Lenovo W510 Owner's Thread

The short answer is No, there is no LED that shows power plugged in while looking at the keyboard. But you can see a change when the different power profile kicks in.

 

I have to chime in here and say that the laptop screen is probably the best I've seen. It's so vibrant and this computer is super fast (I got it w/ the SSD). I highly recommend the FHD screen and after seeing how crisp/bright it is, I would wait the month for the FHD screens to be in stock.

 

Turbo boost probably works fine in linux - the speed is just often misreported.

Use this to get a better assessment of the speed your cores are running at:
http://code.google.com/p/i7z/

I still haven't got suspend/hibernate working properly, but I've never had them working properly. (i.e. working 95% of the time is not working properly - and I've never had a laptop where i could suspend/resume/hibernate reliably)

The brightness control doesn't work in xubuntu, and the network card seems to always operate in 10 megabit mode. (although it can be forced to higher speeds with ethtool)

 

I'm running Ubuntu. I started with Karmic but ended up going to Lucid - I can't say either is really better at this point but overall things are working fairly well.

What works:

- nVidia Driver (stock Lucid)
- Audio
- Wireless
- Wired networking
- Ultranav
- Trackpad (MOSTLY - no multitouch so no 2-finger scroll, but edge scroll works fine)

What doesn't work:

- Suspend - Won't suspend at all if the USB 3.0 driver is loaded, won't resume regardless
- Trackpoint scrolling - the center button doesn't do anything currently

I'm not 100% sure about Turbo Boost either way... All and all this laptop is QUICK, definitely faster than my Core2 Duo HP. Intel PowerTop DOES show turbo boost as an available CPU speed and I can cause it to report that it is being used, there just isn't much out there that really can tell you what CPU speed you're currently running at. Seems most of the utils haven't been updated for turbo boost so they just show the highest "stock" non-turbo clock speed.

Heat output on my W510 is great btw!! We have an Asus i7 720QM at work and it runs HOT - my Lenovo 820QM barely gets warm even directly under the CPU / GPU.

 

I tested x264 encoding. This is unscientific obviously:
Sager NP2092, Core2Duo T9300 2.5GHz, 4GB DDR2: 6.7fps
Lenovo W510, i7-720QM, 4GB DDR3: 19.46fps
(720p source, identical program and settings)

I'd say a 3x improvement in video encoding over my previous laptop is fast

 

Yeah, I'm increasingly believing that turbo boost is working fine, it just isn't being reported. Powertop is DEFINITELY showing that Turbo is being called so it's all good there.

My previous laptops have all had great suspend/resume under Linux. I've had several HP business laptops and a Toshiba too - all of them worked perfectly provided I did the bug reports when I came across problems. Not necessarily from day 1, but HP's are a heck of a lot more solid under Linux than they are under Windows these days! I'm confident the Lenovo will work once there's some more of them out there, hopefully in the hands of some kernel hackers.

Definitely no brightness controls on regular Ubuntu either, and I noticed the same 10-megabit networking too. The ethernet thing will be an Intel driver for sure which means it should get fixed shortly.

Oh the joys of having cutting edge hardware!!

 

Forget it! Just got push back from 2/10 to 3/3. Thinking about canceling my order and re-order a W510 FHD w/o multi touch. cheaper, thinner, lighter and brighter. IF FHD SHOWS UP NEXT TWO WEEKS!

 

I've found a workaround for the backlight issue:
try switching to a VT that doesn't have an X server
ctrl+alt+F1, change brightness, crrl+alt+F7

I have no idea what's up with suspend, I've filed an Ubuntu bug report here:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/519375

It'd be cool if you guys could confirm it, i'd to get some info about what we can actually do about this issue. I tested with the latest mainline kernel, better results with resume (but not with a running x server), more info @ that link


http://live.gnome.org/GPointingDeviceSettings
this enables trackpoint scrolling

 

Are the Access Connections programs stable? Like pressing Fn-F5 to turn off an on wireless devices? Do all installed wireless devices always show up in the list?

My X301 is flakey as all get out in this regard. Any other weird problems in Windows 7?

Thanks.

-m

Lenovo X301

 

Would any Linux user with a discrete GPU be so nice and upload the output of 'lspci --vvnn'? TIA!

 

When did you originally order it? I placed my order early Jan and got a 2/10 date. Talked to my rep whom I ordered through and he stated that date was still showing. I ended up going with someone elses order that they backed out of and PcConnection ended up still taking the order anyway because they know they would sell it if it was in stock.

