Lenovo T530 Owner's Thread

For those of you who have the LG HD+ panel LP156WD1-TLB2 in their T530, do you see a purple tint in the blue color?

For example, the dark blue fonts in Windows, and the Windows 7 blue log off screen have a slight purple tint in my HD+ panel. The purple cast is more noticeable with darker blues.

 

I disagree with that. Microsoft is just manipulating the way it starts and the time it takes to see the first screen to make you feel that but they are almost the same and even if there is up to 5 seconds difference, who cares? As you mentioned, Windows 8 is still with bugs and we are not sure yet if that is due to the facts it is still a RP or may be the symptoms will continue with the final version. I personally would hold off for a while on Windows 8 and do not be hasty for the looks-good $14.99 upgrade offer.

I am not sure how much size you really need but if you think carefully and you do not need this much size at least for a couple of years, do yourself a favor and get the Samsung 830 256GB instead.

 

I personally have not seen any laptop that would not become uncomfortable after a while of using in your lap and the question is how long does it take for YOU to get uncomfortable which will differ from a machine to another and from a person to another. With this machine, I can take it on my lap for one-hour then I have to take some rest because though there is no noise or fan running al the time and even in AC, you are still getting heat vented. I would not worry at all with T530 and dual-core i7. I guess it is a magic recipe.

 

Hello!

I've been downgrading from a quadcore W530 with a Nvidia graphics chip and 4 RAM sockets to a dualcore T530 with Intel HD4000 and 2 RAM sockets only because of fan noise.

Now that I have received the T530, it turns out the fan noise problem is still there, the noise level is the same like the W530:

Every time the internal temperature sensor reaches 50 °C or so, the fan starts with about 1900 rounds/minute and then quickly goes to about 2737 rounds/minute, where it is loud. Then it takes about 20 seconds, the temperature drops to 45 °C, then the fan is switched off. Then, after maybe other 30 seconds, the cycle repeats and the fan is switched on again, ...

I have major problems with this behaviour, because:

• The fan is not running continously, but pulsating.
• The fan is running at level 1 at a much higher speed than needed, creating unnecessary noise.

The fan speeds at different levels are as follows:

• Level 0: 0 rounds/minute
• Level 1: 2737 rounds/minute
• Level 2: 2944 rounds/minute
• Level 3: 3033 rounds/minute
• Level 4: 3074 rounds/minute
• Level 5: 3597 rounds/minute
• Level 6: 3773 rounds/minute
• Level 7: 3773 rounds/minute
• Level disengaged: 4754 rounds/minute

The problem above could be solved by introducing another fan speed level between 0 rounds/minute and 2737 rounds/minute, with about 1900 rounds/minute. The reason this makes a difference is that there is a fundamental difference between laminar flow and turbulent flow, where the laminar flow makes nearly no noise and the turbulent flow makes a lot of noise, and whether an airflow is laminar or turbulent depends also on its speed.

As you can see on the observed mapping from fan speed level to fan speed, level 6 and level 7 map to the same speed. Thus, no particular fan speed would be lost if the mapping would be changed to the following:

• Level 0: 0 rounds/minute
• Level 1: 1900 rounds/minute
• Level 2: 2737 rounds/minute
• Level 3: 2944 rounds/minute
• Level 4: 3033 rounds/minute
• Level 5: 3074 rounds/minute
• Level 6: 3597 rounds/minute
• Level 7: 3773 rounds/minute
• Level disengaged: 4754 rounds/minute

The problem, however, is that, while a user can decide which fan speed level should be active at a particular time, the user cannot decide which fan speed should actually be achieved for a particular level. Thus, the user can either decide to have 0 rounds/minute (which is not particularly sustainable, because the equipment becomes hotter and hotter) or to have 2737 rounds/minute (which is not particularly sustainable either, because the user is distracted from work).

How can this be solved? I tried to disassemble the Embedded Controller Program in order to change it, but I have been unsucessful so far, because I do not know which instruction set is the correct one. It does not seem to be Renesas H8/300 (which used to be the instruction set for Embedded Controller Programs for previous ThinkPad generations).

So, I need help.

1. Does anybody know somebody who can patch the Embedded Controller Program?
2. Does anybody know somebody at Lenovo who can solve this problem?
3. Maybe there is some hidden functionality which allows to set the precise fan speed, not just the fan speed level?

This problem was not present with my previous T510 laptop. Because both W530 and T530 fail in this regard, I'm thinking about returning the T530 and looking for a different model from a different manufacturer. I'm disappointed.

