Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

The standard 6 cell doesn't "stick out".

 

6 cell batt doesn't appear to be available as an option anymore.

 

Mine came with a nine cell...and it sticks out...

 

Hey guys,

So I'm actually tempted to get the w520. I can get the base configuration + 1080p monitor for 1084.30.

If I wait for ivy bridge, I'd probably get a t530 instead. So if I can get any kind of advice, I'd greatly appreciate it.

1. Is Intel HD 4000 is pretty comparable to the Quadro 1000M? I'm mostly looking to do graphics programming and modeling (blender/maya/etc). However, I'd like to be able to play games as well.

2. Could the screens on the ivy bridge laptops be better than the w520s?

3. Is there anything else I should look out for? I do like my t51 keyboard...

4. Do you think the ivy bridge prices will be better for something comparable to the w520 base configuration?

Thanks everyone!

 

like already mentioned, only 9cell is available as configuration option...

 

Honestly, I don't see why the "sticking-out-ness" of is such a problem. If anything, I'd be concerned about the battery being loose; Lenovo really needs to fix that!

 

That's what I figured it would be, but I already have those settings for when I'm plugged in and it doesn't help..

But I wonder if there are other power settings that could be causing it.

And about installing each driver one at time, I'm not sure how to do with that Windows Update- which started up the cpu whine one of the times I did a clean reinstall

Luckily I'm blasting music most of the time that drowns it out, but it would be nice to get some silence every once.

 

Have you been monitoring the CPU clock with HWiNFO64? What Power Manager profile are you using?

 

re memtest:
i read here a number of times that you should test new ram sticks by running memtest for a number of passes for perhaps a day or more at one go.

what happened to me a few days back was that i could consistently get memtest to report errors only with a cold start (it appears to me to be temperature related).
if i restarted the test or rebooted, i could be error free all the way.
this kind of explained why i blue screened after inserting new sticks, but not anymore after rebooting a few times.

lesson:
if you're testing ram sticks, you might want to make sure you do a few rounds of cold start testing.

 

Just buy it separate, till you realize that the 9 cell is actually useful.

This is what you need:
ThinkPad Battery 55+ 6-cell 57 Wh (57Y4185) app. 60 Euro
ThinkPad Battery 55++ 8-cell 94 Wh (57Y4186) app. 90 Euro

In Europe, the cheapest place to buy is:
https://www.cyberport.de/

In the USA there are loads of cheap places.

 

What RAM did you use? Buying a W520 and sparing a few dollars on RAM is not an elegant solution...

 

i was at first disappointed with the lack of option.

then i saw the batt life on the meter.
i suppose i'll have to really be on the go without an adapter before i'll really appreciate the 9cell.

 

i bought kingston.
i'm still running memtest with different combos.

combo 1 (with the cold start errors):
kingston 4gb x2 in slot 0 and 1.
(factory) hynix 4gb x1 in slot 2

combo 2 (looks alright so far)
kingston 4gb x2 in slot 0 and 1.

 

Is it Kingston ValueRAM or KTL-TP3B/4G? Kingston states that the ValueRAM is not garanteed to be compatible with the Thinkpads.

 

can someone explain what a 'slice battery' is and how it differs from a normal? and does it come sstandard?

 

Slice battery is an additional battery you can attach to the laptop that will give you extra battery life. Instead of shutting down when your primary battery is drained, it'll instead switch over to the slice battery and continue to run the laptop.

No, it does not come standard; it's an optional extra you would have to pay for.

 

Okay! thats the cheapo ram buying recommendations...

I want to buy 32 gb of ram for my W520.

What should I get? I'd prefer to do 16gb now (8x2) and then 8x2 a coupla months down the line. Anyone got any suggestions? (Links and lowest prices are welcome!) I think the mushkin 8gb's are pretty much the cheapest?

Please look at this comparison. I think the higher cost is due to the lower voltage... but which one should i go with? the mushkin or patriot?

 

I run two sticks of Mushkin 4GB RAM along with the stock Samsung 4GB stick. There's no noticeable difference between RAMs in the same category (DDR3-1333MHz, for example).

 

I've the 32GB RAM of this corsair FRYS.com | Corsair in my W520. I haven't had any issue

 

mmmmkay they are KVRs....
well i've already bought them, and already installed them (twice).

there seems to be an equal amount of positive and negative opinions in the forums. many of the negative comments (BSOD, "do not put them in!", etc) are from a few years back.

if nothing comes up in memtest should i keep them? any other way to know if they're "alright"?

 

I think on their own they should be ok. Also, you can do 4x4 GB with KVRs and they should be ok. I think the problem was mixing the KVRs with the single factory unit. And symmetrical configurations are slightly better.

