Lenovo W510 Owner's Thread

Heh, do you see me waiting? I got the W510 shortly after it was announced. But there are certain things that I'd do if needed a new lappy in a few months. When you know how the system works - you know what you are waiting for

For instance, I need an SSD, but will wait another month till G3 is out, even if it's more expensive.
Been waiting for 2.5 months already for that HP with a Dream Color 2 screen (IPS 30-bit panel ). I could get this system with a decent WUXGA+ LED screen 2 months ago, but I know what's coming and when and get ready for it.
The tech is evolving fast but not that fast. It's like in a metro: every 10 minutes there's a new train, but you always hope to get there 1 minute before it arrives and not 1 minute after
In laptops these 10 min equal 6-12months (depending on the component).
All in all, if you desperately need a system - yes, grab the one you can get. If you can wait and know exactly what you're waiting for - go for it

 

Speaking of 30 bit... => Attachment
So far, I haven't dared to try it - is it possible that I break something if the GPU actually doesn't support it? Plus, it doesn't doesn't even show the 30 bit option in the Windows version...

 

Lol, that's Lucid Lynx! Plus, not every GPU supports 30-bit screens.
5870 (FirePro M7820) does


<<< Correction, according to Nvidia FX880M does support 30-bit screens but how will it work in reality - IDK.
Give it a try in w7.

 

^ That was from my old thread, so would the W510 be good for me?

I'm wanting a laptop for a multipurpose reason. Be it entertainment, school, research (either school or independent) or gaming (as i might not take my PS3). So this is what I'm planning to do:
What I know I will be doing is 3D modeling, simulation, physics simulation, HE Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Data crunching, Algorithms, Programming (both High and Low Level), image/video analysis, conversion of natural algorithms (Image, Audio, Video into pure data), research/analysis maybe on the unknown/unseen/beyond (hard to explain ), being able to customize and create specialized functions, hacking/cracking/modifying, etc.

Knight has redirected me here, saying ask people who own this laptop and who are around Canada, so mind helping

 

I happen to have a W510 (look at the short review in my signature)
With your requirements, IMHO, you would be better with a W701/ds.
It has bigger screen (17") more powerful graphics, etc.

As far as the price goes - just wait for a coupon to appear on the Canadian website. I got my W510 with a 25% oFF, just by using a coupon and almost pulled the trigger last week when they had whopping a 30% OFF

 

yeah Im looking at it

oh sick...by the way im buying this laptop for both work, play and school Im going into aerospace engineering

(Copy n paste ftw)

 

yeah you can run but you cant hide guys

 

LMAO

hey tyrelll corp sounds familiar to me..is it from Blade runner

 

i replied to your review bro =)

 

I have had my W510 FHD for about a week or so now.

I am extremely satisfied with the performance, build-quality and screen.

I made the right decision to go with Lenovo !!

 

Nice, good for you dude, The NO.1 reason for me to go to lenovo from HP is it's build quality, and good looking.
Have you run any gaming test yet? How it perform with the games like L4D and MW2? Try to make it FHD and see what's the FPS if possible, I will be appreciated, thanks.

Mine should arrive on Monday, I bought from ebay top rated seller, and after bing cashback it's $1544, specs are:

Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition
Intel Quad Core i7-720QM @ 1.66ghz (2.8 Turbo) 1066mhz/6MB cache
4GB PC3-8500 1066MHz DDR3 (4 x 2GB) 16GB Max
Nvidia Quadro FX 880M Graphics 1GB DDR3 Memory
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Widescreen and WWAN antenna
2 Megapixel Integrated Camera
320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N WiFi 6300N 802.11 (3 x 3 agn)
8x DVD/RW Dual Layer Burner
UltraNav TrackPoint with Fingerprint Reader and Touchpad
5 in 1 Media Reader and Modem
Bluetooth
9-cell Lithium Ion battery
Genuine 3 Year Lenovo Depot Warranty (International Warranty Model Type 4319)

is this a good deal?

