X230 (X330)

Last updated 24 February 2022

X230 exploded view

Introduction

The X230 is Lenovo’s last line of laptop that is considered ‘classic ThinkPad’. It’s classis design remains a fan favourite, with a plethora of mods available. This article aims to describe the mods that I offer for the X230, which is known as the X330 for the 13.3″ modded FHD display.

This page is a general page for the X330 line of mods. Please refer to the X330 price list for more information.

Display mod

The display mod described in the next section, along with the additional mSATA are all enabled by soldering an adapter board onto the motherboard. One of the dock displayport signal is routed to enable a modern, eDP display to be installed. This also routes the SATA 3 to the extra mSATA underneath the palmrest. There are several variations of this mod, including the famous nitrocaster. The one I employ is designed by a.gain(阿甘), a Chinese modder.

Display

Left: 13.3″ FHD 16:9 display, middle: 12.5″ display, right: new 16:10 2K display

The stock sized 12.5″ display looks dated compared to modern laptops. 2 new types of display could be retrofitted into the old chassis, a FHD 16:9 13.3″ and a 2K 16:10 13.3″ panel. These 2 types of panels have significantly thinner bezels and a modern high-resolution panel from the XPS13 (FHD) and the IdeaPad S540-13 (2K). There is also another modded panel with the same size as the stock panel but at 2K resolution.

Between the 16:10 and the 16:9 13.3″ panels, the 16:10 looks slightly better due to the taller aspect ratio and the higher resolution. There is also no CABC which improves viewing experience.

The new display uses one of the displayport signal from the dock and change it to eDP for the new internal display. The following are the displays compatible with this mod.

DisplayInformation
Sharp SHP1420, LQ133M1JW21Same panel as the XPS13
16:9 FHD 1920*1080 13.3″
CABC is present
Matte panel
Review of panel here
AUO B133QAN02.0Similar panel as the IdeaPad S540-13
16:10 2K 2560*1600 13.3″
Webcam is sacrificed
CABC is not present
Matte panel
Review of a similar panel here
Sharp LQ125T1JW0216:9 2K 2560*1440 12.5″
Stock-sized panel
CABC is not present
Matte panel
Samsung LTN133HL10-20116:9 FHD 13.3″
CABC is not present
Matte panel
Difficult to acquire
AUO B133HAN04.616:9 FHD 13.3″
CABC is not present
Matte panel
Difficult to acquire

CABC (content adaptive brightness control) is a software feature that automatically dims the display when the displayed image is dark. It might be annoying to some users, but the Sharp display remains the superior display compared to the other 13.3″ FHD 16:9 panels in terms of color and vividness in my opinion. Click here for more info on CABC. For more information on how to remove CABC, refer to this (requires a donor XPS13 machine).

CPU

Even though the motherboard has a soldered on CPU, it can be desoldered and resoldered with another different CPU. This is due to a lack of Intel Bootguard which only affects Haswell (4th gen) CPU and later. The following CPUs are available from me.

TDP (nominal)45w35w17w13w
Custom BGA CPUi7-3615QEi7-3612QE
i7-3540m
i7-3687ui7-3689y
Stock CPUi7-3520m
i5-3380m
i5-3360m
i5-3340m
i5-3320m
CPU (C=core, T=thread)Description
i7-3615QE (45w, 4C8T)Fastest multi-threaded CPU, might get hot
i7-3612QE (35w, 4C8T)Fastest multi-threaded CPU at 35w
i7-3540m (35w, 2C4T)Fastest single-threaded CPU
i7-3687u (17w, 2C4T)Fastest 17w CPU, good balance between performance and battery
i7-3689y (13w, 2C4T)Fastest 13w CPU, good for battery only
i5-3360m (2C4T)
i5-3340m (2C4T)
Stock i5 CPU, faster than the i5-3320m
i7-3520m (2C4T)
i5-3320m (2C4T)
Stock CPUs

Technically, any CPUs that’s BGA1023 (ivy bridge) from this list can be used. If you want a custom order, I can get the CPU BGAed for you but the above CPUs are the best-in-class for their TDP.

The different wattage ratings can actually be adjusted in the unlocked BIOS (i7-3615QE can be limited to 35W). This has a good explanation of the different wattage and how they affect CPUs.

