I'm in love with my Thinkpad x230. Mine has 12gb RAM, Core i7, and 500 HD. I still need to buy the SSD. Definatelly the best laptop in the world in my opinion, they can beat any apple computer. I'm taking C++ and I recommend this laptops to any programmer. Thanks for the video
Yup. Thinkpads are the shit. They are the perfect tool for work related tasks. If one wants to game, then there are always stuff like Xbox or PlayStation. And tons of solutions for retrogaming. Eighter Raspberry-PI or authentic hardware. The choice for gaming, are actually enourmeous if you think about it. No need to waste a perfectly good thinkpad on gaming, except the small one, like solitair or frozen bubbles.
Best with 16GB and dual channel at RAM, 10 to 15% better., with mixed ram cards you can't take advantage (I Think) People don't recomend msata SSD, becouse they say, the port is limited to SATA II, meanwhile the main sata slot is SATA III... Actual SSD have bottle neck when running on SATA II.
With the X220 keyboard/palmrest and an IPS screen, it's one of my favorite laptops. The only killers for me are the lack of upgradeable processors (unless you're a master of soldering) and the lack of an integrated GPU, even though this machine could use an eGPU via the ExpressCard slot.
I love your videos, I have an x220 that I have had to replace the keyboard on 3 times, and virtually everything else has been upgraded, finally just got the wireless / bluetooth upgraded. Don't know if you have done that but it's another inexpensive huge upgrade - although not just a simple swap. The bios needs to be changed to whitelist the card, the one I selected was the intel AC 7260. Remove the original bluetooth, flash the bios, and remove (or tape) pin 51 on the wireless card (won't recognize the bluetooth without this step!) and it works right away. Fantastic upgrade to BT 4 and a/c for like $40. Again, great videos!
Thanks, I haven’t done the wireless upgrade yet because the current wireless is fine for me and I use Ethernet. I’m considering it in the future though!
You don't really need the X220 palmrest, all you need to do is cut the center tab off the x220 keyboard and enlarge the holes in the x230 palmrest with a utility knife and it will fit right in.
I watch your line of videos in consideration of an X220 or X230 for tinkering and upgrades as it stops at some point for those that seem perfect for something.
i will say though: the 16gb of ram makes a huge difference when not using an egpu (also you can just remove 1 8gb stick when u use the eGPU, takes like 2 seconds and u can still use ur eGPU setup)
@@SebisRandomTech ive not had any joy with my X230 with 16gb ram and egpu, my fiancee has an X220 Tablet, do u reckon that will work with egpu and 16gbs ram then? she wanted to get 16gb ram anyway so id be keen to know
Thank you for your video. I'm a child abuse survivor and advocate and now have become a YT content creator. I use and love this computer for this task and like so much purchased an extra and looking to upgrade. My first one does have 16 Gig RAM with 14.4 of TVM. Point is my RAM works just fine, however, once in a while it will just cut out so I purge out any overload by unplugging, pull out the battery, plug in again and push button for 1 minute. Unplug and replace battery and replug it back in and works fine (anyone using this advice does so at their own risk, there are also other ways to do this on the net). I've also replaced the keyboard on that one but with the original so I'm not sure if the issue is due to the new keyboard which my function keys worked fine. PS: I use a computer stand that raises the computer so I don't wear out the wrist rest.
My X220(i7, 8GB RAM, 500 GB) bought in 2012 still works fine now (2021). Can not imagine another laptop works this long. The only thing I can complain about is that not much working software still runs under Windows 7, that's why I upgrade it to Windows 10 pro.
Hi Sebi, I just did the keyboard swap in my Lenovo X230 and it feels indeed great. Thank you for the instructions! I ran the update on the ec and the keyboard is working great except for the pgup / light button in the top right corner. Rest of the keys/fn buttons seem fine. Is that normal behavior after the swap? Best regards, Tim Strangely now it's working. It gave me a message that it was flashing the ec controller later on startup the next day. Strange because it had been flashed already. Everything is working including the light. Really great typing!
It’s an older battery, but depending on the tasks I still get between 4 and 7 hours. I imagine with a brand new battery you could get over 10 hours with the correct power saving.
I am waiting for an x230 i5 3320m from UK to arrives at home in Spain. It was about 135€ on ebay with no HDD and with 8GB of RAM. I trust to get lucky and it arrives with IPS and/or backlit keyboard... I don't know the submodel name... I prefer to wait for the surprise. I hope it to comes with two ram modules for dual channel mode, if that isn't I will pick the twice module for it. I hope to start programming hard on it. I'm now looking for SSD just for working on fast aplications, like radio signal processing and storage. Thanks for that kind of videos. I'll subscribe and like!
i have the x230 (i5) and can verify that the external gpu (at least the one i have- gtx 750 ti OC 2gb/ exp beast dock) does not work with 16gbs of ram! just to save u sum time! xx
i actually did get this working with 16gb of ram, basically i changed the expresscard port to generation 1 (as opposed to automatic) in the bios, and it ran stabley
@Maximiliano Contreras see other reply below/above, basically I changed the expresscard geneation (in bios- reply if u need help finding it!) to generation 1 rather than automatic, which made it work, see my channel for tips and setup etc!
Hi Sabi, your video is really inspiring !! I dont know any coding or anything about Linux, do you think still possible to get the keyboard upgrade job done?
Just curious.....what "kind" of keyboard is that?...and aftermarket one...or a Lenovo original?.....(thinking its time for one of my T420's to get a new keyboard) but I've heard nightmare stories about people who bought the aftermarket ones and the key travel isn't the same, and its got a "mushiness" to the key presses...I want the same kind of clacky-yet-moderate sounding and feeling keys.......any advice or pointers on that?
Hi Sebi, I love your video! Can I use the windows built-in subsystem for Linux to do the flashing? Also, can we change back to the x230 keyboard after setting up the x220 keyboard?
Thanks for your reply! will upgrade my x230 keyboard by following your example. I will let you know if I can do the flashing in the subsystem, www.howtogeek.com/249966/how-to-install-and-use-the-linux-bash-shell-on-windows-10/
Cool. I want to try this. I have an x230 TN and x220 IPS. Can I swap the keyboard and display between the 2 machines? This way, I’ll have the better components on one machine: usb3, classic keyboard, IPS and newer CPU.
Displays are the same for both, so you can swap them. Absolutely make sure you unplug the AC adapter and battery before replacing the screen. The keyboard works after doing the EC patch shown in the video, use your X220 palmrest so it fits in nicely.
Hi Sebi, I've purchased the T430 and I am pretty happy with it. Except, I wish I could replace the display to IPS... the TN panel really is the weak spot on this great laptop, even though it has a pretty decent resolution at ~900p. So I wanted to ask, seeing that you own both T430 and X230, what do you prefer? I'm considering purchasing a X230 with the IPS 763p display. I hear X230 has a worse speakers than the T430. How do they compare in your opinion? Also, is the battery life much better on X230?
In my experience the battery life is about the same. The T430 definitely has stronger speakers since they face upwards, as opposed to the X230 which faces down. The IPS display on the X230 definitely looks nicer, but if you really need the T430 you can get an iPad and use it as a portable external IPS display (one of the few good uses for one of those :P). If that isn't an option for you there is someone in China who makes special boards to allow modern 1080p IPS displays to work in a T420/T430, but they are a very limited production run and hard to find. I personally just deal with the lower quality display on the T430 and use the X230 when color accuracy is important.
one thing i noticed on x230 with Windows 7 default audio driver, the audio was very low or Mono type..after downlaoding the realtek latest driver, it is much superior in audio clarity and gets the job done perfectly. not impressive for audio music buffs, but then why use x230 then.
@@parastolani i use x230 too, but it may be a big conflict if both intel display audio and realtek work together. but the speakers itself is so loud for me imho
I'd like to ask if you used a DDR3 or DDR3L (4GB ram). I'm planning on upgrading my ram on my x230 and I was wondering if a DDR3 does not have much of a difference from a DDR3L ram?
