This blog post is intended to explain how can you start your Lenovo ThinkPad T61 processor upgrade drive due to a multitude of limitations and issues like lost fan speed, no support for Windows 10, showing slower performance, etc. Below is the list of processors (following 800MHz Front Side Bus CPUs) that you can choose to upgrade.
| Name | Model | Frequency | L2 Cache | Class | Power | Lithography | Base Voltage |
| T5270 | Core 2 Duo | 1.4 GHz | 2MB | Merom | 35 W | 65 nm | 1.075V-1.250V |
| T5670 | Core2 Duo | 1.8 GHz | 2MB | Merom | 35 W | 65 nm | 1.0375V-1.30V |
| T7100 | Core 2 Duo | 1.8 GHz | 2MB | Merom | 35 W | 65 nm | 1.075V-1.250V |
| T7250 | Core 2 Duo | 2.0 GHz | 2MB | Merom | 35 W | 65 nm | 1.075V-1.250V |
| T7300 | Core 2 Duo | 2.0 GHz | 4MB | Merom | 35 W | 65 nm | 1.075V-1.250V |
| T7500 | Core 2 Duo | 2.2 GHz | 4MB | Merom | 35 W | 65 nm | 1.075V-1.250V |
| T7700 | Core 2 Duo | 2.4 GHz | 4MB | Merom | 35 W | 65 nm | 1.075V-1.250V |
| T7800 | Core 2 Duo | 2.6 GHz | 4MB | Merom | 35 W | 65 nm | 1.075V-1.250V |
| X7800 | Core 2 Extreme | 2.6 GHz | 4MB | Merom | 44 W | 65 nm | 1.100V-1.375V |
| X7900 | Core 2 Extreme | 2.8 GHz | 4MB | Merom | 44 W | 65 nm | 1.100V-1.375V |
| T8100 | Core 2 Duo | 2.1 GHz | 3MB | Penryn | 35 W | 45 nm | 1.000V-1.250V |
| T8300 | Core 2 Duo | 2.4 GHz | 3MB | Penryn | 35 W | 45 nm | 1.000V-1.250V |
| T9300 | Core 2 Duo | 2.5 GHz | 6MB | Penryn | 35 W | 45 nm | 1.000V-1.250V |
| T9500 | Core 2 Duo | 2.6 GHz | 6MB | Penryn | 35 W | 45 nm | 1.000V-1.250V |
| X9000 | Core 2 Extreme | 2.8 GHz | 6MB | Penryn | 44 W | 45 nm | 1.000V-1.275V |
The list of motherboards you can opt for 3 different form factors (14.1-inch standard, 14.1-inch widescreen, and 15.4-inch widescreen) includes:
| FRU | CPU | Aspect Ratio | Graphic System | Manufactured | Model | Compatibility |
| 14.1 WideScreen | ||||||
| 41w1487 | Merom | 16:10 | Intel X3100 | 2007 | T61 | T61 R61 |
| 41w1489 | Merom | 16:10 | nVidia nvs140m | 2007 | T61 | T61 R61 |
| 43y9044 | Merom | 16:10 | nVidia nvs140m | 2008-2010 | T61 | T61 R61 |
| 42w7866 | Penryn/Merom | 16:10 | Intel X3100 | 2008 | T61 | T61 R61 |
| 42w7867 | Penryn/Merom | 16:10 | nVidia nvs140m | 2008 | T61 | T61 R61 |
| 44c3933 | Penryn/Merom | 16:10 | nVidia nvs140m | 2008-2010 | T61 | T61 R61 |
| 14.1 Standard | ||||||
| 42w7648 | Merom | 4:3 | Intel X3100 | 2007 | T61 | T61/p T60/p* R61″ |
| 42w7649 | Merom | 4:3 | nVidia nvs140m | 2007 | T61 | T61/p T60/p” R61″ |
| 43y9045 | Merom | 4:3 | nVidia nvs140m | 2008-2010 | T61 | T61/p T60/p* R61″ |
| 42w7650 | Merom | 4:3 | nVidia fx570m 128mb | 2007 | T61p | T61/p T60/p* R61″ |
| 43y9046 | Merom | 4:3 | nVidia fx570m 128mb | 2008-2010 | T61p | T61/p T60/p” T61″ |
| 42w7872 | Penryn/Merom | 4:3 | Intel X3100 | 2008 | T61 | T61/p T60/p” R61″ |
| 42w7873 | Penryn/Merom | 4:3 | nVidia nvs140m | 2008 | T61 | T61/p T60/p* R61″ |
| 44c3924 | Penryn/Merom | 4:3 | nVidia nvs140m | 2008-2010 | T61 | T61/p T60/p* R61* |
| 42w7874 | Penryn/Merom | 4:3 | nVidia fx570m 128mb | 2008 | T61p | T61/p T60/p* R61* |
| 44c3926 | Penryn/Merom | 4:3 | nVidia 6x770m 128mb | 2008-2010 | T61p | T61/p T60/p* R61″ |
| 15.4 Widescreen | ||||||
| 42w7651 | Merom | 16:10 | Intel X3100 | 2007 | T61 | T61 T61p T60 T60p |
| 42w7652 | Merom | 16:10 | nVidia nvs140m | 2007 | T61 | T61 T61p T60 T60p |
| 43y9047 | Merom | 16:10 | nVidia nvs140m | 2008-2010 | T61 | T61 T61p T60 T60p |
| 42w7653 | Merom | 16:10 | nVidia 6x570m 256mb | 2007 | T61p | T61 T61p T60 T60p |
| 43y9048 | Merom | 16:10 | nVidia fx570m 256mb | 2008-2010 | T61p | T61 T61p T60 T60p |
| 42w7875 | Penryn/Merom | 16:10 | Intel X3100 | 2008 | T61 | T61 T61p T60 T60p |
| 42w7876 | Penryn/Merom | 16:10 | nVidia nvs140m | 2008 | T61 | T61 T61p T60 T60p |
| 44c3928 | Penryn/Merom | 16:10 | nVidia nvs140m | 2008-2010 | T61 | T61 T61p T60 T60p |
The variant of ThinkPad we are using is 14.1-inch widescreen and the ingredients for your transformation drive include:
- Two Lenovo 44C3933 motherboards (one extra for a backup if anything goes wrong)
