X61 Thinkpad overheat problem

[samanthalo]

I bought this ThinkPad X61 last Sept. I downgrade it to win xp instead of vista.

When I charge it, it becomes very very hot. It is over 80C. When I unplug the battery and just plug in the charger, it is fine. Does anyone have the same problem?

[uday1]

I got a thinkpad T61 last august. I think it becomes too hot (not the battery but below keyboard). Also it seems battery runs down quicker than earlier. What could be the problem? I tried cleaning it by blowing air.

Thanks

Uday

[liuhui0803]

yep, my X61 also got very hot, but only when CPU gets 100% used for a long time, so I think if your CPU always get very busy, you should consider getting a cooller fan, that helped a lot


Message Edited by liuhui0803 on 06-24-2008 04:08 AM

[samanthalo]

I have this problem after I installed 2GB RAM.
It gets really hot even I don't run much things on this laptop. Once I plug in the charger, it gets hot.
I have installed win-xp by myself. I was wondering if I didn't install some drivers properly. Do you think I can adjust the speed of the fan?
Also, my battery ran down quickly. At the end, it just could be used for 15 min without a charger. So, I called IBM and they shipped me a new one. Now the battery life is ok. But the overheat problem is still...........


Message Edited by samanthalo on 06-24-2008 08:04 AM

[liuhui0803]

If the overheat problem happens after installed additional RAM, is this RAM you bought from lenovo or somewhere else? Maybe this is the problem. And another reason, if your machine has been used for a long time, maybe is because the dust, and you need to do some cleanning.

Also, you said you didn't run much things but machine gets hot, please open Windows Task Manager, and open process tab to see the CPU utilization, if it's 100% for a long time and you think you didn't run lots of things by YOURSELF, maybe is some apps automatic runs when system startup and need lots of CPU process, or virus something, please look for process that takes a high CPU utilization, and do something about that, such as uninstall unnecessarily programs, or scan for virus, or disable automatic start items.

In the end, I still suggest you buy a laptop cooler pad. Before using that, my X61 always overheat, especially when CPU is busy working for a long time, and sometime the whole system will crash because the heat. But after using these pad, crash never happens.





 

[wjli2]

What is your CPU usage status and the amount of ram used during normal operation, high temperature is not a good friend for any electronics, it would wear out your battery quite quickly and there is the problem of premature failure of components.

[samanthalo]

Thank you very much!

I ordered the RAM somewhere with the same brand. Do you think it matters? How can I make sure the RAM is OK to use on this laptop?

I checked my CPU usage. It is always around a few %. When I open some applications, it runs up to 20-50%. I don't think it runs up to 100% all the time.

Do you know how to clean up the dust? I just bought this laptop last Sept. I don't think it should be that dirty.

I just got a laptop cooler pad. It is better now. But you know, it is not very convenient to bring the cooler pad around.

[samanthalo]

I checked the RAM usage. It is 914M now. I have 3 GB on this laptop. Do you think it is ok?

[wjli2]

i think you should send it in for service, since you are under warranty to make sure everything is okay.

[bylund]

A lot of people seem to have problems with the X61 getting hot. There are discussions of a second fan not being installed in non-WWAN editions, but I'm not sure that is the problem.

I am myself on a X61 (7675-CTO) and it also gets hot. I can stand the heat, but the problem is that I experience problems when the battery is plugged in. If the battery is not plugged in there is no problem, but if it is plugged in I sometimes have problems with the computer overheating and therefore Windows shutting down. It didn't use to be like this, but it is now (after bios updates?). 

I've been recommended to send the computer for service, but I need to use it every day--it isn't possible to send it for service and be without it for a week or longer. As I am mostly working at home there is no problem with not having the battery plugged in, but as soon as I'm traveling this obviously becomes a problem.

Any suggestions?