Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

I recently wrote a nice ~3000 word review (link in my sig) that includes plenty of pictures, benchmarks, and an overall opinion of the laptop. I'm definitely satisfied with the W520 and I'll likely purchase another Lenovo when I replace it.

 

I have two SSD drives. I ordered it with one, the only one you can get from the factory (Intel 160GB?). Then I added an aftermarket SSD in the mSATA slot. 128GB MyDigital.

They both work superbly (other than a couple of blips caused 100% by me due to brain farts).

 

Would someone help me figure out a configuration for the W520?

What I'd really like to do is boot off a SDD and have a 750GB HDD for mass storage. Can I do this while still having the optical drive? mSATA for the boot drive? Or do I have to ditch optical drive and use a 43N3412 for the HDD?

Is there a reason that Lenovo doesn't offer a 750GB HDD?

Anybody out there running Matlab simulations on this thing?

 

No reason to ditch the optical. mSATA for boot drive. 750 Gb Seagate Momentus for mass storage. Optical drive in the UltraBay slot. Just order the smallest conventional HDD from Lenovo, and then upgrade the drives with aftermarket parts from Tigerdirect, Newegg, or Amazon.

 

Are there mSATA SSD's that don't work? Or one that works really well?

 

yup it seems that their overseas operations are incredibly dubious I find it ridiculous that they won't answer about damaging the customers equipment, completely unacceptable!

My gf continues to write them and they just ignore her?? I told her to sign up so that her story will be heard and also to make some official complaints

Some folks here seem happy with US customer support but it would make sense that a brand that takes itself seriously would make sure their overseas operations are up to the brand standard, otherwise that just makes the brand value decay, and I can tell you for a fact that in Colombia, Chile and Argentina Lenovo is NOT taking customers seriously, the repairs take incredibly long, and they simply ignore you when you ask them to fix something they broke!

So big warning people, if you're going to have deal with customer support outside US/Canada BEWARE!

 

It's a Chinese company now, what do you expect?
Thank God, US Customer Support is still handled by IBM.

 

That damn trackpoint must be kidding me. Does it sometimes goes crazy in google maps for you too (when using it to zoom)?

 

Are any of you getting prompted to install this "recommended" update from Lenovo?

Revision : 02
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Software name Intel Wireless Display

Support models ThinkPad L420, L421
ThinkPad L520
ThinkPad T420, T420i, T420s, T420si
ThinkPad T520, T520i
ThinkPad W520
ThinkPad X121e, X130e
ThinkPad X220, X220i, X220 Tablet, X220i Tablet

ThinkPad Edge 14", 15"
ThinkPad Edge E40, E50
ThinkPad Edge E120, E125
ThinkPad Edge E220s
ThinkPad Edge E320, E325
ThinkPad Edge E420, E420s
ThinkPad Edge E520

Operating Systems Microsoft Windows 7 32-bit, 64-bit

Refer to marketing materials to find out what computer models
support which Operating Systems.

Version 2.1.41.0

Support devices Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N + WiMAX 6250
Intel HD Graphics Family


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT THIS PACKAGE DOES

This package installs the software (Intel Wireless Display).

The following devices are supported.

Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N + WiMAX 6250
Intel HD Graphics Family

Refer to marketing materials to find out what computer models support this
software.

If this package has been installed, updating (overwrite-installing) this
package will fix problems, add new functions, or expand functions as noted
below.

This program is language independent and can be used with any language system.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN THIS RELEASE
Versions 2.0.31.0

[Important updates]
Nothing.

[New functions or enhancements]
- Added support for ThinkPad X130e.
- Added support for HDCP2 output protection.

[Problem fixes]
Nothing.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DETERMINING WHICH VERSION IS INSTALLED

1. Click Start, then click Control Panel.
2. Make sure "View by Category" is selected, and click Uninstall a program.
3. Click Organize, select Layout, then select Details Pane. The Details Pane
will be shown at the bottom of screen.
4. Select Intel(R) Wireless Display.
5. Check the product version in the Details Pane.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES

- Prerequisite for installation:
The following hardware and software should be installed in your computer
before installation of this software.

