Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

CPU 38 deg C even across all 4 cores
GPU 30 deg C on the Nvidia

CPU fan speed 3862 rpm

 

Thanks for posting numbers.

don't you hear fan at such speed i.e. 3862 given temp is low. My W510 reading (which 21 days inside return policy so check if I should keep it or go with W520)

W510 temp
CPU 44
GPU 39
fan 2739

I can hear little noise but have to pay attention.

W510 (I7-820QM/FHD 1920x1080 & top of the line goodies for $1231 including 3 yrs warranty)

W520 I7-2720/FHD 1920x1080 other standard goodies for $1563 including 3 yrs warranty)

go figure..kind of going nuts what to do...

 

That's with the hardwired temp/fan setup? Seems insanely conservative.

 

Something does not make sense... I went to the Lenovo site and configured a W520 with 16GB (4 DiMM) memory, it still shows "4270CTO" in the cart.

So one way to find out for sure is with someone who received their custom configured Quad W520 from Lenovo and look inside to see if it has 4 slots or 2 slots.

 

I think it's best summed up by the following line from the Keith Combs review which has been linked previously but is here:

Lenovo ThinkPad W520 - mini review - Keith Combs' Blahg - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

"W510 owners should stop reading here. It’s that much better. Really. I’m not kidding."

The SB processors are so much quicker than the previous generation I think it's an easy choice - go with the newer machine.

You mean like this guy did only a few posts ago?

Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread available to read...

 

Can anyone with the W520 tell us whether the ethernet chip is an Intel 82579LF or Intel 82579LM? It should say it in Device Manager. The LM varient has vPro. The LF does not. Also, include the laptop's product code. Thanks!

 

Thank you for the info. I feel better when the memories are all the same brand.

 

Storagereview have a W520 "first thoughts" review up ( Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Review: First Thoughts | StorageReview.com)

The following is of particular note;

Those numbers appear to be something like double what is reported anywhere else - can this be correct?

 

That's a RAID0 array with the Intel 510's.

 

ok ... insane speeds

 

We all know we can buy $1200 worth of Intel 510 SSD's

 

Guess 2 120GB Vertex 3s can get better speeds, but not sure I would care about that much MB/s when I only have 1Gb lan?

 

I have a W510 and a W520 - get the W520 - full stop.

 

I have a custom configured quad-core W520, says 4270-CTO on the bottom sticker. Has 4 DIMM slots, running on 16GB RAM right now.

 

W520 with type 4270-CTO (quad-core model) has the LM chipset:

Code:

[user@localhost ~]$ lspci | grep -i ether
00:19.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection (rev 04)

 

I will try to setup Link Aggregation for 2Gb total using adapter in ExpressCard slot. It is going take long time before I finish. I did not even ordered my W520 ))

 

I received my W520 late last week. i7-2720QM, 4GB RAM (about to upgrade to Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)), cloned the internal drive to my existing 160GB Intel X-25M SSD, moved 500GB 7200RPM drive to an UltraBay, 1600x900 display.

Here's a surprise:
Lenovo Support - ThinkPad Multiple Monitor Configurations: NVIDIA Optimus technology

Apparently the T520 with Quad-core can drive three external monitors plus the internal LCD with the "plus" dock, and the W520 can only drive two external monitors. I've definitely proven this out, and am disappointed as I have 3 external monitors.

My last laptop could only drive two displays total, and I bought a DisplayLink adapter to power the third. I thought with the W520 I would be able to get rid of the DisplayLink adapter as sometimes the drivers act badly.

 

"Actually, the W520 will drive four external LCD panels. Three from the dock and one from the notebook. Pretty darn cool."

Disregard the statement above. Unfortunately, it turns out to be untrue. The W520 and dock will only support 2 external monitors.

 

I even commented that I would like the Intel 510 (and I have a Crucial C300).

However in checking some benchmarking tests yesterday the Crucial C300 is faster in every way and is also cheaper and also SATA III. That $200 Egghead deal is just very hard to beat.