 

Is it OK to mix RAM with different speeds? I am thinking of upgrading the factory 1333 4GB with another 4GB of the 1600. I read that the 1600 will be clocked down to 1300 and in some cases, it might even cause problems. If this is the case, should I get two 4GB of the 1600 and just take out the 1333? Is there a significant difference between the two memory speeds?

 

Always the slowest will be selected. There is very little difference between 1333 and 1600 modules in real world applications.

 

Thanks for help! One more question: Is there a big difference between Crucial and Samsung of the same speed, say 1333MHz?

 

No, there isn't supposed to be. But test your system with Memtest86+ for a couple of hours once you changed modules.

 

Currently running the 2000M with 16GB on my W520 and noticed in games that the CPU gets stressed pretty hard. Would a more game capable video card in this machine help alleviate this stress on the CPU, a la eGPU?

 

Unless I'm wrong, modern games don't use the CPU for much if any graphics rendering. The CPU is used for calculations and behind the scenes stuff which would happen regardless of the GPU you use.

 

thanks i'll probably keep them there on their own.
if i have time maybe i'll put the factory 4gig x1 back in to slot 2, just to see if i can reproduce the problem.

 

I cannot find the stock 4GB RAM that comes with my W520 when I opened the back door. Where is it located? Is it under the keyboard like in T520?

 

Optimizing memory in W510 - which slots to use - Lenovo Community

you should find it in slot 0.

 

Guys, I'm practically 90% sure I'm getting this laptop next week (10% is for the Dell M4600).

I'm a casual gamer, will the Quadro 2000m satisfy my needs? The last game I have played and liked was Darksiders, I like similar games. How is gaming with that card? I know that the Dell has AMD Firepro M5950 which is better for gaming, but still, not the notebookcheck website, the Quadro 2000m shows better framerates than the AMD card. I'm confused.

 

The Quadro 2000M's performance is in the the league of a desktop GT 240, and that is not good. If you want to play 3D games at Full HD resolution, it probably won't do well. Luckily, the W520 has an ExpressCard slot making easy external video card connections possible. I run a GTX 560 Ti with my W520 and it is leaps and bounds above the Quadro 1000M.

 

It's a passable card. Can take a good 20% overclock though.

But performance really depends what you're playing. BF3 will run at Textures Ultra, Shadows Medium, everything else low, AA off, AF 16x (no difference in FPS), and SSAO at around 28FPS. Which is more or less playable to me.

Put on Crysis 1 and a few tweaks, then you're really strained for performance.

 

I'm a hardcore gamer, with over 300 console games, 70 handheld games, and 100 PC games in my collection. I'm a self-employed business consultant, and I spend a lot of time on the road, working in client offices during the day, and sleeping in a hotel room at night. While business needs were my primary concern when buying the W520, gaming considerations were a close second, due to significant down-time in the evenings at the hotel. Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the gaming performance of my W520, considering the inherent design limitations of what is primarily a business laptop.

On my machine (specs listed below), I can run Bioshock, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Darksiders, DiRT 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, GTA: Episodes from Liberty City, Mafia II, L.A. Noire, Just Cause 2, Sid Meier's Civilization 5, Total War: SHOGUN 2, mostly at "console+" settings (i.e., 720p resolution, with most settings on high) with good graphical performance and decent frame rates.

How good/bad is it? I'll give you a specific example. On GTA IV, even when I bump the resolution up to 1080p and let the game auto-configure the settings, almost everything gets automatically set to High or Very High, and I still get an average frame rate of 37 fps. Not stellar for pure game-play considerations, but it gives you an idea of the capabilities and limitations of the system. Specifically, if you know anything about Rockstar Games' PC ports, you understand that GTA IV is a very fickle, CPU-intensive port, which has never been very well optimized, so getting 37 fps from a business laptop at 1080 resolution on High/Very High settings is nothing to sneeze at.

Personally, I prefer a higher frame rate for better game-play, so I typically reduce the resolution to 720p on graphically intensive games, and I target an average frame rate of 50-60 fps or more. On Just Cause 2, at 720p resolution, I get an average frame rate of around 50+ fps on all three benchmark runs included with the game.

Bottom line: In my opinion, the W520 with a reasonably fast Core i7 CPU and the Quadro 2000M GPU is nowhere close to what is possible on a desktop computer, but it is actually pretty decent for a mobile platform, as long as business needs are your primary concern and gaming is secondary. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the gaming performance. If gaming is your primary concern, you should either get a dedicated gaming laptop, or do as carage suggests, and use the ExpressCard slot with an external video card solution.

 

Yes, I'm considering moving this path too (I have a 560 Ti in my desktop). I think it's one of the huge benefits of business laptops over gaming laptops, that you can easily expand them with an external video card.

You can buy the most expensive gaming laptop, but you cannot expand it with an eGPU (at least most of them), which means that you are locked into your GPU or at least to your MXM slot forever. With a W520 on the other hand you can just plugin in a GTX 680.