- Intel Wireless LAN adapter card and driver, version 14.0 or higher
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N + WiMAX 6250
- Intel HD Graphics Family, version 8.15.10.2418 or higher
- Intel My WiFi Technology, enabled
- Intel Management Engineering Component, version 7.0.0.1144 or higher


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Note:
- If your computer runs satisfactorily now, it may not be necessary to update
the software. To determine if you should update the software, refer to the
Version Information section.


Manual Install

This section assumes to use Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer.

Downloading file
1. Click once on the underlined file name. Once this is done, some pop-up
windows will appear.
2. Follow the instructions on the screen.
3. In the window to choose Run or Save, click Save.
4. Choose the folder you would like to download the file to and click Save.
A different window will appear and the download will begin and complete.
Once the download has completed, there may or may not be a message stating
that the download completed successfully.

Extracting file
5. Make sure to be logged on with an administrator account.
6. Locate the folder where the file was downloaded.
7. Locate the file that was downloaded and double-click it.
8. Follow the instructions on the screen.
9. In the Select Destination Location window, click Next. If you would like to
select a different folder, click Browse.
10. In the Ready to Install window, click Install. All the necessary files will
be extracted to the folder selected in the step 9.

Installing files
11. Make sure the checkbox next to "Install ..... now" is checked and click
Finish.
12. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete installation and restart
the computer.

Finally delete the file saved in the step 4.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNINSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Click Start, then click Control Panel.
2. Make sure "View by Category" is selected, and click Uninstall a program.
3. Click Organize, select Layout, then select Details Pane. The Details Pane
will be shown at the bottom of screen.
4. Select Intel(R) Wireless Display, and click Uninstall or Uninstall/Change.
5. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete uninstallation and
restart the computer.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VERSION INFORMATION

The following versions have been released to date.

Package Build-ID Rev. Issue Date
-------- -------- ---- ----------
2.1.41.0 8AW610WW 02 2011/12/01
2.1.41.0 8AW610WW 01 2011/11/18
2.0.31.0 8AW608WW 02 2011/06/10
2.0.31.0 8AW608WW 01 2011/05/19
2.0.27.0 8AW605WW 05 2011/04/28
2.0.27.0 8AW605WW 04 2011/04/10
2.0.27.0 8AW605WW 03 2011/03/18
2.0.27.0 8AW605WW 02 2011/03/10
2.0.27.0 8AW605WW 01 2011/03/08
1.2.15.0 80WG03WW 01 2010/06/11

Note: Revision number (Rev.) is for administrative purpose of this README
document and is not related to software version. There is no need to
upgrade this software when the revision number changes.

To check the version of software, refer to the Determining which version is
installed section.


Summary of Changes

Where: < > Package version number
[Important] Important update
(New) New function or enhancement
(Fix) Correction to existing function

<2.1.41.0>
- (New) Added support for ThinkPad X130e.

<2.1.41.0>
- (New) Added support for HDCP2 output protection.

<2.0.31.0>
- (New) Added support for ThinkPad X121e,Edge E120,E125,E320,E325.

<2.0.31.0>
- (New) Added support for full HD (1080p).
- (Fix) Fixed an issue where the version 2.x of this software did not work with
the version 15.22-based Intel HD Graphics driver.

<2.0.27.0>
- (New) Added support for ThinkPad X1.

<2.0.27.0>
- (New) Added support for ThinkPad X220,X220i,X220 Tablet,X220i Tablet.
- (New) Added support for ThinkPad Edge E220s,E420,E520.

<2.0.27.0>
- (New) Added support for ThinkPad W520.
- (New) Added support for ThinkPad L421.

