Lenovo ThinkPad X240: Screen, Battery, and Palmrest Upgrades
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- Basically today we are converting a low-end ThinkPad X240 into a high-end one. Complete with adding a battery, 1080p IPS display, X250 touchpad, fingerprint reader, and backlit keyboard! I also replace the old stock thermal paste with fresh Arctic MX-4 and demonstrate how to replace the internal storage. As always, thanks for watching!
Can't get enough of these vids. I'm binge watching.
One tip: Always put down the screwdriver when you've finished with it. If you keep holding it especially when messing about with the screen you risk scratching it (talking from experience). Makes me feel bad every time I turn my machine on.
I’ve done that before. By the point you’re talking about in the video I knew the seller had sent me the wrong screen so I didn’t really care. :P
Brilliant, I also replaced touchpad and keyboard. Display looks beutiful.
I just got one of these on ebay for cheap, the seller didn't know what type of display it had so I took a chance and lucked out that it already had the IPS display (1366x768 though), anyway I LOVE it. Up until now my portable "coffee shop" laptop was an older 13in Macbook, the thing was close to 5 pounds though and I was starting to get sick of lugging it around just for my quick writing and emailing. This 3-pound little beast is PERFECT. Sure though, also not a huge fan of the touchpad, but since it's already got an IPS display I'm no longer thinking about opening it up and trying to upgrade it.
You can always swap out the touchpad with that of an X250 pad. I think you can swap them without even taking the machine apart.
Nice IBM keyboard in the background. Bought the Model M myself and I like it a lot. Having a x260 incomming, but might replance the TN for a IPS, checking your video right now for clues if it is something I can do or not :-) Cheers
keep it up Bro
Fantastic video! How much do you spend in total?? I am trying to find a cheap x240 thinkpad that needs some work...but here in spain they are a lot more expensive.
The X240 itself cost $125, then I spent $60 on the new top case (palmrest, fingerprint reader, keyboard, touchpad), $70 on the screen, and $20 on the battery. The Arctic MX-4 paste I had on hand well before buying this, but with all of my upgrades I spent around $280 total, which I think is a decent price for all of the upgrades.
I really enjoy your videos!! How you started learning all those things? Any tip for a total beginner?
The Internet and Lenovo service manuals are your friend. Keep track of screws, small pieces, anything you take our or remove and make sure you can get it back together. Trial and error and experience is probably the best way to learn. For example, I have probably refurbished about 30-40 T410, T420, and T430 ThinkPads, so I know those units in and out. Make sure you have the right size screwdrivers for the job, and look out for adhesives that you may need to replace (common in newer ThinkPads). Experience is the best way to become more confident in your abilities.
@@SebisRandomTech I started doing the T430's based off your motherboard video and have bought and sold about 10 of these now including upgrading the original spec, replacing damaged parts and putting in new motherboards. Totally agree experience works and being gentle in expectation: You can never assume everything will go ok, there's always a mistake or a weaker part that may give way. Must say love a I7 3610QM in a T430! Likewise advice on screws is good along with taking a picture of the parts before you disassemble them as easy to forget the original ;ayout.
Quality videos man..thank you.
Great video, thank you. Dropped and cracked the palmrest in two across the fingerprint reader area on my x240, ahhh, so an excuse now to upgrade to the 250 alternative palmrest, trackoad and backlit keyboard. Watched your video a couple o times, but cant quite make out where this occurs in the video. Hopefully will make sense when I start the disassembly. Any advice greatly appreciated..thanks again
I replaced the motherborard from i3 to an i7-4600u, sadly it can only support up to 8GB of RAM, but for working purpose it should be more than enough. The screen size is 12.5 inches, so 720P is acceptable for me, plus it drains less battery.
@@GoogleAccount-kj7bq several google searches insist on ips being 10-15% more power demanding (www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/6ntsy1/battery_drain_ips_vs_tn_in_an_x230/)...
There are some comments in forums with reports of X240 machines with 16 GiB (one module). It is much better having a 16 GiB machine with 2 RAM slots but for the X240, it seems one module is possible.
AFAIK the X240 is limited to 8 GB of RAM. It's successor, the X250, *can* take 16 GB because of advances in the CPU architecture.
Great video, as always :) I have one question. I read that after swapping touchpad in xx40 Thinkpads to the one from xx50, additional Synaptic drivers need to be installed in windows to make it work. How about Linux? Does it work out of the box after swapping? Thanks a lot.
In my experience it usually works out of the box in Linux.
I have the yoga pro 3 4k screen shoul I keep this of or trade for the x240 which is best?
I have 24 and 72Wh battery in my ThinkPad. They are enough for about 10-12 hours of work.
What model screen did you use for the screen upgrade? Did you have to get a new cable for it?
