Lenovo Thinkpad T520 Owner's Thread

There are threads for the T420 and W520, but none for the middle child, the T520. Thought that should change

I ordered mine on 3/30/11 direct from Lenovo.
My config:
Thinkpad T520-1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Processor: Intel Core i3-2310M (2.10GHz, 3M L3 cache)
OS: Windows Home Premium 64
Display: 15.6" HD+ (1600x900) LED Backlit Anti-glare Display
Graphics: Intel HD 3000
RAM: 2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 (1 DIMM, Samsung brand)
Camera: 720p camera (Ricoh brand)
Hard Drive: 250GB, 5400RPM (Western Digital WD2500BEVT)
Optical: DVD recordable multiburner (HL-DL-ST DVDRAM GT33N)
Expansion: ExpressCard Slot, 4 in 1 card reader
Battery: 9 cell Li-Ion -- 55++
Wifi: Intel Centrio Wireless-N 1000

I paid $854.10 before tax, free shipping from China. It came yesterday, 4/7/11. I chose this model because I wanted the larger screen than the T420 and didn't need/want to pay for a W520. I have ordered additional memory online ($40/gb is a little steep) and will put a 320GB, 7200RPM Seagate drive in tonight, with Windows 7 ultimate 64. Will upgrade to SSD soon.

First impressions:
Very solid build, only issue is the battery is a tad loose. The 9 cell hangs out ~1.5 cm on the back. The keyboard is amazing, trackpoint works great. Touchpad is good too, although I usually avoid them. Sound is the best out of any notebook I've owned but lacks bass compared to some desktop replacements. Screen is wonderful, this is the perfect resolution for this size IMO. Good, non glossy appearance, very vivid and bright colors. Good viewing angle too. I am pleased with my purchase.

I have uploaded the windows experience score and the cpu-z rating if anyone cares. I will be doing more comprehensive testing this weekend, including 3Dmark and PCmark, and will write a comprehensive, photo-filled review soon after. Let me know if you want anything else tested.

 

Picture of the laptop please. I always enjoy looking picture of new Thinkpad Model. I am not planning to get this one, but it is still enjoyable to look at the pictures of them.

 

Just received my T520. Arrived about a week ahead of when it was estimated to ship. It feels exactly like my T510 with a robust and firm keyboard. I can't tell any difference in the screen (probably the same).

Core I5 2.60GHZ
Nvidia NVS4200 Optimus
1900 by 1080 FHD
6.0GB DDR3 (Installed 4.0GB G. Skill for $40)
500GB HD 7200RPM (Seagate Momenttus for $70)
Intel 6300 Wireless
9 Cell Battery
Windows 7 Professional

The creation of the recovery discs does take some time and you need four discs (1 boot media & 3 recovery discs - DVD). I mistakenly used CD-R and it was getting ridiculous. It's a quiet notebook but with the factory 5400RPM drive, it was DEAD silent. You can definitely hear the 7200RPM drive spin. From the battery meter (Lenovo), it appears to get the same length of use as my T510. I don't notice any speed difference between the T510 and T520 but I haven't used anything taxing yet.

C.

 

T520 and W520 share the same chassis.

 

Have used T520 for almost 2 weeks.

Everything is perfect except the annoying well-known fan noise of thinkpad, a pulsing noise comes from fan every 5 seconds (it was said the BIOS reset the fan speed every 5 seconds).

It is documented here: Problem with fan noise - ThinkWiki

And IBM at that time accknowledged the problem and solved it by providing a BIOS patch (embeded controller) here: Lenovo Support - Fan making a clicking noise - ThinkPad T40/p, T41, R50/p

Any other T520 owners discovers same fan noise?

 

Wow, I did not notice the fan noise at all. I do hear the fan spinning at a low speed but it's hardly noticeable, nothing like Sonys or Sager notebooks. It's a close second to my girlfriend's MBP as far as fan noise. I use the energy saver power profile.

Okay, now that you mentioned this, I started to notice the pulsing of the fan. I'm not sure why Lenovo would do such a stupid thing. It doesn't help the cooling at all. It's better off just spinning the fan at much lower speed. In the Energy saver power profile. I switched to balanced on fan speed instead of adaptive and it seems to help. The fan spins consistently now. Not sure which I'll end up using permanently.
C.