 

yeah i got a admit tbh thats an amazing deal, u got bluetooth and international warenty and all the works, though i really can't tell the difference between the i7 processors available, as some may not be fully used..so yeah..idk if the 782QM is gonna be good or the extreme 980XM is good.. LOL

Though for high computational stuff and high tech computation and heavy gaming on a leveno is harder becasue of the CPU/GPU temp's...u gotta get external cooling i guess. cooling system aint that good

 

It's 920XM (or 940XM soon) for mobile segment and 980X/990X for desktops

 

oh and there hexacore right?

 

The desktop variants - yes. Only found in Clevo x7200 and D900F

 

dayum they cost to much xD

Are there any laptops that allow dual core 2 quads so 8 physical cores
Also what is the mobile workstation equivalent of the NVIDIA Tesla and the ATI Firestream?

And since u know so much about laptops, which hardware should i go for that will give the performance and great potential to do the tasks i want and have the potential to go beyond that ?

 

Hi happy owners of W510.

I'm considering to buy this model. The only question I have to it is a noise level.
I'm going to buy 820QM model and expand it to 16 GB of RAM. Also I will use SSD drives.

Can you please tell me, is it comfortable to work with it, while W510 is on a table under high load? Is fan noise acceptable or is like turbine?
I like to work in silence and don't use headphones. My work involves high CPU load (no GPU) so I'm curious how much noise W510 produces under load.
I don't care about body temperature - most of the time my notebook is on a table.

Thank you.

 

@ dmitrystv
howdy
I have the 820 but only 4gb and I have to say that it is one of the quietest laptops Ive every owned...
the loudest part for me is probably the mechanical harddrive so with the ssd you should be just fine...

a word of warning however, you didn't mention if it would be plugged in or on battery, if it is on battery remember there is a chance that you might get some squelling

edit: you may want to factor in the purchase of a cooling mat - simply to extend the life of your laptop

 

FHD for w510 is available now. Check it out

 

Thanks!
But is it still quiet under intensive CPU load?
I will use it most of the time plugged in.

Do you have 720 or 820? You signature confused me a bit.

 

@Dmitrystv,

Shouldn't be a problem at all. I can barely notice the fan even during gaming. So don't worry, Comrade

 

sorry I wasn't clear enough

it is veeeeery quiet
I do have an 820... woops....

 

Thanks for the comments regarding W510's noise!

Now I got confused with HDD form factor size. Does it support 2.5" HDD drives? Or it has 1.8" support only? I mean main HDD not the one plugged into bay.

 

Both are 2.5", 9.5mm.
(Maybe the Bay can also take 12.5mm, I'm not.sure).

 

comrade is calm... lol

 

Has anyone used any coupons for the US site that are more than 15% off (employee or shareholder pricing)?

 

Hehe, maybe he's from Greece

I'm sure you can grab one for 20-30% OFF if patient enough.
I got a 25% discount through the Canadian site.

 

Thanks, the employee site has an additional 10% (so 25% total) father's day coupon. I just ordered my father a T410, debating whether I should order the W510 or wait for updated processors/GPUs.

 

Hi,
Has anyone actually gotten W510's RJ45 port connected to a gigabit router / device and transfering data at speed higher than 100Mbit ? I have a gigabit router but W510 seems to connect to the router always using 100M bit full duplex mode. Do I need to enable or install anything other than what were installed by the factory to use the gigabit feature?

Thanks

 

Just have few questions, I want to expand the memory from 4GB to 8GB, have anyone done this before?
1. Can I easily access all 4 memory slots by just remove the memroy cover on the bottom?
2. Thestock memroy is 1066Mhz, If I insert two more 1333Mhz, is there a problem by doing this?
3. does the brand of the memory matters? Like if the stock mem is Crucial and I insert 2X2GB Kingston into it, is there gonna be a problem for this?
Thanks in advance!

 

For the record I have not done this but I have read through all 200+ pages so (if I have remembered correctly)ill give you a hand

1)the first 2 slots are behind the keyboard, however the empty 2 are on the bottom of the laptop.... yay?
2) no problem however it will only run at 1066
3) Brand doesn't matter however some brands are more reliable.

edit: sorry I made a typo (thanks dimm0k) it will run at the slowest ram speed present.

