Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

Thanks!

But in reality, if you render 10 minutes video, what will be the time difference between 1000M and 2000M? It is 5%, 15% or 35% ? I'm just not sure if 2000 worse another $250. I work with video and have multiple monitors setup.

 

Just wanted to mention that I am very jealous of the prices available in the US. I ordered a W520 today in the UK which is pretty tricked out but still has a 2720 instead of the more expensive processors.

Even after chatting to a sales guy on the phone, and getting a discount that way the price for the W520, spare battery, spare PSU & 3 yr AD cover comes in at £2125.30 (or about $3500). By the time I've got the 80GB mSATA, extra RAM & BluRay drive from other places it'll be a total of about £2500 - or $4100.

I'll get 20% of that back as the VAT, but that's still over $3200. It should be a great machine and I don't (really) begrudge it - but some of those US deals are really really good!

Take care & appreciate those savings

Dave

 

Answering my own question, according to the sales fellow I spoke to, you have to do a "QBA" (Something... billing?.. Adjustment)
1. Generate a quote that has the same stuff as your machine
2. Wait until your machine ships (!)
3. Call up and refer to that quote to get the adjustment

Sounded straight forward.... I would have preferred to just upgrade my order to the FHD display, but I'll take the $133.

 

im getting the quadro 2000 because I intend to play starcraft on it

 

Did you mean an "RMA" (Return Merchandise Authorization)? Usually, you have to sign to accept delivery, then return the box with an RMA number.

 

Pretty hard to do that if you aren't there, or don't wake from your nap.

 

Hi another UK user here - can you post your spec and price? What discount did you get? Were you given an indication of the lead time for delivery of your machine? Ordered myn from a reseller. UK prices are ridiculous compared to US prices!

 

No, it's a QBA - you don't want to return it, but you want to get a price-match on the sale price.

Right now, there is a eCoupon "48HOUR" that drops my stripped configuration from $1331 -> $1197. AFTER the machine ships, they will honor the lower price through this QBA process - you keep the machine, and get a rebate/refund of the difference. $134 is another 10%, or an mSATA drive.

 

Has anyone installed Ubuntu on the new W520's?

Has there been any problems?

 

Hi, I live in Italy. There are no signs of w520 in Italian web site yet, we haven't online store (yes Italy is a third world country)and the official reseller is very expensive..so I don't believe that waiting is the best thing i can do

i'm considering to buy in other way
- ebay, from a USA reseller seems very cheap also considering tax and duties
- UK online store, i have friends living there
When making the configuration in the UK store a language pack option appears "Language Pack WE (FR/GE/IT/IT/DU/EN)", do you know what is this? system language is only English? the only way to have italian language is to upgrade to Seven Ultimate?
Then, for what i can understand Warranty is international, is it true?
the last issue is the keyboard, but I read it's possible to change it

I need a new machine, do you suggest one of these ways?
I'm also considering the new dell precisioin m4600, wich isn't out yet so i can't compare prices. but from some pics on web seems like a brick and I would prefer thinkpad

thanks

 

I will only receive them next week.
same brand and RAM type so it will work.
Bluray writer will fit since it is 12.7mm type. 1 of the forum member already tried out so that's why I went ahead with it

 

I could be wrong but I believe this is the language of the documentation and operation guides that is provided with the system.

Normal circumstances yes you need Windows 7 Ultimate for the language pack. However unofficially you can use an application called Vistalizator which allows you to load your preferred language in place of the native OS language on any version of Windows 7.

Most likely yes, the W520 should be supported under IWS (International Warranty Service) regardless where you originally purchase it from.

Yes you can swap out the keyboard to a different langauge keyboard layout if that's what you prefer. Check the W520 Hardware Maintenance Manual for more details on the procedure.

 

Hi, from what I've read eBay seems the best route to go. I've purchased from Lenovo UK reseller and I can't return due to 20% restocking fee but I am considering selling my order and ordering from newthinkpads on eBay.

 

I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the machine today. Now comes the hard part of waiting.

