Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

I have tried peck and hunt typing in the dark with both a backlit keyboard and my W520, and I think that they are both adequate for the job. I dislike how the backlight bleeds in a backlit keyboard (I find it distracting), and at the same time, I understand that it can be hard to see letters when your hand is in the way of the Thinklight. I believe I read somewhere that with the traditional Thinkpad keyboards, it is impossible to put in backlights without affecting the strength of the backplate.

 

When I am at home, I connect my W520 to the Ethernet cable while having the wireless ON (assuming that the machine would give the wired connection a priority and use its speedier advantage--this has been the case with two other machines I had before). However, when I measure the net speed while I have both wired and wireless connection, it gives me the speed I expect from wireless and not wired connection. In order to get the wired speed, I have to turn off the wireless connection (which is a big hassle fr me to keep doing this every time I move in and out my place).

Any solution around that? Am I mistaken in my assumption by any means? What would you guys usually do for those who are in the same boat?

 

flip the little switch on the left side of the computer=wifi off

 

I'm believe one of the Thinkvantage utilities (Access Connections, maybe?) will auto-switch on the wireless card when the wired connection is disconnected and vice-versa. This makes it much easier to toggle things. Sometimes it may not work so hit Fn + F5 to manually enable/disable the wireless without hitting the switch on the left side.

 

That is what I exactly do no like to do. I was hoping that PC manufacturer are starting to provide us some smarter tools

 

I think it is doable. I have just reviewed the options and I believe there should be a way to do it but the options are too complicated that I do not have patience for right now but may be I will try it another time.

 

You were right! You just save the Ethernet location as for example "Home" then you enable the "Automatic switching to Ethernet" in "Advanced Settings" in "Access Connections".

Thanks Lenovo It works. That is what I call smart.

 

You don't need to flip a switch. You don't need Access Connections. Access Connections gets confused. You just need to make sure everything is in the correct order. See attached. The routes will work as expected even when connected to both.

In this case, if the Ethernet connection is present, all traffic will be sent across that route.

 

+1

Hit Windows key, type: ncpa.cpl

Hit Return to run that program. When the Network Connections window shows, hit Alt-N to get the Advanced menu. Select Advanced Settings to get the window for changing the network adapter binding order (as Thors.Hammer has posted).

 

There are USB clip-on lights you can buy that will probably illuminate the keyboard better.

 

It was time to upgrade my audio laptop so last week I placed an order of W520 with delightful specs: 2860QM/2000M/8GB/500GB/FHD/3G. I hope it will serve me well at least a couple of years!

Why I'm writing this is because I'm stunned about the prices mentioned in this forum. You are really priviledged to order straight from Lenovo and having special coupon codes. It is just absurd how much I have to pay for W520. There doesn't seem to be any justice in this world.

I live in Finland and I ordered my laptop from Germany for 2900$ including shipping. Why so much? Because that same laptop costs more than 3500$ here. It is not possible to configure a system online so I had to choose a preconfigured model. As a bonus I have to pay extra for the Finnish keyboard and assemble it myself.

I really can't figure out why Lenovos are double the price here in Finland compared to US.

 

Hi everyone.
I need a laptop for my interior design course and my school is offering w520 at a very tempting academy price for students.
I will be using programs such as AutoCAD, 3D Studio Max, Photoshop and Illustrator regularly.

Such are the specs;

However, it is a non FHD version; which is 1366 x 768..
Do you think i should still get it?

Or should i get a T420 instead?

Thank you!

 

AutoCAD, 3D Studio Max, Photoshop and Illustrator regularly? OK.

W520 with 1366 x 768 screen? DEFINITELY NOT OK.

(You double-posted. )

 

What should i do then?

P.S mm, posting 1 @ this thread, the other @ W520 and one opened thread. Seeking opinions from users of different laptop as well as gathering an open opinion from all..

 

Cross-posting may work for you, but not for us.

Anyways, that resolution is not suitable for productive use. Even for music production that was one of the main reasons for me to upgrade to W520 with FHD. My current laptop has 1366x768 display and I always connect it to an external FullHD monitor for any real use.

 

If it's a really good deal and you will do most of your work in one spot, I'd get it and connect it to a monitor wherever you do your work.

 

Either you get a 1080p or 900p (at the very least), or you have a good monitor at work (as sgogeta4 mentioned above). 768p is a terrible waste on this type of laptop...

