Is it recommended to open the T61 and dust out the insides?

or do they run fine and dust is not an issue? i've never opened one up even after 1 1/2 years but runs fine

 

If you are comfortable w/ opening your notebook up, I would clean it.

 

Hm.... in short, dust is an issue with any notebook, regardless of how clean you believe your surroundings to be. If you're technically inclined or have the patience to learn how to do it, cleaning out your Thinkpad will possibly end up saving it in the long run. Fans that are clogged with dust aren't nearly as efficient, and dusty components can overheat and eventually fail... it really depends on the luck of the draw.

My T21 was in service for over seven years before I opened it up... I was probably the first person to ever pull it apart and really give it a thorough cleaning as it was overheating in some situations and generally acting slow... that and I was going to throw a slightly faster processor in it.

The heat sink compound between the processor and the heat sink had 'dried up' to the point where there was barely any on the processor core itself... and there was actually specks of dust in-between the core and the heat sink. Now, I severely doubt your T61 is that bad as my T21 had been through several years of abuse... but it goes to show that sometimes a thorough cleaning out can make the difference between a good notebook and a dead notebook.

 

hmm, well im definitely not paying some dude $70/hour to clean it out and potentially break it lol... ill watch those lenovo vids and just clean it myself... can i use any screwdriver that fits the screws?

 

Pretty much. If you're going to make it a habit, I'd spend the $5 to get a good 'jeweler's' screwdriver set. I personally avoid magnetic screwdrivers as they can potentially corrupt data on a hard drive... but I'll admit I'm pretty paranoid about my machine.

Since it sounds like you're new to opening up computers, here's a few 'newbie tips' I always give out as a disclaimer... please don't take offense if you're experienced with computer guts, but these tips might save your system if you're new to all this.

Firstly, unplug your notebook and take out the battery. I also hit the power button a few times afterward to discharge any capacitors on the motherboard, but as before I'm a bit paranoid. It doesn't hurt to say I've never zapped a component, though.

Secondly, make sure you ground yourself before opening your machine up. This can be done by touching any sort of bare metal before working on your machine, or by using an anti-static wristband attached to aforementioned bare metal. Static electicity can severely damage computer components, so be careful.

Before you open up your machine, it might be best to go to a computer shop and get a few things... I always have some extra antistatic bags to set stuff like wifi cards and other small pieces on to make sure they have some protection. If you want to pull off the heat sink, do some reading up on how to replace your thermal compound and get some Arctic Silver 5. This is a fairly advanced step and requires some diligent monitoring of your temps afterward, but it helps.

 

wow, nice write up, thanks. i will definitely unplug my battery like you said, and i am a noob... so no parts will be unscrewed lol...

 

Quick question:

What does Lenovo use at the factory? My T61p will be going out of warantee soon and I'm wondering if it would be worth applying a better thermal paste (I've done it before with desktops I've built) when I have it opened.