<2.0.27.0>
- (New) Added support for ThinkPad L420,L520,T420s,T420si,Edge E420s.

<2.0.27.0>
- (New) Added support for ThinkPad T420,T420i,T520,T520i.
- (New) Added support for 1080p full HD.
- (New) Added support for 5.1Ch audio.

<1.2.15.0>
- (New) Initial release for ThinkPad Edge 14",15",E40,E50.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIMITATIONS

- No silent uninstallation is supported for this software.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRADEMARKS

* Lenovo and ThinkPad are registered trademarks of Lenovo.

* Intel and Centrino are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
* Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Other company, product, and service names may be registered trademarks,
trademarks or service marks of others.

 

Make sure you're not resting your finger on it. That will cause it to move around.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Just go in and chat with someone.
Before I bought mine, I configured it up to ~3400USD (after the 10% discount advertised on the site)
Logged in, started talking with a guy, and just asked him straight up, can you bring the price lower.
He said, save your cart, and let me see what you're ordering. Saved it, he looked at it, then he said:
"...I can save you around 450$, and bring the total to 2950" (these are approximate numbers, but the reduction did have the digit 4 in the front)
I asked in amazement: "is that price including accessories and everything?"
And he answered positively.
The total cost me 3111$ after NY tax, with free two day shipping

Now my sweet notebook just needs a caddy so I can hook up a 1tb HDD instead of the now almost extinct optical drive.

 

You paid $3111 for a W520? What was the configuration?

 

FYI...Corsair Preformance Pro 256GB SSD $356.00 after rebate ends today!!!

http:///www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233227

Also at FRY's 16gb memory for 115.00 after rebate.

FRYS.com|Corsair

 

i7-2860QM, FHD, 160GB SSD, 2000m Quadro, 8GB Ram, Color Sensor, 3x3 WLAN.
Accessories: Mini Dock, Wireless Keyboard+mouse, Displayport-to-DVI, 6 Cell battery, and a Thinkpad Sleeve

Also, wanted to ask anyone in this forum: Have you ordered your W520 with a Smart Card reader, and what would the use for it be?

 

That's still pretty expensive... I paid almost half that but then again I went aftermarket on the memory, SSD, sleeve, peripherals and connectors. The 2860QM isn't noticeably better than the 2760QM, color sensor isn't that useful (if you do graphics design, get an external entry level one), and I didn't need the dock. If you don't know what a Smart Card reader is used for, you don't use it or need it.

 

I know what a smart card reader is, and I have come across them in the past, when satellite codes were easier to hack, so we could watch ALL the channels for free
But, now it's next to impossible. So I was just wondering...

 

Smartcards have secure storage for x.509 user certs (typically). That are routinely used for multi factor authentication on domain logins, vpn clients, etc.

 

Just a small problem I've recently came across:

I tried burning an audio CD for a car trip on my W520. First tried using Windows to burn it (via copy/paste files onto the DVD drive), but for some reason that didn't work. The files were on their, but nothing would happen; it was like my car's CD player froze up trying to read the disc (same thing happened when I tried playing on my W520). I tried again on iTunes (x8) and same thing happens. However, my DVD drive can read a known-good disc perfectly, ditto for the car.

today, I tried again just to see if the problem comes up again. I toggled iTunes to burn at x4 this time and now it decides to work, mostly. Around track 11 (of 19) I heard a scratching noise and iTunes canceled the burn, advising me to calibrate the disc first.

Any ideas as to what's going on? Device Manager says that my DVD drive (HL-DT-DVDRAM GT33N, driver is 6.1.7601.17514) is working properly.

*EDIT: Now the DVD drive powers off, even with a disc inside.

 

I'd check the power manager and the settings for the drive. Don't allow it to be powered off and see if that fixes it. There are several, power related, settings that could cause it to shutdown.

 

I got the my W520 this morning!
The screen is briliant, love the colors on it.
Haven't really played games on it yet, have to play with it some more before i can come with a conclusion.