DDR3L uses slightly less power, but the difference in battery life isn't really noticeable. The X240 and X250 do require DDR3L, while the X230 and earlier ThinkPads use regular DDR3.
The X220/X230 use mSATA SSDs, which are not the same as M.2. The X220 keyboard has larger nubs that go into the palmrest than the X230 keyboard, so it is necessary to replace the X230 palmrest with an X220 palmrest when doing the classic keyboard swap if you want it to fit properly. Alternatively, you can shave the nubs off the X220 keyboard for it to fit properly, but I think just replacing the palmrest is a less obtrusive method.
Hi Sebi, what would be the easiest way to change ram speed? Looks like mine is locked to around 700 but ram should be around 1600. So i dont have "advanced" settings tab in bios, where it should be possible to change....
- Does the Keyboard upgrade process works for a X230T? - Does the RAM bug still occur when using external GPU? (I assume yes since it use the same mobo)
If I remember correctly it should work similarly in the X230T. And I have not gotten to test an external GPU with this, so I can't answer the RAM bug question.
I believe this has been mentioned in previous comments, but you re-build the modded BIOS, except this time entering a command to turn the keyboard mod off. The process is explained in the ReadMe provided by hamishcoleman.
Hi Sebi. Is there a particular company that I can trust the x220 keyboard is new and a good quality? My ribbon cable on my x230 got messed up when the keyboard screws came out and computer tipped over and keyboard fell out.
You could get a used keyboard and salvage the cable from it. As shown in my newer video about swapping the classic keyboard into the T430, with some careful precision you can remove the keyboard cable, so in your case if the keyboard is otherwise perfectly fine you could just replace the cable and continue using the original keyboard.
Hi, thanks for a awesome video! I need some advise, I replaced my Lenovo flex 10 with a neat X220, i7 2.7 2620m 8gb mem(×1), 120ssd. Awesome little machine. Problem: It can only read a USB or SD slot once, and one at a time after reboot, have reinstalled USB drivers, shut down power management, but code 38 appears in device manager. Is this a windows 10 problem? (PS: I checked my m2 slot after seeing your video, but mine has a Ericson Bluetooth card fitted there and Intel Wi-Fi next to it😢)
Try booting into a live distro of Linux and see if you still have the problem there. If you do then it's an issue with the hardware. If not then it's likely a Windows issue. Try using Lenovo Vantage to check for driver updates too and see if that fixes anything.
Dear Sebi, great work and great video! I also have two X230s, have already modified one of them with the X220 keyboard but have not done the BIOS modifications yet. Allow me a few questions: 1) Once you've modified the BIOS, I presume you will NOT upgrade it ever again from the Lenovo System Update to another version, right? 2) Does this work with ALL keyboard layouts? (yours is US ANSI, mine is UK ISO), 3) If I ever want to go back to the "original" 7 rows keyboard, can I download the latest BIOS from Lenovo System Update so as to bring it back to its "original" configuration? Thanks a lot !!
This patch changes the embedded controller and not the BIOS itself, so you can upgrade the BIOS after doing the patch and still have the correct layout. This is why if you plan on installing the 1vyrain BIOS mod it is recommended to do things like the keyboard patch first. I can't speak for the UK layout but I think it should work....can't say for sure. If you want to revert back to the original X230 keyboard layout you need to build a new EC patch like shown in this video, except you'll put in a command to turn off the keyboard patch (outlined in my video on removing the battery whitelist in T430's).
@@SebisRandomTech Hi Sebi, thanks a lot, I will check my X230's BIOS; the latest update from Lenovo was some time ago, I know you have suggested on the T430 Not to go over 2.31 (I think), do you know which BIOS for X230 is OK to run the embedded controller patch? Thanks so much!
@@SebisRandomTech AFAIK if you flash a BIOS downloaded from Lenovo, it will flash the EC as well, so the keys will get messed up again. 1vyrain flashes only the BIOS, keeping the EC intact. I think you can do 1vyrain/EC patch flash in any order. The sequence I followed was: downgrade to last good BIOS using IVprep, flash the EC patch, flash 1vyrain BIOS. So far I've successfully done this on two X230t, one X230 and one W530. Gotta find and buy a spare X220 keyboard, they are getting more rare and expensive (there are some newer cheaper models available from China, they seem to be inferior to either of the three original makes, at least I didn't like the one I tried).
@@GenePavlovsky Glad the upgrades have worked out for you. I just remember reading on a thread somewhere that it was recommended to do the EC patches first, if you have luck doing either in whatever order then that's excellent to hear!
Hi thanks for your very easy to follow videos I have a Lenovo T500 that I love but would like to change the display from TN IPS but being in the UK I am not sure where to buy a display and can it be done without changing anything else Thanks for any info Bob in the UK
Good afternoon. Tell me how you are. My x230 gets very hot. In idle mode, the processor temperature is 50-53 degrees Celsius. Working in the browser, the temperature rises 75-80 degrees. If you open a simple online flash game in your browser, the temperature can reach 95 degrees. What to do? Thanks.
Question: Can you Upgrade the RAM, and Keyboard on the x230T? I plan to buy an i7 version at a low price, and upgrade the other specs with some spare parts I have around, are the keyboards compatible or will they not fit due to the taller dimensions of the x230T?
RAM is upgradeable like on any other X200-series ThinkPad. I have not tried the classic keyboard in the X230T but it should work. I have an X230T on hand so maybe it can be attempted.
Hi bruh nice video, i just bought i7 x220 to replace my x240. I have found that the real this mine machine is x230 after i check the machine serial in bios and keyboard x220 problem like delete key does nothing but end key do the command for delete and prt scr scrlk pause insert does nothing. Any should i do with my keyboard problem. Keyboard gui settings cant remap anything. Really need help. Please 😅
Hey, on the lenovo site i can only find the bios version 2.77 for the x230, did they removed the signed battery versions because of end of support or they changed the numbering scheme to foll us?
@@viniciusmv7727 A difference in the circuitry causes a fuse to blow and burns a small part of the keyboard, which actually isolates the circuit and eliminates the problem. When I did this on my X230 I didn't bother and the keyboard worked just fine, however the backlit X230 keyboards will no longer light up and there is a small risk of frying the keyboard. So it's recommended to isolate a few pins on the keyboard cable, but if you feel like being risky and taking chances you can overlook the step like I did. As for installing older BIOS versions, use this link and scroll down to the "Previous Version" section: support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds029187
Hi sebi, just modded x230 with the x220 keyboard. Now the problem is that the bios version of the laptop is 1.11(G2ET31WW) and EC is 1.07(G2HT28WW), I'm confused if i should upgrade the bios and EC to the last modifiable version and then apply the EC patch or should I apply the patch skipping the bios and EC upgrade.
It looks like you used SK Hynix ram, is that your personal preference with ram brands? Or you used it based on what was in the machine already? As i saw another video with x230 had samsung ram in before upgrade.
The RAM I use is mostly based on availability and price. If SK Hynix is $10 cheaper than the equivalent Samsung or Crucial RAM, then I’ll use it. If Samsung’s cheaper, then I buy that. When it comes to RAM I really don’t have a preference besides it being from a reputable manufacturer.
Hey, I just got an x230 and I'm interested in swapping the keyboard for a x220 one and I was wondering if I could keep the x230 palm rest with a x220 keyboard. Thanks in advance
I’ve always done it on the machine I am modding for safety. As I said in the video, if you build the wrong BIOS you will brick the machine, so I like to play it safe as much as I can.
It can blow out the fuse for the X230 keyboard backlight, if you never plan on using the original keyboard again this is of no concern, but it is something to be aware of if you ever plan on putting the original keyboard/a backlit keyboard back in.
See my T430 classic keyboard video - I address this there. I didn't tape the pins on the connector here and had no issues, but there is a small risk of damaging the keyboard or laptop if you don't tape them so it's generally advised that you do.
