Lenovo Thinkpad T520 Owner's Thread

I'm probably not the one to give you a good answer as I've neither owned nor used a W-series, only know people with them.

If you NEED the power of a W520 I don't think it would be a good idea to downgrade to a T520. Are you running it on Maximum Performance? That helps me through some more intensive tasks on battery.

 

Yes, I am running it on maximum performance but it still shows extreme sluggishness on battery. Though I may not need the full power of the W520 now, I am investing in a long-term machine and I don't want to feel remorse later especially with the strange price of the T520 being more expensive than W520 with lower specs! Unless I am getting rid of the throttling problem, I am not gonna downgrade my machine to the T520. I have been in a dilemma since a long time and hopefully I will be fond with this issue soon and just live with any machine!

 

Keep in mind you replaced the SSD with a SSD of the same make and model. Then you cloned the old SSD to the new SSD. Did you consider you cloned the issue at the same time?

I don't think you have isolated the issue.

I believe I recommended before that you should buy a cheap but good hard disk drive and install the factory image to it from the rescue and recovery DVD set. If that works, then you can start to isolate the hardware and software.

I believe the W520 itself is probably fine and it's the current configuration of the machine that is faulting.

I also don't think running maximum performance is the answer considering I have never done so.

See me comments in your other thread in the T420 owners area.

 

pchome I'm not familiar with your problem in details, but here's what I would have done on your place:

1. Check the power consumption wattage (with some software utility) i.e. how much watt's is your system consuming under max. performance? That way you can see if there's some issue with battery (possibly defective battery) that can't provide required wattage to the laptop. E.g. if your wattage will be around 40-55w I would assume something's wrong with the battery, due to W520 (or even T520 quad cores) can consume under max. load around 100-130w if not more for models with Quadro 2000 discrete graphics. Trying new battery would resolve this question, but it's not reasonable to buy one just to test this theory.
2. Run benchmark tests that can show you the numbers - try to compare them with another w520. If there's more than 5-10% difference then something is wrong with your w520 (assuming all other hardware are equal and system setup is identical).
3. If benchmarks show same performance and battery is supplying adequate wattage - then sluggishness in your system is most probably caused by some additional hardware or software. In this case try to whip out your system and reinstall OS, remove SSD, and test your system. If issue is gone - then add SSD and try testing again until you isolate the problem. If everything fails, then it could be your motherboard or else, in that case you can start considering either changing your mobo or most likely switching to another laptop, new w530 or t520/t530.
IMHO

 

No kidding. For a few days, they were selling the T520 with a i7- 2860QM Extreme, 1600x900, 4GB, and NVS 4200 for $680! The CPU is worth half that.
Of course, I bought one!

 

Hi all... I'm moving towards buying a T520, and am having a few technical questions - on which, I've been unable to get anything like a clear answer out of Lenovo. So I wonder if anyone here knows:

1) Exactly which types of SSDs does the T520 currently ship with, for the 125 and 160 GB factory configurations? I'm almost certainly going to be running TrueCrypt on the machine, but I've seen comments in relation to TrueCrypt to stay clear of SSDs containing certain brands of controllers (there are some deep and complex reasons why this matters, but I think no reason to go into that here.) Much to my bemusement, I've been unable to find anyone at Lenovo who can say for sure what hardware they currently put into their own machines.

2) Do the i5-2450M, and or the i5-2520M, as configured by the T520 BIOS, support the AES New Instructions (i.e., hardware cryptographic acceleration)? According to what I read on Intel's site, this seems to be optional for these processors and requires the right "hardware profile" (whatever that means) from the laptop vendor; of course Lenovo seems to know nothing about it, and I find conflicting information on this issue on these and other forums. So if anyone can confirm correct operation of AES-NI on either of these processors on the T520, I'd really appreciate knowing about it.

Okay - thanks much--

--dave

 

160GB is the Intel 320 series, which has built-in AES encryption, making it a lot user friendlier, faster and more reliable than using TrueCrypt or BitLocker.

Intel 520 series now have AES as well (running TrueCrypt/BitLocker on these are a bad idea because of Sandforce controller compressing data).

 

Ugh, my HDD is suddenly throwing SMART errors in the ThinkVantage Toolbox tests. I've even tried the drive diagnostic software from Lenovo's website and it's still throwing SMART errors.

Probably time to call Lenovo. Hopefully I'll finally fix the very buggy nVidia Optimus program as well.