 

Hi,

Can someone help me with the following please:

Current Setup:
. mStata with OS
. HD in the main drive slot

Desired Setup:
. mStata with OS
. SSD in the main drive slot
. Move HD into the optical drive bay

Questions:
. Main HD slot vs. optical drive bay slot - any speed differences?
. Can you recommend a replacement for optical drive which fits perfectly. Some have said that 9.5mm would have small gap and to use 12.5 mm encloser. Any direct link to buy the right encloser is greatly appreciated.
. SSD, best band for the buck. I am hearing Samsung 830. Any thoughts?

. Keyboard flex: can someone please tell me how to create more firmness on these new T530 keyboards? If you recommend a double tape, can you please share a link of the type of tape that you might have used.


thanks for your time and help.

 

Same SATA 6Gb/s speed.

For the T530, you need an UltraBay caddy adapter of 12.5mm height, like this one or this one.

Samsung 830 is one of the best. Crucial M4 is great, too. (Check the drive height allowance in the primary bay.)

I simply put a couple of layers of masking tape (small pieces) on the underside of the keyboard at certain spots to even out the gaps.

 

I'm just curious as to why the SSD in the main bay if you've already got the mSATA for the OS?

 

Kaso are you 100% sure that both the main HD slot and the optical drive bay slot is using 6 Gbps sata ports ?

 

103%

Main bay SATA 6Gb/s. UltraBay SATA 6Gb/s. PCIe mSATA 3Gb/s.

The QM77 chipset supports 2 SATA 6Gb/s ports and 2 SATA 3Gb/s ports. Lenovo allocates them as above because it wants to sell a second drive in the UltraBay as a configurable option.

​

 

I see a piece of foam stuck in the heat vent, near the edge of the fins. I got my T530 last week. The fins look bent near the edge, with the a piece of foam leaning on the side of the fins. It doesn't look normal for that foam to get stuck there, it's definitely a build issue. See the attached screenshot.

Should this be a concern?

Edit: Attached screenshot.

 

I have the exact same thing but I learned to live with any garbage I get...You cannot complain with the PC industry... Take it or leave it, I guess!

 

Chalk that up to poor workmanship, lousy fit-and-finish, shoddy quality control, whatever.

Not a major concern, but an annoyance, given that the laptop is brand new. Depending on your warranty, you could have someone come and fix/replace whatever necessary.

(A few years ago, my new T510 had its back vent almost fully blocked by the same kind of black foam!!!)

 

koso i just ordered a samsung 830 SSD from amazon
and i was wondering about heat

should i place the ssd in the ultra bay and the 5400rpm 500GB hard disk in the HD bay since they heat up more than ssds ?

 

Either way is fine. You can always swap them (quite easily ) when you decide to do so.

 

It looks like the foam stripped off the foam lining from the fan. This is abosultely terrible quality control for a business class laptop. Even though I had paid less, I wouldn't have expected this bad build quality.

Why didn't you use your warranty to get that covered? You paid for the laptop, so you have the right to complain.

 

I should be visiting a service center soon. I thought of returning my machine, but I would be leaving the country in a month, so I don't have much time left to wait for a replacement.

Seriously Lenovo needs to something about the poor quality control issues in business class machines.

 

I am not sure if you can use 6-cell battery with T530 with discrete graphics,,,, It has to be 9-cell because you need more energy tu use this card and the CPU, neither the W530....

I recommend you to use 9Cells and if you don´t want more than 16GB in the future, and no second hard drive, go for T530.

 

I finally got my T530. Overall I am very happy with the laptop. It is even easier to access the inside of the computer than my old T60. I changed out the ram, the main disk, added a ultrabay hd, and a msata ssd without any issues, in only a few minutes. Compared to the old-school stuff I'm used to using, the screen is gorgeous. The machine is really snappy with the I7. It is going to take me awhile to get everything set up, but it will sure be fun doing it with such a nice machine. I prefer the scissor style keyboard on the old thinkpads, but I think I will get used to the new type. It is better than the keyboards on the Dells I have had to use for work in the past. The thing runs really silent and cool too. I am so glad I got the T530 over the new X1 Carbon.

 

Sounds like fun. Which screen did you get? I am still waiting on mine. Maybe I will get it sometime next week

 

I got the FHD screen. It took mine 7 days from the time I got the shipping notification to delivery. It was worth the wait.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I am trying to be patient I thought about the FHD but opted for the 1600x900. I hope that I will be happy with it. If not I may get the FHD and put in myself. The accessibility you mentioned is one of the reasons I went with Lenovo. It seems that you can pretty much replace or access everything. How have you found the keyboard? Some have complained about flex and being to dissimilar from the old IBM style.

