Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

Microsoft® Windows® 7 System Builder?s Guide « Corsair Blog
Microsoft Windows 7 System Builder’s Guide - W520 looks like one of the best placed laptops to use Win 7 advance performance features.

On that note, any other tricks to improve performance of my W520?

 

That's one thing I like about the Thinkpads. They all look similar. I was not surprised when mine looked a lot like the T61p that I have. They work and they're tough! I really rather my employee's not know every time I buy a new laptop. I'm not trying to "show off" with a Thinkpad I'm trying to get the job done. Whatever the job might be. I want the best laptop for my business use. For me that's the Thinkpad.
I do get some grief from my friends about my "old" thinkpad

 

Compensating for something? Let's leave the psychology to another thread and discuss W520 here.

My comment was how dated it looks. Which it does. Then I said I didn't buy it for looks but for speed & performance, and I was looking forward to setting it up.

Don't put words in my mouth. Thanks.

PS: You really put tape on your laptop? To cover up logos?

 

If I ever bought an Apple laptop, I would. Probably won't be as drastic as to rip out the logo or tape it up, but I'll definitely disable the backlight (or otherwise make sure the logo doesn't shine). I can't stand the glowing logo.

However, I think a "better" way to compensate for something is to buy a giant, ridiculous pickup truck (I live in an area where this is common). Now that's really compensating for something

 

That's what I did. lol

 

Or, if the light is still wanted, a MBP owner could just slap a sticker over it to make the logo more appealing to the eye:

 

Now you're talking!

 

Way too many F-150s and other trucks that are jacked up on 25"+ off-road/mud tires, and usually "decorated" with hunting, South Carolina related, and/or Confederate decals. Also, lots of "deer head outline" window stickers.

I just laugh at them since I know that 1) not every single one of them actually goes off-roading in these trucks, and 2) fuel consumption . I'm perfectly fine in my mid-sized, 4cyl sedan and I'm more than fine with my body image (and so is my girlfriend) . However, I think my next car would be either an Infiniti G37 (or whatever replaces it) or a used GT-R (if I can find one in eight years), just because I love driving like a racer car driver

 

Anyone running an external GPU with their W520?

I am interested in setting one up and am wondering if there were any difficulties experienced?

Hopefully it's all plug and play along with the installation of the drivers.

 

It's pretty much plug & play.
I was surprised Windows 7 was able to find drivers on it own for the external GPU.

 

Can you comment if any settings in the W520 BIOS had to be changed?
For example the Expresscard setting in the BIOS?
Or do not have to change anything and straight P&P?
Any small details that I may have to pay attention to?

I am planning on getting the PE4H kit + GTX560 + 500WPSU.

 

Are we talking ViDock external video card enclosure here, or some sort of roll your own/do it yourself gadget?

 

ViDock, not interested in the DiY stuff.

 

Didn't change anything, just plugged in ViDock when I booted up the W520.
Windows 7 took about 20 minutes to install drivers from Windows Update then it just worked.

 

Oh, I was referring to the DIY eGPU.
I guess if I have anymore questions I will ask them in the eGPU thread.
Don't want to go too OT here.

I was just wondering if anyone with a W520 had first hand experience with a DIY eGPU, so I asked here.

Good to know the ViDock has no issues.

 

About FHD display : It was quite long but i think i'm starting to get used to it (100%), but it's annoying having to stay really close... About external GPU: What's the cost?

 

You'll get use to it after a few days, and will be able to use it at a "normal" distance (I can see 100% just fine with the laptop on my lap or desk).

As for the eGPU, iirc the setup will cost you about $50 in parts + the price of a GPU.

 

Thanks. Just what I wanted to know, as I'll be ordering a W520 soon and plan on using a ViDock setup.

 

I'm having issues with headphone jack. Some time audio comes from the laptop speaker even my headphone plugged-in! Does anyone have solution for this?

 

Anyone works with eGPU on the W520? What's the experience, everything was fine? Any direct link for review of this system on the w520? Is quite starnge intel HD + quadro and propably 460 GTX or other...

 

Kevin - just curious... even though you have new memory at 1866MHz installed, is the rest of the system compatible? i.e. - will it carry through at that speed? Any issues since you have installed?

 

Sometimes? How often? That could be a Windows/Program bug...

