Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

I get error e7210005 "can't find fingerprint" when using the lenovo fingerprint software; it's enabled in the bios but if i disable/enable again it says it can't find it too... I don't get it? EDIT: Ok it was just the BIOS IO ports option disabled..!

 

What Maximum size I can get for a MSATA for the W520?

 

It would be the largest mSATA SSD available on the market at present. For example, OCZ makes one of 120GB size for about US$230.

In late 2011, Samsung announced the PM830, 256GB mSATA SSD (SATA 6Gbit/s), as the highest-capacity mSATA SSD to date.

 

Is that possible to use the fingerprint reader to log in website? If yes, then how? Another question, is it possible to change the blue ThinkVantage button behavior? At the moment, it doesn't do anything....

 

I was wondering the exact same thing.

It would be perfect if one could just swipe their finger rather than enter web passwords

 

My W520 display keeps changing its brightness (back and forth) while I am on battery. Is that strange or is there a sensor (or something) that actually change it depending on the light exposure?

 

You might have the Power Manager set to Maximum Battery life or another plan. The "pre-packaged" plans Lenovo puts on the laptop typically dim dim the display after a few minutes or so of inactivity.

If it's doing that while you're actively using the laptop, I have no clue why.

 

Most likely it's the "Adaptive Contrast Enhancement" adjusting things courtesy of the Intel graphics software.

 

I'd like to know about the Intel AMT software works, especially Anti Theft software. How do you configure it? Is that really useful (more than other apps with same features)?

 

Well, my W520 shipped yesterday, so I'm hoping it'll be here by the end of the week. When it arrives, I plan on making recovery disks immediately; should I then reinstall Win7 with an official MS disk to get rid of the crapware, or is it even worth it?

 

Yes you can:

Lenovo - Technologies - Security, Fingerprint Reader, overview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWOsH9Ev5d0

 

Hi everyone,

I was on the verge of getting a t520, until I saw a note saying that the higher up you go on the t520 spectrum, the more the w520 becomes a better value. I am significantly upgrading the T520 (see specs below) - does it make sense to still get a souped-up t520, or simply get the w520? Here are the specs:

Intel Core i7-2860QM Processor (2.50 GHz, 8MB L3)
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
NVIDIA NVS 4200M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory
8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
720p Camera
500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD recordable multiburner
Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 135W AC adapter
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250 (2x2 ABGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
Services and software
3YR Onsite NBD + 3YR Priority Support + 3YR TPP
Accessories
ThinkPad TrackPoint Cap Collection

Price: $3,068.99
Web price: $2,287.29
After eCoupon: $1,973.94
You save: $1,095.05

Total $1,973.94
Use eCoupon code PRESIDENT
Estimated ship date: 3/2/12**[/li]


Here's my question: Which of the two makes better sense? Is there anything that the super-t520 has that a super-version of the w520 does not? does the w520 have something that the t520 does not? is there any reason, in other words, that is compelling to go one way or the other?

Thanks again for your advice!

Best wishes!

 

I'd say as long as the prices are roughly equivalent, you might as well go with the W520. Compared to the T520, it has better graphics (the Quadro 1000M is about twice as fast as the NVS4200M, the Quadro 2000M is about four times as fast as the NVS4200M), and more RAM slots (all quad-core versions of the W520 come with 4 slots vs 2 on the T520 and dual-core W520). The downside is that the W520 does require a rather massive 170w power adapter, while the T520 takes a 90w model.

 

I totally agree with that. I got the same exact specs you got. I also wanted the t520 in the beginning but found that in addition to all these advantages of the w520, you can actually get it for equal or less price. Also, it has USB 3.0 ports not available on the t520 and not larger in size. The only thing is the brick and I have to tell you it is HUGE but I personally don't care after getting such a powerful machine.

Two words of advice, first if you are replacing your HDD with an SSD, get the 5400rpm as it ships faster unless you wanna keep the 7200rpm as primary or secondary drive. Second, get the 3*3 wifi card and don't get the WiMAX as this is a mistake I have initially done and had to reorder to correct it especially if you do not have a WiMAX network to connect to. The card I mentioned has better signal strength and range.