 

Hey,

I will be running a lot of VMs on this laptop (Win8 + HyperV = dream team ). So i want to run my main OS from the mSATA and the VMs off the SSD. Then carry any extra needed stuff on the HD.

BTW, anyone has any experience with running multiple VMs off the SSD. Is running VMs off the SSD and wear tear an overblown issue or is there any concrete truth behind avoiding it.

 

You can use the SSD for anything you want. All devices are subject to wear and tear (and negligence and abuse). Make best use of them to serve your needs, while making regular backups. (You make backups religiously, do you? )

 

I figured I would give an update to my experiences with my new T530 this week.

I have noticed people complaining about palm-rest-flex, but I notice none. My old T60 had a considerable amount, although it wasn't something that bothered me.

The keyboard has really grown on me. I think I type faster than I have before.

I installed Slackware -current Linux without incident. Everything "just worked" out of the box. The machine is a real beast at compiling software too (16GB of ram helps .)

Virtual machines with both Windows 7 and Linux as the host work wonderfully. It is nice to be able to allocate a good amount of ram for each vm.

So far the machine has mostly exceeded my expectations, my only complaint is with volume level. The volume level is a lot lower than my T60. The T60 has a much higher volume level with Linux than windows, but the same isn't true with the new machine. At full volume the sound is barely audible. I will continue to search for a solution to boosting the volume.

People have made comments that the build quality is less than even the days that my T60 was produced, but I don't see it. The machine is better built than my T60 as far as I can tell. Lenovo has managed to keep me as a very happy customer.

 

It's been a bit over ten days since I got this laptop. It's doing pretty well but I do not know what to expect since this is my first new laptop. A couple things bug me which include the inconsistency of the battery indicator and the lack of a numpad. I can live without the numpad but can someone show me how to write alt codes on this keyboard?

 

so I have a T530 on order... Est Ship day was yesterday but they're apparently facing supply issues and my order's been delayed [anyone with the same issue?]

I also have a Sandisk Extreme 240gb that I got last week but I'm wondering if I should swap it out for an M4 / samsung 830 or intel 320, thoughts?

 

Yeah, don't know what the exact supply bottleneck is, but orders got delayed within the last 2~3 weeks.

If possible, switch to either Crucial M4 or Samsung 830. (If you're planning a boot SSD + data HDD scheme, you might not need a SSD that big. Just a thought.)

 

have orders just been stuck in production or have they pushed some orders out?

I've got a m4 in my w520 right now but I've had to tinker with with mapping program directories and certain files associations to my old hdd in my ultrabay and it's gotten to be a mess... I'm hoping to start from scratch on the T530 with a decent size drive and skip the hassle this time around and besides the 240gb cost less than what I originally paid for the 128gb M4!

did some research on the 830, Extreme and M4 and they seem neck and neck... but I keep reading about the 830 everywhere, so having second thoughts.

 

Okay, thought I would pipe in again after using the laptop more consistently in the past few weeks. It's a workhorse. I love that about it compared to the old Dell 1555. It runs absolutely silent. (That might be because I run off an SSD, data only on the HD.) I guess I don't stress it a lot because I don't play games but even the old Dell would heat up and this one stays very cool. The keyboard is easy to type on but it turns out that what I am missing most of all are decent up/down and error keys. Plus the end key in a convenient spot. On the Dell they are all on the right of enter buttons in a vertical line. On the T530, the up/down/arrows keys are too tiny and not ergonomically placed. In fact I would say this is not a good keyboard if you have ergonomic issues, which I do. But for me it just means I use it most of the time in the docking station which is also a dream for me. I love finally having everything plugged into one place. The laptop pops in and out very easily.

I'm very happy with the T530 and would recommend it to others. (Keeping in mind that I did dink with a few things, took out the optical drive and replaced it with a 1T hard drive. Took out the existing HD and replaced it with a Samsung SSD.)

 

Hi all:

I'm very very excited to join the T530 owners club. I just wanted to ask for advice before I hit submit on my order. I will be using my laptop for Computer Science work at school, as owners do you think theres more of a benefit for the FHD screen or upgrading to the i7-3720QM from a i5-3360M. Thanks for your opinions.

 

Intel comparison table here.

If you can pinpoint your daily applications that explicitly require all 4 cores and 8 threads then, yes, you must definitely need the i7 QM.