 

Congrats on the new machine!
Which screen did you get?
Mine is the FHD, but not shipping till Jan 25th.

 

Yes its the FHD one, a friend of mine got an IPS panel on his laptop, and it rivals that screen in color production. But it could be a crappy IPS screen xD.

This screen can`t be a TN panel, its ilogical, it must be a VA panel.

The laptop is briliant, and Gnome-Shell works perfect with the oris, i get more happy each day i use this laptop.

Linux support aint that woho yet, but because of the new kernel 3.2, i would say that Ubuntu 12.04 would support this laptop out of the box.

3.2 seems to fix some problems im having with skype and Intel HD graphics.

 

Glad you're enjoying your W-520, and now I'm glad I went with the FHD screen.

 

Lenovo doesn't have an IPS panel in their W520. They're all TN panels...

 

TN = Twisted Nematic
TFT LCD - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ne·mat·ic
Of or relating to the mesomorphic phase of a liquid crystal in which the molecules are oriented in loose parallel lines. [From Greek nema, thread]

I had to look it up. (of course you guys knew it already

 

Anyone remember how long passed from Sandy Bridge release until W520 was released? (Just wanna make a ballpark on W530 release or whatever the Ivy bridge will be named)

 

I found this: W520 Ordered: 8th of April 2011 Shipped: Invoiced 18th of April 2011
W-series shipping thread - 2011 edition - Page 7 - Lenovo Community
and also:
Our sources has informed us that the ThinkPad T420 and T520 will get released by Monday, 21st March and on the following Monday ThinkPad W520 will be available
http://www.techieask.com/2011/03/thinkpad-t-w-x-l-series-release-dates-unveiled/

 

I feel the FHD is quite good in everything except vertical viewing angles, where it is simply adequate. There's a bit of backlight bleed from the top though.

 

Just got something weird, i'd like to understand : The keyboard simply stopped working. None of the key was responding. I didn't do anything special before it happens, i was away, i came back and that's it.

 

Windows or Linux?

 

Ah, i thought TN panels were bad, at least all my other ones look quite sad against the w520. So i imagined that it had another panel type :3.

I am also beginning to like the thinklight, its so cosy using it in the dark. I will install a film on it to get a nicer color temperature on it.

It's nice to force Ubuntu to clock the CPU to 800mhz when you are running on battery.

 

Windows 7, well the computer crashed about an hour after that, the loading disk LED was on all the time and i had to hard reboot. I have a Crucial M4 SSD. This might not be the first time this happens, also some other little strange things... Anyone?

EDIT: Ah! I also got issue with the MAJ+ECHAP shortcut in google chrome, is it my Windows or all thinkpads? I really need this one.

 

Can the W520 (with it's SB CPU) sit idle without it's fan running, or does the fan run all of the time, and just it's speed changes?

If no (fan always runs), what is the typical min fan speed?

 

Originally the fan runs all the time at about 2200rpm i think. There's an app called TPFanControl that let you control it how can want but i ended up not using it : If you choose "smart mode" (call it silent mode) the fan will stop but soon later will run @max speed to cool down then stop and again... So i prefer having it running all time at same speed. And yes i'm serious for the chrome shortcut, i'm normally using it quite often. Sometimes it worked on the thinkpad but just once after launched, then stops... It does not work with my usb keyboard either so i dunno where's the culprit..

 

It always runs. Typical min fan speed is around 1950 ~ 2000 RPM for me.

 

Hello all, I had my company order me the W520 with the 1080p FHD screen, and I'm not sure if I got a defect, but the screen was quite dim (*much darker than my Dell Studio XPS 16 with the awesome RGBLED 1080p screen), and the text was quite difficult to read..... it seemed I kept having to try and focus and refocus... the end result was that I was getting headaches looking at the screen for very long.

