Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

Does anyone know when the micro ssd option will become available during purchase configuration? or WILL it become available?

Thanks

 

The cards have not been benchmarked yet b/c they are so new. Notebookcheck ranks them right next to one another, which doesn't tell us a whole lot.
FX1000M
FX2000M

You'll probably have to wait a bit if cost-benefit is a crucial deciding factor for you.

Regarding the color sensor, if you have to ask... But seriously, if you are getting the wide gamut screen for looks only, then the sensor is optional, though I'd probably recommend it just so you know your screen is presenting accurate colors. The sensor is more critical for those who do color sensitive work and MUST have accurate colors.

 

Hmm, this has probably been addressed but I cannot find the thread.

Is the screen on the w520 95% gamut? I know the spec sheets says but the actual website does not specify.

Thanks
Steven

Edit: Never mind, as soon as I posted this I found it. Sorry.

 

Ordered from Lenovo.com 3/29; shipped 4/4.

Perry

 

Really? It shipped that quickly? What was your original estimated shipping time? Mine puts me out around 8 business days, but you're making me pretty optimistic for an earlier shipment.

 

I ordered one on March 30th. Estimate Shipping date is 04/11/2011..

 

Same here. Sounds like we are in the same boat. Or, hopefully, cargo plane ;-)

Estimated shipping date was 4/8 until yesterday evening, but apparently they assembled it over the weekend.

 

Probably depends on what you ordered compared to the others in this thread. It's good to know we'll have owners in the owners thread soon.

 

I ordered mine on 4/1 with an estimated ship date of 4/13. Hopefully it'll ship out a little earlier though.

 

I also ordered mine just before midnight on 3/30/2011 and have a estimated shipping date of 4/11/2011

 

I ordered mine on 3/29 with an estimated ship date of 4/7. Still no shipping information on mine though!

Here's to hoping it ships early like a few others here!

 

Anyone with a W520 (or even T520/T420/s), what is the model number of the DVD drive used and what is the height (9.5mm vs. 12.7mm)?

 

I believe it will be the same 12.7mm high as W510 since both share the same chassis (and the tabook proves that).

For the DVD number - are you referring to FRU number?

 

Why? Planning to do the Blu-ray swap?

 

Speaking of which, I was surprised the blu-ray drive wasn't offered in the configurator.

 

Yes, I was wondering if my current 12.7mm BD-ROM drive was compatible with it (but I don't have the Lenovo) or if I could fit a 12.5mm HDD in the Ultrabay.

 

The drive bay between the W510 and W520 is the same. It's still 12.7mm. The fatty BD drives were the reason I believe Lenovo did this to start with.

As for the hard drive question, yes you can use a rotational disk or SSD drive using the hard drive adaptor. See http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...35BAB3C417CA9D77F5867D31462&model-number=4249

I have two and bought the last one on amazon.com. Saved me a few bucks on shipping and taxes.

 

What did you order?

 

Am I the only one on the planet that thought (or assumed) the W520 had an HDMI port?

Apparently the port on the side that is labelled as an HDMI port in Lenovo's photos of the W520 is really a DisplayPort.

I could order one of these convertor doohickies, but that would only get me video and no audio. There are a few convertors with audio for the Mac Book Pro, but they have mini-DisplayPort plugs. ARGH! I wonder if this adapter will work from TigerDirect? Seems odd that the adapter for the Mac Book Pro is so big and the one from Tiger is so small. Hmmm....

 

I upgraded the screen and the graphics card to the Quadro 2000M. Everything else was left stock on the dual-core model.

 

Yes the clipped bottom left corner makes it clear that its DisplayPort. The image you linked to is a Lenovo photoshop accident, I guess. The real W520 has a DisplayPort logo over the port. Though part of the DP specs allows for passive DP<->single-link HDMI adapters.

 

I think this is actually DisplayPort - you can always refer to the tabook if you have doubts.

 

So now my order status page says:

"If no ship date is given above, there may be an issue with your order. If you would like more information on the status, please call 866-426-0013"

Needless to say I no longer have a ship date and when I call the number they say their call center is down.

This isn't looking good!

 

Got a quote today from a Lenovo sales rep: (quote received via email & valid for 30 days)

ThinkPad W520 Model 4270 CTO
Processor: Intel Core i7-2920XM Processor (2.50GHz, 8MB L3, 1333MHz FSB)
Operating system: Windows 7 Professional 64
Operating system language: Windows 7 Professional 64 English
Windows XP Mode: Microsoft Windows 7 XP Mode - English
Display type: 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro 1000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory
Color sensor: Color Sensor
Total memory (see note): 4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMMs)
Keyboard:Keyboard US English
Pointing device: UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
Camera: 720p Camera
Storage subsystem: Internal RAID - Not Enabled
Hard drive 1: Intel X25-M 160GB Solid State Drive II
Hard drive 2 via Ultrabay enhanced: 750GB Seagate Momentus (customer provided)
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
Battery: 9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
Power cord: Country Pack North America 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 US English

Sub Total: $2718 Discount: -$544 Grand Total: $2174 (+Oregon has no sales tax+)

Damm good price for what may become a killer machine IF the SATA III 6 Gbps SSD is a go!

