Mostly base configuration, but labeled as a T61p?

[that1nerd]

Wow, it's been a very long time. Last time I logged in, the thinkpads.com site was still in the beginning phases of development for the revamp. Now it's complete and live! Anyways...

I recently was given a 14.1" Widescreen T61p by a friend. Surprisingly, it was completely stock. Never had been upgraded from its factory configuration at all within the past 14 or so years! That changed of course, when I effectively upgraded almost every part of this machine that I feasibly could. Middleton BIOS, 240GB SSD, maxed out DDR2-6400 RAM, an Intel AC7260 WiFi card that I salvaged out of a flaky Dell Latitude E5440, retrofitted a Bluetooth 3.0 module salvaged out of a dead T520... (FRU 60y3274, it's compatible, much to my surprise! Not sure about Windows drivers, but it works fine with Linux Mint.) Add in a generic replacement battery and now I'm typing this post on the very machine I'm talking about. Just waiting on a T7800 to come in to replace the factory T7300, since now the CPU is the only remaining bottleneck.

Now for my question. Why is it a T61p? This particular machine is a 7661-WFK. (C2D T7300 CPU, 1280x800 display, Intel x3100 graphics, 80GB HDD, 2GB RAM, no Bluetooth or fingerprint reader.) Yet it has the T61p badge, and even the model lookup spreadsheet has it as a T61p. I can literally find the exact same spec'd machine labeled as a normal T61 in the spreadsheet, so what makes this one different? One thing I noticed almost immediately was a "non return hard drive" Service Alert sticker on the bottom, so I assume it started out as a company laptop that was custom ordered.

Why does it matter? Just curious, mainly. Frankly I feel better knowing it has the Intel graphics chip, since the nVidia equipped T61s are so notorious for high failure rates. I'm perfectly fine with the lower resolution screen, too. Just wanted to pick the minds of those who are more familiar with these machines than I am, and report on my seemingly unusual find and subsequent discoveries.

[ajkula66]

Now for my question. Why is it a T61p?

It's not.

There never was a 14" widescreen T61p, and the lookup of your machine's MTM returns this

ThinkPad T61 7661-WFK Based on 7661-CTO: T7300(2GHz), 2GB RAM, 80GB 5400rpm HD, 14.1in 1280x800, Intel X3100, DVD, Intel 802.11ag wireless, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, 6c Li-Ion, WinVista Business 32

I'd stay away from T7800, way too much heat. Flash in Middleton's BIOS and thrown in a T8300 or a T9300 and call it a day.

[RealBlackStuff]

They probably just swapped the original T61 clear plate (strip with LED-symbols and model) for a T61p one.
Bragging rights?

[unixed]

The T61p designation is for those (14.1" 4:3 and 15.4") models with the Nvidia FX 570M graphics chip (and corresponding vBIOS). The 15.4" model has twice the vRAM of the 14.1".

[that1nerd]

There never was a 14" widescreen T61p, and the lookup of your machine's MTM returns this

ThinkPad T61 7661-WFK Based on 7661-CTO: T7300(2GHz), 2GB RAM, 80GB 5400rpm HD, 14.1in 1280x800, Intel X3100, DVD, Intel 802.11ag wireless, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, 6c Li-Ion, WinVista Business 32

I'd stay away from T7800, way too much heat. Flash in Middleton's BIOS and thrown in a T8300 or a T9300 and call it a day.

Just double checked the spreadsheet, and you're correct. I've already flashed the Middleton BIOS so I can utilize the SATA II speeds and WiFi card whitelist. Just a matter of swapping in a new CPU.

So the 35w TDP of the T7800 was a "suggestion", then? I know the Middleton BIOS whitelists the later gen chips, but I was trying to stick with Memron chips to avoid the known quirks, especially the temp sensor compatibility issues. Would a T7700 be a better compromise for heat and performance?

They probably just swapped the original T61 clear plate (strip with LED-symbols and model) for a T61p one.
Bragging rights?