I much prefer having the ThinkLight, as it lets me also work on paper documents or notecards in addition to being able to see the keyboard. The ThinkPad 25 does have a backlit 7-row keyboard, if you don't mind paying $2000!!!
Sadly I prefer the X230 as it still has both Thinklight (for illuminating papers and nearby things) and backlight. The 25th Anniversary edition disappointingly doesn't have Thinklight, also it's expensive!
Why Lenovo changed the keyboard layout in the first place is kind of beyond me. They even went as far as removing function keys on the X1 Carbon and replaced them with early touch bar. For some reason it makes the T25 look like a cashgrab?
I'm a bit confused. Your video title refers to X230 specifically and then points the viewer to "[READ DESCRIPTION]" which in turn talks about T430? Bottom line: does one need to update to the latest BIOS available from Lenovo BEFORE going through the unlock procedure?
T430 is referring to any xx30 ThinkPad. X230, T430, W530, etc. And you *used* to have to get the latest BIOS, but that is *no longer advised* because Lenovo is now including a digital signature in the BIOS that prevents it from being patched.
Hey Sebi, did you have to buy a separate x220 palm rest for the upgrade? I want to get an x220 keyboard for my x230, but the keyboard doesn't come with a palm rest. Any advice?
I bought a Kingston because it was cheaper, but you can get SanDisk or Samsung for similar prices. If you don't have Linux, it's fairly easy to download a distro (I used Kubuntu) and then use 3rd-party software to install it to a DVD or a flash drive. I have actually done this before, just make sure when you write the modded BIOS that you don't write over the Linux drive!
Using the mSATA slot allows me to use the 2.5” bay for larger capacity hard drives. Having that extra capacity is more important to me than a slight speed boost.
can you please tell me if I can do web dev and app dev on this machine, my work isn't too CPU intensive but I also don't want something that is bad I currently only found an old used x230 with an i5 3320M and I'm not sure if this is gonna be good enough... fyi I'm not gonna run windows on it... keep in mind there is close to no replacement parts in here so whatever I'm getting I'm gonna get stuck with for a long time before I find parts for it.
@@SebisRandomTech unfortunately the guy I was gonna buy from was overpricing it and when I agreed to buy even tho it was overpriced it was beat up from all sides I thought it was just cosmetic opened it and I find the trackpoint missing so I decided to not buy, because it looked a little too beat up for the price.
In the past, EC would need to be flashed with hardware flasher in order to do this mod. Do I understand correctly that now it can be done with software only?
No it didn’t remove the license key. The EC in the T430 and other xx30 ThinkPads has been able to be flashed for quite some time, and now with the 1vyrain BIOS mod the entire BIOS can be unlocked or replaced without hardware flashing.
@@SebisRandomTech thanks for clarification. So EC flash for classic keyboard is completely independent from bios mod (1vyrain), that would e.g. remove wlan/wwan whitelist?
Watched both videos. Which upgrade made the biggest impact? I'd like the IPS screen, more Ram (have 4gb currently) and an SSD. If i can only afford 2 of the 3 upgrades, which should I go for?
Get the SSD and the Ram. I would recommend 2x 4GB, as the X230 seems to gain advantage from two seperate Ram-Bricks via Dual Channel. This should esspecially affect the grafic performance as the Ram-Speed seems to be a bottleneck. 16GB of Ram are just a waste of money, there ist almost no appication you could use on the x230 that needs that much Ram. But seems like there are some Troubles with the 16GB Mods as mentioned in the Video. The SSD is a nobrainer, definitly get one. 2.5" or mSata depends on your needs. Do you need huge memory? Then geht yourself a big HDD and a moderate mSata like 120GB. If you dont need that much memory (up to 500GB) get an 2.5" SSD. As mentioned in the Video, the Maindisk gets SATA3, the mSata only SATA2. Also swapping the HDD with an SSD makes the machine lighter. If your machine has a WWAN-Card (SIM), the mSATA slot is already used and you have to use the 2.5". I'm using a Crucial MX500 250GB SSD and Samsung PC3-12800 Ram. Best Regards, Christian
The availability of those parts change all of the time, and the sellers I purchase parts from don’t often have the same parts available. In the past if I posted links to where I bought stuff the items in question were often unavailable or the link was dead within a few weeks. So for me it just isn’t worth it to try and keep track of links on all of my videos. The best suggestion I can give is to just search eBay for the parts you need (X220 keyboard/X220 palmrest) and make sure to buy new if possible.
It’s strongly recommended that you do, particularly if you plan on putting an X230 keyboard back in, but if you plan on keeping the X220 keyboard in for the rest of eternity you don’t necessarily have to. Not taping the pins blows the keyboard backlight fuse (for an X230 backlit keyboard) and in a few rare cases has caused keyboard damage, but most people haven’t reported any issues. I didn’t and 2+ years later it’s still working fine.
I heard that some of the pins on internal connector needed to be covered so that it wouldn’t burn the keyboard. So I was surprised when you didn’t do that. Is this step not necessary for the mod?
Those pins go to the backlight on the X230 backlit keyboard. Putting in a xx20 keyboard without covering the pins causes the keyboard backlight fuse to blow, so if I were to put in a X230 backlit keyboard the backlight wouldn't work. There is a very minor chance of damaging the keyboard, but I've done this swap several times and that has never happened, and in most cases the person doing this swap has no intention of putting the X230 keyboard back in anyways so the loss of backlight functionality isn't really an issue. Ideally you would want to cover those pins in case you decide to go back to the X230 keyboard or swap it back in to sell the laptop, but you're not going to damage or brick the machine by not covering the pins.
I did not do the 3 pin tape thing, and so far have not had any issues (nearly a month since doing this mod). I did not need to do any changes to the fingerprint reader, as the palmrest I ordered already had it installed. The X230 fingerprint reader is slightly different from the X220 fingerprint reader, but the X220 reader worked for me without any issues.
oh that is good then as I saw some pics of those their keyboard burnt! So you don't need to unscrew anything related to fingerprint? How about the IPS panel you just replaced? I myself recently replaced my x230 with IPS ordered from China got a little backlight bleed. Have you got those?
open this link lcdtech.info/en/tests/dead.pixel.htm start test to black background in dark room and see if there is any white light leak from the side of the panel around the bezel. That is call backlight bleed. It happens a lot of B1 and B3 panels
I have noticed a small area on the bottom left corner that has some bleed, however considering that it's only one corner and not a larger part of the panel, it very well could be a defect or me being stupid when I installed the panel. And honestly it is only really noticeable on a mostly black screen, otherwise during typical use I can't see it even when I look for it.
Search around for a genuine Lenovo battery (sometimes you can find them open box or refurbished for $30-$40), and if you have no luck there you can do the battery whitelist removal trick outlined in another video (I demonstrated the process on a T430) to allow you to use after-market batteries.
nice work. i own x230 8G Ram, SSD, and i might change the keyboard as well .. what a bout graphic improvement by changing the main board and cpu for i7? can you please specify which main board i should use? thanks
Best you can do is get an i7 motherboard, as the CPUs on all X-series ThinkPads are soldered. I don’t remember if a dedicated GPU was ever an option on the X230, however like I mentioned in the video you can buy an Expresscard to PCI express adapter to use a desktop GPU with the X230 and other ThinkPads.
The motherboard and CPU are one part on this laptop. Sometimes it is cheaper than changing the whole laptop....and I don't even know what you mean about the LCD panel.
@@cities_aviv Basically if you don't isolate certain pins on the ribbon cable the keyboard backlight fuse will blow when power is applied. As long as you don't want to put an original X230 keyboard back in it *shouldn't* be a problem, but it's a good precaution to isolate the pins to avoid future issues.
Yes, but you will have to shave off the nubs on the keyboard and/or part of the palmrest. It’s easier and less time consuming to just get an X220 palmrest, and they are very cheap.
Hi. I have a t430. Machine model 2349U4B with a UEFI BIOS VERSION G1ET94WW (2.54) 2013-04-22. I would like to replace the keyboard that I have already ordered. I have seen your videos and you always suggest to upgrade first to the latest bios version available and the mod. The latest in the Lenovo support website is from last October 1st 2.78 but in your video it shows a 2.66 version. How come it can works? Is it correct to go to the latest one and then downgrade it?