Keyboard

The keyboard has been replaced with an X220 classic keyboard. The palmrest has also been replaced with the X220 palmrest for maximum compatibility. The EC (embedded controller) has been flashed with a modified EC enabling the X220 FN keys to work with the X230 motherboard. Scroll down for more info on the EC patches and keyboard patch.

WiFi and Bluetooth

The WiFi of the X230 is upgraded to an Intel AX200 WiFi 6 compliant wireless card (fastest in the market now) and the antenna is also swapped out for an MHF4 antenna which is the M.2 WiFi antenna standard. The WiFi is converted from an M.2 key A/E to a miniPCIe port via a passive adapter. The original bluetooth is removed and adapted to an internal female USB for small peripherals such as wireless mouse receivers.

Additional mSATA

An additional mSATA 3 (6gbps) is installed onto either the palmrest or the expresscard slot. It is faster than the stock mSATA 2 (3gbps) but I do not recommend running an OS on it since it’s not battle-tested to be 100% stable. The additional board is connected to the FHD/2K adapter via an FFC cable.

Expresscard adapters

There are plenty of expresscard adapters available.

For a comparison of expresscard to USB3.0 adapters, refer to this thread here for more information. I recommend the ASM1042 controller and from personal experience, they exhibit no issues with any BIOSes or operating systems.

Another adapter is the expresscard to M.2 2242 NVMe adapter. Some preliminary benchmarks is available here. In short, sequential reads/writes may not be faster than a good SATA SSD but random 4K reads/writes are significantly faster due to the faster protocol. Even dram-less SSD is marginally faster than SATA. It is also available here if you just want to buy it alone.

Another expresscard adapter is the WiFi mod. As this is inside the chassis, antennas will need to be routed internally for the additional wireless card.

External wireless antenna

This mod adds an external antenna next to the kensington lock slot enabling superior wireless connectivity. The female SMA plug also enables bigger, powered dish antennas for pen-testing etc. As most/if not all mPCIe/M.2 PC wireless cards has at least 2 antennas, only 1 is used. The other header is still connected to the internal wireless antenna allowing a usable wireless connection even if the external antenna is detached. Pictured here is the Intel AX200 WiFi 6 with an external antenna.

Extra wireless cards

The USB bluetooth slot can be converted to a full USB based WiFi card and can be used in conjunction with the stock mPCIe WiFi card, the expresscard M.2 WiFi adapter and a mSATA to USB WiFi card. This enables a 3 or even 4 wireless card setup. Together with an external antenna, this setup can be perfect for pen-testing or multiple VM. This could even be used as a router/server/NAS with UPS.

Speaker mod

The stock speakers aren’t the greatest. With a SH1.0mm JST 4pin male connector, any viable speaker can be soldered and installed onto the machine. For now, I’ve been trying out iPad Mini speakers but honestly they’re not a huge upgrade compared to the stock speakers.

USB-C Charging

The stock barrel port can be replaced with a USB-C 3D printed port and a tiny USB-C adapter. This mod is not recommended as the stock barrel adapter is more robust and stronger than the USB-C port and a barrel to USB-C adapter is much cheaper and is still extremely light-weight. This mod on the X230 does not require any resistors as the laptop does not typically draw more than 60W.

Reinforced lid

The lid of the X330 can also be reinforced. A broken piece of an X230 lid is cut and trimmed to fit the inside of the X330 and epoxied together. The resulting lid is twice as thick and stronger than the original lid, reducing screen flex.

BIOS & Coreboot

The stock BIOS that is shipped is v2.60 and is fully patched. It is also fully compatible with 1vyrain. Alternatively, coreboot can be preinstalled and shipped as well.

EC Patch

The EC is a microcontroller that controls many key aspects of the laptop. The keyboard is also controlled via the EC. As such, making the X220 keyboard work on the X230 can be done via software, which is just what the patch is for. The Github repo contains the project to patch the EC. 2 patches are available for the X230: 1 to change the keyboard to either the X220 or the X230 layout, and another for the battery whitelist to be removed, enabling the laptop to use any batteries. Refer to this for more info on the keyboard modification and patch.