The T61p designation is for those (14.1" 4:3 and 15.4") models with the Nvidia FX 570M graphics chip (and corresponding vBIOS). The 15.4" model has twice the vRAM of the 14.1".

That's most likely what happened here. Ajkula is spot on with saying a 14" widescreen T61p machine doesn't exist. Unixed corroborates this, and I personally verified it, too. Lenovo never made a T61p in that configuration. My friend had purchased this particular machine from an eBay seller many years ago, so it wouldn't surprise me if the seller was involved in that somehow. Would only cost a few bucks to replace the badge with a T61p one and list it as such to push it past market value of a base T61. Awful shady!

Unless I can source another T61 badge for a reasonable price, I'm most likely just going to leave it. Adds to the story of this particular machine, I suppose. lol
At least I don't feel as bad about modding this one, since it wasn't as "bone stock" as I first thought!

[ajkula66]

.

So the 35w TDP of the T7800 was a "suggestion", then? I know the Middleton BIOS whitelists the later gen chips, but I was trying to stick with Memron chips to avoid the known quirks, especially the temp sensor compatibility issues. Would a T7700 be a better compromise for heat and performance?

I've never had an issue with a Penryn chip in a Merom machine, but YMMV. T7700 is also way too hot for my liking. Meroms run hotter than Penryns, generally speaking.

My suggestion (T8300/9300) - especially on an Intel-based machine - remains.

[that1nerd]

.

So the 35w TDP of the T7800 was a "suggestion", then? I know the Middleton BIOS whitelists the later gen chips, but I was trying to stick with Memron chips to avoid the known quirks, especially the temp sensor compatibility issues. Would a T7700 be a better compromise for heat and performance?

I've never had an issue with a Penryn chip in a Merom machine, but YMMV. T7700 is also way too hot for my liking. Meroms run hotter than Penryns, generally speaking.

My suggestion (T8300/9300) - especially on an Intel-based machine - remains.

Wish I had asked before I bought that T7800... Oh well, not really worth returning it at this point. Went ahead and placed an order for a T9300. According to Passmark, it performs on par with the T7800 as well, which is already a 35-40% performance jump over the T7300 I have now.

Thanks for the input!

[chomik]

If you can, return that T7800 and buy a T9300. I have a T7800 in my T601 and it's an absolute furnace.

[unixed]

If you went for the T7800 because you wanted the fastest CPU then you may want the T9500, which will outperform the T7800 which has 4MB L2 cache while the T9500 has 6MB. It will run cooler. Ito value for money, the T8300 and T9300 would be better choices in general.

[kfzhu1229]

If you can, return that T7800 and buy a T9300. I have a T7800 in my T601 and it's an absolute furnace.

Yup the T7800 runs extraordinarily hot, much more so than its 35W TDP would indicate. In fact if you have a GL960 chipset motherboard with inferior VRM the T7800 will in fact be unstable on such laptops! T9300/T9500 on the other hand, do run fairly hot but not to that extreme.
Both T7800 and T9500 command premium price tags as T7800 is the fastest with laptops with poor BIOS update support (T61 would've been this if it weren't for middleton)
If you want something that works out of the box and delivers great value, then it's T8100/T8300/T6600/T9300. If you want the best bang of the buck and wanna try FSB mods, then a P8700/P8800 or overclocking T6600/T8100 (2.93Ghz, 2.8Ghz, no voltage mod required) is a better choice.

[chomik]

Haven't heared of a T6600, looks like a T7500 but peryn and lower cache.

[kfzhu1229]

Haven't heared of a T6600, looks like a T7500 but peryn and lower cache.

T6x00 is 2M Penryn line, but T6600 is clocked higher than T8100 and both overclock to 1066Mhz FSB stable, while T8300 is not stable.
T6600 actually has the model AW80577 series just like the 1066Mhz FSB processors but it works on GL960/965GM/PM machines perfectly fine with BIOS update.
And weirdly enough my 965GM based XPS M1330 came with such a CPU.