This video was filmed almost a year ago, so the BIOS that current at that time may no longer be current. As always, it is best to upgrade to the newest BIOS before performing this mod.
Sebi's Random Tech I just getting confused by the concept. I thought that for each new bios update by lenovo the patch needed to be updated. So far, for what I understood now, the patch from github is just an add on every version of BIOS to allow/deny features. Correct?
You can order a palmrest for your model that has the fingerprint reader, which is what I did. Make sure it comes with the reader itself and not just the cutout for the reader. It will plug into the motherboard via the same cable as the trackpad.
@@SebisRandomTech How much did you pay for the palmrest with the fingerprint reader? Did it come with the trackpad? I bought a x220 palmrest (just the plastic cover) which didn''t come with the trackpad. Can I screw my x230 trackpad in the x220 palmrest cover and use it with the x220 keyboard? Btw great tutorial! Thank you!
@@jeanjean4097 You should be able to transplant the touchpad, if you can get it taken out of the X230 palmrest. I don't remember exactly how much I paid, but I think it was somewhere in the $30 to $40 range.
@@SebisRandomTech Truly appreciate you took the time to answer! So I guess the palmrest you bought came with the x220 trackpad? I heard that the x220 trackpad is actually much better than the x230's. Do you agree?
For me using the X220 palmrest was easier and provided a perfect fit, however some people have said the fingerprint reader won't work correctly or something like that. It worked fine for me.
@@hafizhnabawi1707 Most agree that the layout of the 7 row keyboard was superior. With the more modern keyboard, not only was the layout changed, but many keys were completely removed. Also the classic keyboard has a bit more travel than the newer counterparts.
Anytime I post a link they’re usually broken within a week. Even if the link is still active, by the time someone uses the link the seller no longer has that item. You’ll have an easier time just searching for the components you need, whether it’s “X230 IPS screen”, “X220 Palmrest”, etc.
The IPS upgrade is one of the best things anybody can do to their ThinkPad. I’m glad you like it and wish you the best of luck in your search for other parts!
I switched to my T430 back in April. Just needed a bit more horsepower and prefer the larger palmrest it has, and with a FHD mod I can use a better, higher resolution screen.
![Реликтовый Ноутбук IBM ThinkPad - LASER RETRO [HARDWARE]](/img/n.gif)
I'm in love with my Thinkpad x230. Mine has 12gb RAM, Core i7, and 500 HD. I still need to buy the SSD. Definatelly the best laptop in the world in my opinion, they can beat any apple computer. I'm taking C++ and I recommend this laptops to any programmer. Thanks for the video
Glad you like it! I love my X230 and hope it serves me well for years to come!
Yup. Thinkpads are the shit. They are the perfect tool for work related tasks. If one wants to game, then there are always stuff like Xbox or PlayStation. And tons of solutions for retrogaming. Eighter Raspberry-PI or authentic hardware. The choice for gaming, are actually enourmeous if you think about it. No need to waste a perfectly good thinkpad on gaming, except the small one, like solitair or frozen bubbles.
so hows that c++ goin mate
which core i7 gen you use and what series number?
Best with 16GB and dual channel at RAM, 10 to 15% better., with mixed ram cards you can't take advantage (I Think) People don't recomend msata SSD, becouse they say, the port is limited to SATA II, meanwhile the main sata slot is SATA III... Actual SSD have bottle neck when running on SATA II.
I am a super enthusiastic of Thinkpad x series. Am using x230 modified. Like I changed my X230 keyboard and attached x220. It's really fun.
The X230 is the perfect laptop for me, such a beautiful machine
With the X220 keyboard/palmrest and an IPS screen, it's one of my favorite laptops. The only killers for me are the lack of upgradeable processors (unless you're a master of soldering) and the lack of an integrated GPU, even though this machine could use an eGPU via the ExpressCard slot.
I love your videos, I have an x220 that I have had to replace the keyboard on 3 times, and virtually everything else has been upgraded, finally just got the wireless / bluetooth upgraded. Don't know if you have done that but it's another inexpensive huge upgrade - although not just a simple swap. The bios needs to be changed to whitelist the card, the one I selected was the intel AC 7260. Remove the original bluetooth, flash the bios, and remove (or tape) pin 51 on the wireless card (won't recognize the bluetooth without this step!) and it works right away. Fantastic upgrade to BT 4 and a/c for like $40.
Again, great videos!
Thanks, I haven’t done the wireless upgrade yet because the current wireless is fine for me and I use Ethernet. I’m considering it in the future though!
Beautiful upgrade! Now I need to change my keyboard after watching this video.
Please do a Video on the external GPU!
You don't really need the X220 palmrest, all you need to do is cut the center tab off the x220 keyboard and enlarge the holes in the x230 palmrest with a utility knife and it will fit right in.
But which is easier and less obtrusive, cutting up a palmrest or just swapping it?
nice build. I did an external GPU with my T420s but didnt really like it. nothing beats a PC with a normal GPU
Agreed, I have a desktop for that reason.
I watch your line of videos in consideration of an X220 or X230 for tinkering and upgrades as it stops at some point for those that seem perfect for something.
i will say though: the 16gb of ram makes a huge difference when not using an egpu (also you can just remove 1 8gb stick when u use the eGPU, takes like 2 seconds and u can still use ur eGPU setup)
I'll have to see how that affects eGPU performance. I think they've managed to patch the eGPU issue with the X220, but I'm not sure about the X230.
@@SebisRandomTech ive not had any joy with my X230 with 16gb ram and egpu, my fiancee has an X220 Tablet, do u reckon that will work with egpu and 16gbs ram then? she wanted to get 16gb ram anyway so id be keen to know
@@TechDave No clue, I guess you'll just have to make a gamble!
@@SebisRandomTech sweet okay! gives me a project for the day then lol
Thank you for your video. I'm a child abuse survivor and advocate and now have become a YT content creator. I use and love this computer for this task and like so much purchased an extra and looking to upgrade. My first one does have 16 Gig RAM with 14.4 of TVM. Point is my RAM works just fine, however, once in a while it will just cut out so I purge out any overload by unplugging, pull out the battery, plug in again and push button for 1 minute. Unplug and replace battery and replug it back in and works fine (anyone using this advice does so at their own risk, there are also other ways to do this on the net). I've also replaced the keyboard on that one but with the original so I'm not sure if the issue is due to the new keyboard which my function keys worked fine. PS: I use a computer stand that raises the computer so I don't wear out the wrist rest.
Amazing job! Congratulations.
My X220(i7, 8GB RAM, 500 GB) bought in 2012 still works fine now (2021). Can not imagine another laptop works this long. The only thing I can complain about is that not much working software still runs under Windows 7, that's why I upgrade it to Windows 10 pro.
I am feeling happy to be looking at the review of the laptop that I'll be buying.
Who else agree that Lenovo Thinkpad x230 is great?
I agree!
@@SebisRandomTech so it's still the best for 2020..yes?
@@minerva7699 Depends on what kind of tasks you will be using it for.
Hi Sebi, I just did the keyboard swap in my Lenovo X230 and it feels indeed great. Thank you for the instructions! I ran the update on the ec and the keyboard is working great except for the pgup / light button in the top right corner. Rest of the keys/fn buttons seem fine. Is that normal behavior after the swap? Best regards, Tim
Strangely now it's working. It gave me a message that it was flashing the ec controller later on startup the next day. Strange because it had been flashed already. Everything is working including the light. Really great typing!
Very nice mod! Love the X220 keyboard. Just one question: how long does the battery last for on your X230?
It’s an older battery, but depending on the tasks I still get between 4 and 7 hours. I imagine with a brand new battery you could get over 10 hours with the correct power saving.
