Lenovo W510 Owner's Thread

Did you guys update via the ISO image or inside Windows 7? I updated when I got home and the update looked like it went fine, unfortunately when I restarted the system, my system was dead =(

 

I used the Windows updater. (I updated from bios 17)

I'm used to Dell where all upgrades are done from Windows but the actual flashing is performed when the system reboots.

I'm a bit surprised to that the bios was upgraded while running Windows.
Well, it worked and it still works.

 

try to make update with BIOS iso burned-and-verified on CD-RW disk

u have to use another comp to do it now lol ,but worth a try.

boot and it should get into dos automatically but if not do a reboot and press f12, now if you cant start at all you are boned m8.

by the way after many reinstalls and tests I have noticed that 8898 Nvidia driver works the best for w510 so far.

 

Does anyone here do graphics work on their laptop?
I'm thinking about getting the W510, If anyone's tried Maya and Zbrush on their laptop could you please tell me how it performs.
So do you guys think the W510 would be a good choice for someone who uses Maya, Zbrush and Photoshop?
Thanks

edit: Also how's the size and weight of the laptop. Is it easy to carry around?
I've only seen the W700 and that's like huge and a pain to carry around. Sorry if this is a silly question. I tried searching for pics of the W510 size comparison but I can hardly find any pics of it.

 

For those that have opened up their W510, how do you disconnect the flat cable that connects the notebook shell to the mainboard? The video from lenovo shows the guy pushing down on the black tab to free the cable, but no matter how hard I push down that tab won't budge.

 

Finally got around to ordering my machine, got the following:

720 Processor
FHD Monitor
W7 Professional 64
8gb Ram (4 dimms)
128gb SSD
MS Office
Norton IS 15-month subscription
1-year warranty

Total came to $1,850 plus tax.

Didn't get the color sensor, smart card slot, wimax or built in 3G. Didn't see a need for any of them.

 

Are you talking about the cable coming from the topcase (where the fingerprint reader and trackpad are)? If so, yeah, the video is wrong. Pull up on that little black bar. You can then remove the cable. I noticed the same thing. The video shows him pushing down, but on mine I had to pull up on it.

 

Thanks for the confirmation! After watching the video I thought that was the only way, especially after looking at the little black bar itself it visually looked more sensible to push down rather than pull up.


Does anyone know if there's a shortage on the mainboards?? I'm waiting for a replacement mainboard from my local service center and they're telling me the mainboards are on backorder with no ETA. ?!

 

New bios, is worth to try it?

 

If you do, do NOT do it from Windows... it's way too risky to do it from there as I have found out the hard way.

 

Just wondering how hard it would be to sell this system if it's used for less than 1 month? I'm getting very impatient at waiting for my repair to be done and am thinking about buying a 2nd system while this one awaits repair. Once it is repaired, I'd sell it... I just can't wait for no computer at home!!

 

I installed the new BIOS from the CD (I've always done it this way, or from a USB thumb drive) just as I have all my past computers. No issues. Also installed the new WHQL video drivers from Nvidia. These ones actually hold your brightness settings!

 

no you need to lift it carefully (do you need a hummer?) with screw driver or better some plastic thingy that will not slip onto your board and scratch i, then you need to sortof lift it a bit about half way up and then you can release the flat bus wire (if you do it do it right)


p.s. whats wrong with your machine anyway?

 

Check ebay. You can search for completed items and see what price they closed for.

 

now I know where not to buy laptop lol

 

Does it make a difference whether you use DVD-R or DVD+R to make your recovery CDs? What about RW? Any preference on brand?

 

JarodL

It shouldn't matter, any compatible DVD would work.
I made my copies using DVD-R. (you need 4 DVD's)

 

use DVD-RW or R+ unlike R- they are not going to let you down.

DVD-R - are bad period

 

Well my BIOS got screwed up updating to the latest and I had hoped the reason for the machine not booting up was because the old settings conflicted with the new BIOS. If that were the case a reset of the BIOS settings by removing the little battery inside might have helped... unfortunately it did not.

 

Did you update it from Windows or bootable disk?
Never do it from windows. Create a bootable CD/DVD/USB and load the BIOS update program from it.

Try this guide to recover from a bad flash. You'll probably have different files to copy but the principle is similar.

 

Can someone measure the dimensions of the W510 with the 9-cell battery in inches? The tech sheet says it is:

14.68" x 9.65" x 1.41"

I am trying to figure out if that includes the portion of the 9-cell that extends out or just to the back of the notebook, so I can order a carrying case.

Thanks!

 

probably repeating myself but i got to ask.. do any of you get small artifacts on objects in games and slight shifts breakups in graphics . mostly in BF2

 

Yes, same here. I got the artifacts in bf2 too. A tiny litte white square on the right side at the bottom of the screen.

 

thanks, btw while at it I have found another enhancement it seem much better now after i have uninstalled 3 drivers back..and installed the .inf first for the my FHD (monitor driver) and then installed the latest driver, which by itself cleared all polygons and artifacts that infested the BFBC2.

the drill get the MONITOR driver instal it dry and then install the graphics driver . worked for me.

 

Can anyone help out?

 

I measured 27cm ~10.6" from the end of the battery to the front of my notebook. Your sizes are without the battery.

 

Great, thanks! Do the other dimensions I posted match your machine? Mind if I ask which monitor you have? HD, HD+, FHD or FHD multi-touch?