Please watch the entire video for the answer to your questions.
Hi There .. It was a nice tutorial. I was wondering if you could share the link to the battery and screen. The official lenovo site in UK doesnt seem to have the internal battery in stock. Any reliable ones elsewhere ??
I am based in the US, so the sellers I buy from may not be able to ship to you. Additionally, as I've pointed out, the sellers who have these parts aren't always the same, so your best bet is to look up the part numbers on eBay. I show the display part number in the video, and you can find the battery information on Lenovo's website.
Hey I have a Lenovo X240 with 8GB of ram, 120GB SSD with the TN panel. It does have the internal battery at least. I only want two upgrades for this machine. I want the IPS 1080p display, and the X250 Synaptics trackpad. I found both parts on Amazon for $80 shipped. Do you think it's worth the money for these upgrades? I really hate the TN panel, but i'm inexperienced working on laptop hardware. I might have to pay a tech to install the parts for me, in which case how many labor hours do you think these 2 upgrades take? If I had to guess, it'd probably be 1-2 hours for an experienced tech? Thanks for the video.
$80 shipped isn't a bad deal. As for labor hours, I have absolutely no idea since I typically service laptops myself. :P I would guess between 1 and 2 hours, but you never know.
how much is the X250 touchpad and where did you get it?
I bought mine with the entire top cover, but the touchpad itself costs about $20-30. Check eBay and Amazon and MAKE SURE it’s a Synaptics touchpad.
Hi. Great vid. What about screen retention (ghosting) on this display? I bought used x240 with 1080p IPS display (same model as yours), but it has noticable screen retention. I read that this is a known problem on LG panels...
Didn't have any ghosting with mine!
Hey friend, where did you get the LG brand IPS screen?
Could you provide me with the link?
eBay. This was over 2 years ago and any link I may have had is long-gone. You simply have to try your luck with different sellers and ask around until you find one selling an exact original screen.
I was wondering if i can install a touchscreen version for the x240? Would it work? I have a non touchscreen and i am planning to upgrade. Do you think it should work?
You would have to purchase the entire touchscreen assembly.
I would like to buy an X230, change the keyboard and update the ram.
Good choice
Can you tell me where did you buy the palmrest with keyboard and touchpad?
As I said to others: eBay.
How do you find text/ don't eligibility with 1080p on 12.5" screen? Do you find yourself using web browser zoom? Windows scaling settings?
I leave it at 100% scaling since my eyes are still good. If it's too small, 125% scaling isn't bad.
Where did you buy the complete palm rest, keyboard and trackpad?
eBay.
@@SebisRandomTech Thanks mate. I should have read all the comments first. At any rate love your videos and for someone who has never been into pulling laptops apart, i now know the X series like the back of my hand! (X240-x270 as the new ones don't really count do they :))
I’m looking for this too! Found one but doesn’t include fingerprint reader. Is the palm rest a part of the full x250 trackpad or this an additional feature I should look for?
Hey Sebi's. I'm from Colombia. Do you know how to install the corret drivers for the touchpad? I did the change to the x250 but the buttons doesn't work. Do you know how to correct this?
I did a video describing how to get the drivers working properly in a T440p, and in the description I left a link to the ThinkPads.com forum where they also have a guide on how to do it in the X240.
Hey Sebi, do you know of anyone whom upgraded from non-touch to touchscreen on the X240? I am iching to do it, but I can´t see how the Touch Digitalizer will connect into the motherboard.
I personally have not heard of anybody who did that upgrade. The X240 should have the port for the digitizer but I cant say for sure.
Did you have to replace the LCD cable as well?
Nope.
In your opinion, what is the best old thinkpad should I buy with great upgradability?
The T430 if you prefer the classic design, or the T440p if you don't mind the modern redesign. Both have fantastic upgradability, including RAM, storage, display, and CPU upgrades.
@@SebisRandomTech What is worth buying the t430 with dedicated graphics or without? and thoughts about x230
X230 is basically a mini T430, it uses the same processors and everything. However, the X230’s processors are soldered in and thus can’t be replaced.
Graphics will depend on your usage. Some still find the Intel HD graphics to be adequate, while others will need the extra power of a dedicated graphics solution. External GPU’s can be used with the T430 and X230, but it’s not the most elegant or practical method.
@@SebisRandomTech $150 T430 with an i5 or $200 X230 with an i7
Hi great video. Is there a way to remove the whitelist WiFi for the x240 ? Thanks.
Yes but it isn't an easy process. You need to purchase some additional equipment and be comfortable with Terminal commands.
@@SebisRandomTech noted. The BIOS patch will also require some searching and verify its safe to use
So if I bought a x240 I could just fit the 1080p x50 screen?
