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X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

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Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#31

Post by lproven »

AlecSchueler wrote: post #18
RomanPushkin wrote: post #16

I'm the owner of one of these laptops. I paid like $2-3k or even more for the laptop. The screen got broken almost on arrival. I think few days later it started glitching. It was intermittent, so I thought it would go away. I didn't. Over time it started glitching more and more. I reached out to the person in China who sold the laptop. In broken English he told me that I should replace the screen and sent me a link.…

You paid how much? I use my x200 every day and love it but never considered I could sell it for so much. Is that really a normal price for such an old model? My screen works perfectly too.

They only cost this much with the new parts fitted.

Various versions have been on sale for 5+ years, often billed as the X2100.

https://bmdiethelmv.wordpress.com/2021/07/02/thinkpad-x2100-...

Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#32

Post by lproven »

leoedin wrote: post #23
RomanPushkin wrote: post #16

I'm the owner of one of these laptops. I paid like $2-3k or even more for the laptop. The screen got broken almost on arrival. I think few days later it started glitching. It was intermittent, so I thought it would go away. I didn't. Over time it started glitching more and more. I reached out to the person in China who sold the laptop. In broken English he told me that I should replace the screen and sent me a link.…

You paid $2-3k for an x200? Was that a long time ago? Is that the same laptop that's sold by computer recyclers for $100?

No, for an X2100. The chassic with the new parts already fitted.

E.g.

https://www.xyte.ch/shop/x2100-pricing/

Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#33

Post by dcminter »

jokowueu wrote: post #26
RomanPushkin wrote: post #16

I'm the owner of one of these laptops. I paid like $2-3k or even more for the laptop. The screen got broken almost on arrival. I think few days later it started glitching. It was intermittent, so I thought it would go away. I didn't. Over time it started glitching more and more. I reached out to the person in China who sold the laptop. In broken English he told me that I should replace the screen and sent me a link.…

I'm a bit confused, what do you mean you bought it for +$2k? They cost nothing to buy, they came out like 18 years ago

I think parent poster had an X1 or something and assumed the conversation was about a similar contemporary device.

I'm a little sad this board isn't for my X220 ... I would be sorely tempted if it were - but like other posters I'd have some reservations about things like battery life even so.

By the (contemporary) by, a Mac Book is probably a better buy if you like Mac OS (I don't) because the hardware really is excellent. One physical point in favour of the modern Thinkpad though is weight - a MacBook Air is about 1.2 kg, whereas the X1 is not quite 1 kg.

Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#34

Post by spankibalt »

cyanydeez wrote: post #21

Someone do this to the X230T. ALL OTHER 2:1 TABLETS ARE INFERIOR.

The HP ZBook X2 G4 leaves it in the dust, both conceptually (detachables are a superior form factor) and specs-wise; HP EliteBook 27xxp machines with similar guts are at least on par.

I'd rather have a new and smaller (10" to 13") version of the ZBook X2 G4 instead, upgrade the Dreamcolor display, keep the Wacom EMR digitzer and a sensible dedicated pro-GPU with certified drivers, and add plenty of ECC-RAM. Abracadabra, dream machine right there. Lenovo could do the same with their X12 detachable line if they had some semblance of sense.

Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#35

Post by spankibalt »

globnomulous wrote: post #11

Sorry for my cluelessness, but why is this laptop so popular?

It's small, sturdy, maintainable, and aesthetically pleasing. And one can still get (original) parts. Throw in enthusiast projects like this and you can have your own "Laptop of Theseus".

Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#36

Post by prmoustache »

scrlk wrote: post #25
fsckboy wrote: post #7

anybody know if this motherboard will fit the x220 or x230, or just the x200/201? i've cornered the market on x220 and x230, i must have two dozen

Won't fit, the X200/201 use a different chassis design to the X220/230.

I never understood why laptops brands have so many SKUs and change chassis design on every generation. When I compare both internally and externally my personal thinkpad from 2019 to the one my company is providing me since last june, I don't see any outstanding difference that justify having incompatible mainboard, keyboard, trackpad, screen, hinges or even fans. It looks like they change the layout and parts dimensions for the sake of changing it.

Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#37

Post by throwaway270925 »

jdboyd wrote: post #8

Currently $1,299.00 for the Ultra 7 and $1,449.00 for the Ultra 9. I won't say it isn't a fair price, but it is a really hard one. It would be perhaps more interesting to start making ARM or maybe even RISC-V motherboard replacements for some of these beloved chassis.

Agreed. I would love just a basic ports carrier board with a compute module slot for any Raspberry Pi CM for my old and ancient thinkpads.

Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#38

Post by ahoka »

t312227 wrote: post #22

hello, as always: imho (!) i own a x200s ... bought it in march of 2009 =?> so its approaching 17 years ... it was a really great device with one of the best keyboards for a small notebook. and i still use it multiple times a week for example to browse hackernews, reddit, ... or watch some video etc. buuuut: its nearly 17 years old ... everything is starting to wear - i wouldn't invest a dime into it right now. what…

Yes, also had one and it was decent for its time, but it’s not great, especially compared to anything you can get today.

Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#39

Post by ignoramous »

rkagerer wrote: post #9

Anyone know if there's anything like this for the Dell Precision M6600? (Or upgrade suggestions for someone who loved that laptop? Framework? Thinkpad?)

> upgrade suggestions for someone who loved that laptop?

The repair-friendly [0] StarBook and StarFighter line might interest you. They generally seem good value for money and ship worldwide. Here's a 96g DDR5 + Intel Core Ultra 7 configuration at ~$2200: https://starlabs.systems/products/starbook-ultra?variant=552...

Their funder/backer is a mystery (to me) though.

[0] https://support.starlabs.systems/what-is-the-star-labs-limit...

Re: X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

#40

Post by loloquwowndueo »

fuzzy2 wrote: post #20
loloquwowndueo wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The keyboard is absolutely glorious, for one.

And that’s about it, I’d say! I find that everything else is really, really bad. It creaks, it wobbles, it warps, and it did so from day 1. The fan is loud and kicks in quite early. Well maybe the X200 isn’t as bad, but the X220 certainly is. And even after 14 years, it still smells when it gets hot. Sorry for the rant. I really want to love it, but I just can’t.

Yet after 14 years you still have it and use it?

Quality also went down while with later models - back in 2014 I was laptop shopping, based on the X2xx series reputation I tested an X240 and it was crap, even the keyboard was super bad, I ended up getting a Dell xps13 whose keyboard was miles better and it still works today.

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