I am waiting for an x230 i5 3320m from UK to arrives at home in Spain. It was about 135€ on ebay with no HDD and with 8GB of RAM. I trust to get lucky and it arrives with IPS and/or backlit keyboard... I don't know the submodel name... I prefer to wait for the surprise. I hope it to comes with two ram modules for dual channel mode, if that isn't I will pick the twice module for it.
I hope to start programming hard on it. I'm now looking for SSD just for working on fast aplications, like radio signal processing and storage. Thanks for that kind of videos. I'll subscribe and like!
i have the x230 (i5) and can verify that the external gpu (at least the one i have- gtx 750 ti OC 2gb/ exp beast dock) does not work with 16gbs of ram! just to save u sum time! xx
i actually did get this working with 16gb of ram, basically i changed the expresscard port to generation 1 (as opposed to automatic) in the bios, and it ran stabley
@Maximiliano Contreras see other reply below/above, basically I changed the expresscard geneation (in bios- reply if u need help finding it!) to generation 1 rather than automatic, which made it work, see my channel for tips and setup etc!
Hi Sabi, your video is really inspiring !! I dont know any coding or anything about Linux, do you think still possible to get the keyboard upgrade job done?
I gotta know. I've been wondering.
Which character did you play in the Shrek production?
Pinocchio.
Just curious.....what "kind" of keyboard is that?...and aftermarket one...or a Lenovo original?.....(thinking its time for one of my T420's to get a new keyboard) but I've heard nightmare stories about people who bought the aftermarket ones and the key travel isn't the same, and its got a "mushiness" to the key presses...I want the same kind of clacky-yet-moderate sounding and feeling keys.......any advice or pointers on that?
Literally just a random new keyboard off Amazon. No mushiness here!
Love the T shirt!
hey my x230 doesnt come with fingerprint can you make a tutorial how to add the fingerprint scanner?
Am i the only one waiting for egpu video?
Saw the dual boot there, is there a disadvantage in this setup performance wise?
Working on a video about the official Lenovo method of adding an eGPU to the ThinkPad T60.
@Alejandro Leon Haven't finished it yet....whoops.
Where did you buy your X220 Palm rest from? I bought an X230 and a Classic Keyboard. The palm rest is all I am missing right now.
I bought it from eBay.
Hey! Have you considered improving the speakers with something better? I've read that some people are doing it with Nexus 6p speakers.
I don’t use it for audio enough to justify the improvement, and when I am doing something audio sensitive I just use headphones.
Picked up an X220T with touchscreen for $60. For $20 more he threw in a 120 gig SSD. Not crazy about the screen resolution.
For a 12” screen I think it’s adequate. Anything larger basically requires a higher resolution panel. 1080p mods exist for this model though.
It is possible to install libreboot?
Great video!
please i want too see your video with eGPU AMD and nVidia
i recommend buying these at a site called encore were you can get refurbished ones for £125
Hi Sebi, I love your video! Can I use the windows built-in subsystem for Linux to do the flashing? Also, can we change back to the x230 keyboard after setting up the x220 keyboard?
I can’t say I’m familiar with the subsystem for Linux, but yes, the firmware can be changed back to the X230 keyboard.
Thanks for your reply! will upgrade my x230 keyboard by following your example. I will let you know if I can do the flashing in the subsystem, www.howtogeek.com/249966/how-to-install-and-use-the-linux-bash-shell-on-windows-10/
Cool. I want to try this. I have an x230 TN and x220 IPS. Can I swap the keyboard and display between the 2 machines? This way, I’ll have the better components on one machine: usb3, classic keyboard, IPS and newer CPU.
Displays are the same for both, so you can swap them. Absolutely make sure you unplug the AC adapter and battery before replacing the screen. The keyboard works after doing the EC patch shown in the video, use your X220 palmrest so it fits in nicely.
Hi Sebi, I've purchased the T430 and I am pretty happy with it. Except, I wish I could replace the display to IPS... the TN panel really is the weak spot on this great laptop, even though it has a pretty decent resolution at ~900p. So I wanted to ask, seeing that you own both T430 and X230, what do you prefer? I'm considering purchasing a X230 with the IPS 763p display. I hear X230 has a worse speakers than the T430. How do they compare in your opinion? Also, is the battery life much better on X230?
In my experience the battery life is about the same. The T430 definitely has stronger speakers since they face upwards, as opposed to the X230 which faces down. The IPS display on the X230 definitely looks nicer, but if you really need the T430 you can get an iPad and use it as a portable external IPS display (one of the few good uses for one of those :P). If that isn't an option for you there is someone in China who makes special boards to allow modern 1080p IPS displays to work in a T420/T430, but they are a very limited production run and hard to find. I personally just deal with the lower quality display on the T430 and use the X230 when color accuracy is important.
one thing i noticed on x230 with Windows 7 default audio driver, the audio was very low or Mono type..after downlaoding the realtek latest driver, it is much superior in audio clarity and gets the job done perfectly. not impressive for audio music buffs, but then why use x230 then.
@@parastolani i use x230 too, but it may be a big conflict if both intel display audio and realtek work together. but the speakers itself is so loud for me imho
I'd like to ask if you used a DDR3 or DDR3L (4GB ram). I'm planning on upgrading my ram on my x230 and I was wondering if a DDR3 does not have much of a difference from a DDR3L ram?
DDR3L uses slightly less power, but the difference in battery life isn't really noticeable. The X240 and X250 do require DDR3L, while the X230 and earlier ThinkPads use regular DDR3.
X230 can use M.2 ssd? How are the palm rests different from X220 to X230? Great videos!
The X220/X230 use mSATA SSDs, which are not the same as M.2. The X220 keyboard has larger nubs that go into the palmrest than the X230 keyboard, so it is necessary to replace the X230 palmrest with an X220 palmrest when doing the classic keyboard swap if you want it to fit properly. Alternatively, you can shave the nubs off the X220 keyboard for it to fit properly, but I think just replacing the palmrest is a less obtrusive method.
Hi Sebi, what would be the easiest way to change ram speed? Looks like mine is locked to around 700 but ram should be around 1600. So i dont have "advanced" settings tab in bios, where it should be possible to change....
That's a bit beyond my area of expertise, I would suggest checking out the ThinkPads.com forum or r/thinkpad for more info about something like that.
- Does the Keyboard upgrade process works for a X230T?
- Does the RAM bug still occur when using external GPU? (I assume yes since it use the same mobo)
If I remember correctly it should work similarly in the X230T. And I have not gotten to test an external GPU with this, so I can't answer the RAM bug question.
after doing this controller mod, if I want to put the X230 keyboard back in, how can I do to reverse to original?
I believe this has been mentioned in previous comments, but you re-build the modded BIOS, except this time entering a command to turn the keyboard mod off. The process is explained in the ReadMe provided by hamishcoleman.
Hi Sebi. Is there a particular company that I can trust the x220 keyboard is new and a good quality? My ribbon cable on my x230 got messed up when the keyboard screws came out and computer tipped over and keyboard fell out.
You could get a used keyboard and salvage the cable from it. As shown in my newer video about swapping the classic keyboard into the T430, with some careful precision you can remove the keyboard cable, so in your case if the keyboard is otherwise perfectly fine you could just replace the cable and continue using the original keyboard.
Hi, thanks for a awesome video! I need some advise, I replaced my Lenovo flex 10 with a neat X220, i7 2.7 2620m 8gb mem(×1), 120ssd. Awesome little machine. Problem: It can only read a USB or SD slot once, and one at a time after reboot, have reinstalled USB drivers, shut down power management, but code 38 appears in device manager. Is this a windows 10 problem? (PS: I checked my m2 slot after seeing your video, but mine has a Ericson Bluetooth card fitted there and Intel Wi-Fi next to it😢)
Try booting into a live distro of Linux and see if you still have the problem there. If you do then it's an issue with the hardware. If not then it's likely a Windows issue. Try using Lenovo Vantage to check for driver updates too and see if that fixes anything.
recommend me one the original keyboard for w510 & where i can found it...