 

Yes the other dimensions length and thickness match (maybe 1-2mm difference). The thickness is not increased (minimal at the bottom because of the battery not being a plain surface) with the battery attached. I have a FHD without multi touch.

 

For those interested: I've got the Gobi 2000 WWAN module running on a Ubuntu Lucid installation!

 

Nice!
How's the stability running Lynx?
Was the installation easy or did you have to tweak some drivers afterwrds?

 

So far, stability seems to be as good as you can expect from a mobile broadband network. At home, I manage to have 3 - 4 Mbit/s down (but only up to 100 kByte/s up) whereas it's somewhat fluctuating outside.
Regarding the installation process it was easy at first but there were some small problems occuring later on. Never mind. It works flawlessly, now.

I wonder if the WWAN module slot as well as the built-in antenna technology will be compatible with future (LTE) modules? I guess not?

PS: I tried out the 30 bit color depth option in the Nvidia driver for linux: Although it's available as option it will change back to 16 bit as soon as you activate it. No change.


[EDIT]: It just occured to me that you were probably rather interested in general stability and driver issues occuring with Ubuntu Lucid.
Battery-wise it's no difference compared to Windows 7 (I usually get 3 - 4 hours with the 9-cell). Apart from UMTS, I have APS (active protection system which parks the the hard drive's head in case of heavy acceleration) up and running, the Nvidia driver works, sound works, trackpoint works. However, the touchpad's multi-touch capabilities do not and neither do the mute microphone button, the finger print sensor (doesn't matter as I use it as password alternative before boot up, anyways) and color calibration (which is why I simply apply the color profile from Windows). Generally speaking, I'm more than happy. What else would you like to know?

 

Good to know that 10.04 works fine on W510!
I like its blazing speed and light-weight.

 

Oh, and if someone could tell whether he / she is experiencing the same issue as I do, please?

 

I have the same issue on W510 and AW M17X and personally, do not consider this an issue. More likely a poor design of the chipset/mobo in general. Intel is to blame, IMHO.

 

Would you care to elaborate ? Is it related to I/O or other else ?

 

How long does it usually take to ship out once it goes to the warehouse for production?

 

The noise probably comes from Switch-Mode circuits, not from the battery or CPU (as many initially thought). But it's not something that can be addressed by a software or BIOS fix. Neither it's a flaw that reduces the lifespan of the system. So, if you can cope with the annoying sounds it produces - live with it. Otherwise, wait till Sandy Brigde and hopefully, ODM's and OEM's will address those noises.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought APS was only active while in Windows? Were you able to get the camera working under Linux?

 

The camera works out of the box.
As for APS, it's a question of whether there's an appropriate driver available for the accelerometer (hence, protection is implemented by software). In case of linux there is one: hdaps.

 

So far the only problems I encounterred with Ubuntu 10.04 is that the wireless network speed is not displayed properly (I think only newe kernel can handle 6300 and N networks) and that the standard NVIDIA driver is not CUDA enabled (which took me quite a bit to figure out. I even got the fingerprint reader to work, started filtering the Vuvuzela sound and now I am quite satisfied.

 

I have to admit that I have no idea what switch-mode circuits are. Anyway: Can they really be the reason that the high pitch doesn't occur when the ThinkPad's on AC supply or during music playback? I mean even if it isn't the battery itself it must be related to it as well as to the sound card somehow...

Unfortunately, I must report that although the WWAN module initially worked on both Linux and Windows, it doesn't anymore on either one and I have no idea why. In case anyone's interested in the Linux part: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/554099

 

Has anyone tried the Broadcomm software from their website for the Bluetooth in lieu of Lenovo's? Does it work and would there be any advantages (more features, stability, etc.)?

 

Could someone with a W510 and an Intel X25-M SSD please post a CrystalDisk Benchmark? The reason I am asking is because HP's Envy 15 (which also features up to 16GB RAM) gets very poor 4kb random read results (approx 10MB per second). I am curious if this is due to HP's implementation or due to the chipset support for 16GB RAM.

 

Anyone use the USB3 ports under Linux? I'm trying to sync two drives and the read from the eSATA port is blowing the drive on the USB3 port. Both drives are external SATA drives encased. I believe the eSATA port was reading data at about 80MB/s, while the USB3 while is still reading at barely 31MB/s.

 

31mb/s sounds like usb 2.0 speed. All reviews i've read put the usb 3.0 speed closer to 100mb/s. I suspect driver issues under linux.

 

(X25-M G2 160GB as the main drive and another one in the UltraBay III)

4KB is not where it should be, it appears to be better than the Envy though.
My Dell E6400 is spot on. (compares to desktop chipsets)

I test SSDs extensively and the W510 is just not up to the task, it is a great performer though.
Working with VMWare Workstation guests is a joy on the W510.

 

this is way better than the kingston toshiba 128gb drive i had (sent it back)

 

The Intels are still very good drives, you simply can't go wrong with the G2s.

The SF and Micron based drives are very good as well, they need some time to mature though.

 

Thanks, I will look into this...

 

Many thanks for the test. Oddly enough, the results are almost a mirror image of the results obtained on the Envy 15. I tested a G2 both internally and on the eSATA port and obtained almost identical results (after several BIOS updates performance is unchanged). The 4k random read and write results are roughly half of what they should be, which is very odd considering that it is a new chipset.

I wonder if Intel botched something in the Core i7 chipset regarding the SATA controller. Also, if the 4k random reads and writes are capped this way, many of the newest SSDs will then never really shine on this platform.