Update or change

[davide445]

Own a 2011 old Lenovo x220, with 8GB RAM, 320GB HDD changed in 2012, Win7Pro, last year I changed the IPS display, added a 256GB mSATA SSD as boot drive, changed the battery. Using it for web, Office, Visio, light DTP, is working fine for my needs.

But: the SSD (a cheap MydigitalSSD BP4) is giving me problems periodically with chdisk forced at boot checking and finding corrupted records, CrystalDiskInfo says the HDD is at risk, the chassis has small breaks, the battery is probably mis-calibrated and create uncommanded shutdown with 1.5h last autonomy.

Wondering if make sense to just change the HDD and have a quality 500GB SSD and maybe reinstall Win7 (never done, with a lot of programs installed/uninstalled in the meantime), or I'm at risk even if the components need to be all high quality. Maybe the mSATA is working badly, the overheating CPU is creating problems, or something else that is coming from the age.

I'm not interested into more performances and the substitute x270 is not so different, didn't want to invest without any reason.

 

[corkyg]

Changing the SSD is a good move. I have done it with an older Thinkpad than yours, and it meets all my needs. If, you decide to replace the machine in the future, the SSD can always be moved to the new one.

 

[davide445]

@corkyg this is my first idea, but I'm just wondering if I'm playing with a dying machine, and need to be scared using it for work.
Just thinking if apart obviously the disks there are other components that normally start failing after 6 years of intensive work, even in a high quality build machine such as the Thinkpad.

 

[corkyg]

In addition to the HDD for SSD swap, I also added an Ultrabay adapter and have a second 560 GB SSD for data. There have been no signs of problems - the T510 is built like a tank. I would replace it today if the new ones were not so locked up and difficult to change drives and memory. So, it will just keep keeping on.

 

[Valantar]

I would replace the SSD and battery. Unless the PC has seen extreme physical abuse, it should be okay. My X201 is a year or two older than your laptop, and is still in perfect working condition, even if the rubberized paint on the bottom is worn off in quite a few spots. I use it as my work PC, and while I am starting to feel the need for an upgrade, it's still perfectly fine.

Of course, the PC needs care and maintenance like anything else - I would recommend a complete teardown and cleanout (including replacing the thermal paste on the CPU) if it hasn't already been done.

The only components in a PC that really "wear out" unless it's constantly overheating are liquid electrolytic capacitors, which are rarely used in laptops (especially something built to last, like a ThinkPad). Other stuff might wear out, but it's rare.