Dear Sebi, great work and great video! I also have two X230s, have already modified one of them with the X220 keyboard but have not done the BIOS modifications yet. Allow me a few questions: 1) Once you've modified the BIOS, I presume you will NOT upgrade it ever again from the Lenovo System Update to another version, right? 2) Does this work with ALL keyboard layouts? (yours is US ANSI, mine is UK ISO), 3) If I ever want to go back to the "original" 7 rows keyboard, can I download the latest BIOS from Lenovo System Update so as to bring it back to its "original" configuration? Thanks a lot !!
This patch changes the embedded controller and not the BIOS itself, so you can upgrade the BIOS after doing the patch and still have the correct layout. This is why if you plan on installing the 1vyrain BIOS mod it is recommended to do things like the keyboard patch first. I can't speak for the UK layout but I think it should work....can't say for sure. If you want to revert back to the original X230 keyboard layout you need to build a new EC patch like shown in this video, except you'll put in a command to turn off the keyboard patch (outlined in my video on removing the battery whitelist in T430's).
@@SebisRandomTech Hi Sebi, thanks a lot, I will check my X230's BIOS; the latest update from Lenovo was some time ago, I know you have suggested on the T430 Not to go over 2.31 (I think), do you know which BIOS for X230 is OK to run the embedded controller patch? Thanks so much!
@@christoskokkolis5110 On the X230 version 2.75 is the last one you can use with the embedded controller patch.
@@SebisRandomTech AFAIK if you flash a BIOS downloaded from Lenovo, it will flash the EC as well, so the keys will get messed up again. 1vyrain flashes only the BIOS, keeping the EC intact. I think you can do 1vyrain/EC patch flash in any order. The sequence I followed was: downgrade to last good BIOS using IVprep, flash the EC patch, flash 1vyrain BIOS. So far I've successfully done this on two X230t, one X230 and one W530. Gotta find and buy a spare X220 keyboard, they are getting more rare and expensive (there are some newer cheaper models available from China, they seem to be inferior to either of the three original makes, at least I didn't like the one I tried).
@@GenePavlovsky Glad the upgrades have worked out for you. I just remember reading on a thread somewhere that it was recommended to do the EC patches first, if you have luck doing either in whatever order then that's excellent to hear!
Hi thanks for your very easy to follow videos I have a Lenovo T500 that I love but would like to change the display from TN IPS but being in the UK I am not sure where to buy a display and can it be done without changing anything else Thanks for any info Bob in the UK
The T500 does not support IPS displays as of this point.
Good afternoon. Tell me how you are. My x230 gets very hot. In idle mode, the processor temperature is 50-53 degrees Celsius. Working in the browser, the temperature rises 75-80 degrees. If you open a simple online flash game in your browser, the temperature can reach 95 degrees. What to do? Thanks.
Try replacing the thermal paste on the CPU and cleaning out the fan/vents.
Do you need to swap out the palmrest? can you just swap the keyboard on it's own?
Question: Can you Upgrade the RAM, and Keyboard on the x230T? I plan to buy an i7 version at a low price, and upgrade the other specs with some spare parts I have around, are the keyboards compatible or will they not fit due to the taller dimensions of the x230T?
RAM is upgradeable like on any other X200-series ThinkPad. I have not tried the classic keyboard in the X230T but it should work. I have an X230T on hand so maybe it can be attempted.
Hello can we do this mod in Lenovo thinkpad 240 or 250 ? Is it possible or just a dream?
Btw very nice video keep this way!
Just a dream. This keyboard is both physically and electrically incompatible with the X240/250.
Does anybody know if this mod is compatible with Coreboot?
Yes, you are only modifying the embedded controller. -Sent from a corebooted X230 with a 7row keyboard installed
hey do you have any suggestion on where to buy genuine X220 keyboards? I am currently looking the japanese layout of X220 keyboards.
I would suggest contacting someone on the thinkpads.com forums or on r/thinkpad who would probably be able to give you more help than I can.
Hi bruh nice video, i just bought i7 x220 to replace my x240.
I have found that the real this mine machine is x230 after i check the machine serial in bios and keyboard x220 problem like delete key does nothing but end key do the command for delete and prt scr scrlk pause insert does nothing.
Any should i do with my keyboard problem. Keyboard gui settings cant remap anything.
Really need help. Please 😅
Outlining the process in this video for flashing the embedded controller should remap the keys correctly.
I just bought an X230i. Do the BIOS mods for the x220 keyboard swap for the X230 work on the 230i model?
I believe they should.
After you flashed the embedded controller did the caps lock light work?Also does the t420 keyboard use the same key caps as the t60 keyboard?
Caps Lock light does not work, but the other lights do. And no, the T60 uses a completely different keycap design.
how to update the bios to make it work? mine is v2.55 with EC is v1.12
Hey, on the lenovo site i can only find the bios version 2.77 for the x230, did they removed the signed battery versions because of end of support or they changed the numbering scheme to foll us?
Another question, i've heard that the x220 keyboard overheats if you don't make a mod to the keyboard connector, is it true?
@@viniciusmv7727 A difference in the circuitry causes a fuse to blow and burns a small part of the keyboard, which actually isolates the circuit and eliminates the problem. When I did this on my X230 I didn't bother and the keyboard worked just fine, however the backlit X230 keyboards will no longer light up and there is a small risk of frying the keyboard. So it's recommended to isolate a few pins on the keyboard cable, but if you feel like being risky and taking chances you can overlook the step like I did.
As for installing older BIOS versions, use this link and scroll down to the "Previous Version" section:
support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds029187
Hi sebi, just modded x230 with the x220 keyboard.
Now the problem is that the bios version of the laptop is 1.11(G2ET31WW) and EC is 1.07(G2HT28WW), I'm confused if i should upgrade the bios and EC to the last modifiable version and then apply the EC patch or should I apply the patch skipping the bios and EC upgrade.
Update the BIOS to the most recent version mentioned in the description, the *newest* BIOS versions from Lenovo don't allow you to patch the EC.
@@SebisRandomTech gotcha, thank you sebi.
It looks like you used SK Hynix ram, is that your personal preference with ram brands? Or you used it based on what was in the machine already? As i saw another video with x230 had samsung ram in before upgrade.
The RAM I use is mostly based on availability and price. If SK Hynix is $10 cheaper than the equivalent Samsung or Crucial RAM, then I’ll use it. If Samsung’s cheaper, then I buy that. When it comes to RAM I really don’t have a preference besides it being from a reputable manufacturer.
Hey, I just got an x230 and I'm interested in swapping the keyboard for a x220 one and I was wondering if I could keep the x230 palm rest with a x220 keyboard. Thanks in advance
You can keep the X230 palmrest, but you will have to make some tweaks to either the keyboard and/or palmrest for it to fit in properly.
Do you need to built the new Bios on the lenovo, or can it be done on any Linux box?
I’ve always done it on the machine I am modding for safety. As I said in the video, if you build the wrong BIOS you will brick the machine, so I like to play it safe as much as I can.
Sebi's Random Tech Thanks! I did it on the X230 and it worked fine.
I heard that the x230 might overheat if you don't tape the pins. Did it happen to you? Also, will the patch work on Japanese x220 keyboard?
It can blow out the fuse for the X230 keyboard backlight, if you never plan on using the original keyboard again this is of no concern, but it is something to be aware of if you ever plan on putting the original keyboard/a backlit keyboard back in.
hi! do you know where I can find a good battery for my x230? thanks! great stuff!
Lenovo still sells replacements on their website but they cost a fortune. Your best bet would probably be eBay, Amazon, or Batteries Plus.
Is there a need to tape some connectors in the ribbon of the keyboard? I have seen some do it. What’s your experience?
See my T430 classic keyboard video - I address this there. I didn't tape the pins on the connector here and had no issues, but there is a small risk of damaging the keyboard or laptop if you don't tape them so it's generally advised that you do.
I did not tape my connectors and my trackpoint buttons stopped functioning. The ribbon also had a burn where the short circuit occurred as well.
