Mobo replacement options Thinkpad T61??

friends
I have a dead Thinkpad T61 type 6465-CTO. I am guessing a power surge or flux got it - no power, no lights, nothing.
since the unit is really clean otherwise I'm thinking it will be worth it to replace, if i can get the board cheaply enough.

Can someone knowledgeable about these tell me what my shortlist of system boards would be for the swap out? for instance, will a T60 motherboard work in this? its a question of form factor, mounting points, etc, I guess. This unit is the so-called 15.4" widescreen. I'm guessing a board for the 14" version would not work... Suggestions?

 

The best place to research this is eBay. Do a search there for "Thinkpad T61" and see what pops up. Look for items from Top Rated Sellers. The item description on motherboards will normally list something to the effect of "fits T61 type xxxx-xxx, model Txx, type xxxx-xxx, etc".

Now check the "completed listings" box. This will give you an idea of what your PC's fair market value would be if you fixed it.

Finally, keep in mind that replacing a motherboard on a notebook PC is not an easy process. If you have not disassembled/reassembled a notebook PC before, I'd have a PC shop or experienced geek tackle the process for you if you decide to go forward with the project.

One final thought: Check both your power supply and the power jack on the PC before buying a motherboard. If the power jack wiggles with the power adapter inserted, replacing the internal power jack port may solve the "no power" problem.

Hope this helps.

 

yep I've resurrected a good many. thinkpads, especially big one like this, are among the easiest.
I've been watching 'donor' t61's on ebay, and bid on one that was not quite dead, just devoid of drives and banged up. my observation is that 'damaged goods' whole t61's with apparently good mobos sell for less than what the system boards themselves are selling for. but the bidding is truly nuts.... some real dogs will sell for say 125 bucks, and five hours later, a much nicer one will bring 90 bucks. wacky. Its hard for me to gauge whether it actually 'pays' to rebuild this one - it is squeaky clean except for the dead systemboard. i probably could get at least 75 for it, maybe more. If it costs me 75 to actually get my hands on a clean systemboard, would I get 150 bucks for the whole unit? dunno, but it isn't very likely I'd get a lot more than that. plus I will need a hdd 'cause I took that one and redeployed it in a rebuilt asus...