As long as it is a genuine screen, yes.
I found it, yayyyyyy. I'll get the screen once I get some extra 💰. One thing I can't seem to figure out is where is the 16gb msata drive located that comes default with the x240?
It may have been in a caddy that takes the place of the SmartCard slot, according to documents on Lenovo's website.
Sebi's Random Tech ahhhh gotcha. Thanks for clarifying that. I’ll be keeping that laptop and maybe sell my T460 which I love. Can the T460 have a backlit keyboard?
@@BlaGGah Yes it can.
Sebi's Random Tech Whata the actual keyboard I should be looking for? Any other compatible backlit keyboards from other models that's compatible?
@@BlaGGah X240 and X250 use the same keyboard. download.lenovo.com/parts/ThinkPad/x240_fru_bom_20140808.pdf
Here is the complete parts list for the X240. There is a whole section on the keyboards that you can install in it.
1:50 Fuck that. I bought not long ago a x240 and it didn't even carried an internal battery. There are some second hand ones but I don't know whether to get one. I could get the 68+ and it's awesome!
Hi. I have an x220. Is it possible to have 4G LTE wwan on this machine. Is there any bios whitelist around for this?
I know it can do 3G, but I can't guarantee that it can do 4G/LTE. I would look up a list of compatible WWAN cards for the X220.
Thanks. If there is no way to have 4G/LTE on x220, may you get me the 4G/LTE WWAN cards for the x230 (I guess it can do 4G). I will have to get the x230. I appreciate your assistance.
Once again, I don’t have much knowledge of the WWAN functionality of ThinkPads because that’s a feature I never use. I usually put an SSD in the WWAN slot anyway.
Bro my display brightness is not working on original display panel is there any way to get it working i tryed all the methods but only remaining is whitelist removal
Have you updated the drivers? Sometimes that fixes it for me.
@@SebisRandomTech i tryed it no luck
@@kaushalposnak6203 Strange, and you said this is the original panel?
@@SebisRandomTech yess its original the brightness work in linux and mac but not in windoes sed life😭
@@kaushalposnak6203 Knowing how often Windows updates screw things up, it's hard to say. You could try an older display driver and see if that works.
Hey, nice Video, im a "Bastler" from Germany and i want to change the Display of the x240. Can you place the correct Screen in a comment below?
It is both spoken and shown on screen in the video.
Could you provide links for the main upgrade parts (palm rest, keyboard, and display)?
The selling links always change, so I stopped putting them in my videos. I bought all of the parts from eBay.
Was the palm rest, keyboard, and trackpad one unit or were they separate parts? That's kind of why I was asking. Also, the part number for the display would help with searching.
I specifically said the part number for the display in the video AND showed it on screen. Please pay more attention next time before commenting. The keyboard, palmrest, and trackpad was all one unit, but you can order the parts separately if you do not wish to replace everything.
I know you mentioned the seller's change, but if you have some consistent ones that are reliable, it would help. Even the eBay option to look at the original listing for a completed offering would still have value.
Like you, I got the same display that was too small, even though I ordered the P/N you specified. The seller in question (not on eBay or Amazon) is a dedicated laptop screen seller, but they happen to specify on their product pages wording like "12.5-inch WideScreen FHD (1920x1080) Matte. compatible with p/n LP125WF2(SP)(B2)". I didn't think any of this when I ordered from them.
Their definition of compatible is pretty fishy. The screen they sent might be a 12.5" FHD display, but it is not compatible with the LP125WF2(SP)(B2), as you noted (I got the same one you did) if your definition of compatibility includes actual dimensions. I work in the semiconductor industry and compatibility absolutely includes package dimensions when we say something is compatible.
Anyway, your seller recommendations would be helpful given that you go through the hoops on these things before those of us who watch your videos do :-) In fact, had I not watched your video (and rewatched to see what I thought I was doing wrong), I wouldn't known I'd been hosed. I just thought I'd re-routed the eDP video capable incorrectly and that the screen was lopsided because it was resting on it funny.
Thanks for all your work on this. I'll eventually get finished updating the X250 I got, and it will be a nice machine for my daughter when she goes off to college (and at half the price of the X280 I'd have probably bought her, too).
The seller I bought this one from already no longer sells them, and I did this not even 2 months ago. My best suggestion is to complain to the seller, eBay will almost always side with the buyer (which is a blessing and a curse), same with Amazon, and they will either have to refund your money and/or send you a new screen. In my case I MADE SURE that the screen they were sending was the EXACT one I asked for, and NOT a “Compatible” one. Usually if you request the EXACT part number from the seller they can get you the right screen, and if you can’t find any luck on eBay or Amazon there are other vendors that will sell the displays. I bought mine from Amazon so I can’t help much in terms of what site to buy from. The ThinkPad forums and r/ThinkPad will usually have good information about where to get a screen.