 

I have a question for the current T520 owners.

I am considering a new T520, with the i7-2820 processor.

I have a Vertex III 6Gb/sec SATA III SSD drive. I would like to remove the default hard drive and replace it with the faster SSD.

Do the new T520's support the SATA III interface?

Thanks,

 

Just a tip: 99% of people won't need the 2820QM processor. It's only a smidgen faster than the 2720QM, even though it costs a lot more to upgrade. Under most cases it's not justified to upgrade unless you're doing something that takes full advantage of the extra cache and uses the CPU 100% of the time.

Save the money and use it to be sure to upgrade to at least the 1600x900 screen. Avoid the 1366x768 screen the base models come with.

 

Can you switch modes from active to passive cooling? (in power manager-system settings-advanced-processor power management-system cooling)? I have that option - but then I have not experienced pulsing in my W500 with an SSD.

 

Haven't thought of that. You can definitely switch from passive to active. If I recall correctly, passive throttles the CPU to reduce heat while active increases fan RPM. It's strange because I did not notice the fan pulsing in my T510.

However, the CPU whine on my T510 blocked out all other noises. The pulsing doesn't disturb me too much.

C.

 

*************************

Thanks Edit1754,

I have this small app that likes to consume all the resources a laptop can offer. It's called VMWare. Thanks for the tip on the screen, I went with the 1920*1080.

My question is still out there. Will the T520 support and utilize a SATA III 6Gb/sec SSD?

Thanks,

 

The T520 does indeed support SATA III. It looks like Optimus T520s have a eSATA port, but no USB 3. The integrated models have four USB 2 ports.

 

Do both DIMMs share the same slot located on the bottom of the T520? I was wondering if I order a T520 with 2GB RAM and want to upgrade that to 8GB, will I have to remove the keyboard or just put both sticks in the same slot on the bottom. Thanks.

 

Just finished chatting with a sales rep at Lenovo and decided to drop the cash on a brand new T520 with the FHD display -- after squeezing a good discount out of 'em, of course. Expected ship date is in early June and I can hardly contain myself

My previous notebook was an EliteBook 8440w that recently met its fate at the bottom of a lake. Here's to hoping this new rig is a worthy replacement. The only thing that worries me is the extra size and weight, but I thought it'd be worth it considering the questionable quality of the T420's screen options.

I'd love to see some side-by-side pictures of the T520 FHD next to the T420 HD+ for comparison.

 

@ferganer80:

There are two slots (one under the keyboard and one access through a removal panel under the notebook). For some reason the keyboard on my T520 was very difficult to remove, as compated to the unit on my T510. Have two 4.0GB SO-DIMM of G. Skill in my T520 have not had any issues.

@illcOmm:

I haven't seen the T420, so I can't comment on its screen quality. The T520 with FHD is wonderful, even with my poor eye sight. Someone with a professional graphics background can give you a better assessment but for plain business, media and gaming, it's wonderful. It's wonderful not having that annoying reflection from the glossy displays.

C.

 

@claudehl

I'm experiencing difficulty removing my T520 keyboard as well. How did you overcome it?

 

wow. it's so unfortunate to hear that the T520 also suffers from the pulsing fan problem. I used to have a T43 and couldn't stand the "fan heartbeat ". Can others with T520 confirm that they also experience the problem?

 

Hi, has anybody had experiences trying to drive a WQXGA (2560x1600) resolution with their T520? I've had the following behaviour:

• Does not work in integrated graphics mode (as set in BIOS)
• Does not work in optimus graphics mode
• Works in discrete graphics mode, with the following caveats:
  • With a Dell U3011, I must cold boot my laptop, and plug in the displayport cable only AFTER the laptop has booted.
  • With a Dell 3007WFP and a DisplayPort->DL-DVI adapter, I must connect it to the U3011 (mentioned above), then after a suspend and resume (travel home) connect it to my 3007WFP with the monitor powered off, and then turn the monitor on.
  • If I don't do the above "properly", any of following can occur:
    • the best case is I'm stuck at 2048x1536 as the highest resolution.
    • The worst case is my secondary display disables entirely and requires a reboot. In this case:
      • Attempting to click "Apply changes" in Win7 resolution gives me a messagebox that says "The display settings could not be saved".
      • Attempting to change resolution in NVidia drivers makes it fail silently (click apply does nothing)

This is phenomenally frustrating. If anybody else has had any experiences powering a WQXGA display I would like to hear about it, whether good or bad.

