Lenovo W510 Owner's Thread

OK OK OK I AGREE FOR GOODNESS SAKE IM REDOING IT

I'm the all over place man who does and show and you guys do and not even show it.

 

Wow, it's amazing. It still warns about delays of 3-4 weeks. I wonder if this is a typo and should say 3-4 months?

 

its not the way you think I looked in the system just now and no bleeding to the sides. SINCE WHAT YOU SEE IS not how much I really used.

please try to understand I didnt have replacement pads so I used old once reversed ,throw me a link IN case I want to get em that would be more help.

I,m pretty sure Im ok here since target was reducing heat and I got 10c off the base temp

 

I know the W510 takes PC3-8500 and PC3-10600 RAM, but can you run them alongside eachother? Could I run 8GB (4x2) of PC3-8500 and 8GB (4x2) of PC3-10600?

 

Good to hear that. Yeah, I personally like MX-3 the most. Used it in my M17X-R1/R2 systems along with AS-5. 10C is what I usually get, so it's perfect. You can of course keep the stock pads, they are fine. But if you ever need to replace them - here you go.

 

You can, but I believe you will then be running all 4 chips at the slowest of the 4's speed.

 

I've done this in the past on desktops with Arctic Silver compound... do you happen to know if this compound expires or can I still use it as there's still a lot left in the tube. I'd say it's been there for about a decade or more? Still looks good...

 

I currently have this notebook attached via the AC adapter into an APC Surge protector that has a red LED indicator for "Building Wiring Fault". When the AC adapter for this notebook is connected, the LED begins to flicker. If I remove it the LED stops... anyone have any suggestions? Bad AC adapter?

 

I've also had the same tube for a long time. It's probably fine.

Ask APC.

 

Just ordered W510 w/ FHD. Used coupon code for %20 off. I hope the wide gamut doesn't look too strange!

 

The only thing that I'd like Lenovo to improve in their W510 is a GPU. FX880M is an outdated and mediocre card, IMHO. If they could come up with some 58xx FirePro or 4xx-based Fermi Quadro - I'd be more inclined, especially if paired with an upcoming i7-940XM

 

no but it can if driver is wrong i've got some snaps but I think you understand word oversaturated. I think this scereen is the best I've seen so far.
and im perfectionist overkiller lol

 

I concur that ^^^

 

I have got a picture of a nice looking girl if you'll say you don't like this.


oh and I cant wait for the new pads
(thanks for the link Aiki) running out of time for my new video project. so i have used the "overkiller ingenuity" and found few DVD roms kicking around
they were hit and miss having needed amount of pads some were very good IMO so I've done some carving and placing and I think it'll do for now.

 

Hello

I ordered a W510 with Multitouch FHD 3 months ago and it finally arrived last week. Just in time when I finished reading this whole thread on this forum. Thank you all for sharing all the experience you made with your W510.
I finished configuring everything and made some backups. So I'm ready to use the notebook at last.
But first I want to upgrade 2 things. I ordered an SSD and want to use the orignal HDD in the MultiBay and I want to install more RAM. My notebook came with 4GB RAM (1066MHz / PC3-8500) (2x2GB).
Now I want to upgrade it to 12GB (adding an 8GB kit (2x4GB)) or to 16GB (replacing the original 4GB with 2x 8GB kit (total 4x4GB).
I want to use 1333MHZ RAM but I read in some older posts that some people had problems when they were using that kind of RAM in all 4 banks.

I've been in contact with the (German) Lenovo support a few times but I didn't get the answers I was expecting.

Once I asked about the Front Side Bus

Their answer (translated) seemed like it was just copy pasted from some kind of specification:
The Notebook has a Front Side Bus of:
DMI (Direct Media Interface), integrated DDR3 memory controller (up to
1333MHz),
Intel Turbo Boost, Hyper-Threading technology; 6MB cache
2GB std / 16GB max/ PC3-8500 1066MHz DDR3, non-parity.


My second question was about the support of 1333MHZ RAM in all 4 banks. I also mentioned that some people had problems with this configuration.

Their answer (translated):
No RAM with 1333Mhz was testet for the the W510.


I'm thinking about buying OCZ or Corsair ValueSelect or G-Skill (cheapest one). Each one is CL9 ( 9-9-9-24 )


But first I wanted to ask if more people here made experience with 1333MHz RAM in all 4 banks.
Maybe some later BIOS Versions (except 1.20 ) fixed the problems because the posts describing the problems aren't that actual anymore.