 

Someone help me please. Each time I close my lid to make the machine sleep and then reopen it, I find that the WiFi is disabled and then I click on it and choose "Troubleshoot" and then it applies the fix by enabling it and the show me available networks. Is that a common issue and how can I solve it. I have tried uninstalling and installing the driver from Devices Manager but that did not work.

 

Try this:

Device Manager > Network adapters > right click on the wireless adapter, select Properties menu option > click on Power Management tab > uncheck the box "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"

 

Uninstall Access Connections.

 

Thanks a lot! That helped. Hope it continues like that without problems.

 

Mail day! I received my W520 in the mail today! (Also coincidentally two 250gb 7200rpm Toshiba hard drives which Dell sent me for messing up during some maintenance on my E6500. Neat! Back ups!)

I'm outside right now since it's a nice day, I thought I test out this machine's mobile abilities, and type up some of my thoughts.

My only real experience with a Thinkpad is my dad's X220, which I really like. So when I opened this up the first thing I thought was.. it's an X220 but bigger! Bigger is good and bad. I do think it's a bit too heavy- but not as heavy as my E6500. Also the design is much better than the E6500's industrial look.. which isn't very comfortable. That laptop stayed on my desk most of it's life, while this Lenovo will have a life outside of my room.

Speakers- haven't tried them yet. But they are in a similar placement as the E6500 speakers.. but with smaller holes. I hate how dust and particles get stuck in those speakers- hopefully it's not as bad on this. But it's not a big deal- just a quirk of mine probably.

Screen- When I turned it the first thing I thought was "this screen kinda sucks." A few minutes later I thought "this screen isn't so bad." About ten minutes later "I like this screen!" So I'm not sure if I'm just getting used to it or what. Or maybe it's all in my head after changing the text size to small on Windows. I don't think it's as good of a screen as my E6500, but I will compare them head to head later tonight. I am happy that I didn't end up with a glossy screen though, very very happy.

One thing I'm worried about is there is one flickering dead? pixel. I'm used to having about one on every screen I've owned, but they've usually been closer to the sides of the screen. I'm probably going to get used to it but I'm wondering if anyone has any tricks to get rid of them. Luckily it's very small.

Trackpad- It's not bad! I don't really like the X220's trackpad and I figured it would be comparable. But it's really not bad and I haven't even used the lovely red trackpoint yet really (which I know I like).

Keyboard- I like it! Not exactly quiet, but it's quite comfortable so far. I'm still trying to get used to the Ctrl and Fn switch. I think I read that you can switch them in the BIOS? Not sure if I'll want to do that though.

Right now I'm just enjoying messing with all the power settings (battery life isn't too bad) and uninstalling things (Norton) and installing other things (Avast).

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBSQ - This is the ram upgrade I'm looking at it. Any issues with mixing different ram (came with 4gb)? 12gb would be pretty nice.

Newegg.com - Tekkeon myPower ALL External Laptop Battery MP3450 - I planned on buying this Tekkeon battery to power my camera for a long period of time.. but I'm curious does anyone think it will power the W520 at full power, without slowing down like the laptop does when on battery. I'm guessing the laptop's battery would need to be taken out.

I'm also considering an Msata drive + (i have) 320gb 7200rpm x 2. I'm looking at seeing what the best for the price is- but I'm also really tempted to take out my Intel 320 of my main comp to put it in here. I'm also curious how an Msata compares to the (kind of old) Intel 320 speedwise. I think the 320 is plenty fast, and very reliable.

Also, is there a trick to taking out the optical drive? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong!

 

Congratulations!

The FHD screen? I was a bit unsettled at first. But, now, I still catch myself saying, "Hmm, I like this screen!" It kinda grows on you.

Refer to the Hardware Maintenance Manual PDF. It says...

 

Yes, the FHD, I should have specified. I'm comparing it with my E6500 (1920x1200) screen and I'm not sure what I think. But I do know one thing- I really need to buy myself a screen calibration device! For all my screens, not just the Thinkpad.

And thanks for the help, I decided to take out a screw and then I took out the optical drive without issues. (Edit- It may have not been that screw.. maybe I just used more force)

I am having an issues with my hard drive bay though- which I actually used with my E6500 just fine. It's made for a Thinkpad and it says serial ata 1.5gbs.. It doesn't seem to be reading my drive though. Does anything need to be tweaked in the settings?

 

Is your HDD brand new? You have to initialize the device (using Disk Management) before Windows can "see" it.