Just to clarify, the eSATA port on the Optimus is a USB/eSATA, so effectively it also has four USB 2.0 ports if you don't use eSATA.

 

I posted a thread on setting up Ubuntu on my T520 in the Linux forum.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lin...20-optimus-first-impressions.html#post7487070

 

I was quite shocked at the amount of force it took to slide the keyboard forward. I had to get a small thin flat head screw driver (like a small type that technicians put in their shirt pocket) to push the keyboard forward. You can damage the keyboard or the casing so exercise care. I used two at one point, one to as a place keeper and the other to move leftward.

I completely fliped and covered the display with a towel just in case the screwdriver sliped. I managed to move the lower right area of the keyboard and moved my way leftward. Although I didn't see any, I'm certain that Lenovo must have used loctite on the edges.

C.

 

Just odered a new thinkpad today.

Processor Intel Core i7-2720QM Processor (2.20GHz, 6MB L3)

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64

Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 English

Display type 15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready

System graphics NVIDIA NVS 4200M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory

Total memory 8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)

Keyboard Keyboard US English

Pointing device UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader

Camera 720p Camera

Hard drive 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Optical device DVD recordable multiburner

System expansion slots Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader

Battery 6 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55+

Power cord Country Pack North America with Line cord & 135W AC adapter

Bluetooth Bluetooth 3.0

Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN)

Integrated mobile broadband Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable

Language pack Language Pack US English

Microsoft productivity software preload Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (North America) - English


45K5970 3YR Onsite

Just went with Hd+ as my poor vision doesn't really allow me to see the extra definition.

 

Wow... Lenovo must have an amazing deal with UPS. My gear just shipped from Shanghai to the east coast in four days and is out for delivery this morning

The only thing that's disappointing is that 30% off door buster sale that started less than a week after I bought my laptop :/

 

Just ordered a T520 using their doorbuster code:

ThinkPad T520 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Processor: Intel Core i7-2720QM Processor (2.20GHz, 6MB L3)
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
Display type: 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
System graphics: NVIDIA NVS 4200M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory
Total memory: 4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
Keyboard: Keyboard US English
Pointing device: UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
Camera: 720p Camera
Hard drive: 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Optical device: DVD recordable multiburner
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
Battery: 9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
Power cord: Country Pack North America with Line cord & 135W AC adapter
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN)
Integrated mobile broadband: Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable

2Yr Onsite Warranty Next Business Day

One of the first things I'll do is upgrade the memory to 8GB. Would it be better to buy a pair of 4GB and replace the existing stick or will I be okay just buying one 4GB stick and adding it in the empty slot?

Thanks

 

Hi jcato:

You can just purchase one 4.0GB DIMM. The G.Skill SO-DIMMs that Newegg sells appears to work just fine with our notebooks (I have two of them in my T520). It's also dirt cheap.

C.

 

I bought the g.skill DIMM from newegg after getting a bunk one direct from crucial. Indeed the g.skill chip works just fine.

 

Hello fellow T520 owners. Here is my review of the laptop:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/581601-t520-review.html#post7536405

Can you share whether you are also experiencing the accelerating/pulsing fan problem?

 

Yet another T520 here in the south of Spain. Mine is HD+ display (1600x900), i7 2620M, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD 7200rpm and W7 Pro 64 bits. Price: 1200€.

Only issue, display brightness outdoors, not enough for seriuos use. But overall and so far, more than happy with the purchase.

Greetings.

