Lenovo ThinkPad 11e (AMD)

Welcome to the official Lenovo ThinkPad 11e (AMD) thread! This will be an ongoing and developing community for all owners, and potential owners, of this rugged little PC.​

As some of you may or may not be aware of, recently a very popular frontpage deal posted at slickdeals (Adorama via eBay), which ended on 12/3/2015, on this particular model sold all 4,000 units at $195 each! This was simply a fantastic price for the quality and features this laptop provides. It came as no surprise that it sold all units so well especially at such a deep discount. I purchased one and cannot wait to start tinkering with my new 11e.



Lenovo ThinkPad 11e (AMD) Support Home

Lenovo ThinkPad 11e (AMD) User Guide

Lenovo ThinkPad 11e (AMD) Hardware Maintenance Manual

Lenovo ThinkPad 11e (AMD) FRU List


Lenovo ThinkPad 11e (AMD) Specifications

Operating System:

• Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
• Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit
• Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
• Linux 64-bit

Beema SoC APU (AMD64 x86-64 Puma micro-architecture):

• AMD A4-6210 1.8 GHz 4C/4T 2MB L2 Cache 64-bit 28 nm 15 W TDP
• AMD E2-6110 1.5 GHz 4C/4T 2MB L2 Cache 64-bit 28 nm 15 W TDP
• AMD E1-6010 1.35 GHz 2C/2T 1MB L2 Cache 64-bit 28 nm 10 W TDP

Integrated Graphics (GCN 1.1):

• AMD Radeon™ R3 Graphics 512 MB 600 MHz Processor Clock 800 MHz Memory Clock 128-bit Memory Bus Width 8 ROPs 128 Unified Shaders
  
• AMD Radeon™ R2 Graphics 512 MB 500 MHz Processor Clock 800 MHz Memory Clock 128-bit Memory Bus Width 8 ROPs 128 Unified Shaders
  
• AMD Radeon™ R2 Graphics 512 MB 350 MHz Processor Clock 667 MHz Memory Clock 128-bit Memory Bus Width 8 ROPs 128 Unified Shaders

Memory (single channel IMC):

• 2, 4, 8 GB PC3-12800 DDR3L 1600 MHz 1.35/1.5 V 64-bit SDRAM 204-pin SODIMM
• 2, 4, 8 GB PC3-12800 DDR3L 1600 MHz 1.35/1.5 V 64-bit SDRAM 204-pin SODIMM
• 2, 4, 8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3L 1333 MHz 1.35/1.5 V 64-bit SDRAM 204-pin SODIMM

Storage:

• 2.5" 7mm SATA III 320, 500 GB 7200 RPM HDD with Active Protection System, or 128 GB SSD

Display:

• 11.6" / 294.64mm HD 1366x768, anti-glare, LED backlight, 200/220 nits, 16:9 aspect ratio, 500:1 contrast ratio, TN

Hinge:

• Normal hinge, 180 degree

Camera:

• HD 720p resolution, low light sensitive, fixed focus

Audio:

• HD Audio, Realtek ALC283 codec, Dolby Advanced Audio v2 / stereo speakers, 2W x 2 / monaural digital microphone, combo audio/mic jack

Wireless (WLAN/Bluetooth):

• 802.11ac, ThinkPad 11ac, 2x2, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth combo adapter, M.2 card, ThinkPad ac/a/b/g/n Wireless BT Combo (2x2 AC & BT4.0)

Ethernet (LAN):

• Realtek RTL8111GUS-CG Gigabit NIC

Control Buttons:

• Power button, volume control button

Keyboard:

• ThinkPad Windows keyboard, 6-row, multimedia Fn keys

Touchpad:

• Buttonless touchpad below keyboard, multi-touch

Input / Output ports:

• HDMI 1.4, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 (powered), 4-in-1 reader (MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC), RJ-45

AC adapter:

• 45W, 20 V DC, 2/3-pin

Battery:

• Integrated Removable Lithium Polymer 4-cell (35Wh) 6.6 hr, MM2012: 6.5 hrs (up to 8 hours idle)

Environment:

• EPEAT Silver; ENERGY STAR 6.1; RoHS-compliant

Security:

• Power-on password, hard disk password, supervisor password, security keyhole,

Security chip:

• Trusted Platform Module 1.2, TCG 1.2-compliant
• AMD Secure Processor, AMD Platform Security Processor 1.0 Device, ARM Cotex A-5, ARM TrustZone® technology

Mil-Spec test:

• MIL-STD-810G military certification

Case Material:

• PolyCarbonate/Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (PC/ABS) plastic

Dimensions (W x D x H):

• 11.81 x 8.50 x 0.88" / 299.97 x 215.90 x 22.35mm

Weight:

• 3.3 lbs with 4-cell battery, 3.3lbs / 1.50kg

Warranty:

• 1 Year Depot or Carry-in

Compatible Parts:

• OEM SSD - Samsung PM851 MZ7LF120HCHP-000L1 128 GB SSD SATA III 2.5" 7mm, Toshiba HG6 Series
• OEM HDD - HGST, Seagate ST500LM021-1KJ152, Toshiba 320, 500 GB 7200 RPM
• OEM RAM - Hynix/Hyundai HMT451S6BFR8A-PB, Hyundai Electronics HMT451S6BFR8A-PB (Serial Number: 2A95EB5E) 4 GB PC3-12800 CL 11 DDR3L 1600 MHz 1.35 V 64-bit SDRAM 204-pin SODIMM
• OEM WLAN NIC - Broadcom AC BCM43XAC3 M.2 (5G WiFi 2-Stream 802.11ac Transceiver BCM4352)
• OEM LCD - AUO B116XTN02.3, INX N116BGE-EA2
• Samsung 850 EVO 256 GB SSD
• Kingston HyperX Impact Black HX316LS9IB/8 8 GB PC3-12800 CL 9 DDR3L 1600 MHz 1.35 V 64-bit SDRAM 204-pin SODIMM

​

Maybe this will help you decide if the program in question is of any value to you. I found this list in the Lenovo ThinkPad 11e (AMD) User Guide:

Under construction... (12/19/2015)

 

I bought 2 and am therefore invested in getting these to be the best they can be!

Single thread Passmark is 695 which is important in several scenarios.

First thing I plan to do is to create a restore image on a USB stick, then try an upgrade to Win 10. This way, I can go back to Win 7 Pro if needed. Then install Lenovo utilities since I've found them useful in all the Thinkpads I've used to date including my daily driver X1 Carbon.

One owner has suggested downgrading the Win 7 Broadcom WiFi driver to 3.6 to get stability. Note that the WiFi card is the newer M.2 form factor, sometimes described as NGFF.

I have SSDs from BF that I can install but am in the market for 8GB DDR3L sticks

 

Thanks for making this thread. I have also bought 2 from the Adorama sale.
Will read everyones future post on how to upgrade.

 

I ordered one of these as well. Looking forward to see what everyone does with theirs!

 

I recently picked up a previous gen x140e mainly because of the price i was getting it for, and also for the trackpoint and separate left/right mouse buttons. When I saw how much the 11e was going for I couldn't resist on picking up a second. Planning on thoroughly checking both versions out and then decide on which one to keep. Definitely planning on upgrading the RAM to 8gb and possibly an SSD.

 

I got one of these from the woot sale, only difference is it has a 120gb SSD instead of the 500gb HDD.

Just arrived today, did a little playing around. Reset windows to see if that would clear off the pre-installed junk, no luck. I'm going to just do a fresh install from the windows 10 upgrade tool on a USB stick, just nuking all the stock partitions and starting fresh.

I don't think I will be awake long enough for it to finish though, so won't be able to report the results until tomorrow.

 

Fresh install from usb worked great. It was missing a few device drivers initially, but windows update picked all of them up. By default, it seems to have installed the good 3.6 wifi driver. Nice clean system now without any of the lenovo crapware.

Cleaned up the start screen, removing all the silly live tiles I never use. Installed chrome, edge browser is a pretty nice upgrade over the old IE but it doesn't have all the features I need.

I'm going to install the latest compatible driver from AMD as I think the default windows video driver is somewhat dated.

 

Hi all, thank you for creating this forum, I have done some research on the Internet and i have several newbie questions, any help would be appreciated.
I plan on installing ssd to replace the hdd and ultimately install window 10.
Do I create a recovery USB on window 7 before I do any upgrade or changing hard drive; or should I update to window 10, create USB recovery, then change the HDD to SDD?

 

Hi, when you did the fresh install from the USB, how did you not install the lenovo 'crapware'? Sorry for the newbie question, it has been years since I have to install windows.

 

I created a Windows 10 install USB by using the Media Creation Tool

I then used that USB to install windows 10, (interrupt the normal boot and choose to boot from usb), and in the process I deleted all the existing hard disk partitions.