Hopefully I will get some information tomorrow or Monday.

 

I received my W510 yesterday and overall I love it! One major issue though - the color is completely screwy. I have the FHD and everything just positively glows, to the point of weirdness. Colors are also off - red is pink and bright, other colors seem off too. If it were an HDTV I'd guess that a four year old started playing with the color settings on the remote.

Even weirder, I noticed that quicktime movies don't play properly AT ALL. Here is a screenshot to show what I'm talking about. Any ideas about what's happening here?

 

And here's a screenshot of a regular website that doesn't look nearly as bad, but notice how the red looks downright radioactive. Does this screen simply need to be calibrated? If so, how?

 

I placed my order 1/11/2010

 

Check your ICC profile setup in Color Management.

 

How do I do that? I entered the nvdia control panel by right clicking on the desktop, and that enable me to play with some color settings, but it did nothing for the quicktime movies. I also checked and have the same exact problem with DVD's as played through windows media player - looks just like the quicktime screenshot I posted earlier.

 

For those with i7 720QMs, what speed are yours running at under battery power? In other words, are they throttled like the HP (it works fine when hooked to adapter but is designed to drop to lowest multiplier, and 931 Mhz under battery power). Also, for the same processor, has anyone done any sort of battery test on the 9-cell? How long is it lasting? Lastly, I seem to be finding conflicting specs. Does the W510 have 2 USB 3.0 ports or just 1? I have a week left to return this HP, and I'm very tempted to go to the Lenovo W510.

 

Are you sure this movie is correct on another computer? If you take a screenshot using a computer program and the colors are also off when others look at the screenshot, that proves that it's not the LCD calibration. If the color problems also show in the screenshot on another computer, it means it's a data problem. If it's fine on another system, it could be an issue with the codec or something else like that.

Your CNN screenshot looks just like the CNN web site on my computer.

 

Orb -> "Color Management" -> first tab (forgot its name).

 

Can someone post a calibrated color profile here for the W510? I didn't get the color calibration.

 

I plugged the computer into my HDTV with VGA cable to see if things would look any different, figuring that if the movie clips still looked goofy, it was a video card or software problem, and if the clips looked normal, that it was an LCD problem with my laptop.

Strangely, after plugging it in, the clip looked completely normal on both the HDTV and the laptop screen. And the LCD stayed normal even after I unplugged the cable. Bizarre, but everything seems fine now. Any ideas on what happened here?

 

Can the external monitor and the internal display be separately calibrated? On my older Dell with Windows XP, changes I make affect both displays. Since I am hearing so many stories about the colors being off on the internal display, I would be concerned that calibrating that would throw off the external monitor colors.

 

All:
Thinking to either buy a Lenevo W510 or a DEll XPS 16. Cannot make up my mind.

Plus factors for Lenevo are only higher RAM. How is the product quality?

 

i guess there is a difference in screen.

matte vs. glossy. correct me if i am wrong.

 

You may want to try out the trackpad on the Dell. I've tried lots of them but the Lenovo one is unbeatable.

 

The Lenovo is also a business-class mobile workstation, whereas the XPS is a consumer machine. Do you want business-class rugged construction and business-class support?

 

I was going to get a Dell XPS 16. But I started to become concerned when read all of the problems on the Dell forums about throttling, overheating and inadequate power supplies (some had their power supply get too hot to touch). The 130 watt power supply on the W510 was a big selling point. Even if it is heavy, the machine will do all it is capable of. I wanted a reliable business class machine.

My major concern is the long waiting period for orders compared to Dell (with a FHD display). The estimated delivery has been pushed back until March 17 and I ordered Feb 4. Originally they said it would be Feb 23. I hope these delays are not an indicator of how fast service will be if I need it. I stuck my neck out in order several of these for our business. The business cannot afford to wait long for repairs. One thing Dell has given me in the past is very rapid repairs with fine on-site service.

 

Can someone (or two different people) give measurements and weight for the 135W and 90W adapters? I don't see them in Lenovo specs. If I get this unit, I would like to use the 135W at desk and 90W to carry with. But I don't have a sense of real world difference in dimensions and weight.

Thanks

 

I had a Dell XPS 16 and had no issues with heating at all (even though everyone else complained about it). I had no issues with the performance of the machine. The screen was beautiful. The ergonomics of it however were awful. The sharp front edge hurts your forearms when you type and the flat/flush keys and trackpad buttons make you hunt for them every time. It is just plain bad design. The thinkpad, with it's sculpted keys and buttons are a pleasure...