Thunderbolt might change this, but for now, it's far far away.

 

You guys are getting me even more into the W520 wagon. Here is the specs I have been configuring (I already got a thread in the 'What notebook should I get' section):

ThinkPad W520 - 3 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty - £1,851.15 vat inc

Processor: Intel Core i7-2670QM Processor (2.20 GHz, 6MB L3)
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 English
Display type: 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro 2000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory
Color sensor: Color Sensor (What is that?)
Total memory: 8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Keyboard: Keyboard US English International with a Euro symbol
Pointing device: UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
Camera: 720p Camera
Storage subsystem: Internal RAID - Not Enabled
Hard drive: 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Optical device: DVD recordable multiburner
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
Battery: 9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++ ( I want to opt for the 6 cell, but it's not on the option list, can something be done?)
Power cord: Country Pack United Kingdom with Line cord & 170W AC adapter
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN)
Integrated mobile broadband: Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
Language pack: Language Pack WE (FR/GE/IT/IT/DU/EN)
Microsoft productivity software preload: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (Europe) - English
+ 3 year Onsite Next Business Day
+ Kensington MicroSaver 64068E Security Cable Lock

Is this a good config? Or should I adjust some things? Please guide me.

Also, explain to me how this whole expresscard external video option works. I will opt for that if necessary, so do advice some good cards as well if possible.

 

Take off a week from work and start reading this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/418851-diy-egpu-experiences.html

 

You can get the RAM's cheaper by yourself as Lenovo usually charges a hefty premium for it for some reason. Depending on how urgent you need the system if you can afford to wait a little try seek out some coupon deals that comes occasionally where you can get 10% off the list price.

Alternatively you can try import a W520 from the States, factoring custom duties it will still be significantly cheaper than the equivalent UK spec (like this one). If I was in a market for a W520 then I would do this since the savings can be around £400+ even with tax added.

 

I have chosen the hockey drivers and patch component when installing the hotkey functions but I did not choose the on display or other things like auto scroll or magnifier. The function keys are not working including the mic mute key. Any clue?

 

You'll need
- On Screen Display
- Power Management Driver

 

Woaw that deal looks incredible! But what about warranty then, how does it apply? I've never tried importing such a big thing from US, I'm quite scared (the most that I've spent buying online before was about $300).

 

That worked but is there a way to hide the on display icons as my keyboard also shows similar ones and I don't like both of them appearing.

 

Luckily Lenovo's warranty is one of the best internationally. They don't ask for invoice, etc. they just look at the serial number at the bottom of the machine.

Importing from to the UK isn't hard at all. Luckily there is no import duty for laptops! All you need to pay is the VAT (20%) + the handling cost, usually around 15-30 pounds.

 

Most ThinkPads will have IWS (International Warranty Service) and the W520 should qualify, what this means is that Lenovo will honour the warranty regardless of where you originally bought it from. So for example if you bought it from the United States, you can still have it serviced at the United Kingdom or at any other countries where Lenovo is based. The warranty stays with the system, not with the person like Dell for instance.

 

Just to add to this one, here is the page where you check which model's warranty is valid in which country:

Lenovo Support - International Warranty Service (IWS)

The machine type on eBay is 4276, so you can just type it in the IWS page and see which countries will support your warranty. Pretty much all the world in case of the 4276.

 

When using ultabay with an hard drive, i do have the Windows button to safely unplug it. But when it's dvd drive, i don't! And if take it just like that, Windows will take a while to "detect" it and might cause some trouble... Why can't i get the damn button for all drives?

 

Tom Binh Ego Messenger Bag, combined with the 2S Brain Cell.

The Brain Cell fits the W520 with 9 cell battery, if anything it's a little to big (thick).

Ego and 2S are not an officially supported combination, but the do fit. Trust me.

I had it shipped from Seattle to Germany, and I don't regret it for a second.

If you need plenty of extra space (for books and lots of files, etc.) then the Super Ego is a better choice.
Or replace the Brain Cell with a notebook sleeve, leaving plenty of room to carry around other stuff.

I ordered the Q-AM and the Absolute shoulder strap, one for biking to work and one for more traditional use.

Highly recommended.

 

I just installed a new Samsung 83 256MB today and freshly installed Windows and for some reason, it shows 2 partitions, one of them is 100MB and I am not sure how this happened and how can I delete this partition and merge it into the C:

 

I'm not sure why Windows does that, but I have the 100 MB partition as well after a fresh install. You cannot delete it from within Windows as it is a system partition. You may be able to get rid of it with a partitioning tool..., but you may break the Windows install in the process. I chose to not worry about it, but if you figure out how to delete and merge it post up as I would follow your lead.

 

The 100MB partition is system reserved containing the boot and recovery files, this is normal so don't delete this partition otherwise it may affect your ability to boot into the OS.