Then I just never bothered to install the lenovo stuff, as I don't think it's needed. Windows update found drivers for everything, seems to be working relatively well.

Only one issue so far - I see a "system and compressed memory" process in task manager that never seems to go idle, always using 3-7% CPU. I suspect this would be terrible for battery life, so I'm trying to figure out why this is happening and see if I can fix it.

 

Can this computer handle Win 10 very well? Will it eat up the ram?

 

1.1 / 3.4GB RAM in windows 10 with nothing running. Looks like the GPU consumes about 600MB of RAM.

With multiple chrome tabs, edge browser, and netflix going all at once, memory is at 2.2/3.4.

Overall it's fine. The "system and compressed memory" process CPU usage is still annoying me though, nothing I do seems to reduce it.

 

So would you recommend Win 10 over the Win 7 Pro?

 

What's the exact SSD brand and model? I'd like to add it to the specs and know a little bit more about it.

Did yours come with Windows 10 Pro 64-bit preinstalled? The media creation tool is a lifesaver! It'll automatically read the product key from the BIOS UEFI and select the correct version to install.

I really like the Lenovo System Update utility as it updates Lenovo drivers and applications. I don't consider it bloatware.

Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

 

Me too.

 

I've posted this on slickdeals but am duplicating here in case people find it useful.

Here is a good background article on the role of memory characteristics including rank

http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/ddr3memoryfrequencyguide.aspx

As for performance implications, it depends on whether the BIOS will ratchet up to the tightest timings the DIMM's SPID will support and the workload being benchmarked.

My own view is that I did not buy this to be a screaming performer so memory size (to accommodate lots of open tabs in Chrome) rather than speed is my upgrade goal.

 

Could you run something like http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html and report on the memory timings of the included DRAM?

Thanks.

 

Does this notebook have 2 ram memory slots or just 1? I also saw one reviewer on Amazon state that they had installed 16 GB of Ram on this machine without any problems. Somewhere on the web I read that it could take 32 GB of Ram. Any feedback on installing 8 GB versus 16 GB or even 32 GB on this machine? I have installed ram and memory on my current laptop and am thinking of taking the 750 GB 7500 Hard Drive out of it and putting it in my new machine. Any feedback on how to accomplish this and still have my old computer as a backup still loaded with files? I do take a lot of photos and videos. I just want the new machine to run fast and not be bogged down.

 

As per the Hardware Maintenance Manual, it has only one DIMM slot.

Both Crucial and Kingston say only the 8GB DIMM is compatible
http://www.kingston.com/us/memory/search/Default.aspx?DeviceType=19&Mfr=LEN&Line=ThinkPad&Model=94044&Description=Kingston_System_Specific_Memory_for_Lenovo_ThinkPad_11e_(2nd_Gen)_AMD

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Lenovo/thinkpad-11e-(2nd-gen)

8GB will work; 16GB or larger might work.

 

Here are the results: http://imgur.com/Jp92ziW

The SSD for the woot deal version of the 11e is a "Samsung mz7lf120hchp-000l1"

 

So the memory is programmed as a DDR3@1600MHz with CL=11. OP, could you add this to the spec?

FWIW, Crucial has memory with CL=9 at this frequency

Could you take a screenshot of the tab marked SPD? It will show the other memory timings supported by the supplied memory.

Thanks.

 

http://imgur.com/aaPgt1h

And this is the issue I mentioned above: http://imgur.com/5EKGxJ9

 

Im worried. A guy at slickdeals said it was super hideous and I bought it for my fiance for a christmas gift -_-

 

So memory is running at its fastest rating. Unfortunately, AMD does not publish its specs so I don't know if faster memory will be utilized without actually trying it.

Regarding your problem, it shows that Windows is spending CPU cycles compressing unused but allocated portions of memory rather than swapping it out to disk. Since you have only 33% of memory utilized, that seems like an odd thing to be doing.

 

It's very utilitarian... not a thing of beauty, but not ugly exactly. It's a matte textured device- it's not shiny and smooth like some glossy laptops. Which some might call ugly, but it also prevents it from getting covered with fingerprints.

On the other hand, it feels very solid and sturdy, not flimsy at all like many cheap netbooks.

The screen is not so great, but compared to other netbooks in it's price range you shouldn't be expecting much. I think it's pretty good for the price.

