Unfortunately not NVME M.2 drives are far too new for this laptop

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech Thanks

Unfortunately it's soldered to the motherboard. If your looking at swapping CPUs out on a Lenovo Laptop the T series are better for that 👍

cpu doesn't matter, i5220m is 3.2gh on turboboost and the best is an i72640m which can go to 3.5 not really enough performance from 4 threads to really matter, and despite the same advertised TDP wattage the i5's take less on idle.

Depending on the configuration it can either be an M-Sata SSD or a Mobile cellular modem. Mine came configured with the cellular modem which I could swap to an SSD 👍

Hi there I was using the bios version 1.21

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech Will 16 gb ram memory(two stics of 8ram) work fine with the last version of the BIOS 1.46 ?

I used two 8GB sticks with the 1.21 bios update so I'm sure it will work. Generally it's the chipset that dictates how much Ram is compatible. Unless it's unstable and they have locked it out in the bios.

Yes you can put it 16 ram

So I have had some issues with the Express Cards in the X220. I bought an express card with 2x USB 3 ports on it. When plugged in the card works fine but unfortunately the trackpad doesn't work unless you log out of the user profile and back in and you have to repeat this every time you switch on the laptop. I never tried another express card because that is the only logical upgrade I wanted to do. It might work fine with USB 2 and a card reader variant. I personally haven't seen support for SSD's for it it all depends how it's configured if it's on the USB Bus that wouldn't be worth it but if it's configured for PCI 1x then it might be worth it.

DDR3L is a dual voltage capable memory SoDIMM, which supports operation at both 1.5V and 1.35V so it should work but I would check out the Lenovo forums to see if someone else has done the upgrade with SoDIMM DDR3L ram.

I'm not sure if you are asking where to buy the stick of Ram or where the other SoDimm slot is can you clarify?

One is a Wifi card the other is for cellular internet. You can put a Simcard in the back below the battery.

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech thank you, i planning to upgrade my i7 2640m to quad core but when i check my processors was bga

Yeah unfortunately the X series are normally BGA CPUs. If you want to look at one you can easily swap out the T430 is a great laptop 👌

I would definitely recommend one of these if you want a compact and capable machine. If your not worried about the keyboard typing experience the newer x230/x240 will give you alot more modern features like USB 3 and more power efficient CPUs 👍

Hi there I have updated the links on the video now thank you for letting me know :)

uk.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/lenovo/thinkpad-x220 This is the link for the Ram list

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech thank you your probably one of the onky youtuners that ive qatched that actually responds with a year

Thankyou 👍

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech I Was thinking the same, too. Very helpful video. Followed the instructions. Without the video, I would not have forgotten about thermal paste and how to do that. I just got a X220 from eBay in top condition for a great price. Even though I own to ThinkPads myself (a x270 und a P50) plus I use a maxed out new T14 for work (backend/full-stack web-dev), and so I really don't need the X220. I could not resist. I just like the form factor, the retro feel and the excellent keyboard. Furthermore, I also went with the 500gb mx400 SSD and maxed it to 16gb of ram and even got USB 3 ports via express card. Very usable laptop. I installed a Windows 95 sticker, installed the newest Ubuntu and used "Chicago 95 " to make it look like Windows 95. Used it last week on a train ride, next to some 20-year-old college students with new M1 MacBooks. They gave me looks like I am trying to prank them :)

Hi unfortunately I don't have a disassembly guide for a x230t, as far as I am aware it's very similar to the x230 so someone might have have made a good guide on that if you can't find a x230t guide. For the Ram I used it was a collaboration with Crucial memory so that's what they sent across for the video. This guide will work with most Ram and SSD manufacturers just make sure to check your frequency of the Ram because Lenovo only supports up to a certain amount on its laptops.

Anytime 👍

any difference?

I recommend using Crucial's website they have a handy compatibility checker 👍 uk.crucial.com/

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech 8GB ç.ç Intel Core i7-3610QM in Intel Site support 32GB =S

Damn I hate that when that happens 😕

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech Just curious any thoughts on the t420? I saw a good deal on it.

The T420 is a good system they have the older style of keyboard that is a fan favourite. The other option is the T430 with the newer island style keyboard and slightly newer specs 👍

Not this time it was an option but I chose to go with a standard SATA drive in the end. If I do an update of this video with another Lenovo ThinkPad I will probably go down that route 👍

This is a very good tip 👍 Mine was very easy dude to regular maintenance but others might not be.

