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looking for upgrade and modding tips for my thinkpad X201 tablet

X200/X201/X220 (including equivalent tablet models) and X300/X301 Series
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slimeboy
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Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2024 2:35 pm
Location: Algiers, DZ

looking for upgrade and modding tips for my thinkpad X201 tablet

#1 Post by slimeboy » Fri Dec 13, 2024 2:50 pm

I recently picked up a ThinkPad X201 Tablet and I’m looking to do some upgrades and modding to get the most out of it. Here’s what I’ve got right now:

Intel Core i5-520U
2GB RAM
320GB HDD
Dead battery

I’m not planning on doing anything super crazy, but I’d love to hear your suggestions for upgrades or mods that would breathe new life into this little guy.

ZaZ
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Re: looking for upgrade and modding tips for my thinkpad X201 tablet

#2 Post by ZaZ » Fri Dec 13, 2024 6:12 pm

Upgrading to a SSD is the best money you can spend. 2GB of memory is a little low these days, so bumping up to 8GB or 16GB depending on your budget seems like a good idea. A faster CPU require a board swap, which likely wont make much a difference.
ThinkPad L14 - 2.1GHz Ryzen 4650U | 16GB | 256GB | 14" FHD | Win11P
ProBook 470 G5 - 1.6GHz Core i5 | 16GB | 2.2TB | 17" FHD | Mint

axur-delmeria
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Re: looking for upgrade and modding tips for my thinkpad X201 tablet

#3 Post by axur-delmeria » Sat Dec 14, 2024 10:26 am

ZaZ wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2024 6:12 pm
Upgrading to a SSD is the best money you can spend. 2GB of memory is a little low these days, so bumping up to 8GB or 16GB depending on your budget seems like a good idea. A faster CPU require a board swap, which likely wont make much a difference.
8GB is the maximum supported RAM for the X201 family-- two 4GB DDR3-1066 sticks, anything DDR3L generally won't work.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

Gonzaleitor
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Re: looking for upgrade and modding tips for my thinkpad X201 tablet

#4 Post by Gonzaleitor » Fri Dec 27, 2024 11:08 am

axur-delmeria wrote:
Sat Dec 14, 2024 10:26 am
ZaZ wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2024 6:12 pm
Upgrading to a SSD is the best money you can spend. 2GB of memory is a little low these days, so bumping up to 8GB or 16GB depending on your budget seems like a good idea. A faster CPU require a board swap, which likely wont make much a difference.
8GB is the maximum supported RAM for the X201 family-- two 4GB DDR3-1066 sticks, anything DDR3L generally won't work.
I agree, DDR3L won't work. I have a couple of them and the laptop won't post with them inside.

28CarsLater
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Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: looking for upgrade and modding tips for my thinkpad X201 tablet

#5 Post by 28CarsLater » Thu Dec 11, 2025 6:58 pm

axur-delmeria wrote:
Sat Dec 14, 2024 10:26 am
ZaZ wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2024 6:12 pm
Upgrading to a SSD is the best money you can spend. 2GB of memory is a little low these days, so bumping up to 8GB or 16GB depending on your budget seems like a good idea. A faster CPU require a board swap, which likely wont make much a difference.
8GB is the maximum supported RAM for the X201 family-- two 4GB DDR3-1066 sticks, anything DDR3L generally won't work.
I got one up and running with DDR3 1333mhz. I believe I also tried 1600mhz and it wouldn't post.
Thinkpads: X395, X301, X2x0, W701 "Astra"
Dell: Precision 5530 Xeon "LucieX"

axur-delmeria
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Re: looking for upgrade and modding tips for my thinkpad X201 tablet

#6 Post by axur-delmeria » Thu Dec 11, 2025 10:43 pm

28CarsLater wrote:
Thu Dec 11, 2025 6:58 pm
I got one up and running with DDR3 1333mhz. I believe I also tried 1600mhz and it wouldn't post.
Older DDR3 1333 sticks should work fine. If it's made with the same chips as later DDR3L 1600 sticks, there's a higher chance of it not working.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

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