 

Just snagged a T520 w/ FHD screen off the Outlet for a hair over $650, pretty pleased; I was fed up with the screen quality on my ASUS K53TA. Looking forward to having a new board to frequent as well. I'll likely be back in upcoming weeks to pester y'all if I have any questions!

 

Hey guys, first post here. I received a t520 for graduation last year. I'm very pleased with the laptop, but was wondering if there are any must have accessories that you could suggest for me? I am definitely interested in a docking station, which ones would be applicable to a quad core t520?

Also, I'm looking into purchasing one of the 27" IPS Korean monitors ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/accessories/657885-350-27-ips-monitor-2560x1440.html) but most need a dual-DVI connection to get the full res. Others also have hdmi ports, but apparently only hdmi 1.4 can support that res. Is there a way I can connect my t520 to one of these monitors through something like a displayport to dual-DVI cable, or is there possibly a way to do displayport to hmdi 1.4? I would truly appreciate all the help, thanks guys.

 

I have a T520 and I'm very interested in upgrading the screen from the stock 1377x768 to FHD one. I've done a lot of research on where to get the screen B156HW01 V.4 by AUO, came across a few ebay sellers, and they seem pretty good to me. However, lcds4less.com has the same panel at a fraction of the price of ebay ones, and I would like to know if anybody has dealt with that website. I don't want a compatible one.

Also, if anybody has bought a legitimate screen from ANYwhere, I would really appreciate it if you shared the info with me (price, experience, etc). Thanks a lot.

 

You'll need to contact them specifically about the panel model in question and whether they have it in stock. Though everytime I enquire about a panel from their website they always seem to be out of stock, I have a feeling they don't physically stock the specific panels but rather they order on request.

 

Likely a "compatible" one. They may ship an LG panel to you.

Contact this one (only a friendly suggestion) and ask specific questions about AUO genuine and T520 installability.

 

Thanks to both. I did ask them and pending on an answer. Hopefully, I'll hear from them by tomorrow or so. Hearst, have you contacted them with the same panel? I thought the price was just too good to be true. It's only $82 for the screen, and just a bit over $100 even with a 2 year accidental damage warranty. That is just absurdly good.

Kaso, that's one ebay seller I'll most likely buy from if I don't get satisfactory answers from two websites, including lcds4less. He has close to 50 feedback on AUO screen alone, and none of them are negative. I'm just probing to see if I can save more.

Thanks again.

 

My HDMI-attached display only seems to work via discreet (or optimus) graphics. Is it possible to have it work just using integrated graphics? I've found the NVIDIA adapter makes my 520 hot as a toaster oven so I try to not use it unless i need to.

 

Can't you force switch to the Integrated Graphics from the BIOS? The Intel HD 3000 GPU can definitely run Displayport-HDMI signals too if you needed it.

 

I cannot get an HDMI output when Integrated Graphics is set in the BIOS. Agreed, the Intel graphics should support HDMI out. Also, when in Optimus mode using HDMI, the NVIDIA software shows the graphics adapter in use, if I disconnect HDMI, NVIDIA shows its adapter no longer in use.

 

Hey guys, I was wondering if one of you more tech-savvy users could point me in the right direction.

I purchased a T520 with a 500 GB HDD last year for college. Now that the initial blow of cost has subsided, I decided I want to add an SSD to my computer in place of my optical drive. I've already purchased a 128 GB Crucial M4 and an ultrabay adapter, so the only thing I have left to do is actually install it. This is where I need advice. I would like to use the SSD for boot and my often used programs such as Lightroom, Photoshop, and Chrome while keeping my HDD in the primary bay for storage. I've done a lot of googling but haven't found anything specific to my needs and was wondering if one of you could link me to a guide on how to set up my SSD along with my HDD. I'm completely new to this, so I have some questions like: I'd rather not do a clean install of the OS since I don't want to have to go through and download all the software on my computer again, is there anyway to avoid this if I want to use my SSD for boot? etc.

I would be very grateful if you guys could help me out.

 

In your case, the obvious method is to "clone" your current HDD onto the new Crucial M4 SSD. I've done this a few times (using Crucial M4 SSD with Transfer Kit) for friends and family members who, like you, did not bother with re-installing their programs and re-enter their preference settings. They only wanted the exact same environment, on a much faster drive.

It would be more convenient if you'd purchased the M4 with Transfer Kit. But, it's okay, we can take care of things, step by step.