 

dont buy ram from lenovo, take the stock 4gb then buy ram from somewhere else

there is a big difference in price

also that config is a little bit on the expensive side to be honest. If you call in or chat online with a rep they could give you a better price. They will email it to you as a quote with a quote#.

 

I configured & ordered the W520 from Lenovo UK on Monday 27th Feb and Today 28th Feb, I called them this morning to change\Cancel my order, but they said that I can't cancel it as my order has already been processed. That I should wait to 5 weeks time when it'd delivered. Then I can return it.

What shall I do? I'm thinking of opening a dispute on Paypal to get my money back

 

chukwe you were lied too

I placed an order on feb 14th, canceled it on the 20th and placed a new order.

but thats not to say the whole process went smoothly. They shipped the first order by mistake but were able to have UPS reroute it back to their warehouse.

My CC was charged for the first order but lenovo swears they will credit the card within 8 days and either way my CC company is aware of it and have flagged the transaction in the interim. They CC rep flat out told me that there is no way I am going to have to pay for the first order.

Idk why you used paypal, for something like this using a major credit card with a reliable dispute resolution team is the way to go, not paypal.

what changes were you trying to make to ur config?

 

I've saved a lot of coin that way. Worst case you get a quote that's good for 30 days. Best case you get a better deal. Win win situation.

 

I want to change my config to add Raid0.

And why is credit card more relable in dispute resolution than paypal?

I called digital river(lenovo representative in UK) few miniutes ago and the Lady I spoke said that my order is in progress and there is nothing she can do

 

You can always cancel the order so the "lady" is incorrect. Regarding payment methods, using a credit card allows another entity to get involved. Namely a credit card chargeback. When you tell a credit card company someone is charging your card against your wishes, they will get involved.

 

To add to that, PayPal can possibly do whatever they want with your money, including but not limited to freezing your funds and twirling their pencil mustache around while stroking their cat.

They want to act like a bank, but without any of the strict regulations required to be one. Credit cards, on the other hand, are much more reliable than that and their terms aren't as vague as PayPal's.

I'll personally never use PayPal myself.

 

I would not use them (PayPal) for a new machine purchase either. A used machine from eBay is different.

 

Anyone please? Even if i disable it all in the bios, i still have some unknown device related to it showing in the manager.. Annoying!

Thinkvantage Password Vault was replaced by Lenovo Password Manager, i just installed it, it says it can record password from IE, Chrome, Firefox... I already typed my log and pass for some site in two of them and i wasn't asked by the app to record anything...

 

You need to pay a third party for the service. Basically the way it works is once the laptop is configured it pings back to the Intel servers. You use the third party service to track the location of the laptop and remotely disable it. The antitheft is built into the hardware and works without an OS even installed. That's why the Intel software asks if you want to remember Wireless information. It can use that to connect at the hardware level to the internet and report back to the servers after the thief pulls the drive and installs his/her own with their own OS.

Intel® Active Management Technology - Overview

EDIT:
I have not implemented it yet in my company but I have researched it. We switched our minimum specs for laptops to Core i5s so it supported all of the built in management features. We have a projected goal to deploy the remote management features and antitheft in Q3 this year.

 

Could you please let me know part number of the screen installed on W520 (427638U)?

 

Type in the machine type and serial number in this site and it will do a parts lookup of the components used in your machine including your LCD FRU number.

 

Even though my power adapter was exchanged, my W520 keep goes into battery mode for a few seconds once a while... No it's not cause i was not using keyboard/trackpad for a while, i'm active. Really strange!

 

OK, I thought maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but I have seen this a lot recently with my W510. Not sure why it occurs because it is when I'm active working on the laptop...

 

I am still suffering from the toxic smell of my new W520 and not sure how to get rid of it. Will it automatically go by time or can I do something about it?

 

I think mine went away somewhere in the 2nd ~ 4th month of ownership.

 

I love the toxic smell of silicon burning in the morning.

 

Well, then I better love it too...

 

I'm considering buying one, hence I don't know the machine number. The serial alone does not bring anything up. I'd like to check the panel before making my decision and the seller isn't helpful. Do all W520s have the same 427638U serial? If so, could someone possibly check what panel is installed?