Perry

 

Why no tests with the Vertex 3? I'm considering getting this drive but on the flipside could go with 80gb mSATA + 500gb in the primary bay + optical drive.

However considering just going with 120gb Vertex 3 in the primary bay and to reduce noise just using the 500gb in the ultrabay when needed.

In this latter setup can't see any reason for mSATA SSD + SATA III SSD as the latter would equal faster performance - so no real use for the mSATA.

 

Good news for Canadians using visaperks.ca. If you go through the site not only are the addons slighly cheaper now you can save an additional 20% on the w520. This may finally put me into the buyers category

Anybody in Canada have any coupon codes that are stackable on top of the visaperks coupon even if it is 5%

quick question what is the difference between the different Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters
ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n
[add $36.00] Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN
[add $36.00] Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN

 

Hi gottagetta, I am wondering when you said it only drive 2 external display, does both monitors use digital connection like DVI or display port? Also can you use the laptop display at the same time? 2 digital monitor + internal monitor will be good enough for me and will be the reason to invest on the docking station, as the 170W docking station still isn't available in Canada.

 

At my office I have a Dell 2711 (2560 x 1440) and two older Dell Ultrasharp 2007 (1600 x 1200) monitors. I would like to use the 2711 and at least one of the 2007s: I take it I'll need the docking station for this?

How many monitors can the W520 drive itself (i.e. without the docking station) and what connectors are available (I see that there is at least one Display Port connection?).

What outputs does the docking station have - I'm guessing some display port and some DVIs?

Finally - I have a cheap 24" FHD monitor at home (and might also buy a second one to leave at a client's site that I visit regularly): I take it that I can get full acceleration in any monitor no matter what the configuration is?

i.e.

• At the office with the 2711 and one or possibly two 2007s with the laptop lid closed
• At home or at client with a 24" FHD monitor acting as the primary monitor with the laptop display acting as the secondary monitor?

I do a lot of CAD work, so the primary monitor would be for CAD, while the secondary is usually for things like Excel, e-mail, etc...

Thanks!

 

Does anyone know is the W700 or w701 mini dock works with the w520? Its about $100 less than the one designed for the w520.

I'm in need of a dock and didn't order a "free" one with the laptop as some others had with their reps. Sigh.

 

Without the dock, the W520 will drive 2 displays when set to discrete on the BIOS. It will drive 3 displays when set to Optimus.

The VGA and DisplayPort connectors on the notebook are both active.

In the attached screenshot you will see three displays running at their native resolution. A Dell U2711 at 2560x1440 (number 2). A Dell 24" at 1920x1200 (number 3). And the W520 FHD running at 1920x1080.

 

The V3 will be part of the full review, just like the T520 we did.

 

I have 2 questions:

1) can you connect 3rd ext monitor instead of W520's FHD?
2) does W520 has Dual Link DVI?

Thank you!

 

thanks I will do that.

 

I plan on calling the sales persn I was talking to in chat. He said

If you want to go for a no return policy sale I can lower the amount slightly more as well. We can discuss when you are ready to order. Does anyone know what this means ?


so through visaperks.ca + the coupon given through the via perks site I got this configuration for 1432.08
I also play to buy an extra 4 gig of RAM (since it is cheaper to do elsewhere)

Intel Core i7-2720QM (Quad-Core) Processor (2.20GHz, 6MB L3,1333MHz FSB) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.3GHz1
Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)12
15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED backlight Anti-Glare display, with Wireless WAN Antenna
NVIDIA Quadro 2000M Optimus Graphics technology (2GB)
4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) Fingerprint Reader, Smart Card Reader
500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable5
9 Cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery60
Broadcom Bluetooth 3.0 with antenna
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN10
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable65
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty

 

1. What would you connect it to? USB? Seriously, if you want to connect 3 or more external LCDs, get the dock and move on. You can afford it if you have that many LCDs and the W520.

