In an effort to keep my X230 snappy for a few more years until I find/make a newer laptop to my liking, I finally caved in and bought an i7-3612QE board. Posting some observations and thoughts based on the questions I had prior to buying. Previous CPU was the i5-3320M.
Setup
- Debian 12
- XFCE
- 16GB DDR3L
- Two SSDs
- Hyper-threading disabled
- 1vyrain BIOS with classic keyboard EC patch
Performance
- Not literally twice as fast, but the improvement is quite noticeable
- CPU no longer seems to struggle while loading Javascript-laden websites
- Rarely hits 100% CPU usage, even on Youtube (sadly bloated enough to be a sort of benchmark)
- Single-core tasks are only slightly better than before
Thermals
- High 40s at idle to mid 60s when busy
- Feels cooler compared to previous CPU, which I assume is due to the CPU usage being lower across all tasks.
- Did not upgrade to the AVC cooler. Toshiba cooler works well and is quiet as ever.
Battery
- About 4.5 hours of office tasks and light browsing from full to empty with an aftermarket 55 Wh 6-cell at 98% health
- Wattage in the mid 9’s at idle with brightness at a comfortable level for a well-lit room. Increase from low 8’s with the i5-3320M.
- When doing actual work, wattage hovers from 11 to 15 watts
- 16 to 18 watts watching Youtube videos
- SLT1 IPS display does consume ~1 W more than TN. I installed tlp but left it on default settings.
- 65W Lenovo charger only works when in sleep mode or shut down. In normal use, however, it will not draw the full 65 W. A 90 W charger or a 65 W GaN charger that the X230 believes is 90 W will both work (my 65 W GaN charger worked well and did not overheat, YMMV)
Other
- Make sure to enlarge the cutout on the black sticker on the underside of the cooler since the 3612QE die is larger
- EC flashing will require a 90 W charger or a 65 W GaN that the X230 believes is 90 W.
- Factory CPUs have BGA package underfill. I have not checked for myself, but it is likely that the upgraded CPU does not have underfill. This should not affect day-to-day use, but the lack of underfill will make the BGA solder joints more susceptible to fall and vibrational damage. Liquid may get trapped underneath in the event of a spill.
Value
- With shipping and taxes, the upgrade costs about 200 USD and takes 2 hours. The total cost-to-date on my X230 built from parts is around 500 USD.
- Do not think of this upgrade in terms of how much performance you get for the price. Think of it like upgrading and daily-driving a classic car. If it brings you joy to daily drive an X230 as it does for me, then it may be worth it.
superb write-up. yeah, the price tag is absolutely eye-watering levels and the classic car is an apt analogy. if you’re not an tinkerer/enthusiast, don’t even think about something like this. I got a T14 Gen1 AMD with a busted screen for $100 even, with original battery, that thing runs circles around this Ivy and is like half the heft, despite 14" > 12".
200 USD is eye watering? Sure you can get a better newer complete machine for less, but that’s more a case of used thinkpads being cheap rather than this being expensive IMO. Seems like a deal to me, given that you’re paying for parts (mobo + cpu, which also need sourcing), BGA soldering and shipping.
that’s exactly why I use an old thinkpad, they’re much more solid than newer ones and are a lot more modular/durable/easy to repair because every component is bulkier.