- New CPU Fan Heatsink Discrete for IBM Lenovo ThinkPad T61
- Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 2.8GHz Processor
Table of Contents
Stock Configuration
A stock Lenovo T61 ThinkPad features preinstalled Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 processor with a 2Ghz clock frequency on a 65nm architecture. The said processor belongs to an Intel Merom lineup with 35W TDP, integrated into the Intel PM965 motherboard chipset. The motherboard in the stock setup can sustain a maximum of two 4GB RAM strips. The device is flashed with Lenovo’s firmware to update the Embedded Controller (EC) to version 1.8. The motherboard has an integrated NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M graphics adapter that consumes 1.15-1.2V of power as well as a Samsung SSD-840 Series Solid State Drive for storage.
The stock motherboard features:
| FRU | 41w1489 |
| CPU | Merom |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:10 |
| Graphic System | Nvidia NVS 140m |
| Manufactured | 2007 |
| Model | T61 |
| Compatible | T61/R61 |
The stock T7300 processor offers the following features:
| Name | T7300 |
| Model | Core 2 Duo |
| sSpec | SLA45 |
| Frequency | 2.0 GHz |
| L2 Cache | 4MB |
| Class | Merom |
| Power | 35 W |
| Lithography | 65 nm |
| Core Voltage | 1.075V-1.250V |
Upgraded Configuration
In this Lenovo ThinkPad T61 processor upgrade drive, we have opted for Lenovo Motherboard Model 44C3933 that is fully compatible with the Penryn and Merom processor with the same Nvidia NVS140m GPU.
| FRU | 44c3933 |
| CPU | Penryn/Merom |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:10 |
| Graphic System | Nvidia NVS140m |
| Manufactured | 2008-2010 |
| Model | T61 |
| Compatible | T61 R61 |
We are going to choose the top-of-line processor from the list of supported CPUs that is the Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 Penryn Class CPU with 6MB of integrated cache and 2.8Ghz clock speed. The selected CPU features a TDP of 44W and 45nm architecture.
| Name | X9000 |
| Model | Core 2 Extreme |
| sSpec | SLAQJ |
| Frequency | 2.8 GHz |
| L2 Cache | 6MB |
| Class | Penryn |
| Power | 44 W |
| Lithography | 45 nm |
| Core Voltage | 1.000V-1.275V |
After dissembling the laptop. Remove the stock heatsink/cooler on the top of your processor. Replace the existing motherboard with the new one (44C3933) and it will take an hour. Be careful if you doing this for the first time.
Deploying the X9000 processor is super easy due to its pin-for-pin compatibility with the mPGA478 socket.
After installing all the necessary components, the BIOS correctly identifies the new processor. Now your system is almost ready to bear loads like never before. For instance, You can even install Windows 10 Pro for an improved user experience.
Voltage Control
Install TP Fan Control to ensure the heat sink is working properly and maintaining the CPU temperatures perfectly. Most people use Throttle Stop to reduce the CPU’s power consumption (while maintaining the CPU multiplier at 14x). Install this utility and reduce the voltage to 1.0875.
Now you are ready to go. The roadmap we followed for the ThinkPad T61 processor upgrade lacks any overclocking although people experienced some positive outcomes by kicking up the unlocked multipliers by altering and managing voltage with Throttle Stop and TP Fan Control to change fan speeds and keep temperatures lowered due to the increased TDP. You can opt for the T9300 or T9500 CPUs which could easily be clocked up to 2.8Ghz using IDA but the permanent solution needs physical modification of the motherboard.
End Words
The final outcome is incredible. At the end of the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 processor upgrade drive, the resultant system with 8GB of RAM can easily sustain loads of Windows 10 effectively. The processor we opt for is not officially supported by T61 so careful monitoring of temperature is highly recommended.
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