Regarding the caddy, its SATA electrical/power interface is the same regardless of speeds (1.5, 3.0 or 6.0 Gb/s). So, I don't think the problem is there.

 

Hmm no it isn't new. It isn't showing up in disk management or device manager. The drive worked fine with in my other laptop too..

 

How about more detail or a picture?
Are you trying to use a drive with a Lenovo W520 Ultrabay hard drive adapter?

Can you clarify what "I am having an issues with my hard drive bay though- which I actually used with my E6500 just fine. It's made for a Thinkpad and it says serial ata 1.5gbs.. It doesn't seem to be reading my drive though. Does anything need to be tweaked in the settings?" means ???

 

(for some reason I couldn't get the photos to embed so here are the links)

http://db.tt/gG9DicAV
http://db.tt/zMN0YoD2

This is what it looks like in the W520 and out of it. I hope this clears things up.

I'm trying the driver updates now hoping that may fix it!

edit: p/n (part number): 26r9247

 

Yea, that's the wrong HDD adaptor for the W510, W520, T410, T420, etc. It's never going to work properly.

The HDD/SSD adaptor you need is either the new official 12.7mm part at Find accessories for your laptop and desktop - Storage - 0A65623 or the other official 9.5mm part at Find accessories for your laptop and desktop - Storage - 43N3412

There are also some other non-Lenovo made HDD/SSD adaptors that work, but yours isn't one of them.

 

I just received my W520. Gorgeous looking machine. One thing I noticed immediately is that the SSD (ordered 160GB Intel in the primary bay) seems to rattle about a bit.

I thought that can't be right. So, I opened up the access cover and the drive is installed snugly into the SATA connector, but there are no other screws holding it down like with a traditional HDD on rails. It has red plastic rails, but they are not attached to anything.

I actually have not even turned it on yet. Too late here on the East coast to start setting it up now. Will boot up first thing in the morning.

Anyone else seen this issue?

Thanks,
David

 

oh man, that's a lot of restraint.
It would be like Christmas morning for me

 

Red rails? Not sure why Lenovo switched over to plastic rails, since I have black, rubber rails in mine (though mine came stock with a HDD, maybe that's why?).

 

Thanks! That was very helpful. I plan on ordering one of the cheaper 9.5mm ones on Amazon

I really want to get the extra ram before I go out of town this weekend so I was thinking about picking some up at Fry's (either the Plano or Dallas location), does anyone have a recommendation? Or am I going to be safe with whatever dualchannel memory they have? (Never upgraded notebook ram before!)

Really enjoying this laptop, had a meeting tonight with someone and the viewing angles aren't too bad on the screen

 

I have FRYS.com|Corsair in my T420. I know several people with four of these sticks in their W520 for a total of 32GB of RAM.

By the way, the Ultrabay 12.7mm HDD/SSD adaptor I am using is http://www.ebay.com/itm/220814491729

 

Ah.. That's tempting. I really only planned on spending 50-60 on 8gb this week. Then adding another 8 later- I don't need 32gb. Too bad they don't just sell one Dimm

Nice! This is probably a better idea since it's a better fit than the 9.5mm.

 

I have these 4x8GB sticks in my W520. They work fine.

 

My 64GB MSata SSD is overstuffed with programs, so I am replacing it with a 120GB MSata SSD. I just finished cloning my C drive on the new SSD drive with EZ Gig IV software. Now, I have just one question before I swap the SSDs:

The 64GB SSD shows a small partition before the C Drive with the name SYSTEM_DRV (1.17 GB). It shows up under Computer Management>Disk Management, but it doesn't appear to be seen by the cloning software. Do I have to also copy that partition onto the new SSD? If yes, how can I do that?

Thanks for your help.

 

CORRECTION:

I see in Computer Management>Disk Management that the cloning software did also copy the SYSTEM_DRV partition. But it assigned a drive letter (-G-) to that partition and there was no drive letter assigned to it on the SSD drive that is now in the W520. Also, the cloning software changed its size from 1.17 GB to 1.79 GB. What, if anything, should I do about that before swapping the SSDs?

 

I just ordered a W520 and I had a question about memory and an SSD if anyone knows a good answer..

The system has the 2670QM CPU, 2000m graphics, 1920x1080 LCD, and the Intel 6300 wifi, and should ship next week.