Again if you want my Rep's contact info PM me. He was very helpful and got me a really good price and said he would extend the same offer to anyone. He also got back to me on the 2 vs 4 DIMM slots and as long as you order the quad core processor you will get 4 DIMM slots. If you can't PM yet just post some more and wait 24 hours if you have a new account. That should be enough to get PM working with your account.

My final build:

I7-2720QM
FHD (1900 X 1080)
Quadro 2000M
4 GB Single DIMM
Fingerprint reader
720p camera
320 GB, 7200 RPM HDD
9 Cell Battery
Bluetooth 3.0
Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader
1 year TPP "Oh $hit" insurance
___________________________________

$1585 + tax ($~125) + $10 2 Day shipping = $1,722.24 Out The Door

 

Did you ask Lenovo if you can pay with your italian credit card? If yes, there is many shipping companies that deliver packages to Europe by sea. Lenovo could ship leptop to them and they would deliver to you.

 

I fully understand that the Quadro is a professional-grade graphics chip designed for modeling, CAD, etc. However, how capable is it in terms of gaming? Could it play Bulletstorm and Crysis 2 with at least medium settings at 1600x900 or at worst, 1280x720?

 

Just received my W520. And, I have one problem. It came with only 4GB of memory. So, I ordered and received 3 additional 4GB memory strips. It was very easy to install 2 of them in the memory slots on the back.

However, adding the third strip in the front memory slot is confounding me. I studied the instructions and illustrations in the Hardware Maintenance Manual. But, the keyboard doesn't budge when following the instructions on Page 68, and it looks like it isn't even the right illustration, because I don't see any oval button where the illustration says the thumb should push. Furthermore, I suspect that there are some screws on the back that have to be removed to allow the keyboard to lift up, and I don't see any instructions in that regard.

I called Lenovo tech support, and unfortunately I got connected with a guy who had no clue, and was not even aware that the W520 existed.

If anyone can provide any guidance or a link to a video showing how the keyboard can be removed to permit the addition of a memory strip under the keyboard, I would greatly appreciate it. And perhaps others will soon have the same problem.

Thanks.

 

There was a mini-review posted earlier that quoted excellent benchmark results and good Crysis 2 performance on high.

 

Confirm on that. I just called sale rap and he said that it called "Price Protection". (you can search that up on google) First, go to web site and configure as you order then enter the ecoupon. At the last page where you normally enter your credit card info there will be a link that said "generate quotation" or something similar, press that. It will generate a quotation. E-mail that and all your order info to the e-mail address that you got from the first order.

I just did it. So wait and see the result. BTW, the coupon can use on top of visa and student discount which equal 20%.

 

Look for the screws with a keyboard icon next to them, should be three.

 

Yea, most likely missed a screw on the bottom. After you get them all, the keyboard can be pressed down and forward almost under the top piece where the power buttons and such are.

When you see it slides forward, you can tilt the bottom up and out. As noted in the docs, be CAREFUL. Don't rush. Don't break the orange ribbon cable underneath.

 

Thanks for you advice.

Yes, I see those keyboard icons alongside those 3 screws. I'm just wondering why they are not mentioned or illustrated in the Hardware Maintenance Guide.

I have to go on a short trip tomorrow, so I may not be able to try that method of removing the keyboard until the weekend.

Thanks again. If anyone else has any suggestions or comments, please let us hear from you. It think that others will soon run into the same problem.

 

Today I pulled the trigger and ordered my W520:

0A68541 SBB ICI7-2720QM
45M3090 VBB GENUWIN7PROFES.64
0A68625 SBB GW7P64 E
0A68535 SBB 15.6FHD (1900 X 1080) LED
0A68893 SBB NVQ1000M GR
45M4572 VBB 4GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM
45M4839 SBB KEYBOARDUS ENGLISH
0A68526 VBB FINGERPRINT READER
0A68558 SBB 720P HD CAM INT MICR
0A69621 SBB I RAID-CONF BY LENOVO
0A69623 SBB PRSATA RAID 1(2 HDDS REQ
0A68901 SBB DR HDDS320GB HDD7200RPM
60Y7204 SBB RAID VIA BAYADAPTER
0A68528 VBB ECS+4IN1CR+SCR
45M4816 SBB 9CELLLI-ION BATTERY
0A68904 SBB CPNAMLC+ 170W AC AD
0A68261 SBB BLUETOOTH 3.0
45M4804 SBB IN.CENT.ULTIMATE-N 6300
44C7950 SBB INT WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR
0A68564 SBB LANG PCK US E
0A68561 SBB SMART CARD READER
41C9338 3YR ONSITE + 3YR TPP

I ordered over the phone and the rep ended up getting the price to $1,674.28. It seems pretty decent, considering I went with 3 year onsite priority warranty + TPP and RAID config.