If it's definitively not going to work I will buy the slower PC3-8500 1066Mhz RAM.

I also bought 2 months ago the docking station and the multibay adaptor (not the original one), but I don't think it is going to work because it's the one for the W500.

Is there maybe another multibay adaptor for the W510 that actually works and fits better (without the gap) than the one from Lenovo?

Until now I am very pleased with the W510.
If I can help you with anything here is the configuration of my W510:

I7 820, Multitouch FHD, 4GB RAM, 500GB (7200r/s) HDD, Color Sensor, 9 cell battery.

 

Is there a refresh of W510 with new GPU new CPU anytime soon?
Thanks!

 

And also I'm thinking purchasing a W510 from ebay
here: LENOVO THINKPAD W510 i7-720QM 2.8Ghz 1920 x 1080 FHD - eBay (item 170495496802 end time Jun-14-10 19:58:41 PDT)
is this reliable?

 

Hi all,

I just received my Thinkpad W510. Its gorgeous! Anyways, i removed the seagate drive that came with and installed an Intel X-25M along with a fresh copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.

Anyways, i am gathering all the drivers that i need but i cant find the Chipset Driver. The only thing that i see on the Support/Driver Download page for the W510 that has anything to do with Chipsets is the

Intel 3, 4, 5, 800, 900, 3400 Series Chipsets
Intel Server/Workstation Chipsets

And i dont think thast what i am looking for.

As a general rule of thumb after a fresh install the first two things to install are

1. Chipset ( i cant find)
2. Video driver


Pleeease help.

On a side note, do i have to install the Intel AMT Management Engine Firmware ??

 

all drivers are on the DRIVE you removed connect it and extract em from DRIVERS DIRECTORY usually on C:drivers all your drivers are there stock once want new ? get em from here Lenovo Support & downloads - Drivers and software - ThinkPad T410, T410i, T410s, T410si, T510, T510i and W510

 

No. W510 is the refresh. We might see bump in CPUs to the x40 series in the next few weeks, but def not the GFX.

 

I hate thinkvantage to tell you the truth. But there is an option on the Driver Software page where it says

ThinkVantage System Update

If i were to install this, would i actually have options as to which specific drivers i would like to install or is it just gonna install all the drivers all together whether i like it or not??

 

with al do respect even being "perfectionist overkiller" I dont se diffrence for 1066 vs 1333 I,m more prone getting "quality" rather than cheaper better I have thought im getting good ram but for 130$ per 4gb kit it was 1333 hynix cheap Kingston "performer" I should say that kingston gave me choice of getting the Elpida chips but all they have is 2gb sticks at 1066 and they offered me 1333 4GB sticks but based again on Hynix chips. I personally dont like them because they are Hot running.

 

@ Shodoko,

To put this simple - all i7-quads will make use of the 1333MHz. Dual-cores - up to 1066MHz.
Since W510 has quads by default, you should be able to utilize 1333mhz RAM with no problem.

Yeah, it's a pity they can't offer us a better GPU. A 58xx FirePro would be perfect!

 

hey bunta heres the hot link its hopefully gunna land you on right page with the chipset download link IBM Personal computing support - ThinkPad W510 support

and heres direct link http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-73684

yes thinkvantage will let you not only choose but its easy way of downloading all your drivers. (BIOS excluding video and chipset excluding especially when doing the clean install)

there is also a link with a full set of instructions on how to properly one-by-one apply and install all the drivers

 

OK so you are saying that it would be follish of me turning down offer from Kingston? They offered me 2x1333 CL7 4G sticks instead of faulty hyperex

and tere is a choice of 1066 CL7 4G I see people have NON theoretical problems with 1333 and it didnt matter on the brand!

I'm not that good in getting my head around this. I think OREV can shed some light once more for us ?!

 

it doesn't make sense, if you go here:
http://h71016.www7.hp.com/MiddleFrame.asp?page=config&ProductLineId=539&FamilyId=3156&BaseId=32109&oi=E9CED&BEID=19701&SBLID=
And configure the HP 8540w, you will see that the ATI FirePro M5800 is $115 CHEAPER than the NV FX880M, what the hack is going on??

EDIT:
Thanks to everyone answered my question!

 

Hey Tyrell,
thanks for the reply and help. The links that you sent me are the ones ive been looking through all day long. I actually ended up downloading Thinkvantage System Update - pretty cool tool actually.