Display and brightness

Brightness can be cycled by light-pressing the power button. There is also software control which aims to restore FN brightness adjustment. The operation is simple: a USB controller is also soldered alongside the DP and SATA lanes. Commands are issued directly to the USB controller which will adjust brightness. This enables any 3rd party software to be written to control brightness on any OS. The downside is that the native FN brightness adjustment cannot be handled on the BIOS level and can only be handled by the kernel and above. The “official” software is Windows only but it’s completely open-sourced and both Linux (native Linux programme) and hackintosh variants have been written. Alternatively, you’re welcomed to write your own script to control brightness 🙂

All the downloads can be found in the software section.

55 Comments

Raul 30 March 2020 Reply

Hi,
Is there available for purchase?

Matt 30 April 2020 Reply

Where i can find the software section?

Luke 11 May 2020 Reply

Hi I’m interested in getting an x330. Are they still available? I’m in Canada.
I’m interested in 13.3″ FHD screen, and a quad core 17 cpu

Thanks!

Todd 21 June 2020 Reply

How much for the i7 3615qe with the 13fhd display and Intel ax200 awsell as the bios patch work in Canadian dollars?

Xue Yao 21 June 2020 Reply

Drop me an email and we could discuss the specs etc 🙂

ปั้มไลค์ 2 July 2020 Reply

Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.

jkepler 13 July 2020 Reply

Hello, does coreboot work with any of the CPUs, or just with the stock CPUs? I think it would work with any of them, since it’s still the same chip on the motherboard that gets flashed, right?

Xue Yao 14 July 2020 Reply

Works with all! I’ve tested coreboot with 3612qe and 3689y, all boots just fine 🙂

Pavel Sedach 17 July 2020 Reply

After the modifications, is the X330 still compatible with Lenovo Slice Batteries

e.g. Lenovo 19+ Slice Battery For Lenovo Thinkpad X220/X230 (FRU: 0A36280, 42T4904, 42T4967)

Also thank you for your help in the development and providing of these solutions!

Xue Yao 18 July 2020 Reply

Fully compatible. The only pins used from the dock are the SATA pin, 1 USB and the DVI-D. Everything else works as is.

CHORIER 29 July 2020 Reply

bONJOUR, ou acheter le X330 JE SUIS EN fRANCE

Stocker Juergen 22 September 2020 Reply

Hello, i am soooo glad i found your site.
Do you still sell parts for the x230 mod ?
I would solder it by myself but take the upper half. I would like to use the 2k mod. Do you sell the complete display assembly with all cables ?

Xue Yao 22 September 2020 Reply

Drop me an email or a DM?

Stocker Juergen 1 October 2020 Reply

Tried to mail you

malvo 28 November 2020 Reply

Hi!
On this (https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/hdyn5a/x2100_porn/fvq77br/) Reddit thread you talked about an upcoming “X3300” with 11th Gen Intel CPUs. I was just wondering whether that information in still up-to-date and if there will indeed be a crowdfunding around Christmas.
Thanks!

Xue Yao 6 December 2020 Reply

Still in the midst of planning. ETA somewhere Q1 2021.

maybe future customer 8 February 2021 Reply

How long should take from ordering to sending an display mod for X230 (16:10 with lid and display kit)

Xue Yao 9 February 2021 Reply

About 2 to 3 weeks

IN33DIT! 20 February 2021 Reply

Are these available???

Both the x330 and x210 look awesome man

Xue Yao 8 March 2021 Reply

Yes! Check out the shop page.

q3ibj8znmzs 8 April 2021 Reply

Hi!
I´m using a x230 with QE3612 QE with a standard fan. When stressing all cores 100% for 4-5 minutes the core temperature is getting much to hot (reaching 102° C).
Do you also sell a customized cooling fan (like the one you´re using @ your x2100 project) – maybe one that´s making less annoying noise than the stock fan? Or, at least, could you recommend anything to solve this issue?
Many thanks in advance!
(I´m living in Europe, Germany.)

RP 29 April 2021 Reply

Hey is there any updates we can read about the upcoming x3300 upgrade? Doesn’t look like I’ll be able to turn my x201 into an x2100

Xue Yao 3 May 2021 Reply

Still a WIP. I’ll open up a new page (probably with an updated look as well) once there’s more info 🙂

Dean Green 6 June 2021 Reply

I am looking forward to this!