Note: Change I plan to above config: trade out the 4GB of PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMMs) for 16GB of Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1600MHz DDR3 (4 DIMMs)

Before I place my order, I too am waiting on the outstanding question of support for SATA III SSD drives 6.0 Gbps. I bet someone will pull the trigger within the next few weeks.

 

That's a strong deal. I would probably change the 2x2GB ram config to a single 4GB SoDIMM. That would prevent throwing away the 2GB sticks.

Regarding the SATA III question, you would think Lenovo would address this quickly. Seems like a blog post at Lenovo Blogs would be a good place. Those guys never seem to post anything.

 

Can someone please post their 3DMark06 scores when they get the laptop?

I'm also curious about the graphics.

Thanks

 

Whoa just missed the UPS delivery. I paid the 25$ for 2nd day delivery and it ended up being one day: Shipped on the 4th from China and arrived on the 5th. But I wasn't home because tracking wasn't available yet at 8am. Bittersweet

 

Send a brief review after you get it.

 

@Volker, when did you place your order?

 

I hate it when that happens. There's nothing worse than missing a delivery attempt of some new, cool toy. I have a bunch coming this week.

 

I also ordered mine just before midnight on 3/30/2011 and still shipping date is 04/11/11

 

Would be more interested in a GPU-Z screenshot.

 

Order placed on 3/29, the day it came out

 

Here you go.

 

Does anyone remember if the 9 cell battery sticks out the back of the laptop?

 

57Y4186 - ThinkPad Battery 55++ (9 Cell - T410/420, T510/520, W510/520, L Series)

 

By comparing GeForce GTX 460M from Notebookcheck.com

Processing speed wise, 2000M has only 81% the core speed and shader speed of 460M, Memory wise, 2000M has only 72% memory clock speed and 66% of memory bus width compare to 460M. That's already less than half the memory overall speed compare 460M without even consider the efficiency differences between GDDR5 vs DDR3 and driver optimization.

2000M do have more memory (2GB vs 1.5GB) and better power consumption (55W vs 72 Watt) compare to 460M.

Now, the next thing is the actual performance of real application. Hopefully, with lower resolution, memory bandwidth or speed constraint is less obvious.

 

With halobox GPU-Z screenshot, my conclusion is that T520's Quadro 2000M performance should be at least similar to GT435M if the application is memory bound and probably like GT445M if it's more processing intensive. But it won't reach GTX460M performance even though it has 192 shader.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M - Notebookcheck.net Tech
NVIDIA GeForce GT 445M - Notebookcheck.net Tech
NVIDIA GeForce GT 435M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

In terms of khm.... gaming , 20% slower than 460M would still be nice. GT435M performance would be a joke (barely better, if any, than 335M on Alienware M11x-R2). I know these cards aren't meant for gaming, but still... one can always dream.

 

I wish Quadro 2000M in W520 has 1.5GB 192bit memory bandwidth instead of 2GB 128bit. Of course using GDDR5 instead of DDR3 is even better. And then it will really be 20 to 30% slower than GTX460M. For me, I wish my W520 is at least as fast as new Macbook pro with 6750M.

 

What's a good modern game to test with that's relatively cheap?

We've been using XBOX 360 so much the past few years I've lost touch with the PC gaming market.

 

Yea, but how much heat does the MBP generate compared to the W520? Apple products haven't been known to cool well. Has that changed in the new Macs or can you still fry an egg on one after it's been under load for an hour?

 

Any difference for outdoor use between the HD+ and the FHD screen?

And also any difference between T520 FHD screen and W520 FHD?

 

I was able to return my w510 with no restocking fee and ordered a w520.
Everything this is the stock quad-core Core i7-2720 W520 except for the screen (FHD) and graphics (Quadro 2000m) for about $1850.

The only downside is shipping is 20 days. I cannot really complain thou.

 

How do you know shipping is 20 days? What is your estimated shipping date?

 

I myself upgraded to the Quadro 2000M due to it having double the number of programmable cores to number crunch with.

Obviously it is still no super computer, but my curiosity in comparing the time required to run some of simulations we've coded in my computational physics class was enough for me to justify the extra $250.

The increase in speed for rendering doesn't hurt either though.

