Futureproofing X220

[smelly beard]

I love my X220. I think it represents the pinnacle of ThinkPad design before the decline in keyboard design, number of I/O ports, quality of chassis design, etc. Everything is so easy to replace with the hardware manual and can still be found online, even batteries and so on. My question is really what the chances are of ever being able to upgrade the screen to full HD or better - I am aware of the difference in how screens talk to the motherboard so no need to tell me that. The other thing I may someday want to upgrade is the processor which is currently 2nd generation i7. I know it's soldered onto the board so I'm not expecting a cheap fix - but I'd be happy at some point to pay the cost of a whole new laptop to get this done I feel. Any ideas?

[axur-delmeria]

IMO the Sandy Bridge i7 is still a powerful CPU, and unless you're already pushing it to its limits, it's going to serve you for a few more years. The only possible CPU upgrade for it is an Ivy Bridge Core i7, but that probably requires modifying the BIOS to add the necessary microcode support.

If your X220 already has a USB 3.0 port, that's one less problem to worry about. If not, an Expresscard USB 3.0 controller card can be purchased.

It's possible to upgrade the screen to Full HD (and IPS to boot!) http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=767257

[Hierax_ca]

with USB 3.0, a fast i7 CPU, a 512GB mSATA SSD, a 1TB 7mm HDD, and 16GB of RAM an x220 should be future-proof for quite a while, even when Windows 7 is no longer updated, it already works very well with Linux, well, anyway, that's what I'm doing with my x220 and given that I'm still getting use out of a variety of very old Thinkpads, I think that the x220 will have some life in it for many years to come (if only the screen was like the x61 it would be even better!)...

[ZaZ]

Any ideas?

If you can hold out until Lenovo finds some screens, the new retro ThinkPad and keyboard is supposedly coming. Personally, I like the new keyboards, but don't type enough for it to make a difference. Eventually, the X220 will be too old. It's the nature of the beast, though I suppose that will depend on your needs.

[Puppy]

even when Windows 7 is no longer updated

Windows 7 support ends January 14, 2020 Way so many time considering the hardware is just getting older.

I also have X220 (i5 only, no USB3) as my main machine for work. The reason I have not upgraded yet is the lack of 7-row keyboard models. Fortunately I don't need a mobility that much (as it used to be in the past) anymore so if the Retro machine turns to be a fail again, I am returning to desktop machine. X220 is not officially Windows 10 compatible that is another reason to upgrade for me in next 2 years. Also the extended warranty expires on April 2016 and I need at least one machine covered by warranty.

In other words, hardware is just aging ... I still love my X31 (except the horrible display) because it has the best laptop form factor, keyboard, fan control etc. While it still works (original Panasonic battery have 70% capacity !) and can receive Windows XP critical updates (via the POSReady trick) I don't have much real use for it because it is just slow and outdated (and heavy). I have replaced it with ThinkPad 8 tablet as my portable (content consuming) device.

[bqik]

I love my X220. I think it represents the pinnacle of ThinkPad design before the decline in keyboard design, number of I/O ports, quality of chassis design, etc. Everything is so easy to replace with the hardware manual and can still be found online, even batteries and so on. My question is really what the chances are of ever being able to upgrade the screen to full HD or better - I am aware of the difference in how screens talk to the motherboard so no need to tell me that. The other thing I may someday want to upgrade is the processor which is currently 2nd generation i7. I know it's soldered onto the board so I'm not expecting a cheap fix - but I'd be happy at some point to pay the cost of a whole new laptop to get this done I feel. Any ideas?

I agree with you but I also had this thoughts with my T42, T60 and X61 and now I have some X220 and X230.

the "worst" thing of X220 series is the weak gpu.

these machines will still be good in 2-3 more years.

If I were you, I would buy, 1 or 2 IPS , some bezels, palmrests and batteries

forget about changing the processor, look and try a X230, I was skeptical 2 years ago, but what a machine

I hope the retro thinkpad will be what we expect , an IBM more than a Lenovo version.