The M4 with Transfer Kit package has the following:



The "extra" includes a SATA-USB adapter and a Transfer CD, both by Apricorn. Now, Apricorn does sell this "extra" (called SATA Wire) for about $20:



You can check the SATA Wire product/order information here. You should read more about Apricron Cloning Software here.

STEP 1: Make a backup of all your personal files on an external drive.

STEP 2: Buy Apricorn SATA Wire.

STEP 3: Follow the instructions. The Cloning Software will make an exact duplicate of the HDD system files on the SSD, taking care of alignment properly. After this process, your SSD is bootable. All user files remain on the HDD. You can rearrange them as you wish, by creating folders on the HDD, which is now a storage drive. Obviously, do not use the per-user Libraries folders (created by Windows) on the SSD.

Remember to remove the HDD after the cloning process and before you boot the T520 from the "clone" SSD. Only after you have verified that the basic system environment (OS, desktop, programs, etc.) is up and running okay, you put the HDD back in.

Good luck.

 

Awesome, thank you. That makes more sense now. I'll follow your instructions and report back if I run into any problems.

 

Ok, reporting in. The EZ Gig IV software worked beautifully. I cloned my OS and applications onto the SSD and have roughly 30GB to spare (out of 109 instead of 128 oddly, as my computer is reporting). I placed the SSD in the primary bay and opted to place my old HDD into the optical bay adapter. My next question is how should I reformat the HDD? I assume I don't need my OS and applications on the storage drive but don't know the best way to delete that while keeping my music and photos on it (which I can't seem to find at the moment). So basically, what is the best method to remove the OS and applications from the hard drive and then set it up for storage for the future?

 

Glad to hear it worked for you.

Whatever on the HDD that you want to preserve, you'd better locate them (music, photos, documents, whatever) and save them to, say, a USB flash drive.

Done the above? Sure? Now, click on the Windows orb (left end of taskbar), type "disk management" without quotes in the text box, select the "Create and manage hard disk partitions" menu item. Within the Disk Management window, select the HDD drive, select the "recovery" partition, delete it; then, select the "system" partition, extend it to the fullest (absorbing the space of the partition just deleted); finally, do a quick format of the big partition. You can give it a drive letter of your liking. You now have a storage drive.

(Don't worry about the disk size discrepancy between manufacturer and Windows. "A thousand" can be 1000 or 1024, depending how you count. )

 

Ok, that makes sense. I'll save all of the files I want to keep onto my external hard drive, format the HDD, and then move the files back onto the HDD once it's been cleared. Thanks for all the help Kaso, I appreciate it (and repped).

 

hey guys simple question, are there any issues with using the t520 on my lap or a non-flat surface? don't want to block any slits or spaces that are meant for cooling. mucho thank u sirs

 

You can always try. The two vents are located on the left and at the back, around the "northwest" corner (below and behind the left speaker).

 

cool. what are the slits on the bottom for?

 

Cool is the right term: a T520 can run cool and quiet.

There are many small openings ("slits") on the the bottom: they are for passive ventilation. Hot air is pushed out through the two vents I mentioned earlier. The top-left corner, underneath the keyboard, is where the "thermal module" (heatsink+fan) is located.

Download the T520 Hardware Maintenance Manual PDF for some reading entertainment.

 

haha good one thank you brother

 

I just picked up a brand new Lenovo 42T4434 20V 90W AC Adapter for $13 delivered from bob.p.c on EBay. I see he's increased the price to $14 but that's still a great deal. I like to keep one packed in my bag and leave one at my desk.

 

hello please guys I need your help i'm deciding between latitude E6420 and thinkpad t520
I mostly care about durability so I think the latitude metal case is better
what do u think?

 

I have a Lenovo ThinkPad t520 that I got new in 2011, I am wanting to upgrade to an ssd and am looking at the
Samsung 1TB 840 Evo-Series SATA III Internal SSD
My question is if this particular drive is compatible with my t520. It looks like a great drive, but I couldn't find anything online about whether someone has tried it before on this particular laptop.
I replied to this thread because I couldn't find a thread about this subject, and couldn't figure out how to start a new thread. :-(

 

I don't think you should have any problems getting the Samsung 840 Evo SSD to work in the T520, I have the Samsung 830 SSD in my T420 which still works fine after 2 years so it would be surprising not to see the newer 840 Evo SSD working.

Though be wary of performance bugs with this particular drive, Samsung had acknowledged a problem with the firmware but they have issued a fix so be sure to apply this before using it in the long run.

 

Yes, that Samsung SSD drive is compatible with the T520. You can either replace the main drive with it or use it as a second drive in the UltraBay with an adapter.