 

My Acer Aspire V5-122P shows the same thing in Task Manager; System and compressed memory using the most CPU (8-23%) and Memory (15% 27.5 MB). And this is with only Task Manager open, no other programs open, no internet connection, using AC adapter, batteries fully charged, all radios ON, backlit keyboard ON, screen brightness 100%, sound 20%, Radeon Crimson video and chipset drivers, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 10568.

What specs does AMD not publish? Here it mentions the max memory speeds for these Beema APUs is 1600 MHz. The top end A6-6310, A8-6410 top out at 1866 MHz. I would like to buy 2133 MHz RAM to test out on Beema/Mullins and Carrio/Carrizo-L knowing their max speeds probably won't go any higher than what AMD has already published. I'm in no rush to do so, I've got 1600 MHz RAM already and no other AMD APU that can use anything faster.


Personally I've used and owned a 14" ThinkPad E425 which I upgraded to a 45W AMD A8-3510MX and I'ved used a few other ThinkPads over the years and I don't consider them stylish, except maybe the X1 Carbon UltraBooks, maybe. ThinkPads are all about function over form so its not about style points or vanity. These are business laptops, meant for enterprise deployment and business use so of course they are designed and built with that in mind. Black is business baby, so is matte finishes and anti-glare displays. Sure this one is missing the red nub that so many of us have grown to love but the 11e is aim at a different niche. As it states in this marketing paragraph:

Yup, this is definitely a clear definition of what the 11e is; function over form! I like that about this 11.6" laptop and its not trying to be anything else. Plus its low key, so "unattractive" or uncool that no one else would want it and that makes me appreciate it even more for some odd reason hahaha. Granted it could always be better with a better display, backlit keyboard, etc. Ever since the 11e (AMD) was introduced, I wanted to buy one but the $450-500 price tag always made me think twice about it since I still had my Acer Aspire V5-122P (Temash A6-1450, 10 GB, 256 GB SSD) serving me well. At $195 it was too good to pass up the opportunity to finally get an 11e (AMD) and I will be gifting my V5-122P to my mom who's never had her own PC. I will miss the glossy IPS touch display and the useful backlit keyboard but I want her to have it regardless.


Lastly, I received a shipment notification and should be receiving my unit on Tuesday 12/08/2015!

Scheduled For Early Delivery On: Tuesday, 12/08/2015, By End of Day
Originally Scheduled For Delivery On: Wednesday, 12/09/2015, By End of Day
Last Location: Departed - Secaucus, NJ, United States, Saturday, 12/05/2015


Updates:

• I've added the factory Samsung 128 GB SSD to specs

• I've added the factory Hyundai Electronics 4 GB DDR3L 1600 MHz CL11 1.35 V RAM to specs

 

I got my 11e from Woot a few days ago. I replaced the SSD with a Samsung EVO 850 256GB and have ordered a memory upgrade (Kingston 8GB CL9) from Amazon. I installed Linux Mint 17.3 and the performance was very good. I am now reinstalling Windows 10 to compare against Linux. I will either end up with a dual-boot system or a single operating system along with VMware Workstation to run an alternate.

So far, I am very pleased with the system. It is built like a tank, and it is so ugly I don't think anyone will want to steal it.

 

Thanks for the link. What I was hoping to find was the data sheet including the memory controller specs.

 

Tastes are personal but my wife would kill me if I got her a Thinkpad as a gift!

You might consider getting your fiance something prettier albeit with poorer internal specs like this for not too much more money. (Putting my flameproof suit on since OP hates these!)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asus-Transf...let-Intel-Atom-2GB-RAM-64GB-SSD-/371489434855

Or if her main use case is browsing, a nicely designed and specced Chromebook such as the 2015 version of the Toshiba Chromebook 2 currently selling for $299 at Amazon.

Both have IPS screens.

 

I have the Woot version that came with Windows 10 Pro and SSD. 4GB RAM. Last night I did all the major updates and the fan was running non-stop but pretty quietly. When it's idle, the fan doesn't run but the temperature remains around 50C. Intel Haswell CPU in my rMBP13 stays as low as 30C.

AMD runs too hot, but the user can't feel the heat because everything is well isolated. Still, it seems to be wasting a lot energy. I'll have to see how long the battery lasts to confirm though.

Plot attached.

 

I dont want to waste my money because it is pretty. She will have to deal with it haha. Anyway its for her to use at home and she is a flight attendant she can use it in her hotel room.
I will have to see for myself if it is that hideous to the point she cant use it. But my orders havent even shipped yet. So Ill try to cancel one of my orders for it.