Regards

[evening_hunger]

Let's all hope retro is released after all, at all. On a related matter, I changed the screen in my x220 (to an ips, but the same res), put ssd, 8gb ram and I fail to see any problems with this setup. My wife has a x230 and my x220 is actually quite faster:)

[humdinger70]

The X220 is quite an impressive little machine. I got a refurb unit from eBay, then ordered 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD from Amazon. Installed the items myself. That took a bit because my setup at home is not really conducive for doing that stuff, but I got it done. I then installed Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.

I intended it to be a Linux study machine, but that fell by the wayside (I might still do that) and it's basically another box dedicated to World Community Grid processing, using 3 of the 4 available processors. It's the fastest machine I have at home.

It's still got the TN screen. Doing a swap to an IPS screen is something beyond my abilities and for me, not worth the effort.

The most interesting thing coming up in 2016 will be the update to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and its shiny new 4.X series kernel. (the current kernel I have is in the 3.19 series).

[kpevav]

I have the i5-2520M processor running Windows 10 Pro with 8GB RAM and the IPS screen. The weakest point for me is the processor speed, which is not bad, and maybe more RAM would improve that. The screen is beautiful and the keyboard is, well, the best. Windows 10 runs perfectly on it. Now, I also wish it weighed 1.5 pounds, the battery lasted 24 hours, and it made coffee, but that might still be in the design stages.

[ansible212]

My 8GB i7 X220 is going strong. I've upgraded the wireless to AC, but not sure if that was worth the hassle and have recently swapped a Samsung 256GB 830 SSD (which I also fitted) for an 850 Pro. That was definitely worth the upgrade and has subjectively, at least, improved the performance no end.

Whilst not officially supported by Lenovo, Windows 10 works fine, although I could only get the Lenovo Companion and Settings modern apps to work from a clean install.

[rjwilmsi]

recently swapped a Samsung 256GB 830 SSD (which I also fitted) for an 850 Pro. That was definitely worth the upgrade and has subjectively, at least, improved the performance no end.

That's surprising, I would not have expected there to be a noticeable difference between any decent modern SSD in general use. Was that a clone of your existing install or a clean install?

[ansible212]

Clean install of Windows 10, whereas the 830 configuration was an upgrade.

850 Pro supports Samsung's RAPID mode and potentially has more space over provisioned compared to the 830.

(Subjectively faster with or without RAPID mode turned on - Crystal Disk Mark scores were certainly higher than they were on the 830 even when the compared to those from when I first set the 830 up.)

[tagumcity]

My plan is to use the x220 for 3 to 5 years, but I can't predict what use laptops will be in 5 years. Windows 10 brought all the drivers in during the install and ran very well, then I wiped it off and reinstalled Arch linux.

[evening_hunger]

Now, I also wish it weighed 1.5 pounds, the battery lasted 24 hours, and it made coffee, but that might still be in the design stages.

If you get a 9-cell + slice, 24 hours is in range:) About that cofee... there are usb-powered coffee-cup warmers but that's crap, just two resistors plus a metal plate. Stay off those:)

[thinksilk]

I have 2 x220's. 16GB RAM in each. 512gb mSata drive in one (slower since it only runs at SATA2 speeds) and samsung 512 GB 7mm 850 pro as well as a 512 gb 840 EVO msata in the other. These machines are amazing. I want to upgrade them but all the new machines are a joke. the i7 2640 in the x220 is only now barely being beaten by the x250 (although at definitely lower power consumption). So yes, there is little to do to "future-proof" them as they already are as good or better than what is currently coming out. Since almost all small laptops have gone with far more power conscious processors this little guy is still able to keep up since it used a more "mainstream" laptop processor. More heat and less battery life (though battery life isnt much of a complaint for it) as a result. Except, of course, the one thing to improve upon: the display. Still trying to get a HD display in there. Looks like the mod listed on the taobao website is pretty much solid at this point, just trying to figure out how to aquire it...