Anyways, after i installed it, i found out that i needed an internet connection first. So i had to go to my other computer and get the Intel LAN driver so i can install it first.

Anwyays, i cant seem to find the link with the full set of instructions on how to install the drivers one-by-one.

thanks again.

 

I've been having my Thinkpad for a week, now, and am quite happy I didn't wait for the much more expensive HP EliteBook 8540w to become available in Germany, because the W510 rocks socks (especially the FHD screen)!

However, I've got an issue with a high-pitched noise always occuring when I'm on battery only. My local Lenovo retailer said that this CPU whining is common among ThinkPads and Intel processors in general and is caused by the power management unit. If I wanted to end it, I should disable the "balanced power" mode in the BIOS which, on the other hand, would drain the battery faster.
Now, I think there's much more to it. For once, I'm able to immediately stop the whining by turning on music or any other sound, even if I muted the speakers. And as soon as I stop playback, it starts again. It doesn't matter if I'm on Windows or Ubuntu, either. I also tested this with an external USB sound card from Sennheiser and, as I expected, it didn't cause the noise to stop.
Apart from that, I noticed there are actually two high-pitched sounds. One occurs no matter if I'm on AC or on battery and seems to be quite stable, although I'm not able to hear it constantly - but I think that's rather due to fan noise et cetera. It's nothing like as annoying as the other one which I talked about earlier and is much more like an irregular scratching.
So, all in all it must have something to do with the soundcard + power management unit combination. Could a BIOS update fix it?

Can anyone of you confirm this issue?
At least, I don't seem to be completely alone, a few guys over at thinkpad-forum.de (German) experience it, too. Would be interesting to know, though, if the broader masses are affected. Please note, that you might not hear the sound even if it's there. In this case, I'd be thankful if you asked your neighbors / friends / parents / kids (the latter of which are known for hearing high-pitched sounds much better than adults!) if they perceive it.

 

Yes, you could definitely benefit from a CL7 1333x2GB memory. However, there are multiple reports of HyperX ram not working properly in many systems.
I'd say, to stay on a safe side, get Mushkin or GSkill even though it's slightly slower CL9 for 4GB modules.
At least it's confirmed to be generally issues free on most platforms.

 

On the RAM thing (1333 vs 1066), it's my opinion that is doesn't really matter, given the fact that you are always waiting for some slower part of the system, like disk, USB, network, etc... The RAM speed just doesn't make that much of a difference.

 

Another thing is that it's really difficult to see the difference between the CL7 1066 and CL9 1333. They are pretty close in performance. You will only really benefit from from a faster RAM if benchmarking (provided you got an SSD, as Orev netioned, otherwise it would be pointless)

@ Royren2010,

That FirePro has pros and cons compared to FX880M.
If you're not into CUDA and similar apps - go for ATI. Otherwise, you might think about it.
58xx has a Dx11 support, newer tech in general, more energy efficient and cheaper.
FX880M has better support for pro apps (hence more expensive).

 

thanks~, have you tested any games on this? How does it run Left For Dead 2 and Modern Warfare 2 on FHD and Max out all the settings?

Thanks!

 

I'm almost 100% certain that you can't run LFD2 and MW2 all maxed out on FHD.
A FirePro (or FX1800M as well) on the other hand, could do better.
In any case, if you want to be able to run most of the latest games on max - go for 17" laptops with 5870/480M/SLI/CF graphics.

 

here you go

Lenovo Support & downloads - Windows 7 Clean Installation - ThinkPad

 

Thanks can you guys help me choose from this
Kingston Technology Company - Kingston Memory Search - Search Results for:

I am at freedom to get any.

From day one I planned to replace the memory with my own
so I bought 4x2gb sticks which was a FAIL
thats why I got the minimum config 1 stick x2GB CL7 standard from LENOVO
(getting 2x4Gb-1066@CL7 would make it 10GB!!)

now I suspect what they are offering might be a replacement without fancy heat-spreaders. reason why I though of that is they are using
same chips "hynix" on them. what you guys think am I over-killing here as-well? or my suspicions are viable.

they have also told me that only NON hynix modules are 2gb sticks by Elpida with CL7. but down side of this choice is filling all four banks with it with no room for expansion in the future!

logic :get 2x1333 4G modules especially if they are at CL7 EDIT got reply and they are CL9
paranoia: get Elpida based 4x1066 CL7 and rest assured its not over heating and all that Jazz


EDIT: this link is a hopes and fears killer http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-scaling-i7,2325-5.html

 

Why take a chance buying crap ram? Go to OWC and buy some decent ram and be done with it.