I already ordered 2 x WD Scorpio Black 750GB for the RAID, 80 GB Intel 310 SSD and 3 x 4GB (for a total of 16 GB) RAM. Can't wait to have this beast.

 

How many posts do you need before you can send PMs?

 

One more

 

Thanks!

 

It fits perfectly as it's the standard 12.7mm type. Just swap out the front bezel and you're set. The mSATA was also a breeze to physically install. Just REMEMBER to download all the drivers as Lenovo tech support are bozos. They have no clue what's going on. Oh BTW, donot listen to them and think that their System Update utility will work for the W520. It does not. Thankfully I thought ahead and downloaded all that's necessary. For the Lenovo UI, get the software off the SWTOOLS folder from the original install. Good luck. Great machine - clueless support!

 

Do you need screws for the mSATA SSD or are they included with either the laptop or the drive?

 

$1674 without tax.. right.

 

Well, a friend says neither...kinda dum if ya ask me..i know the msata ssd doesnt come with one.

 

My W520 came with a screw in the WWAN/MSATA slot. My Intel 310 also came with two screws.

 

Yes, without tax, sorry about that.

 

The OEM version from Newegg doesn't come with any screws. The way the drive inserts into the slot, one side is a white plastic guidepin and the other side you can use the screw from the fan assembly.

 

This is what I intend to do when i get my mSATA (need your comment) -
1) Make recovery disc and data - total 4 DVDs (already done 1st day when W520 arrived)
2) Installed mSATA into WWAN slot
3) Do a full system recovery using the Discs i created
4) Update using update utility (think u mentioned some issue with the utility)

BTW what is Lenovo UI?

 

Product Name: ThinkPad W520
- Intel Core i7-2720QM Processor
- 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080)
- NVIDIA Quadro 2000M
- Color Sensor
- 8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
- UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
- 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
- Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader
- Modem
- Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN)
- Integrated Wireless Wide Area Network upgradable
- Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader

Product Name: ThinkPlus ThinkPad 3 Years Onsite Repair + Accidental Damage Coverage
Product Name: ThinkPad Battery 55++ (9 Cell)
Product Name: Wenger Backpack for Lenovo
Product Name: DisplayPort to Single-Link DVI-D Monitor Cable
Product Name: ThinkPad 170W AC Adapter for W700/701 (Saudi Arabia) Qty Ordered: 2
Subtotal: £1,769.50 + Shipping: £5.56 + Tax: £350.24
Total: £2,125.30

The whole thing had to come to more than £2k for VAT reasons hence the 8GB of memory, and the backpack. The Saudi Arabia PSUs are the only ones currently available as extra PSUs through the UK site - but I can change the plug very easily. Intel 310 mSATA drive, another 8GB of RAM and a UJ240 BluRay are on their way from other vendors.

No specific discussion of lead time other than the 1-2 wks quoted on the web site. I'm going away for a week or so in any case so it's not a problem really. I believe the discount was 10%. It's a lot of money but I couldn't wait for the new Precisions or for prices to come down.

 

I am new to the forum. I am looking to purchase a W520. Given what I just read in Thors Hammer's post I will never be able to post enough (93 posts?) in order to be able to PM those who have gotten special deals with telephone sales representative while Lenovo's early discounts last. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

I think its less then 10 posts, maybe 6? Dunno. Either way, I am not sure you have to PM anyone here to get a deal. Simply go to Lenovo's site and goto the chat where you will get a rep. In the chat, or phone call, just give them the spec your interested in and they should give you a quote.