 

Recently purchased:
T520 with i7-2720
Minimum memory upgraded to 8GB.
Minimum HDD, which I plan on updating soon.
Windows 7 Pro.
The (1600 x 900) matte screen, which I love.
6 cell battery, which I regret - it's fine, don't get me wrong, but I see that the 9 cell would have been better.
The keyboard, which is crucial for me, is as good as billed.
I have NO noise problems and, generally, I'm loving the machine, except for one thing.

Specifically: There's a significant delay before the control panel displays as a menu when activated from the control panel.
It's as if the computer is waiting for a response from something, times out, and shows the menu.

Note: when I activate the control panel from a desktop shortcut, it opens IMMEDIATELY.
Programs seem to start with a similar delay; otherwise, the computer seems very fast.

Looking at the task manager as I try to open the control panel as a menu, I see only that explorer.exe shoots up to about 13% of memory usage, nothing else unusual.

I have a new IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad with i7-2720 & 8GB RAM & Windows 7 (fully updated).

A clean start does NOT solve this problem.

Could the issue berelatedto services started/disabled? I've played around with them, but it hasn't solved the issue.

I've run all the hardware diagnostics I can find - the memory, and everything else, passes with flying colors.

Is there a more appropriate thread for this? If so, moderati, please feel free to move it!

 

Recently purchased and just received:

THINKPAD T520
CPU: i7-2720QM
Screen: 15.6 FHD (1900 X 1080) LED
RAM: 4GB base and popped in a crucial module right off the bat to go up to 8GB
HD: 320GB HDD7200RPM
Win 7 Pro
9 CELL LI-ION BATTERY
Wireless: IC ADVN 6205 2X2AGN


The screen looks very nice, but it feels small top to bottom compared to my old T60p (1600x1200). Keyboard is good, the fan is touch louder than I would have expected but otherwise ok.

The one issue I have right out of the box is how terrible the built in speakers are. Even playing the sample windows media songs it pops and crackles like crazy.

 

I don't have a problem with how the speakers sound, for what they are. For my taste, they are way too quite, and thats a problem for me. but headphones fix that problem

 

I've tried playing a variety of media and using usb headphones -- no luck, the sound still crackles, pops, and hisses. It's even worse when you move the mouse or type.

I've called support, so I should have someone on-site Monday or Tuesday to examine it.

 

Prior to receiving my T520, I read many negative comments regarding the speakers, so that set my expectations of them really low.

However, after testing, I agree that for what they are, they are ok. Useable. I will still use external speakers or headphones in many situations, but I can't say the internal speakers are total garbage. It is true though, that they do lack some bass and volume.

 

Well now the tech is coming tomorrow to replace the speakers, but based on the problem existing when I use headphones as well, the rep on the phone thought that it could be the motherboard as well. But for whatever reason she said that my system is a "custom" system and there could be as many as 15 different motherboard part numbers.

I like a lot of things about this laptop, but if the result is tomorrow that the speaker swap doesn't work, I'm going to return it since I'm running out of time on the 21 day return window and don't want to risk getting stuck with a lemon.

I've already started looking at either the W520, the dell E6520 or the dell XPS 15" laptop. I tried to use the HP site to configure a laptop - HP has to be worst internet site I've ever seen so I just gave up on HP.

 

Update:

From using the lenovo forums, (this thread: T520 sound problems - Lenovo Community) I installed the DPC tool.

I discovered that the NVIDA NVS 4200M was causing major problems but when I disabled it, they mostly went away.

However it didn't totally solve the problem as I could still get it to pop/hiss/crackle/pause by moving the mouse around or between open windows.

 

I am seriously thinking about purchasing a T520 in the coming days and need to know if the sound issue has been addressed or is there a solid fix ?!! Listening to music is HUGE to me on my lappy and from what I hear you peeps saying it just won't do.


And the fan noise too, pulse thing.


Thanks

edit: I use external speakers and/or headphones

 

I left my comments a few posts up.

I'm curious what you are hoping to gain over the Dell Latitude in your signature? It seems like a pretty solid machine.