I tried every setting/calibration I could think of. I had a few co-workers look at it also and after a few minutes hey felt the same slight dizziness as well.

Has *anyone* had any similar experience??

Thanks.

 

I have my settings configured so the disk stops at idle. It took me a while to figure out that the noise I was hearing was not just the fan (which stops).

Go to Control Panel->Lenovo - Power Controls->Advanced settings and adjust the Processor power management dropdown to Passive

If you use multiple power plans you'll need to do this for each one.

 

I was hoping we'd see a mini dock with USB3 announced at CES....no such luck.

:-(

 

I had behavior similar to this with my Vertex 3 SSD until I performed this fix: AHCI Link Power Management - Enable HIPM and DIPM - Windows 7 Forums

 

It's possible that you may be more sensitive to flicker than others. Load a white screen, and set the brightness to 7. Wave your hands in front of the screen. You should see a strobing image (discrete intervals). Then set the brightness to max and wave your hand in front of the screen again. It should now be a continuous motion.

If using max brightness alleviates the eye strain, then it's very likely the pulse-width modulation in the LED backlighting. LED screens all look a little off to me (an indescribable pecularity) compared to CCFLs.

 

Has anyone used Blackmagic Design Ultrastudio SDI on this laptop, and does it work?

 

Hem... I'm sorry but switching between active or passive doesn't change anything, the fan is still on at same speed... About screen, i set google chrome at 120% and text can now be read easily, still my eyes are tired quickly when using the W520, unlike other screens...

Oh also when i close it, i hear the "usb device detected" sound and when re-open it, hear the "disconnected usb device" sound (no sleep when lid is closed) so i'm wondering what is it..?

 

Anyone running Intel 310 msata?

 

Is there a light sensor? My brighnet's changing by itself...

 

Thanks for all the previous input guys (and gals)

Ordered mine today and geez I'm embarrassed to post what I paid for it. Really, I'm blown away by what I haggled for. Pretty far out shipping date but who cares.

Mine will be: 2.4 quad, 15.6 FHD (guy said it's IPS, but I doubt it) Nvidia 100m, small memory & HD (have my own SSD and memory), 6205 NIC, color sensor. Can't wait to get it, calibrate it, etc and compare it to this 15" ENVY that's going back to HP. Very nice laptop, but the reds are orange and my Samsung 830 didn't work with their restore discs and the bios is closed up pretty tight.

Yea!

 

I am sorry to say this, but you have to tell us the price

 

Yes please, what is the price?

I just paid $1294.00 CA for:

Intel Core i7-2760QM Processor (2.40GHz, 6MB L3, 1333MHz)
Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)
Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 - English
Display type 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare display, with Wireless WAN Antenna
System graphics NVIDIA Quadro 1000M Optimus Graphics technology (2GB)
Color sensor Colour sensor
Total memory 8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Keyboard Keyboard - US English
Pointing device UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) Fingerprint Reader, Smart Card Reader
Camera 720p HD Camera with Microphone
Storage subsystem Internal RAID - Not Enabled
Hard drive 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
System expansion slots Express Card Slot, 4-in-1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader
Battery 9 Cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery
Power cord 170W Slim AC Adapter - North America, Latin America (2pin)
Bluetooth Broadcom Bluetooth 3.0 with antenna
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN
Language pack Publication - US English

 

That's pretty good!

 

Thanks, I thought so too.
Wouldn't mind seeing what others are paying too.
That was a boxing week doorbuster deal from IBM Friends Canada EPP site.

The EPP site has permanent discounts on all accessories and all the computer upgrades (FHD, ram, CPU, hdd/ssd, etc. ) as well. I took the 3 yr. onsite NBD warranty as well. It was reg. $299, but EPP price $239.00.

 

Paid $1900 after tax in NY, for my system below w/ 3 yr priority/TPP warranty. Added the mSATA SSD, 1x4GB DDR3, and other accessories on my own.