2. Somebody explain Dual Link DVI to me. Did you notice the resolution on the U2711? I don't have a U3011 so I can't test it at 2560x1600. I also don't have three of them and the W520 dock to see if that combo will actually drive three U3011's at 2560x1600 using the three DisplayPort connectors.

 

I'm about to pull the trigger on this (EPP + 48HOUR coupon code):

1 SYS.4270CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM $1,782.18 $1,782.18
The above product code consists of the following component(s):
4270CTO THINKPAD W520 - 1 YR $1,782.18
0A68542 SBB ICI7-2820QM IHD GR200 $0.00
45M3090 VBB GENUWIN7PROFES.64 $0.00
0A68625 SBB GW7P64 E $0.00
0A68535 SBB 15.6FHD (1900 X 1080) LED $0.00
0A68894 SBB NVQ2000M GR $0.00
75Y0175 VBB COLORSENSOR $0.00
45M4572 VBB 4GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM $0.00
45M4839 SBB KEYBOARDUS ENGLISH $0.00
0A68526 VBB FINGERPRINT READER $0.00
0A68558 SBB 720P HD CAM INT MICR $0.00
0A69620 SBB I RAID-NOT EN $0.00
0A68553 SBB 500GB HDD7200RPM $0.00
0A68547 SBB DVD RC8XMXDLLRULTEHATA $0.00
0A68529 VBB ECS+4IN1CR $0.00
45M4816 SBB 9CELLLI-ION BATTERY $0.00
0A68904 SBB CPNAMLC+ 170W AC AD $0.00
0A68261 SBB BLUETOOTH 3.0 $0.00
45M4804 SBB IN.CENT.ULTIMATE-N 6300 $0.00
44C7950 SBB INT WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR $0.00
0A68564 SBB LANG PCK US E $0.00

Does this look good in terms of both the config and the price? I'm mainly looking for something that is fast and will last me 4-5 years for general usage plus occasional video/photo work. I plan to upgrade the RAM separately to 16 GB, and will also pick up an mSATA SSD to use as a boot drive.

 

I have 6 external monitors right now. My W700DS running all of them, each one 1920x1080 res, with external video card. My laptop has DualLink DVI 1920x1200. I wonder if W520 has one. I could split to 2 monitors with Matrox DualHeadToGo I'm using now. Just trying to configure what my setup would be with W520.

By the way, Dual Link 1920x1200 means you can connect 2 screens 1920x1200 looking from left to right. Dual Link itself will have resolution 3840x1200, and not 3840x2400. You go wide, not up or down.

 

Awesome - thanks!!!

 

Fantastic - thanks for that!

Just priced mine out to $1375 for a similar build, minus the Intel 6300 and just the standard 320BG HDD. I will upgrade later to more ram and probably Intel 310 SSD for the OS.

One note: I was entering the coupon and it didn't take - turns out that I had a "space" at the end of it and for some reason that caused an error. D'oh!

 

One more question:

Does anyone know if Lenovo offers warranty upgrades at a later date? I.e. say you purchase a 2 year warranty package - is there an opportunity to upgrade it towards the end of the term? Obviously it would probably cost more, but just curious as I think my warranty coverage should be tied in to how hard I end up using this laptop (i.e. being banged around in travel, etc...).

 

I got the same ram from newegg. How's the ram and did the blu-ray fit well? I'm also thinking about purchasing a blu-ray player.

 

The cost is similar to what you would have to pay now. Of course, it will be more expensive if you have a out of warranty extension.

 

That's looks like a good deal. I have the almost same config (2720QM processor on mine, no color sensor, 320 GB HDD, 1 year oops insurance) for $1,585.88 + tax and free shipping. PM me and I will give you my sales rep contact info if you want. I'm in the US btw.

 

Are you sure about that? Usualy they offer 2 years on site for $200 and 3 years for $320 if you decide edd it later.