I'd just like to say that the 48 Hour deal, I configured what i ordered a week ago and it came out to be the same price I paid. If you go with the 48 hour deal, your getting a really good price. If you do not, be sure to contact a rep through chat or phone as I and others did here.

 

I think you misunderstood. As I recall from the FAQ (I just joined too) you have to post 5-6 times.

 

Sounds good if you want to use Win7 pro. I wanted Win7 Ultimate so the recovery discs won't work. You cannot select what you want to restore as it will clone all partitions that came with your machine. Lenovo installs usable applets such as the power module onto the system tray that I find useful. Hope that it helps.

 

Finally placed my order:

I7-2720QM
15.6FHD (1920 X 1080)
NVQ2000M
COLOR SENSOR
4GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM
FINGERPRINT READER
720P HD CAM INT MICR
500GB HDD7200RPM
9 CELLL I-ION BATTERY
CPNAMLC+ 170W AC AD
BLUETOOTH 3.0
IN.CENT.ULTIMATE-N 6300
LENOVO THINKPLUS 3 YEARS - ON-SITE
LENOVO MINI DOCK PLUS SERIES 3 - 170W
TOTAL - $1,882 plus TAX

 

That is one of many reasons why I like Lenovo. Fresh install of Ultimate takes not much time at all, and is very easy to do.

 

Hello,
I just ordered a W520 and I should receive it tomorow! Yea!

I'd like to buy an mSata drive but I have some (simple) question before:

1. Just to be sure: Does it take the place of the Wireless WAN card?
2. The screws to hold the card are allready in the computer? Or, does it come with the intel card?
3. Do I need to do any changes in the bios, or it will be detected automaticaly?
4. For the OS restore (from my restore disk), should I take off the original HDD during the restore procedure? If not, will I be able to tell the restore software to "restore" the OS on the new SSD? And, just to be sure, if I keep the HDD in, will the SSD take the C: drive letter?

Thanks a lot,
Martin

 

Good questions for those of us who are kinda techy, but not super techy!

I'll add to this a bit:

RAM - this is what I'm looking for - correct? (from Newegg.ca):
Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model F3-10600CL9S-4GBSQ

and this is the Intel 310 80GB mSATA drive? (again from Newegg.ca):
Newegg.ca - Intel 310 Series (Soda Creek) SSDMAEMC080G2C1 mSATA 80GB mSATA (mini PCIe form factor) MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - SSD

Thanks!

Ps: Anyone know how much of the SSD's 80GB will be available for other apps after the OS is installed (in my case Win7 with XP mode)?

 

I have had a Win 7 install on my Vertex 1 60Gb for 1½ year now and I have had Conan installed which takes 35GB but then its about full, but if you have a lot of ram you can remove the page file (All though some apps up if you have page file disabled)

 

The above procedure is great if you intend to use the win7 pro OS.

 

Yup, both RAM and SSD look good to me and I bought the same. I will have to wait for my W520 to arrive though to install them.

You should have around 60GB left to play with, maybe a little more.

 

Guys, I do not understand here one simple thing - why do you need OS on Intel 310 80GB mSATA drive with its 200MB/s read and 70 !!! MB/s write, if we are lucky to enjoy SATA III with speeds 500-550 write/read ? And 120GB drive would cost $80 more then Intel 310.
I just do not get it. May be I'm missing something?

 

That seems like a great deal. There seems to be a lot of inconsistency in what I am seeing people get from the reps here. I suppose I should get to my post count and send a PM to get the correct rep to talk with about it.

Has anyone here been considering the 4276-37U? You can see the specs for it in the tabook.pdf, but basically its 2720, FHD, 1000M, 8GB(4GB*2), 500GB /w a 3 year depot warranty that can be had for under $1550, and that would be tax free. You can add the 3 year Onsite TPP for $200.

To me it seems that unless you can get a rep to provide a deal like the one I quoted, it makes a lot more sense to go with one of these preconfigured systems. Thoughts?

 

The only reason I see for doing this is if one wanted to use a spinning HD in the primary bay and the optical drive in the ultra bay.

Personally i'm ordering an OCZ Vertex 3 and ultrabay adaptor to use the 500gb stock HD with when needed to reduce noise.

 

the color sensor is internal or external ?