 

How often are you supposed to use the color sensor? Is it a once and done, or something that needs to be repeated periodically?

Does it really make the screen look that much "better" if you aren't doing any kind of photo/video editing?

Does each computer have different settings or can one person post the settings and every computer use them?

I am trying to decide whether or not I should order my W510 with one. Personally, I always think the less "features" a computer has, the less software and things that can go wrong.

 

for 2., don't you mean they will run at the slower speed of what's installed?

 

Message from professor Farnsworth:


GOOD NEWS EVERYONE!


im running my FX880 on new a BETA 8.17.12.5715 driver and it gives good boost to my 3D apps and seems stable thus never crashed.



You are FIRED!

end of message.

sometimes there are problems , and mostly brand inependant coz they may use same chips for the build you may get a roblem where you have factory oveclocked 1333 and its mixed with 1066 of other "chipmakers" ram

its good practice getting same chips on the same sticks. not very caring company may sell you Kingston RAM 2 sticks both 1333 but first one made by Elpida and other By Hynix. they may work but also may produce undesirable small or big problems. so allways try to get same chips from same maker with same date of birth. (if You Can)

 

It depends if you are a pro or not.
I would recommend recalibrating once a month.

If you are not into photography / video editing I doubt you need it.
What it does is 1. optimize what your screen is capable of rendering colorwise.
2. make it as much comparable as possible with everything also calibrated (monitors, printers, ...).
This is important for advertising, photography and so forth.

It really isn't important for games, office etc.

 

Just got mine today, I got the Full HD display, really like it, It is as good as the RGB screen on my friend's Alienware M17x. I tried MW2 and L4D 2 Full HD, runs good, sometimes below 30FPS but most of the time playable.

 

If you want the color sensor it's better to buy an external one so you can use it on other computers. If it's built-in, once you get rid of this one you'll need to keep paying to get another one, etc...

 

What about its working with the power settings? I don't run my screen at full brightness and only the old Lenovo drivers seem to work with settings less than full. In other words, if I set brightness lower than 15 for AC and battery they reset to maximum after restart using any other drivers. With the Beta you're using do they maintain brightness settings? If so, where did you get them? Nividia's site?

 

5-in-1 reader (MMC, Memory Stick, Mem Stick Pro, SD, SDHC)

How does one use this? Do you need some type of adapter as all these formats are of different sizes...

 

No, you don't need an adapter. They all should fit into the slot.

 

yes you can just go here NVIDIA Driver Downloads - Advanced Search

havnt noticed since im always on MAX everything

 

How often does Lenovo typically issue spec bumps? I know nothing major is in the pipeline, but it has been nearly 6 months since the W510 was launched. I thought minor processor/gpu/etc. bumps may be close.

 

A bump from the x20 CPUs to the x40 CPUs is on the Intel roadmap for 2nd quarter which is 2 weeks away. Maybe we'll see those.

 

I can't imagine going from the 720 to 740 will be significant at all. The difference between 720 and 820 seems to be relatively minor. Any thing else in the pipeline or will it be 2011 before we see any significant upgrades?

 

I'm pretty sure you'll have to wait a lot. They introduced the current T/W models in January, and only now they start to be actually available in all configurations.

Also, lenovo seems quite busy already with introducing lots of new cheaper thinkpads (B/V/L/Edge/whatnot), ideapads, that smartphone of theirs, the tablet, etc. So it'll be a while until it's the T/W-series' turn.

 

new BIOS is out,


and as you guessed it , I'm jumping this bandwagon lol

 

Good Luck and keep us posted

 

Cant confirm RAM allocation problem presence, but this update included the video Bios update as well it seems and that is always welcome IMO. seem to be ok so far, will report bugs if any during this week.

I' wondering if there is an effective way to remove the chipset drivers without complete wipe.?!

 

I installed the new bios earlier today, no issues so far.

BTW, yesterday nVidia released 257.21, link to W7 x64 download

 

Not always possible without consequences but quite a few times I was ok by just uninstalling/re-installing it.