 

I'll add the Samgsung EVO 256 GB SSD to a compatible or tested parts list in the OP. What exact Kingston 8 GB CL9 RAM is that? If it works, I'll add it too.

Since you mentioned VMware, can AMD-V be enabled or disabled in the BIOS? I ask because for some unknown foolish reason in my V5-122P's BIOS AMD-V was hidden by Acer. The only way to reveal the hidden AMD-V was through a BIOS modification. Oy vey!

Me too, I'd like to know more about the memory controller specs. Just last night I spent a few hours researching how single/dual/quad rank memory plays a role in servers, how the memory controller utilizes these ranks and how that may translate to us.

I don't hate them hahaha, I do like them to be honest since most come with IPS touch displays, detachable configs, and lightweight form factors. If only AMD powered 2-in-1s existed I'd be more inclinded to buy one. This time around I just put more value in having a 64-bit CPU, Radeon GPU, and being able to add more RAM and a SATA SSD. Plus it was cheap! I think anyone would love to receive one of these 2-in-1s. Stylish yet practical

So there are times when the fan stops spinning? Thanks for the heads up, I'll plan on doing a thermal compound repaste when I have time then. Please do confirm battery life. Lastly, can you give me more information on the WLAN NIC?

Ouch hahaha, you never know, maybe she'll really like its utilitarian appeal?

 

So its that bad huh? Hmm, I will try to cancel one of them.

 

Looks are subjective so to each their own. I'm sure you'll figure things out.

Spoiler

One things for sure, I grew up poor and if I received a gift, no matter how inexpensive or expensive, I was taught and felt I should always count my blessings, remain thankful and humble just to even receive anything at all. Life can always be worse that's for sure.

What other options are available in the BIOS?

I want to order this RAM! hahaha 16GB modules!
http://www.amazon.com/Adamanta-Memory-Upgrade-1867Mhz-PC3-14900/dp/B0178LDV4A/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1449283922&sr=1-7&keywords=adamanta+ddr3&refinements=p_n_feature_five_browse-bin:9559990011

 

I understand. I was also born into an under average class family. So I am always thankful for what I receive. Either way, I cant wait to receive mine. I checked out some pictures on ebay, they didnt look too bad. If I was to rate the looks it would be 6.5-7/10.

Also if I am not able to cancel one of my orders, I am willing to sell the extra laptop for the same price + shipping + paypal fees.

 

Yes, there is an option to enable visualization in the BIOS for the 11e. I did update to the latest BIOS from lenovo before I checked, so there is a remote possibility that the shipping BIOS doesn't have the option.

 

It looks like a ThinkPad. What's not to like?

 

Hey Samuel Park, that guy was me, LOL. The bezels and the thickness of the lid makes it look silly. But other than that, the looks are okay. Keyboard is really nice to type on, touchpad is OK, but I'm coming from Apple's glass touchpad, so.

After using the battery about 40%, I think the battery will realistically last about 4 hours, not too bad, but not too great. It's only a 34Wh battery. I'm seeing 4.1W - 8W per hour usage, so you can do the math. The sandy bridge and ivy bridge laptops used about 10-12W per hour when idle.

The network card is Broadcom AC (BCM4352), supports 5GHz too as you can guess since it says AC. I currently have driver version 7.35.295.2 dated 7/20/2015 installed on mine. I went through all Windows and Thinkpad updates. I didn't try updating or changing the drivers manually yet. Wifi sometimes can't connect to anything at all even though it sees them. It might be a Windows 10 problem, or the driver problem. -> I installed driver 7.35.267.0 dated 5/14/2015. I'll have to see how this one goes.

Most times the fan doesn't run. It only runs when CPU is constantly used about 50%, and it's very quiet.

 

Haha thanks for the information.

 

Mystery solved, mostly. I manually updated to the latest AMD video drivers after installing Windows 10. Well, I uninstalled the AMD drivers, and the "system and compressed memory" task went down to 0% while idle, perfect. Except this was running with a generic video driver from Microsoft, which doesn't offer any 3d acceleration.

So instead of installing the latest driver from AMD directly, I just installed the video drivers from Windows Update. Interestingly, the problem came back, in a greatly reduced form. "system and compressed memory" is now showing 1-2% CPU usage. It never seems to drop to 0 completely, but this is acceptable to me where the previous 4-8% wasn't. I am not sure if it is the video driver exactly, or one of the other drivers associated with it (for example, the hdmi audio driver is also installed by the same package). At this point I don't care too much, problem is basically solved. I'll try the next official driver release eventually, but this is acceptable for now.