On the other hand, if you're considering the QM because you kinda feel that it kinda will provide some extra juice then, well, the FHD 1920x1080 screen may provide more palpable benefits.

(Compiling CS assignment projects can be done on older CPUs without any problems! Did they create Facebook with Ivy Bridge quad-core CPUs? )

Finally, if HD+ 1600x900 is good enough for you, use the money for RAM and SSD upgrades (and a good-quality backpack).

 

Thank you, I'm going to go with the FHD. I can't wait

 

I'm not sure if I'll ever need to, but I would like to know how to type alt code characters such as accented letters, since there is no numpad. Is it not possible on this laptop?
Also, what's a good laptop backpack? I have a North Face Angstrom 30 that has a laptop slot but I feel is not very cushioned. The backpack is also smaller than what I see when I look it up online.

 

This guide by Microsoft may be helpful.

I've been using a Targus A7 Commuter Backpack (TSB200US) and am happy with it. I would also recommend the Targus 16" Expedition Backpack (TSB229US) and the Targus 16" Shift Plus Backpack (TSB281US).

It depends on what you like and need, on top of durability. (I like lots of room and different partitions and hidden pockets. )

 

Wow. I didn't know you could do that. So for my Spanish final I memorized many combos on the alt-numpad when I could've done this! Thanks, and thanks for the backpack recommendations too!

 

Guys, is the 1920x1080 upgrade worth the $200 increase from the 1600x900?

 

I have not seen the 1600x900 in person, but I am sure glad I got the 1920x1080. I am thrilled by the screen every time I sit down to use it. I guess it really depends on your budget. I got over 5 years of use out of my previous Thinkpad, so spending a little extra on one is worth it to me because I know I will get my money's worth in the long run.

 

Would you please share your configuration particularly the CPU and graphics card?

 

She posted it here a while back.

Processor - Intel Core i7-3820QM Processor (8M Cache, up to 3.70 GHz)
System graphics - NVIDIA NVS 5400M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory

 

I am not sure if this is the right way to put it but take it from someone who worked on both for quite a while on the T530. The FHD is super nice but the HD+ is still excellent depending on the type of work you do, your eyesight and your budget. Let's keep the budget at the end of the priorities because you seem to be willing to pay for the upgrade if it worth it. The FHD is very crisp and sharp and it is a very large real estate. However, the text is too tiny (at least for me) and if you are not having a sharp eyesight, you will have much strain on your eyes and you will be bothered in no time which will overweight the beauty of the display. If this is not a problem for you at all and you are willing to pay the money, then it's definitely worth it. If you are having a poor eyesight, the HD+ is still excellent and has a very good real estate for a 15" display and very bright and still sharp and crisp. It's your call...I guess

 

Thanks, Kaso. Susan, you should not have purchased the 8GB RAM upgrade. Lenovo steals your money on that one and this upgrade is like $20 aftermarket and takes less than a minute to do it. Anywya, you already did but just a tip for the future.

 

So her machine has quadcore and Nvidia AND is silent?
I don't understand...

 

I had the same exact comment/concern but did not want to say it not to make people feel bad or worried about their machine. But honestly, I have tried this configuration and I know for sure that it is not by any means a SILENT machine. I may believe that if it is a dual-core with dGPU or better with only Intel HD4000 but cannot believe the SILENT thing with the quad-core and dGPU.

 

an awesome offer from amazon,

Crucial 256 GB m4 for164$ but it looks like it is not the 7mm version so we cant use it with t530

Amazon.com: Crucial 256 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT256M4SSD2: Electronics

 

Are you kidding me? You can definitely use this one with the T530. Go ahead for it if you want, it is a great deal and please, edit your post because it can be used. T530 is not a slim machine, my friend

 

Are u sure pchome because in the site of crucial it says that it is not compatible... I want to buy it so bad.. CT256M4SSD2 - 256GB, 2.5-inch Solid State Drive , from Crucial.com

 

That is definitely a mistake. I have tried it myself before I get the Samsung 830 but it worked just fine. You may not just need the rubber bands since it is not so slim. Other members would probably jump in a moment and confirm that to you. You can also check the compatibility with the W530 and it will say compatible knowing that the chassis of the W530 is the EXACT one for the T530 and just again, I have tried it myself. One more thing if you are still worried, Amazon return policy is great, so no worries... go for it.

 

thanks, I just ordered it!

 

Enjoy it

 

My T530 came with a 7mm caddy, so a 9.5mm will not fit in that caddy, but the 9.5mm caddy from my T60 fits just fine.