 

Does anyone know how to adjust the soundcard driver's .INF file or alter the registry -- I have a legitimate need for having Stereo Mix as a sound input source. Googling has shown a registry change for a much older Conexant sound chip and a configuration change, neither of which work for a W520. Looking in the .INF file shows there are some entries for Stereo Mix; I am hoping there is just some simple change needed to re-enable this option.

 

Well, the headphone jack problem hit randomly. I had this issue around 5 times within past month. When I Hibernate the system and wake up, it doesn't detect the microphone (obviously microphone/headphone hooked to the jack).

Note: I installed the Dolby Home Theater V4 to enhance the sound. And I also have Skype installed. When I do the Lenovo update I see Conexant update for the sound card. I didn't do the update because I will loose the Dolby!

 

New W520 owner here. Interested to see how this machine stacks up against my old systems.

 

FYI...if you're gonna get more memory look at this deal. I just found it today.

CORSAIR DDR3 8GB 1333MHz SINGLE SO-DIMM MODULE $ 79.99

FRY'S CORSAIR MEMORY
FRYS.com|Corsair

 

Ok, I need another hard drive. Already. Maxed out the 160GB SSD, Lenovo RapidDrive Advanced is warning me I'm almost out of room (AKA <5GB free). Hard to believe how quick it went.

SO... I've read this entire thread, but after 48 hours of transferring programs & data, my mind is... unclear.

I have the 160GB SSD, and an optical drive. I would prefer to keep the optical.

1) Can I add a 2nd hard drive AND still keep the optical?

2) If so , what kind of drive do I need, and where does it go? Any reason it can't be another SSD? Easily user installed?

3) If not , I assume I can yank out the optical and install something. Same questions apply--what can I use and how easy?

Thanks!! As always, I appreciate your help.

Stuart

PS: So far, I am loving this machine. Fast & furious, a speed demon.

 

^
You can add a msata ssd to your machine. It fits underneath the keyboard. Personally I would put a msata SSD for the OS and large conventional hard drive for storage in the regular HD bay. I don't know if adding a msata drive plus your existing SSD would give you enough space for your data. I'd go for one conventional drive + SSD, especially since you want to keep the optical drive.

 

You can consider adding a MSATA drive.

 

mSATA (RUNCORE,RENICE,SAMSUNG) Samsung is coming out with a 256GB mSATA. )

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'd rather go with all SSD drives. Keep what I have, leave it as C:, and add a 2nd SSD drive for more storage. Especially since I can keep the optical.

So I need to specifically buy an mSata drive?

In looking around, the largest Intel is the 310 series (which appears to be the only mSata Intel makes) in 40 & 80GB. Not large enough.

Just looked up the Samsung news (Dec 1, fairly recent!). They're going to have 64/128/256GB available. But who knows when? I could wait maybe 30-60 days, but not much longer than that.

Looking on Newegg, OCZ (?) makes a 120GB.

Not a lot of choices... maybe I am better off waiting for Samsung to release their drive.

Anyone heard anything new from Intel on mSATA drives?

 

Intel made a 160GB MicroSata (mSATA) SSD in the X18-M Series...

Intel® SSD X18-M Series (160GB, 1.8in microSATA 3Gb/s, 34nm, MLC)

 

Samsung has started production of a new line of high-performance mSATA solid state drives that utilize 6Gbps controllers for theoretical read and write speeds of up to 500MB/s and 260MB/s, respectively available in capacities of 256GB, 128GB, and 64GB
Samsung PM830 mSATA SSD Released, Supports SATA 6Gb/s Speeds | StorageReview.com - Storage Reviews

Note: the W520 mSATA supports SATA II (3Gbps) only, but looking at t he benchmarks SATA II should still give excellent performance:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/7932739-post4546.html

 

Good information but I think the point is moot unless you can buy them at a reasonable price.

Anyone seen 160GB drives in the retail channel?

 

I've been looking for one, but haven't found one yet.

This 128Gb model appears to be the largest mSATA that is readily available...

http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/mydigitalssd-128gb-50mm-bullet-proof-msata-ssd/

 

here's one

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-X18-M-160GB-1-8-Inch-Solid-State/dp/B002O70RDW

 

Are you referring to the Intel X18 mentioned above? I see it on eBay around $250, and Amazon around $400

Would it fit in my W520? And is there some reason for the huge price difference? The eBay is from a 99% rated seller, and is new in original packaging. Same for the Amazon, except it's $150 more.