If I send you my laptop can you do these mods to it? If so, how much?
I would only consider it if you are located in the continental United States.
I am email me please edwardcruza33@outlook.com
Sebi's Random Tech hey?
I sent you an email a few days ago. Please check your spam folder.
Where can I find a t430s 1080p display
1080p screens were not made for any of the T430 models. You can buy a converter board on eBay (try looking up T430s 1080p IPS) and then buy a 14” 1080p screen or buy both as a kit, but without said converter there is no way to put a 1080p display in the T430s.
I have ips on t430 buy kitt off aliexpress 130dollars
I bought that laptop a year ago. I like its dimensions and appearance. Its weakness is limited performance. I have a version with the i54300U. Is it possible to upgrade this laptop?
The crucial.com configurator says that the X240 supports Intel Series 8. Is this real?
Not even sure what "Intel Series 8" means, but if you're talking about upgrading the processor, you really can't. The X250, X260, and X270 all have the same form factor and newer processors, or you can go back a generation to the X230 which used more powerful processors.
Excellent video. Could you have used a keyboard from the X220 (one of your favorites, as I recall)? I have a general suggestion for your videos. Let's suppose I'm interested in replacing the screen on the T450s with an IPS screen and you don't have a video on that. (I don't know if you do as it's just a hypothetical example). If I were to watch one of your videos involving a screen replacement on another model (such as this video), it would be helpful if you were to spend a small amount of time (near the end perhaps, mentioning at the beginning you will do that at the end) discussing screen replacement for a range of models, particularly where there are problems. An example of a "problem" is that the IPS screens for the T450s are "white-listed", so brightness cannot be controlled in Windows for non-Lenovo replacement screens. Similarly, here when you say you will use a X250 keyboard, you might list other possible choices. It would just take a few seconds but some viewers may benefit. Anyway, keep up the good work.
The X220 keyboard is both physically and electronically incompatible with the X240 and X250. Meanwhile, most of the components between the X240 and X250 are interchangeable, enabling me to use a X250 palmrest/keyboard/touchpad in an X240. Screen replacements between these models are also like comparing apples and oranges. With the X240/250 the display bezel simply snaps off making a display replacement easy, on the T440/T440s/450/450s the front bezel is held by adhesive, and there are additional screws underneath, making the replacement/upgrade process very different. They also use completely different displays from the X240/250, and the T440/440s do not have the display whitelist present on the X240/250 and T450/450s (I also heard that the most recent T450 BIOS removes the whitelist, but I don't know if this has been confirmed). Because of differences like those, I can't just make a be-all-end-all upgrade video covering several different models without it becoming a lot longer than "just a few seconds". The process discussed in this video is really only good for the X240 and X250, and *maybe* the X260/270, so it really wouldn't do much good to try and cover dozens of other variables in one video.
I realize that the the numbers of permutations of models and types of upgrades is vast, but I think it would be helpful if you spend a few seconds relating what you are doing to other models in the same "family". For example, if you are upgrading a T240, you might say (if it's true), that whatever you doing is also applicable to the T240s. If, for example, it's a keyboard replacement, then say (if true) the only keyboards that can be used are those from the T240 and T250 series.
@@CaryInVictoria With all due respect, most of the people who watch these videos or are doing these upgrades or replacements are already aware of what works with what. The information you want can be found with a fairly quick Google search, and so when it gets to the point where I have already covered everything that is needed to perform an upgrade or mod it really isn't worth it for me to add more time to the video to cater to a small handful of people who can find any remaining info they need elsewhere.
if any one can help me out would be much appreciated iv got a x240 and i want to do the track pad mod but i cant fined a seller selling the x250 track pad in the uk where im from just china and i want to know if the t450 trackpad would fit as i can buy one in the uk :) if any one knows would be a big help
T450 touchpad is a bit bigger, so it physically wouldn't fit in the X240. :(
@@SebisRandomTech dam so only the x250 pad then okay well thanks for the help I'll buy one if you can help me out with another mod I want to make to my x240 I'd be very grateful I'm looking to fit a aftermarket touch screen to my standard base display x240 can I get just a panel and a new cable and drop it in or do I need a new "lid" the top case ?
@@totalkiller4 You'd need an entire top case.
@@SebisRandomTech do you have a sku number for what I'd need that would be a big help I'm new to the ThinkPad world :)
@@totalkiller4 All part numbers can be found on Lenovo's website. Just look up "ThinkPad X240 part numbers".
Thermals! Lol
Only supports 1GB of RAM??? Must have an unusual model here with 8GB.....
well too much effort, ill just sell my X240 and replace it to X250