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retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

X200/X201/X220 (including equivalent tablet models) and X300/X301 Series
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yorgasor
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retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#1 Post by yorgasor » Wed Oct 19, 2011 11:49 pm

I have an x200 that I absolutely love, but has since kicked the bucket :( Everything is in great shape, it just won't power on anymore and I assume the mobo has died. Now, I could try to buy another x200 mobo to repair it, but if the chassis is compatible with the x201, I'd really like the upgrade to an i7 cpu. I'm looking at replacing it with the 63Y2067 or 63Y2066 motherboard with the i7-620m cpu (I can't really tell the difference between the two) for $400 on ebay.

Is this something that's pretty straightforward? Just pop one out and insert the other? The diagrams in the service manual look very similar, but still slightly off. I was curious if anyone has tried it or otherwise has first hand knowledge.

X32
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#2 Post by X32 » Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:35 pm

I haven't done this with x200/x201 but I did exactly same thing with x31 and x32 MB. It was pretty straightforward replacement. So if the chassis are the same then go for it. By the way there was no need to remove LCD in order to fit MB. And of cource you will need to do a fresh install of the OS.
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yorgasor
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#4 Post by yorgasor » Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:39 am

Well, I completed the upgrade. The motherboard fit perfectly, although I think there are a couple less screw holes in the x201 mobo. I had to buy a new wifi card because the x200 wifi card wasn't on the x201 whitelist. I also found the perfect, new HV121WX4-120 IPS panel for it. The screen now looks absolutely beautiful. If only I could use the other mini PCIe slot for an SSD like you can with the x220, this would then be perfect. The only original parts left are just the frame of the laptop now :)

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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#5 Post by lead_org » Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:18 am

Nice stuff. I was going to do the same thing, until i got to use my friend's X201 with the i5 CPU, it ran pretty hot under load.
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#6 Post by ThinkRob » Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:28 pm

lead_org wrote:Nice stuff. I was going to do the same thing, until i got to use my friend's X201 with the i5 CPU, it ran pretty hot under load.
Yeah, the first-gen mobile Core i chips are a bit power-hungry compared to Sandy Bridge. Too bad the X220's got a different planar design...
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#7 Post by Cunha » Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:01 pm

Its mainly too bad x200 machines don't have any digitalvideo out.
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#8 Post by lead_org » Tue Nov 01, 2011 12:04 am

The x200 ultrabase has a displayport out.
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sonysg
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#9 Post by sonysg » Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:46 pm

Good feedback~ :D I thinks this is also applicable to x200s to x201s i7 board

I mean this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-LENOVO-X201 ... 20bc37cfa3
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Atomius
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#10 Post by Atomius » Sat Dec 24, 2016 6:45 am

Hi there,

sorry for bumping such an old Thread, I just wanted to know if some kind of retrofitting is possible for the x200 Tablet (x200t)?

I allready found Mainboard 63Y2074 but the ports doesn't seem to fit in the basecovery (one USB to much no hole for it).

Is there something I can do about this, or is there another Mainboard with a faster CPU than the SU6900?

Thanks a lot.

Merry Christmas ;)

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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#11 Post by RealBlackStuff » Sat Dec 24, 2016 7:11 am

Welcome to the forum.
AFAIK the 63Y2074 motherboard is from a regular non-tablet X201s.
The regular X200/X201 mobos do NOT fit in tablet chassis and v.v.
I suggest you download the X200/X201 and X200T/X201T manuals from the HMM link at the top of this page.
The X20x series have absolutely oodles of motherboards between them.
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)

Atomius
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#12 Post by Atomius » Sun Dec 25, 2016 12:52 pm

Thank you for your fast reply, record speed during holidays :D

After looking in the manual for x201 and x200t I found the mainboard 63Y2086 which does not have the additional USB next to the VGA. Would this board fit into the housing?

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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#13 Post by RealBlackStuff » Sun Dec 25, 2016 2:12 pm

Like I said before, a tablet mobo will only fit in a tablet chassis and a non-tablet mobo will only fit in a non-tablet chassis.

geminisdigital
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#14 Post by geminisdigital » Sun Feb 19, 2017 7:48 pm

Hi i from argentina. I have a mother x200 and display x201. They are compatible?? NOTE: i am making a experiment. Bye 8)

axur-delmeria
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#15 Post by axur-delmeria » Mon Feb 20, 2017 12:49 am

^ It's easier to transfer the entire LCD assembly (screen, cover, bezel, cable, etc.) from the X201 to the X200.
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mbacou
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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#16 Post by mbacou » Sun Jun 25, 2017 7:04 am

Old thread but still relevant!
I have a 5-year-old X200 chassis that was already fitted with an i7-620m board and IPS display (thanks to a very nice eBay vendor). It's still running strong, but given its age and heavy use I'm a little worried the board might give up any time.

Is there any i7 board that would still fit this X200 but also support over 8GB RAM (for data crunching)? Also what board part number should I look for in case I need to replace in a hurry?

Thanks everyone, --Mel.

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Re: retrofitting x201 motherboard into an x200

#17 Post by RealBlackStuff » Sun Jun 25, 2017 8:08 am

As mentioned above, get the X200 manual from the HMM link above.
It has all the part numbers you need.
No mobo with 16GB RAM for that model.
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)

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