(BTW, the Amazon says SATA, not mSATA. Are all X18s mSATA, or do I need to be careful?)

The lack of an availability date scares me. Plus not knowing any pricing yet. I understand it's new & just announced.

But the X18 is 160GB? Or do you mean largest for the price (around $200)?

Sorry for all the questions. And I appreciate all your responses. I'm ready to do something fairly quick, hence... lots of questions.


Something I just thought as I was typing this. Reliability. What is the rep of the X18? Rock solid? How about the MyDigital 128 (from Rback86's post)? Any feedback?

 

I saw that X18-M on Amazon, and while it is a microSATA interface (versus a standard SATA interface), it doesn't appear to have the correct form factor. Note the outer shell and the lack of the screw holes for mounting. Then compare that to the 128Gb MyDigitalSSD in the above link. In retrospect, I'm not even sure the X18-M will fit.

 

To the best of my knowledge, all of the Intel X18-M series drives were a mini sata connector specifically designed for that 1.8" form factor. Those drives look very similar to a PCMCIA card in size and shape. I had two. The one that came with my T410s, and a Crucial C300 I bought as a backup device. I sold the T410s and the C300.

The mSATA drive connector is different as is the form factor. Apparently Samsung makes the largest capacity drive at the moment, but the 256GB drive isn't in the channel in a plentiful way yet. The Intel Series 310 80GB mSATA just isn't big enough for me (capacity wise). When I had one in my W520, it was only as a standby data drive. I was afraid I would run out of space with the Intel Series 510 120GB drive then in my W520.

 

MyDigitalSSD gets a lot of digital ink over at the thinkpads.com forum. They even offer forum members a discount. You might find more information over there...

forum.thinkpads.com &bull; MyDigitalSSD mSATA New Low Price + $15 OFF Coupon

 

Not sure if this has been posted in this thread before, I couldn't find it. Got a new W520 during Black Friday (woohoo!). Anyway, when I am running IE to check company webmail, every time I get a new e-mail, a message comes up saying "Ulead MP3 codec v1.0.18" with an "OK" button and won't go away until I click it. Anybody know what that is, and how to disable it?

BTW, I tried to google the message first, but couldn't find much other than someone with a Toshiba that used a program I don't have. Another Lenovo user asked on these forums, but didn't get an answer.

 

Turned off hibernation but laptop sometimes still wake abd sleep againWww weird

 

If hibernation is disabled, and there is a hibernation timer, the laptop will turn itself back on and try to hibernate, then realize it can't, and it'll stay on for a minute, and then go back to sleep.

 

Thanks i'll check that. EDIT: Yeah there was "hibernation temporiser" or i don't know how to say in english... That's this thing? Another thing, how can i wake on wan (wifi, not lan!)?

 

this might be a stupid question but does all w520 come with usb 3.0 or just some models?

 

Is there somewhere i can check how long the unit is running since last resume? Just got up to see it woke up after sleep again even though i changed settings..!

 

Good question, and let me tag one on to yours...

I noticed there are three USB ports on my W520. Two on the side, one on the rear.

Are they all the same, or are perhaps two 3.0 and one 2.0?

Thanks!

 

There are 2 USB 3.0 ports (blue, on the left), 1 USB/eSATA (also on the left), and 1 Powered USB (yellow, on the back right).

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/w520_datasheet.pdf

 

FYI, there is also a Users Guide pre-installed under Lenovo Device Experience. If you deleted that start menu option from your computer, you can probably still find the PDF itself under C:\SWTOOLS\readyapps\usrguide\books\[your_language]. On my computer, it's called: "T520_T520i_W520_User_Guide_en"

 

Is anyone else using the smart card reader on the W520? I can make it work with all my employer websites, but only if I log into the computer as administrator, or right click on Internet Explorer and select "run as administrator". In a non-admin account the website always seem to find the card initially as ask for a pin, but then the website won't load. Since it works fine with admin accounts and not with normal user accounts this seems to be a system or Windows 7 privilege issue. However, I can't seem to locate what I need to change despite hours of messing with this.

I used an external smart card reader with my T60 and it worked fine with all types of accounts.