Suggestions: What to upgrade on an X220?

[whereskarlo]

Hi,

Just recently registered on this forum. I own a ThinkPad X220 that was relegated to a drawer after I replaced it two years ago. However, when the new computer had a critical failure and needed service I ended up using my old X220 again as my primary computer for several months - and loved it. I'm wondering how many more years I can squeeze out of it and wonder if you guys have any suggestions for upgrades?

So far it has received the following upgrades:
- New battery
- Upgraded to 8gb ram
- Crucial 256gb Msata SSD + internal 256gb hdd
- USB 3.0 x 2 via PCI Express Card Slot

This setup works great for everyday use. My few gripes are:
- Only legacy bios supported
- Trackpoint + Trackpad not working well on Windows 10, trackpoint no longer accurate and very slow
- It randomly dies for no good reason, unclear what is causing it

I'm never going to sell this computer so have decided to see how long I can keep it running. It already boots up in 10 seconds and is overall on par with modern laptops. What are your suggestions to refresh the X220 and keep it current? Are there more upgrades or mods I can do besides the stuff I have already done? I'm open to all hardware modifications except the screen which I am happy with, my goal is to see how long this compact, nimble and rugged ~6 year old computer can provide a good user experience in the modern world.

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.

If you can find an X220 motherboard with i7 CPU, you'd also get a built-in USB3.0 port.
Upgrade your LCD to an (FHD) IPS one.
Your BIOS offers both Legacy and UEFI.
Add another 8GB RAM if you like, but that's it for hardware.

Also, dump "Big Brother" W10 for some decent Linux.

[Temetka]

Hold on there son.

Perhaps he needs Windows for work or some other program. There are 2 options in that case.

1. Dual boot
2. Windows virtual machine

Personally I run only linux on my X301 as it handles 99% of what I need. If I need to use CentraStage to remote in (no linux client yet), I have an OptiPlex tower at my shop I'll use.

[TankPad]

I run an i7 X220 on the latest Windows 10 with the "Disable Windows 10 tracking" tool to remove all the bloat and it's great.

[Starlight5]

@whereskarlo upgrade WLAN with Intel 7260 AC - you'll get way better Wi-Fi and Bluetooth performance, with right router of course. You'll need to flash modded BIOS for it, which also introduces better RAM speeds etc, tape pin 51 so that Bluetooth 4.0 on the 7260 works, and remove the dedicated Lenovo Bluetooth module from your machine. Regarding your USB3.0 upgrade - measure voltage on these USB ports, it may be well above 5.25V and thus dangerous for devices you may want to use with it.

[mj0]

For the trackpoint & trackpad you don't want to use Lenovo's drivers, neither the ones from the Lenovo website nor the ones supplied by Windows Update. Instead, go to synaptics.com and download the latest PS/2 drivers (can be found under resources, currently 19.0.19.1). Not sure about the latest ones but Synaptics messed up their previous release (19.0.17) so that you had to disable driver signature enforcing to install them. Might still be necessary for 19.0.19 but I haven't tried them yet. Either way, with both versions the trackpad and the trackpoint should work like a charm.

Also, what exactly is your gripe with BIOS? Any specific problems?

[kfzhu1229]

My mom uses a X220. She has the i3 model with 4GB RAM and Windows 10 x86 for better old software support (she uses a old version of Lotus 123 instead of Excel because she used to work in IBM China). What can be upgraded from it is the RAM that officially supports 8GB but unofficially supports 16GB, mSATA or SATA SSD, WLAN adapter, battery and maybe a dock as well. Note that X220 uses BGA (Ball Grid Array) sockets which I have learnt the hard way that doesn't support drop-in CPU upgrades like my T530.
I would say X220 isn't the most sturdy machine as with general non-drop abuse for 5 years by mom (Who as I said, worked in IBM before, got used with ThinkPads since 1994 when she got into IBM, and knows a LOT for maintenance and the proper use of ThinkPads), her X220 had its palmrest replaced because it cracked horribly that it affects comfort; the extra piece of carbon-fiber plastic on the lid is loose; and the fan broke and got replaced ONLY after she forgot to turn the machine off after use on ONE day. While at that, the T43p at my hands is still held in better condition that THAT.

[mj0]

One more thing: if you haven't done it yet you may want to consider replacing the thermal paste on the CPU eventually. It gets pretty crusty and hard after a few years, and loses its capabilities. I did mine yesterday and the difference is staggering. Not only does the entire device stay cooler (I was suffering from warm left thigh and hand syndrome) but it also stays significantly quieter and you get a chance to remove all the dirt that may have accumulated during the many years of use.

[dr_st]

One more thing: if you haven't done it yet you may want to consider replacing the thermal paste on the CPU eventually. It gets pretty crusty and hard after a few years, and loses its capabilities. I did mine yesterday and the difference is staggering. Not only does the entire device stay cooler (I was suffering from warm left thigh and hand syndrome) but it also stays significantly quieter and you get a chance to remove all the dirt that may have accumulated during the many years of use.

This makes sense in some situations, but I would never do it proactively; it can be a waste of time, as you may never experience any problem at all. If you start experiencing excess heat in a way that makes the machine either too warm or too noisy, in an uncomfortable way - then it's a good idea. I've had some machines that develop issues and some that don't. In certain cases the fan will fail and require replacement anyways before the thermal compound loses its quality.

[mj0]

You're right, it depends on how the machine behaves. If it gets really hot or temperatures seem to be jumping up and down erratically then the thermal compound went bust and needs replacing. If not then I personally wouldn't bother either because disassembly and reassembly of the X220 is a major PITA, especially if one has never done anything like this before.

Which is exactly what I meant by "you may want to consider"

[TankPad]

At this age, i would suggest redoing the thermal paste for sure. The original stuff wasn't great and by now it's going to be even worse. It's a good opportunity to open the fan and give it a thorough cleaning too. The mesh below the fan tends to collect a lot of dust and the air flow really suffers for it.