Found the answer: 15.6" (396mm) HD+ (1600x900) color, anti-glare, LED backlight, 220 nits, 16:9 aspect ratio, 500:1 contrast ratio, 60% Gamut

 

Hi I've been considering the w520 or the dell precision mobile workstation m4600. I've heard the speakers on the w520 are pretty weak and muddy, what do you owners think? Thanks!

 

If you seriously need good speakers, consider the Dell XPS 15. You can go all the way to quad-core with it. You can swap the optical drive out for a second HDD by using a caddy. You can enjoy the nice FHD B+RGLED TL (1920x1080) display. I would rate the M4600 IPS first, the XPS B+RGLED second, and the W520 FHD third.

 

Received my case, bluetooth mouse and headphones today from lenovo. Very top quality i am impressed! but no laptop yet, they just shipped it out today.

 

Ok i got my Lenovo W520 now.

Two things that confuse me:

1. The screen is waaay to oversaturated with colors in my opinion...

2. How can i get my Quadro 2000 to work? The system only seems to recognize the Intel Graphics card.


But so far...top quality.

 

Optimus decides. You bought the 2000 for certain heavy-duty graphics applications: run them through some use cases. And make sure the laptop is not on battery power.

Enjoy your new tool.

 

New W520 owner here and I can confirm that the W520 can in fact handle 32GB RAM quite well using 4 sticks of the CMSX16GX3M2A11600C10. 12 hours of memtest 4.20 w/ no errors to boot.

I've seen speculation across a few sites including this one and just thought I would add my two cents.

 

I have just ordered a new W520 also. Can you confirm if your W520 includes modem? I have seen a few posts that Lenovo "forgets" installing modems for online configurations yet people get rebates as an extra USM external modem.

 

Keyboard suddenly stop working while trackpoint still does, i guess some experienced that here? Is there something quicker than sleep/wake to fix it? Maybe a permanent fix..?

 

I just received my W520, ordered from Lenovo.com and it did not have the modem installed.

 

I did not get modem. I also chatted with someone online and he told me it does not come with modem and the components in my quote said "NO MODEM". Received mine about a week ago but do you really need it?!

 

Well, yes I do need it. Actually, my quote and configuration spec doesn't say anything about modem neither the online configurator has any modem selection options. On the other hand, the downloadable pdf specification on the W520 page clearly states 56K V.926 modem.

 

I have chatted with them before and they stated that they no longer ship any Lenovo model with a modem. I can tell you that all what you will get is they will ask you to return it if you do not like it. I did not actually know that I did not have modem till you mentioned that (one con of keeping an eye on forums to discover things you may not like ) You may laugh at this but what bothers me, is that they leave the modem port visible then they do not include it I wish they could have removed it completely. Anyway, hope you keep the machine if you really like it and modem would not be a deal breaker.

 

is lenovo taking a while to ship the W520 for anybody else?

ordered one with 5400rpm 500gb hard drive on 22nd, and still not shipped (supposed to ship today but didnt).

 

I ordered mine (w/ 320gb hard drive) on the 24th and it shipped on the 29th

UPS tracking says it's still in China. I can't waittt, I need to take a Waitmate Jeff Goldblum for WaitMate - YouTube

 

I ordered mine on the 16th of Feb and it arrived on the 28th. Not bad. My ordered config was: i7-2760/4GB/160GB SSD/FHD

I also ordered a newmodeus ultra-bay caddy, a WD Scorpio Black 500gb, and an extra 8GB of RAM.

Build quality is great, and I love the FHD panel. I had always dismissed getting a Lenovo laptop for personal use, since they have been my work laptop for the last 11 years. I'm glad I pulled the trigger on the W520. It's a fantastic machine.

(On my desk I have a T420 and a T410 also!)

-Rob

 

I have a question related to this (and thanks ampia for letting me thread drift)...

I only use my W520 (which I absolutely *love*) plugged in. I don't travel with it.

First--does using the Q2000 vs the Intel graphics make programs in general run faster?

If so, is there a way to tell it to always use the Q2000? I don't care about heat or battery draw.

Thanks!

 

if you want to use the q2000 exclusively just set it to do that in bios