ER 2 May 2021 Reply

Does the a.gain kit still allow the mini DP to be used?

Xue Yao 3 May 2021 Reply

Yes. It takes up the DVI-D port on the dock.

ntyze 14 May 2021 Reply

What refresh rates do the 2k monitor mods run at? I thought the Intel HD chip was limited to 30hz for those resolutions (more or less anything above 1920×1200).

Xue Yao 19 May 2021 Reply

The HD4000 can deliver 2560*1600 at 60Hz. Anything beyond that is less than 60Hz.

Ptim 23 May 2021 Reply

Hey do you have a newsletter?

Xue Yao 23 May 2021 Reply

Not yet. Something thats a WIP. I’m pretty new to website design and building if you can’t tell haha.

UPFFD 22 July 2021 Reply

I have already got an a.gain eDP display adapter kit for WQHD panels.
Could you tell me what cable is required to connect the kit to a WQHD panel?
The kit has a connector for flat cables to connect to a LCD panel though the version for FHD panels instead seems to have a female square connector, which is commonly found on logic boards for a laptop computer.

Xue Yao 24 July 2021 Reply

The info on the model of the panels are on the info page.

Daniel 8 August 2021 Reply

Hi! a few questions: Where does the mod board get the additional SATA from? Is it an unused connection on the X230 motherboard, eSATA from dock connector or from somewhere else?
Also, really looking forward to your custom X230 board with new CPUs, great work! I wonder if anyone will be making custom boards for the 14″ machines in the future (eg T420/T430)

Xue Yao 10 August 2021 Reply

It’s using the esata from the dock

Dylan Priest 31 August 2021 Reply

Are these still available?

Xue Yao 24 September 2021 Reply

Yes!

Dylan Priest 2 September 2021 Reply

Are there any battery benchmarks for the CPUs? How much more efficient do you think the 13W Y CPU would be compared to the stock 3320m?

Xue Yao 24 September 2021 Reply

I got about 7hrs on coreboot on a 9-cell on a 2K panel on the Y chip compared to about 5 to 6hrs on the stock chip. Running stock BIOS will enable a longer battery life for sure though.

Andy Tulett 19 September 2021 Reply

Any update on the x3300? Also would you consider it will be powerful enough to run current video editing software?

Xue Yao 24 September 2021 Reply

No updates just yet. Depends on the workload of your video honestly. I’ve edited videos on a dual core iGPU using proxy media.

hirasawa 5 October 2021 Reply

this is awesome

Michael 21 October 2021 Reply

Hi! Am I correct that using the 12.5″ 2K panel will not require ANY changes to the lid? In that case, I would only need to purchase the “2K 12.5″ kit”?

Xue Yao 4 November 2021 Reply

Yes!

Begench 5 December 2021 Reply

Hi! I’m interested in getting an x330. Are they still available? I’m from Turkmenistan. I’m interested in 16:10 2K 25601600 13.3″ or 16:9 FHD 19201080 13.3″ screen, and a quad core i7 CPU. How can i contact with you?

Baxter Hill 12 February 2022 Reply

Hey im from the midwest, USA, how can i contact you other than here about a x330?

Xue Yao 23 February 2022 Reply

Drop me an email!

Andrew Moura 8 March 2022 Reply

X230: would like mobo (advanced i5) and screen upgrade with frame reinforcement. Cost?, turn around or parts shippment time? I can install.

Xue Yao 5 April 2022 Reply

Drop me a DM!

Xue Yao 23 April 2022 Reply

DM/email me please

Matt 21 April 2022 Reply

Hello,
Is it possible to purchase the FHD adapter board on its own? I am confident in my installation abilities, but have not been able to find the PCB in stock.

Thank you for your work on these wonderful computers!!

Xue Yao 23 April 2022 Reply

Sure, please email me

Aiden 27 April 2022 Reply

Hello, does usb3 work with coreboot without the expresscard adaptor on these machine?

I currently own an i7 x220, but usb3 does not function under coreboot

Xue Yao 27 April 2022 Reply

Works perfectly!

Glenn 28 September 2022 Reply

Do you still sell the display mod adapter board for the X230?

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