 

What makes you think that OWC sells RAM which is different from the rest like Newegg? There's a general stability problem with a faster (HyperX) memory.

 

I'm not buying im exchanging!!!

if I get refund ill probably land on hynix again but with another badge.

 

Thanks,
I love the design the W510 but why it just doesn't use M5800? I really don't like the HP 8540w.
did you run any games on W510? How well they can run? If not FHD can I play those games on 1600*900? I know W510 is not for gaming but I like to play some FPS games when I'm free... I just ordered my w510, if it can't handle the games like L4D2 and MW2, I might consider returning it...

 

it will play at medium granted sSD and 8gb are there to help it

 

^^^ yeah, medium settings @HD+ is about the best you can get in those games.

I hope Lenovo will start offering better GPU's by Q4 2010 when ATI 6000 series is released.

 

While a better GPU is always great, I think people are missing the point of this laptop. Thinkpads are not in the home and home office area for a reason. They aren't designed for gaming which is probably why they have a quadro fx chip and not a geforce chip. The people that need the gaming graphics should be complaining why the ideapads or whatever don't have what they want. Granted, who wouldn't want a gaming card in this laptop...haha.

 

Yeah That will be awsome but I doubt they gonna use ATI 6000, the FX880M is a huge step up for W510 compare to T510's NVS 3100m. Look at W500 and T500... ATI 3650 on T500 is a little better than FireGL 5700 on W500.

If they came up with Ati 6000 series, I will buy it immediately and sell this one. haha

 

They will definitely offer those. The refresh is here. Nvidia is about to launch its Fermi based line of Quadro's. Then in a couple of months you get the FirePro 6xxx. Don't look at the 5700 as it's based on the older architecture and has no connection to the 5xxx mobility radeons. The FirePro 58xx is the one based on mobility 5770 (or 5750) and it's even more powerful than a FX1800M (with GDDR5), not even to mention the FX880M - weakest of the three.

 

damn... I just ordered W510....... should I return it and wait for the refresh of W510? How long do I have to wait for it? Is it worth to wait?
Thanks.

 

Dunno. I suppose the GPU update will reach W510 anywhere in the July-September range, but take my word with a grain of salt, - nothing is sealed in this business.
Personally, I'd wait. Too late now.

 

I played MW2 with 1280@720 and it worked perfectly with medium/high settings. Don't know if could run any better because I simply did not try other settings. Those are my standards

For my purpose the FX880M is the right card. I really like to use CUDA, I prefer NVIDIA drivers and their support over ATI and heat/energy usage seem to be quite okay. I do some light gaming but I prefer my PS3 for that so Lenovo made a great notebook for me.

Sure ATI cards rock right now but I doubt there will be an update - the machine has been built for certain reasons and those don't include gaming. So DirectX11 and game performance are no criteria in that case. I did buy the W510 and I am happy that I got a current generation NVIDIA GPU. I am quite afraid about mobile Fermi chips which double the TDP at least and that is unacceptable in a notebook. Fermi sadly is a rather "bad" designed chip and I hope NVIDA gets their grip on again instead of waiting for ATI to catch up like they did this time.

 

I agree with what you said, and games I play work fine so far, with a bit of jerK here and there but depends on drivers I was desparate enough and tried Vista driver and it worked/! gave me +50 points in 3d mark. making it 6380 instead of 6333

I know it takes time and involves a bit of attention ,but could someone with 3d mark 2006 check
weather they get the horizontal lines of shifted snow when it tests "freeze" part of the graphics test,
its just when camera starts to rise and the screen is mostly displaying snow when this effect happens I cant remedy it with drivers and accept it as norm if someone else reports it, thus it wasnt so b4 and im few weeks away from my other lappy.

 

In tech you can always be waiting for the next thing to come around the corner, and when it does the price goes up. Once the price starts to come down, the next thing is just around the corner.

 

Yep...then you're constantly disapppointed. Computers (laptops and desktop components) are prime examples of this. I think the major example, however, is smart phones. They come out so fast that you'll never be able to enjoy anything because you'll constantly be waiting for some "gap" in technology timing.