 

read em'

yeah, very solid and I miss it dearly as I sold it a few weeks ago
to the tune of 300 dollar profit

I want something sandy bridge and high end now

and the e6520 is getting terrible reviews and has major issues

 

ok, after spending hours poring over the 420 and 420s threads

I will def be going with this model depending on the fan and crackle issues

and also need to know hows the happiness for the 1600x900 screen ?

you strongly like ? is it good enough or should I over spend 200 bucks for the FHD ?

thanks

 

The sound problems never went away. I had an on-site tech visit scheduled to physically replace the speakers to "solve" the problem. It didn't solve the problem, and the phone tech support said it could be a motherboard issue and that they were sorry but since I had a "custom" machine they had no idea what motherboard I had in my machine. (I ordered my machine via the website.)

Basically it was completely screwed, I had multiple interactions with the phone tech team (including hilariously one that told me that sound problems when using headphones were caused by bad speakers. right...). So I got them to classify my unit as defective and returned it within the 21 day limit.

Being screwed at this point for work I purchased a "Ships Fast" Dell E6420. Guess what? It just works. No problems. And it took all of 2 days to get the machine.

 

Just ordered a T520 last week and it's on its way. Interested to see how it sounds after reading this.

 

thanks dr72, good info

and I know all about the dell latitude line and quality thereof

have had about 7 machines from them, great support too

I have had a couple thinkpads too, older ones

I am spending oodles of time researching before I drop over a grand
on another machine and move away from dell and their latitudes lol

also considering the W520

 

I strongly like my 1600x900 screen. Text is not difficult to read. With a higher resolution display, I would need to scale the font sizes. I'm very happy with the range of brightness, and of course the matte finish really cuts down the glare. Watching HD movies is a pleasure.

I don't at all regret my choice. $200 is a pricy upgrade.

 

thanks, great info

and yeah, 200 bucks is no drop in the bucket nowadays for me

especially as it's a risk my poor eyesight would regret the decision.....

wish they were in stores for crying out loud

 

Received mine yesterday, seems like a good build. Speakers do not sound that bad, they just dont get too loud. No sound cracking or popping like others said. I ordered the 1920x1080 matte screen and it looks great. I had a 1080p with my Envy17 and couldn't stand the glare. I popped in my Crucial M4 SSD, ACHI mode, UEFI boot only and this thing flies.

The only small issues: I get a hum through my sub on my 2.1 Speaker set. Its clear through my headphones, Im going to change my speaker cable see if that clears it up. Also Bluetooth, I cant seem to be detected, im guessing it has to do with the UEFI boot?

 

Could someone tell me about the 1366x768 (HD) monitor, whether it is a massive downgrade (other than in terms of real estate, which I can deal with if it makes it more comfortable for me to see)? I have the HD+ now, but I feel like it's too small (god knows I'm glad I didn't order FHD). Not pleased with customizing DPI.

 

Contrast is noticeably lower, so image quality will not be quite as good. You're also running the risk of getting one of those screens with the screen-door effect, I'm not sure which model screens are used.

However, the difference in quality between the T420 1366x768 screen and the T520 1366x768 screen probably isn't very big, and the T420 1366x768 screen still offers larger text than the T520's 1600x900 screen. Something worth considering.

 

I probably should just get glasses...

ing pissed off I can't decide on a laptop. It's been 1 month since my semester started and I'm still at a loss. I hate you. indecision.

 

I've played with a T520 with HD+ screen and Intel graphics (no NVidia) which is the Samsung screen, and it had a horrible purple-ish tint, but I was very impressed with the brightness. I ordered and just received a T520 HD+ screen with NVidia graphics, which uses the LG screen. Screen is overall better quality and has better colors, but I was surprised that the brightness wasn't as bright as the Samsung (the one shipped with Intel-only graphics). Anyone else notice this?

 

Just got mine 2 days ago and I love it. I do have only Intel graphics. Screen is HD+, very bright and clear. I wouldn't be able to read FHD. I imagine the basic would have been okay for me . Feels very solid and it's quiet. The sound is fine to my ears. I'm happy with the purchase.

 

To be honest, i kinda regret not getting the Full HD screen just because i absolutely hate 16:9 and higher resolution would make it better.. HD+ is great in every possible way, expect that the screen is too narrow for anything other than movies in my opinion.