(I've recently replaced my Samsung 830 64GB system drive with a Samsung 840 Pro 256GB. The whole deal, from software cloning using Acronis True Image to mechanical swapping using a screwdriver, took 15 minutes.)

 

Hello.

Is it worth to return my T510 and trade it off with T520? Don't get me wrong. I'm very happy with my T510. But recently I discovered that T520 support 16GB of memory upgrade.
T510 support max of 8GB(2x4GB 1066), which are incredible hard to find in Bulgaria. When I purchased 510 we tried to upgrade it with 2x4GB 1333, but the laptop didn't pass it, so I stayed with 2x2GB 1066.

Other as long as I'm aware it is baically still the same - form factor, keyboard, resolution and so on.

Is there anything that I should know about T520 for example - loud fan noise or hotter than 510?

 

Questions of worth are highly subjective, but I would say unless you feel you need 16GB of memory, I'd stick with the T510. They're very similar machines.

 

2x4gb 1333 ram should work on t510, just try with a different pair from a good brand, the motherboard/processor will down-clock it, and make it run at the speed it supports 1066

1333 ddr3 ram shouldn't mean that they only run at 1333, it means that the maximum speed is 1333, and it should be perfectly fine to run at lower speed

 

We tried many different pairs like kingston, a-data, samsung and few more, but every time when we boot the laptop and run a memory test it fails or didn't recognize them. The shop who sell's me the laptop suggest that they can try with updating the bios with actual version (it's never has been updated), but I declined, because I was scared of a bricking the laptop.

 

The *10 series ThinkPads are a pain when it comes to RAM, and anything above 1066MHz is unlikely to work, at least in my experience..

As for T510 vs. T520, the latter can utilize a mSATA SSD as a boot drive giving you the option of leaving the hard drive in the main bay for storage, or running the machine with 3 drives if so desired. It is also likely to run cooler - generally speaking - than T510.

Whether any of the above means a big deal to you or not is a whole another matter.

Good luck.

 

Since recently upgrading to a SSD (Crucial M500 480gb), my T520 is getting poor battery life. I read about an option to have the hard drive controller signal the SSD to snooze during times of no activity using HIPM and DIPM. The below registry updates should add an "ACHI Link Power Management" option under Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Power Options\Change Plan Settings\Advanced Power Settings\Hard Disk, but that's not happening on my T520:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\0012ee47-9041-4b5d-9b77-535fba8b1442\0b2d69d7-a2a1-449c-9680-f91c70521c60]
"Attributes"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\0012ee47-9041-4b5d-9b77-535fba8b1442\dab60367-53fe-4fbc-825e-521d069d2456]
"Attributes"=dword:00000002

I made sure the BIOS has ACHI mode selected, loaded the latest SATA driver I could find from Intel that supports the T520 chipset, and confirmed the registry was updated per above. But upon reboot the Hard Drive in advanced power settings does not have the ACHI Link Power Mgmt.

Any ideas on how to enable DIPM, or otherwise improve battery life on the SSD, at least as good as it was with the HDD? I haven't read about others having problems enabling the power menu option, and I'm wondering if maybe the Lenovo Power Manager software is getting in the way, since it also manages power profiles.

SATA Driver:



Advanced Power Opts:




Thanks,
Steve

 

What OS are you running? There's a reason for this question.

 

OS is Windows 7 Pro 64-bit

 

There are two things that you could do:

a) Check if the battery is on the recall list

Battery recall notice select T410, T510 and T420 m... - Lenovo Community

b) Install Power Manager utility, check the battery status, set the charging thresholds and power plans.

Good luck.

 

There's no issue with the battery - with the same setup the SSD is consuming more power than the HDD did. I need to find out how to enable the ACHI Link Power Mgmt option - it should be supported by the T520 chipset, driver and SDD, but the registry updates that seem to work for most are not working on my T520.

 

I still stand by what I wrote earlier on, since I *know* it can make a pretty big difference...your ThinkPad, your call...

 

Found it! Maybe Intel's RST driver does not support DIPM or specifically disables it. But using the Microsoft AHCI SATA driver the option is now available and I've enabled DIPM while on battery. I'll report back once I've been able to see the change in battery capacity.

 

Since switching from the Intel to the Microsoft SATA driver, and enabling "Device Initiated Power Management" for my Crucial M500 SSD, my battery life has significantly improved - from less than 2hrs to around 4hrs, depending on activity.

Steve