 

My review is not based on actual use of the new W520 because I have yet to see the computer I first ordered on March 29. I will be reviewing my buying experience involved with trying to purchase it online through Lenovo.
I needed a new laptop because my 1.5 year old laptop doesn't have a good enough graphics card that can handle the 3D graphics requirement of a navigation program I recently purchased. I did plenty of research trying to find a good value that met two main requirements. 1) Mid to high end dedicated graphics card with 1gb of memory. 2) Since I will be using the unit in a marine environment I need at the least a semi-rugged platform which the professional line of most brands offers. I like my old Toshiba and the good service they have provided me so far but their Tecra (professional) line does not offer a mid range graphics card. I looked at Lenovo's W series and was very impressed with the environmental features and the higher end graphics capabilities even though they use a business optimized graphics card as most professional laptops do. One of the major improvements Lenovo made with the W520 over the W510 is they finally take advantage of the Optimus technology incorporated in the NVIDIA graphics cards they use. The W510's NVIDIA graphics card although in a slightly lower class did have the Optimus technology but Lenovo's engineers decided not to incorporate it for some odd reason. This feature allows switching between the integrated graphics and the dedicated graphics depending on necessity of applications. This improved battery life tremendously and in theory, possibly cuts down on unnecessary wear and tear due higher heat production caused by the continuous use of higher end graphics cards when not needed. This definitely sounded like the right unit for my purpose.
I ordered the W520 on March 29. Ironically on April 1 Lenovo cancels my order without emailing me or calling me. I only found out because when I went to check on my order status my order didn't exist anymore. I call them up and they patch me through to accounting in India. Accounting tells me they cancelled my order due to credit card issues but won't tell me specifics. I'm told my only option now is to reorder because after an order is cancelled it cannot be reinstated. I get sent back to sales in the U.S. and reorder. After I get off the phone with sales I call my bank to inquire what the problem was. They tell me there was no problem on their end, that it was an issue with Lenovo. On April 4 I go online to check my order status and once again my order is cancelled. I call up accounting again and they tell me they had a problem running the card (which is a different card from the first time) and so they cancelled my order. I tell them that the purchase is pending on my account and I ask them why they didn't call me first before cancelling my order again. Needless to say I never got a straight answer. However they do contact the credit card company finally (I think) because I am put on hold and when they come back they say they will create an authorization number now and expedite the order. I'm sent back to sales to reorder again. They don't communicate with sales about the sensitivity of the situation and I have to tell them what happened myself which makes me wonder if my order is really getting expedited. After I reorder again I ask to please speak to a manager. I am told "EVERYONE is at a business meeting" and they will have their manager (lets call him Bob Barker) call me as soon as the meeting is over. After two hours and no response I call back and talk to a new sales person. I ask to speak to one of the presidents of Lenovo in hopes that I will get somebody, ANYBODY that will stop passing the buck and take accountability for the lack of proper procedures within the unorganization and try to help me. I'm told the president is in china but they will patch me through to the front desk. After a half and hour of trying to patch through to a non existing front desk I am offered to speak to their "personal manager" as soon as he's done selling a computer right next to them at the moment. I ask if their manager's name is Bob Barker and they say yes. I never get to speak to Bob Barker as suggested but a message is relayed to me via the sales person that the manager of the original sales person who sold me the unit will contact me. The buck is passed yet again. No one has been considerate enough to contact me yet, including the original sales person that will get the commission from the sale if it ever happens. In the end, I might not receive my laptop before I have to fly out for my next job due to the constant delays of having to reorder 3 times and now two computer purchases are pending on my account.
In the beginning I thought there was a lack of continuity within the company being stretched across the globe as it is but as I go deeper into the maze of what purchasing a Lenovo is I realize that incompetence is consistent across the board. I sincerely hope if and when I finally receive my W520 it performs as well as predicted by the many enthusiastic reviews of the machine itself, because if technical support is anything like the departments I've already dealt with then there might not be a single redeeming quality of owning a Lenovo.

 

I get the strange feeling this is the beginning of the saga.

 

While not perfect, 3DMark06 and 3DMark Vantage are decent 3D benchmarks for rough idea what one can expect running 3D games. Both are free with 1 caveat - you can run free version Vantage only once, so better make a good run.

Futuremark - Benchmarks - 3DMark06 - Download

3DMark Vantage | 3DMark 11 – The Gamer's Benchmark for DirectX 11


@captmb,

Eh, I know the feeling. Don't think other companies are much (or any?) different. Had tons of similar experiences with Dell.

 

ThinkPad W520 Model 4276-37u
Processor: Intel Core i7-2720QM Processor
Operating system: 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 1000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory
Total memory : 8 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMMs)
Keyboard:Keyboard US English
Pointing device: UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
Camera: 720p Camera
Hard drive 1: Intel 320 160GB Solid State Drive
Hard drive 2 via Ultrabay : 500GB 7,2k stock hdd
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
Battery: 9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
Power cord: Country Pack North America with Line cord & 170W AC adapter
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)
Integrated mobile broadband: Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
Language pack: Language Pack US English

my w520 arrived at April 1 st (no joke)
been playing whit it for a while now and i can say it has working Sata 3!! i had a ocz vertex 3 120gb in my w520 this Saturday, which ran blazing fast but...
i was getting random freeze and crashes form the ssd.
tried to fix it but gave up after two full days. So i returned the vertex 3 for a Intel 320 160gb which runs fine and boots to the desktop in 15 sec.

i also did some stress testing whit prime95
CPU temps:
idle: 41 max
load 71 max

ill will post some screens later on
any request for test/benchmarks/info just let me know