Is it worth repairing my X220 anymore? Only 1USB port half works, thats the main issue.. plus the others

[RoamingAndy]

My x220 was a project computer i put a lot of work into a few years ago and has served me very faithfully. Now it's got multiple issues and i wonder if its worth fixing anymore. I maxed out the RAM, added two SSD's and found a new OEM battery to get 11hrs battery life (when it's pretty much not doing anything).

The main issue is the USB ports. It got left in the rain for a few hours by a volunteer who i asked to put it somewhere safe... with a bit of work it did come back to life, but the USB ports have been knackered since. Only one works and not at full capacity. I've looked at fixing them but it sounds like its easy to mess up the motherboard and is fiddly.

Add to that annoying issues like the battery not seating properly and so it switches off. the palm rest broke so i've replaced it thee times now i think, but the Chinese ones use cheap plastic so they never last long. The screen is a bit worn from rubbing on the keyboard.. without the other issues i'd probably get the HD upgrade, and then it could probably also use a new fan.

At this point i want to fix it but i'm just not sure i can justify the time cost, and the USB's scare me. From reading about it i think its too likely i'd damage the motherboard.

What would you do? Any success stories replacing USB ports? I think the battery seats in the casing have worn down so that makes fixing the lose battery quite a challenge too as there is clear space allowing the connectors to come away from each other. Is there anywhere in Europe (i'm in the Netherlands) who specialize in reasonably priced X220 repairs?

[RealBlackStuff]

The easiest solution would probably be to replace the motherboard.
Get the illustrated X220 manual from the HMM link above.
If you get a mobo with i7 CPU, it will have 1 USB3.0 port and 2 USB2.0 ports, all other mobos have 3 USB2.0 ports.
As for the battery: if a slider is broken off, just use some black electricians tape to keep it in place.

[WarhawkCZ]

You can also get a x230 mobo and put it into the x220 chassis. Just see the link in my signature (x225 Frankenpad).

[RoamingAndy]

If the easiest solution is a new motherboard, and I need a new casing and screen, I'm kinda at the point where I'm pushing it a bit to get it back to a good daily laptop.

Also mine is an i7 which would I expect is more expensive.

Thanks for your replies though

[axur-delmeria]

1. Buy another one of the same model and transfer the working parts like RAM, HDD and/or SSD

2. Buy a different model that can use as much of the same transferable parts.

Those are the options that come to mind.

[wujstefan]

If the easiest solution is a new motherboard, and I need a new casing and screen, I'm kinda at the point where I'm pushing it a bit to get it back to a good daily laptop.

Also mine is an i7 which would I expect is more expensive.

Thanks for your replies though

Well it's a mater of nostalgia.

I'd personally swap to X230, fix it with the bios update (due to unstable UEFI), and live happily. You can use up all the components (incl. screen, battery, ram, SSD, and - after a mod - also keyboard, palmrest and KB bezel.

i5-3320m > i7-2620m.

[WarhawkCZ]

i5-3320m > i7-2620m.

Yes!

An the official support for windows 10, if this matters. EC controller mod is necessary for the x220 battery compatibility.

[w0qj]

fyi, we also have a unit of X230 (2306-2CB) with i5 CPU.

It has a total of three (3) USB ports, as follows:
~The two on the left hand side is USB 3.0
~The one on the right hand side is USB 2.0

i5-3210M (2.5 GHz), HDD, 12.5" 1366x768 TFT LCD (200 nits),
Intel HD Graphics, 802.11bgn, Bluetooth, 1GB Ethernet LAN, Camera,
Fingerprint Reader, 6c Li-Ion
~Win7 Home Premium 64-bit (upgraded to Win10 Home since then)

...I'd personally swap to X230, fix it with the bios update (due to unstable UEFI)... You can use up all the components (incl. screen, battery, ram, SSD, and - after a mod - also keyboard, palmrest and KB bezel.

i5-3320m > i7-2620m.