 

So use the Windows update drivers? Thanks for the input. Thats alot of improvement

 

Very nice! Were getting a lot of data flowing now. Thanks everyone.


Can anyone retrieve some display information from Device Manager?

1. Go into Device Manager, then into Monitors
2. Right-click Generic PnP Monitor, click Properties
3. Click Details tab at the top, then select Device instance path from the Property options
4. Cut and paste the Value back here please

Also, AIDA64 or HWiNFO64 can retrieve even more display information than what we can decipher from Device Manager. If anyone has time and wouldn't mind copying and pasting what AIDA64 or HWiNFO64 has to say about the display and posting it back here that would be great. Lastly, and I don't expect anyone but myself to do this one, would be to physically open the display lid and see what the actual LCD manufacturer and part number is. According to the FRU Parts List, it may be one of the following four OEMs; AUO (AU Optronics), BOE (BOE Technology Group), INX (Innolux Corporation) or IVO (InfoVision Optoelectronics).

I realize the OEM TN display in this ThinkPad 11e (AMD) is a tough pill to swallow, so maybe an IPS, touch or FHD+ upgrade can be found for those willing to go down that path considering that 11.6" LCDs are very common and usually inexpensive due to their size. Also, most LCD connectors are 30-pin eDP connectors and since this is a non-touch display it should simplify the process of finding a suitable upgrade. The only other issue I could foresee would be if Lenovo routed the camera and microphone wiring through that same 30-pin eDP display cable or if a different cable is needed for HD/FHD/etc. I've ran into OEMs that do this and it makes sense as it requires less separate wires to install and route through the inside of the lid.

Edit: Never mind, I looked through the FRU Parts List again and it shows the "LCD, non-touch, Windows" cable as being separate from the "Camera, ThinkPad LED and Wireless LED" cable. This is good news for ease of LCD upgrades.

Here's a thought, what about the display from a touch, IPS, FHD from a ThinkPad 11e (Intel)? I'll try and hunt down some FRUs and parts numbers. UPS needs to hurry up and deliver my 11e (AMD) already!

 

nm, found the Kingston memory link in previous posting, thank you all.

 

I saved the link for the Crucial ram card
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00&tag=slickdeals

 

I don't think it's worth the trouble for such a low-price machine. But here's mine:
DISPLAY\LEN40D1\4&17B89E6B&0&UID256

Shockingly (or not), I placed my Thinkpad 11e with lid closed over my rMBP13, and it's just 1 cm narrower than the rMBP13, and same on the height.

 

="karnos, post: 10150669, member: 669352"]I created a Windows 10 install USB by using the Media Creation Tool

I then used that USB to install windows 10, (interrupt the normal boot and choose to boot from usb), and in the process I deleted all the existing hard disk partitions.

Then I just never bothered to install the lenovo stuff, as I don't think it's needed. Windows update found drivers for everything, seems to be working relatively well.

Only one issue so far - I see a "system and compressed memory" process in task manager that never seems to go idle, always using 3-7% CPU. I suspect this would be terrible for battery life, so I'm trying to figure out why this is happening and see if I can fix it.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the reply. I plan on upgrading the a SSD drive, do you recommend install window 10 on the old hd, then install it again on the sdd?

 

Link to the Broadcom BCM4352 wi-fi drivers (for Windows 10):
7.35.267, dated 5/14/2015
http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds103388

7.35.295.2, dated 9/22015 (latest)
http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/pro...ops/ThinkPad-11e-20ED-20EE/downloads/DS103473

Removing Bing Sports and other junk:
Open PowerShell with admin rights. Then use following commands:

Get-AppxPackage | Select Name, PackageFullName
Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.BingSports_4.7.130.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe​

Now, just an opinion:
I plugged the Thinkpad 11e to my 24" ultrawide IPS monitor, and I was bummed by the difference in color. Seriously, does anyone feel the same way? I have experience with TN monitors and TN laptop screens from the past, but this one has to be the dullest and darkest screen I've ever encountered. Maybe there's a way to calibrate the color a little. I'll have to look around.

 

For those that are installing drivers from Lenovo, you should install their utility called System Update and it will find the relevant drivers for you. No need to remember URLs

 

Hmmm. My friend just got a refurbished T420S from ebay in very good condition for $200 with 14"/1600x900/i5-2520M/4GB/320GB-7200rpm/optical-drive, nice looking screen and it is not that much larger/heavier than his rMBP13-Retina.