the original poster would be to find a Lenovo retailer, drop in and check out other similar models to determine if their computer seems to be running any warmer than average.

(I am finding that the fan seems to be always running. But I imagine I can mess with these settings when I want to).

 

I take it you have it on a hard flat surface so there's good air circulation? Today was the first day I noticed the fan. I had it hanging over a box (not all feet were in contact with a flat surface. I figured it was impeding airflow and I'll change my setup.

 

Yeah, just to emphasize to everyone that the ideal setup you want to have is on the basis that you are not running a bunch of programs all at once, you have Intel's EIST (Enhanced Intell SpeedStep Technology) activated, which is done by selecting the CPU speed to 'adaptive' in the Power Manager, you are using PowerPlay if you have an ATi card, you are NOT blocking any of the vents, etc etc etc. As unhooked mentioned, one person's hot is another person's warm as well.

 

I have been using my 14.1" T61 with nVidia NVS 140M card for the past couple of weeks and it is by far the coolest laptop that I've ever used. My guess is that a T61 with the integrated card would run much cooler. The laptop gets warm only if I totally block the air vents on the bottom like when using on a soft bed. Otherwise, it is very difficult for me to get it hot and I have watched DVDs, encoded video and used CAD applications in this laptop.

Btw, my T61 does run cooler than my colleague's T60 -- the temperature difference is obvious to feel just by touch.

 

That difference may be dude to the T60 being older... more dust in the vents = hotter computer.

 

Yup. More vents, supposedly a quieter fan (can you tell, coolhandluke?).

 

Yep, the new "owl-blade" fan is a tad quieter and it does push out quite a bit of air to keep the heat down. I would say the heat dissipation is an improvement over T60. However, I like the looks of T60 better.

 

Haha, I wonder if they will merge the two. Can you say, T62p?

 

According to this review the T61 doesn't fare any better.

http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?h...testing/occident/thinkpad/0706/1040735_2.html

 

I'll trust my own judgment. Thank you.

 

As an aside - or maybe to this topic - I've been playing around with settings to minimize fan running. In power options, if you create a new setting with lowest CPU speed, it seems to really turn off the fan control and run silently.

Have yet to really discover a way to have fan regularly stay off with adaptive CPU speed but it may be that Vista's system usage is as such that the fan control never feels comfortable turning off for long.

At minimum CPU setting on a T7300 processor, fully loaded Vista still runs very effectively.