I know it's MUCH cheaper to buy RAM separately and install it yourself, so I was planning on getting a Corsair Vengeance kit ( 4GBx2, DDR3-1600, 9-9-9-24) Anyone know if this kit is confirmed to be compatible? Does it run at full rated speed?

I have a 160GB Intel SSD (original G2 series, not the newer 320 or 510) that I am going to use to replace the existing 320GB drive. Any issues with this model of SSD?

Last, was "critical" Thinkpad software do I need to install? Lenovo specific drivers for the graphics/LAN/wifi for example, or are the Nvidia/Intel ones better?

 

To backup Bandalo's question regarding SSD, If I remove my 160GB Intel SSD (G2) from my T500 and put it on my expected W520, would it boot up windows?

 

@Bandalo: That Corsair kit will work fine. W520 supports DDR3-1600.

That "old" 160GB Intel SSD will work (as a storage device).

It's better to use Lenovo-supplied drivers. Opinions vary, but I use only ThinkPad Power Manager. Also, before you replace that 320GB HDD, copy the complete C:\SWTOOLS folder to a USB flash drive. It will facilitate your Windows installation on the SSD. Also, it would be helpful to read the Hearst Guide or the Lenovo Guide.


@chukwe: Clean install, using W520 Windows 7 COA key and W520 device drivers.

 

Probably. But a therapeutic clean install is a better idea.

I would first run the Intel SSD Toolbox maintenance against the drive before removing it from the T500.

 

Excellent news. Thanks for the input! I have a habit of always wiping and installing a clean copy of the OS on every computer.

Followup questions: Are the $11-12 hard drive adapters for the optical drive bay on eBay as good as the original Lenovo? Hard to justify $60 for one unless there's a REALLY good reason. I've been reading some issues on the "gaps" and poor fit of the cheaper ones. Anyone have a GOOD experience?

Similar question for an AC power adapter. I want one at work and one at home, so I'll need a spare. Any advice on a good quality low-cost adapter?

 

Lenovo, starting this month, began to sell the 12.7" UltraBay hard drive adapter.

You can compare-shop at NewmodeUS and on ePray. I am happy with my NewmodeUS caddy.

 

Considering the newmodeus adapter at 2nd HDD or SSD Caddy - Lenovo ThinkPad W520, W510, T510, T520 [TP-W510-T510] - $46.75 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks is nearly the price of the new 12.7mm officially supported Lenovo adapter, I would go with the official part.

If you want to go on the cheap, see the link a few posts ahead of this for the one I bought on eBay. I like it well enough. I still haven't bothered to benchmark it to confirm SATA III speed, but it seems to handle everthing else I expect.

As for the power adapter, buy the Lenovo 135W power supply. Unless you have the extreme Quad with RAID it will supply ample power. The 90W will not work. The 170W is just too big to recommend.

 

Well, this would be secondary storage (a extra WD Blue 750gb drive I have on hand) so SATA II/III isn't an issue. As long as it's reliable and fits well, i.e. no huge gaps or rattles.

I have seen several power adapters, usually about $100 for the "genuine" Lenovo, and $40 or so for "genuine" Lenovo. (all over eBay, Amazon, etc) Any reason to shell out the extra cash for the more expensive version?

 

I just did some benchmarks. The one I'm using (below) is definitely SATA III and it has been very reliable so far. I've only had it for a couple of months but I am happy with it.

Although 2nd hard drive Caddy F Lenovo Thinkpad T420 W520 T520 | eBay is certainly priced right, if I didn't have one I would be buying the official Lenovo part simply for supportability.

 

-deleted post-

 

Re: Transferring operating system from a MSata SSD drive to a larger one in a W520.

I posted this question earlier today, but I haven't seen any answers. So, I will now try to rephrase my question.

I am replacing my 64GB MSata SSD with a 120GB MSata SSD. I just finished cloning my C drive onto the larger SSD drive (using EZ Gig 4 software) which went smoothly.

I noticed that the cloning software also copied the SYSTEM_DRV partition onto the new SSD. But, under Drive Management in the Control Panel, it shows that SYSTEM_DRV partition on the new SSD has been assigned a drive letter (-G-), and it is a little larger in size than on the original SSD. Should I attempt to delete the drive letter, and should I be at all concerned about the larger size?

Thanks for any expert advice you can provide.

 

IMO it's best to do a fresh install when you get a new blank drive. I hope you have some sort of external storage to back up your data before hand.