 

I decided on the 500 gig HD because even though 320 gig has plenty of room I never know for the future. I also use wifi all the time so I figured for the small increase. I figured it was worth it. Will let you know how my call goes and how much more I can get for a no return policy sale and what that is. I assume it means I cant return it.

maybe I can get them to throw in a freebie

 

Guys, everybody is ordering 2000M. What is the difference between 1000M vs 2000M ?

 

I can't send PMs for some reason (maybe I haven't been a member here long enough?) but I would like that info. Could you send it to me via PM?

 

0A68541 SBB ICI7-2720QM
45M3090 VBB GENUWIN7PROFES.64
0A68625 SBB GW7P64 E
0A68535 SBB 15.6FHD (1900 X 1080) LED
0A68893 SBB NVQ1000M GR
45M4571 VBB 4GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM
45M4839 SBB KEYBOARDUS ENGLISH
0A68526 VBB FINGERPRINT READER
0A68558 SBB 720P HD CAM INT MICR
0A69620 SBB I RAID-NOT EN
0A68552 SBB 320GB HDD7200RPM
0A68547 SBB DVD RC8XMXDLLRULTEHATA
0A68529 VBB ECS+4IN1CR
45M4816 SBB 9CELLLI-ION BATTERY
0A68904 SBB CPNAMLC+ 170W AC AD
0A68261 SBB BLUETOOTH 3.0
0A68255 SBB IC ADVN 6205 2X2AGN
44C7950 SBB INT WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR
0A68564 SBB LANG PCK US E
0A68537 SBB FINGRPRNT READER

For anyone interested, just ordered this system using lenovo.com/visa and with a coupon (48HOUR). The coupon is suppose to expire 4/13. Total cost not including tax: $1,376.19.

I got 2 2gb dimms, figured I'll get 2 4gb for a total of 12gb in dual channel configuration.

 

If anybody needs 4Gb RAM here is one for $20 after rebate.

FRYS.com | Corsair

 

Dang, that's just what I ordered a few days ago, but with the FHD display, for the same price, too.

Anyone know how to get a post-order price match, or do I have to cancel and re-order?

 

Cool - done and ordered.

Final cost is $1375 for:


Intel Core i7-2720QM (Quad-Core) Processor (2.20GHz, 6MB L3,1333MHz FSB) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.3GHz1
Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)12
15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED backlight Anti-Glare display, with Wireless WAN Antenna
NVIDIA Quadro 2000M Optimus Graphics technology (2GB)
4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) Fingerprint Reader, Smart Card Reader
320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable5
9 Cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery60
Broadcom Bluetooth 3.0 with antenna
ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n10
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable65
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty7

This was the best that I could do so far in Canada, though in the US, it looks like people are getting another $100-$175 off or equivalent...

Will buy some ram and a i310 to go with it - yeah!

 

Well, the "official" answer will be to look at the specs, Cuda, blah, blah, blah.

Basically, between the 1000m and the 2000m it's the same technology, but the 2000m is a higher performance card. So, if you do stuff that heavily depends upon workstation graphics then get the faster card. It will be better if you play the occasional game as well.

If you're not using heavy workstation graphic apps that much and have no desire to play games once in a while, then get the 1000m. Please note that the Quadros are workstation cards, not gaming cards: there are laptops with gaming cards that are going to be cheaper and way faster than this card in games: the Quadro cards excel at CAD rendering, video, 3D modelling, etc... applications.

That's the "lay person's" view

 

hey...I think my W520 will be delivered tomorrow and I was wondering (it may be a dumb question...it's been a while since I bought a computer)...will the battery be charged upon arrival or will I need to charge it? Thanks.

 

The 2000m is also certified by Adobe to use the GPU to accelerate the Mercury playback engine. But you can probably hack the 1000m to do the same. I'm primrarily using this to do programming with light video work. If this was primarily for cad, 3d, video, definitely get the 2000.

 

As a warning, the 4gb ram from Frys that I was going to jump on is 1066.