Has anyone tried to replace the X230 keyboard and palm rest with the one of the X200? Would anybody know whether this is possible?
Yes
Have you tried installing Linux on x-230s? Wifi is not detected with the x-230, apparently. Tried with 2 ParrotOS and Ubuntu.
When I tried Kubuntu on mine it would work with my home Wifi but not with my university's WiFi.
I'd love the X220 keyboard. If I hadn't been so dependent on backlighting. The Thinklight is still able, however.
I much prefer having the ThinkLight, as it lets me also work on paper documents or notecards in addition to being able to see the keyboard. The ThinkPad 25 does have a backlit 7-row keyboard, if you don't mind paying $2000!!!
Sadly I prefer the X230 as it still has both Thinklight (for illuminating papers and nearby things) and backlight. The 25th Anniversary edition disappointingly doesn't have Thinklight, also it's expensive!
Agreed, I much prefer the ThinkLight and the T25 is WAY too expensive.
Why Lenovo changed the keyboard layout in the first place is kind of beyond me. They even went as far as removing function keys on the X1 Carbon and replaced them with early touch bar.
For some reason it makes the T25 look like a cashgrab?
It is. Basically a T470 with a $1000 tax to get the classic keyboard.
How's the kingspec msata ssd you installed? Is it still doing fine by now?
It's still working fine.
I'm a bit confused. Your video title refers to X230 specifically and then points the viewer to "[READ DESCRIPTION]" which in turn talks about T430? Bottom line: does one need to update to the latest BIOS available from Lenovo BEFORE going through the unlock procedure?
T430 is referring to any xx30 ThinkPad. X230, T430, W530, etc. And you *used* to have to get the latest BIOS, but that is *no longer advised* because Lenovo is now including a digital signature in the BIOS that prevents it from being patched.
Hey Sebi, did you have to buy a separate x220 palm rest for the upgrade? I want to get an x220 keyboard for my x230, but the keyboard doesn't come with a palm rest. Any advice?
I bought the palmrest separately.
@@SebisRandomTech Thanks for the heads up! :) Looking forward to your new videos!
Great video, waiting for my x230.which mSATA did you get? What if I don't have Linux, how do I do the modified example bios?
I bought a Kingston because it was cheaper, but you can get SanDisk or Samsung for similar prices. If you don't have Linux, it's fairly easy to download a distro (I used Kubuntu) and then use 3rd-party software to install it to a DVD or a flash drive. I have actually done this before, just make sure when you write the modded BIOS that you don't write over the Linux drive!
Sebi's Random Tech Thanks. Out of curiosity, why did opt for an mSATA when it's slower than the regular 2.5" slot?
Using the mSATA slot allows me to use the 2.5” bay for larger capacity hard drives. Having that extra capacity is more important to me than a slight speed boost.
Do you think the Gobi WWAN cards are worth the trouble these days?
I have never heard of those nor do I use WWAN cards, so I couldn't tell you.
I can use X230 with this config for another 3 years together with MacBook Air 2020.
can you please tell me if I can do web dev and app dev on this machine, my work isn't too CPU intensive but I also don't want something that is bad I currently only found an old used x230 with an i5 3320M and I'm not sure if this is gonna be good enough... fyi I'm not gonna run windows on it... keep in mind there is close to no replacement parts in here so whatever I'm getting I'm gonna get stuck with for a long time before I find parts for it.
X230 is a pretty good choice. It should be enough for at least some basic development.
@@SebisRandomTech unfortunately the guy I was gonna buy from was overpricing it and when I agreed to buy even tho it was overpriced it was beat up from all sides I thought it was just cosmetic opened it and I find the trackpoint missing so I decided to not buy, because it looked a little too beat up for the price.
@@weltmeister Glad that you could recognize a bad deal like that. I hope you can find a reasonably priced X230!
In the past, EC would need to be flashed with hardware flasher in order to do this mod. Do I understand correctly that now it can be done with software only?
Another question. I've read somewhere that thr procedure removes windows license key stored in bios. Did that happen in your case?
No it didn’t remove the license key. The EC in the T430 and other xx30 ThinkPads has been able to be flashed for quite some time, and now with the 1vyrain BIOS mod the entire BIOS can be unlocked or replaced without hardware flashing.
@@SebisRandomTech thanks for clarification. So EC flash for classic keyboard is completely independent from bios mod (1vyrain), that would e.g. remove wlan/wwan whitelist?
@@d_fens Very separate. It's recommended that you do the EC patches (keyboard, battery, etc) before doing 1vyrain.
@@SebisRandomTech one last question: does the fingerprint reader embedded on x220 palmrest work after this mod?
Watched both videos. Which upgrade made the biggest impact? I'd like the IPS screen, more Ram (have 4gb currently) and an SSD. If i can only afford 2 of the 3 upgrades, which should I go for?
Performance wise RAM and SSD are the biggest improvements. The IPS screen just looks a lot better than the original TN panel.
@@SebisRandomTech Thanks, 2x4gb or 1x8gb (+1 of my existing 2gb sticks to make 10 in total)?
1x8 if you plan on adding another 8 later.
Get the SSD and the Ram.
I would recommend 2x 4GB, as the X230 seems to gain advantage from two seperate Ram-Bricks via Dual Channel. This should esspecially affect the grafic performance as the Ram-Speed seems to be a bottleneck. 16GB of Ram are just a waste of money, there ist almost no appication you could use on the x230 that needs that much Ram. But seems like there are some Troubles with the 16GB Mods as mentioned in the Video.
The SSD is a nobrainer, definitly get one. 2.5" or mSata depends on your needs. Do you need huge memory? Then geht yourself a big HDD and a moderate mSata like 120GB. If you dont need that much memory (up to 500GB) get an 2.5" SSD. As mentioned in the Video, the Maindisk gets SATA3, the mSata only SATA2. Also swapping the HDD with an SSD makes the machine lighter. If your machine has a WWAN-Card (SIM), the mSATA slot is already used and you have to use the 2.5". I'm using a Crucial MX500 250GB SSD and Samsung PC3-12800 Ram. Best Regards, Christian
Can you please post the link to the keyboard and palm rest you bought. Thanks.
The availability of those parts change all of the time, and the sellers I purchase parts from don’t often have the same parts available. In the past if I posted links to where I bought stuff the items in question were often unavailable or the link was dead within a few weeks. So for me it just isn’t worth it to try and keep track of links on all of my videos.
The best suggestion I can give is to just search eBay for the parts you need (X220 keyboard/X220 palmrest) and make sure to buy new if possible.
@@SebisRandomTech Will do. Much obliged.
Thank You so much !
I can change my touch panel without digital sensor by panel with digital sensor?
I'm not quite sure what you're asking.
dont you have to tape some contacts on the connector?
It’s strongly recommended that you do, particularly if you plan on putting an X230 keyboard back in, but if you plan on keeping the X220 keyboard in for the rest of eternity you don’t necessarily have to. Not taping the pins blows the keyboard backlight fuse (for an X230 backlit keyboard) and in a few rare cases has caused keyboard damage, but most people haven’t reported any issues. I didn’t and 2+ years later it’s still working fine.
I heard that some of the pins on internal connector needed to be covered so that it wouldn’t burn the keyboard. So I was surprised when you didn’t do that. Is this step not necessary for the mod?
Those pins go to the backlight on the X230 backlit keyboard. Putting in a xx20 keyboard without covering the pins causes the keyboard backlight fuse to blow, so if I were to put in a X230 backlit keyboard the backlight wouldn't work. There is a very minor chance of damaging the keyboard, but I've done this swap several times and that has never happened, and in most cases the person doing this swap has no intention of putting the X230 keyboard back in anyways so the loss of backlight functionality isn't really an issue.
Ideally you would want to cover those pins in case you decide to go back to the X230 keyboard or swap it back in to sell the laptop, but you're not going to damage or brick the machine by not covering the pins.
@@SebisRandomTech thanks for the quick reply!
Is the fingerprint reader fit into x230 with x220 palmrest? Or you need to reseat it? Also, did you put a tape on the 3 pins reddit was suggesting?