 

Also only this display is available-->15.6" FHD Display (95% Gamut) with LED Backlight and Multi Touch Screen

Dell has -->Full HD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP

What if i do not want the touch screen? How is the resolution and pictures.
I will be using this one for video,picture editing and SW programming too. I am not worried about games as i use PS3 for games. Oh.. I will also be watching blueray dvd's on the train commute.

I also liked the Sager but my config makes it close to $5K. I am ready to do that but spending 5K for a 8GB machine does not sound good.

 

See this thread: http://www.thinkpads.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=84151

 

One of the key selling points for me on the W510 was that it had 4 DIMM slots, so upgrading to 8GB did not cost a foturne...I picked up some Mushkin DDR3 for 90 bucks (2x2) and that was it...!

 

Here you go!!

 

Hi, the HP dv7t does NOT throttle under battery power - though there may be a setting to force this. Not sure about other HP systems, though.

In fact, under battery power I can get a core up to 2.6 / 2.8 but when I plug in a 90W adapter it drops back to 1.6.

I have been asking these W510 folks, but no one seems to know.

If someone wants to test this, just download prime95 and CPU-z and then run one core of calculations to see what the speed is.

R

 

I think the battery is better in providing current (amps!) than the 90W power supply.

 

Thanks for that!

To add the info to this thread:

135W = 6" x 2.5" x 1.375" and 1lb 6oz
90W = 4.96" x 1.97" x 1.18" and .79lbs

Big difference!

 

For the Linux users out there: nVidia's 195.36 beta driver has something resembling working suspend and resume. There's still much funny business at resume (need to do a console switch, and there's a bunch of display garbage) but it's definitely encouraging.

Note I only got suspend/resume working by unloading the xhci driver (USB 3.0 driver). Again, this is such new hardware that it'll probably take a bit to get it totally supported properly.

Oh yeah, and I only get one go... Try and suspend a second time, no workie... End up hung at the BIOS screen at resume.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

I have an Envy 15 and I guess I should check if turbo boost gets it to 1.6 Ghz on battery power. The way I found it throttles is that on battery power I run HWMonitor and it showed it at 931 MHz. When I get home I'll run HW Monitor and then go and load something and see if under load it actually goes up. Can someone with a W510 check and see what HWMonitor, or a similar program, shows as their clock speed on battery power?

Also, does the W510 have 1 USB 3.0 port or 2?

 

2 USB 3.0

They're colored blue (see my pics on page 9)

 

How many inches does the 9 cell battery protrude?

 

It's only about 3/4"... I thought I would hate it, but I find I don't even notice it. The power connector sticks out further than the battery does.

 

Same distance as they did before.

 

I just checked on my Envy 15. On battery power the Core i7 throttles down to 931 MHz and doesn't move no matter what the load. I am now very anxious to see if the Lenovo does this. Can someone check with CPU-Z?

 

My W510 with i7-820QM runs at 1.6GHz on battery. That's with an old ORTHOS build running, so stressing only 2 cores. Re-connect the A/C adapter... and it's up to 3.0GHz or so. So it does seem to be throttling, but not all the way down to the LFM frequency (1.2GHz).

 

Thanks for the info. Still, that kinda sucks.

Do we have any word on what the i5/i7 westmere dual cores are doing?

 

Just for some comparison, I took a look at power usage between my HP 6710b and my new W510...

At idle they're both pretty darn close to the same power usage (about 20W or so according to ACPI) although the W510 drops down to 18W or so at times, while the HP usually sits closer to 22-24W. The HP is a 16:10 15.4" high res panel compared to 16:9 15.6" FHD so they're about the same real estate. The HP is still old-school backlight though.

Under light use the W510 with its i7 820QM and nVidia FX 880M is using about the same power as a Core2 Duo T7500 with integrated Intel graphics! The W510 has a much bigger battery too so it's getting nearly double the runtime of my Core2 HP machine. Nice!!

 

While it sucks it's still throttling (although it would likely chew up a lot of battery time if it didn't, it is refreshing to hear that it doesn't drop all the way down like the HPs are doing. I'm guessing a 720QM would drop a bit further but should still be well above 1 GHz? That and if the observations are right, you're still getting a good battery life...like 4 hours or so? More? Less?

 

What is the weight of the W510 with the slice battery...for the total of 18-cells?

 

That isn't bad. It looks like more in the pics. That means it is about 10.5" total in depth, exactly what my 16:10 Asus is now. So that seems doable. Thanks.