Agree. I was repasting X230 once and mobile modem card screw head was damaged. I had to file s row in it to give grip to flat screwdriver. I managed to unscrew it finally, but it took a lot 9f nerves.

Hi there this is link for the UK if you need another let me know. uk.crucial.com/ssd/mx500/ct500mx500ssd1

Hi there. Just to be sure you have taken all the screws out of the bottom there are 2 screws holding the hinges in place from the bottom.

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech YES! Thank you!!!

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech Did you remove the rubbery thermal pad on the heatsink when you repasted your X220?

I only repasted the CPU I kept the thermal pad on there because my one was in good condition

For the cost of doing it your self it's a very easy upgrade. All you need to know is how to disassemble the laptop and be able to plug some things in. If you are looking to spend money on something I would get something more modern with similar specs I would not be able to build something and ship it for cheaper 👍

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech what will be your alternative laptop for this?

Thank you positive feedback is very welcomed

Not really it would bottleneck a lot if you use a external GPU. This laptop is a great office and photo editing pc but not very good at playing anything but basic games.

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech thank you very much

Not as far as I'm aware that's how I got it when I bought it from the online retailer 👍

You can run 1866mhz if you download the mcdonnelltech 1.46 modified BIOS.

Hi there, the upgrades that were done on the X220 should be the same for the X220t. I would still check on the lenovo forums to see if someone has done the 16GB Ram upgrade on the X220t because its not officially supported on the X220. A fully upgraded X220 like this one will be more than fine for what you want to do I even do light video editing on mine when I'm out of the office. 👍

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech oh thanks that was informative. I also do some light video editing on 1-2 min videos. If i find a better price on the x220 then I will buy this instead of the t version which is more expensive. As I see it is a laptop that handle things in today's standards. These upgrades can make it superb. Thanks for the info and the video and do more in the future.

Not much lower to be perfectly honest. The cooling system on the X220 is just adequate, a better designed cooling system would yield better results.

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech thanks!

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech How long does the thermal paste last? I intend to buy a used X220, I wonder if I could just use it for next 10 years without changing the thermal paste? Afraid it gets faulty when changing the thermal paste. Thanks.

You could use the X220 without changing the thermal paste, I just recommend changing it if you do the upgrade because the system will be already be open saving you time in the long run 👍

That is definitely something that is in the works for the next small upgrade 👌

Unfortunately shuttle has been delayed indefinitely until there is time for the owner to continue the project 😔

The Big Pixel oh i thought you were the owner! My mistake

I can't see any reason why it shouldn't work, head over to the Lenovo forums they are very good for people doing these upgrades you might find someone that has used that RAM in their own laptops already. You won't see a remarked difference between brands so I would definitely go for it.

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech thanks man!

Usually in new laptops the windows license is paired to the BIOS, and even if you replace the stock HDD with SSD, your Windows will activate automatically when you go online. For older laptops, you can 'clone' your old HDD to your new SSD. And of course, you can also use a product key from a different computer.

The best way to make sure your windows licence is paired to your device is by signing in to a Microsoft account on the pc. This will save the information of the computer and will automatically save the key linked to that computer.

Ok, makes sense. Thanks.

Hi there I am using the original cooler and it suffers from the same issue that yours does. I don't think replacing it will help it, the cooling system in the X220 is just adequate so to get better temperatures the fan must spin faster due to the the heatsink being so small. 👍👍

@@TheBigPixelHomeOfTech Thanks for your reply. I have recently tested a couple of cooling fans from x230 model that are compatible with x220 (04W6922 made by Toshiba and 04W6923 made by AVC). The 04W6922 made by Toshiba is already much quieter than 04W0435. There is no whining noise etc. However, it seems to have problems with bearings that begin to make rattling noise after a while. Maybe that was only my bad luck. I had 2 of them and both had similar problem, but with different intensity. I have now installed 04W6923 (AVC) in my x220 and it is fantastic! Laptop is almost silent and whining noise is gone!

Ohh of course I completely forgot that the X230 is a very similar layout and they will be compatible. I feel that improving thermals should always be done with a bigger heatsink. Unfortunately the X220 is a compact design and that was the way it was designed.

@@l3ulky298 the avc it's working without problems ? Thanks

@@luisfernando55 Yep, it works perfectly fine. The best fan for x220/x230 in my opinion.

It does show up in control panel under system and if you open task manager 👍