I did not do the 3 pin tape thing, and so far have not had any issues (nearly a month since doing this mod). I did not need to do any changes to the fingerprint reader, as the palmrest I ordered already had it installed. The X230 fingerprint reader is slightly different from the X220 fingerprint reader, but the X220 reader worked for me without any issues.
oh that is good then as I saw some pics of those their keyboard burnt! So you don't need to unscrew anything related to fingerprint? How about the IPS panel you just replaced? I myself recently replaced my x230 with IPS ordered from China got a little backlight bleed. Have you got those?
What do you mean by backlight bleed?
open this link lcdtech.info/en/tests/dead.pixel.htm
start test to black background in dark room and see if there is any white light leak from the side of the panel around the bezel. That is call backlight bleed. It happens a lot of B1 and B3 panels
I have noticed a small area on the bottom left corner that has some bleed, however considering that it's only one corner and not a larger part of the panel, it very well could be a defect or me being stupid when I installed the panel. And honestly it is only really noticeable on a mostly black screen, otherwise during typical use I can't see it even when I look for it.
Hi can you recommend me the best battery to buy. Mine just dies after 15 minutes unplugged. Thank you
Search around for a genuine Lenovo battery (sometimes you can find them open box or refurbished for $30-$40), and if you have no luck there you can do the battery whitelist removal trick outlined in another video (I demonstrated the process on a T430) to allow you to use after-market batteries.
Another question will you recommend upgrading into ips screen? Is there any issues?
@@seppptv Nope. Just drop in replacement. So much better than the original TN panel.
nice work. i own x230 8G Ram, SSD, and i might change the keyboard as well .. what a bout graphic improvement by changing the main board and cpu for i7? can you please specify which main board i should use?
thanks
Best you can do is get an i7 motherboard, as the CPUs on all X-series ThinkPads are soldered. I don’t remember if a dedicated GPU was ever an option on the X230, however like I mentioned in the video you can buy an Expresscard to PCI express adapter to use a desktop GPU with the X230 and other ThinkPads.
thanks , i been thinking a bout IGP on the motherboard, but if doesnt have drastic effect you are right, not worth it
why not change the lcd panel.
isnt changing the mboard and cpu as good as changing the laptop.
The motherboard and CPU are one part on this laptop. Sometimes it is cheaper than changing the whole laptop....and I don't even know what you mean about the LCD panel.
thats cool bro, nice !
I know I’m late about 5 years but does the keyboard ribbon work without modifications
It should.
@@SebisRandomTech thanks because I read an tutorial where it said you have to remove certain contacts on the ribbon for it to avoid burning
@@cities_aviv Basically if you don't isolate certain pins on the ribbon cable the keyboard backlight fuse will blow when power is applied. As long as you don't want to put an original X230 keyboard back in it *shouldn't* be a problem, but it's a good precaution to isolate the pins to avoid future issues.
is it possible to install the x220 keyboard with the x230 palmrest?
Yes, but you will have to shave off the nubs on the keyboard and/or part of the palmrest. It’s easier and less time consuming to just get an X220 palmrest, and they are very cheap.
Does the alt key work on your modded x230?
Yes.
Hi.
I have a t430. Machine model 2349U4B with a UEFI BIOS VERSION G1ET94WW (2.54) 2013-04-22.
I would like to replace the keyboard that I have already ordered. I have seen your videos and you always suggest to upgrade first to the latest bios version available and the mod. The latest in the Lenovo support website is from last October 1st 2.78 but in your video it shows a 2.66 version. How come it can works? Is it correct to go to the latest one and then downgrade it?
This video was filmed almost a year ago, so the BIOS that current at that time may no longer be current. As always, it is best to upgrade to the newest BIOS before performing this mod.
Sebi's Random Tech thanks for replying. So you think that will still work? I mean the mod from the repository will be successful even now?
@@1kkk0 I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Sebi's Random Tech I just getting confused by the concept. I thought that for each new bios update by lenovo the patch needed to be updated.
So far, for what I understood now, the patch from github is just an add on every version of BIOS to allow/deny features. Correct?
@@1kkk0 Basically.
What memory stick is compatible for x230? can it handle 2 8Gb RAM? thanks
DDR3.
Do you ever sell off any of your laptops?
Sometimes.
Does the x240 keyboard can be replaced with a x220 ?
No. Physically and electrically not compatible.
@@SebisRandomTech Ok. thanks!
where did you purchase the keyboard from?
eBay.
Is there any way of adding a fingerprint reader to one of these if it doesnt have one, nice vid btw
You can order a palmrest for your model that has the fingerprint reader, which is what I did. Make sure it comes with the reader itself and not just the cutout for the reader. It will plug into the motherboard via the same cable as the trackpad.
ok, thank you very much
@@SebisRandomTech How much did you pay for the palmrest with the fingerprint reader? Did it come with the trackpad? I bought a x220 palmrest (just the plastic cover) which didn''t come with the trackpad. Can I screw my x230 trackpad in the x220 palmrest cover and use it with the x220 keyboard? Btw great tutorial! Thank you!
@@jeanjean4097 You should be able to transplant the touchpad, if you can get it taken out of the X230 palmrest. I don't remember exactly how much I paid, but I think it was somewhere in the $30 to $40 range.
@@SebisRandomTech Truly appreciate you took the time to answer! So I guess the palmrest you bought came with the x220 trackpad? I heard that the x220 trackpad is actually much better than the x230's. Do you agree?
any news about bring capslock to work?
The key itself works, but the LED for it does not.
if i want to do this mod, can i install the whole X230 palmrest or need to use the original X220 one?
For me using the X220 palmrest was easier and provided a perfect fit, however some people have said the fingerprint reader won't work correctly or something like that. It worked fine for me.
@@SebisRandomTech im just a bit curios about the secret of 7row keys which people like the most
@@hafizhnabawi1707 Most agree that the layout of the 7 row keyboard was superior. With the more modern keyboard, not only was the layout changed, but many keys were completely removed. Also the classic keyboard has a bit more travel than the newer counterparts.
@@SebisRandomTech so that the 7row have more keys and shorter travel distance?
@@hafizhnabawi1707 More keys and *longer* travel distance.
Do I need to flash my bios before doing this or I can just do this directly?
You need to make sure you're on a compatible BIOS before doing the flash.
@@SebisRandomTech Ow thankyou. So if my laptop is X230, I need X230 bios? The original? Not the custom?
@@SilVer-hu2ps You need a compatible X230 BIOS, then you apply the Embedded Controller patch to that.
While it might be unnecessary?....is it POSSIBLE?...to get 16GB on an X230?....
Yes. The X220 and X230 max out at 16 GB of RAM.
Could you link some of what you bought please?
Anytime I post a link they’re usually broken within a week. Even if the link is still active, by the time someone uses the link the seller no longer has that item. You’ll have an easier time just searching for the components you need, whether it’s “X230 IPS screen”, “X220 Palmrest”, etc.
@@SebisRandomTech Thanks man, I just replaced my x230 with an IPS screen and it's looking very nice. Appreciate it.
The IPS upgrade is one of the best things anybody can do to their ThinkPad. I’m glad you like it and wish you the best of luck in your search for other parts!
@@SebisRandomTech Are you still using that same x230 as a main laptop or have you upgraded?
I switched to my T430 back in April. Just needed a bit more horsepower and prefer the larger palmrest it has, and with a FHD mod I can use a better, higher resolution screen.
one question, can we upgrade RAM x230 till 16GB ? thanks for reply
Correct, it supports up to 16 GB (2 8 GB sticks) of DDR3 RAM.
@@SebisRandomTech Thanks for the info bro.
you hava many thinkpad's. you are fan of thinkpads))) it is interesting
Part 3 when?
When I get around to it. School takes priority for me.
@@SebisRandomTech okay cool.
That desk looks suspiciously familiar...
AF?
It's from the dorm I was in last year. I'm sure many universities use the same style of desk.