Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

Looks like we have made a difference: the online options have been upgraded. There's only two base models instead of three, the options for RAID are now "Not Enabled" or "Configured by Lenovo", and I can't see mention of a modem anywhere. Doesn't fix the real issue that IMHO no professional laptop should ship with no modem or a disabled RAID chip, but at least there is no longer any false advertising.

I just got a quote from hrana's rep. It looks like a 15% discount on the system, 20% on the warranty+TPP and accessories. No freebies. Still a great deal--but nothing like we were seeing earlier. I'll post specs and price after everything is finalized.

 

You are so lucky and have such a good rep. I ordered mine on 4/11 and the shipped date moved from 4/21 to week of 4/24 and now week of 5/11. Also, when I realized my order didn't have the smartcard on it, I tried to add it in. The rep refused...said there is no way to add the card in. I also didn't get that great a deal. I held off canceling my order as some had suggested because I didn't want to affect the ship date. At this rate, I should have just cancel and reorder.

 

There is a lot of talk about memory upgrades, what are people buying? I would just like to upgrade from 4 GB to 8 GB, not replacing my current module.

 

Lenovo's forum was designed to be a peer-to-peer forum with some Lenovo involvement and was not intended to be an official support site with dedicated Lenovo employees answering every question. With only 24 hours in a day, Mark and the handful of employees who help out there have to pick and choose what they answer to make an impact on the issues with the most members affected.

On occasion, Mark will visit here and TPF if we point out a particular issue to him, but if you want a personal response from a real Lenovo employee for a specific issue that isn't covered in one of the three forums, I suggest you call support.

 

Hallo, i order now:
Lenovo IBM ThinkPad W520, Core i7-2820QM 2.30GHz, 8192MB, 500GB, UMTS (NY43HGE/NY549GE) €2212,59
Core i7-2820QM 4x 2.30GHz • 8192MB (2x 4096MB) • 500GB • DVD+/-RW • NVIDIA Quadro 1000M 2048MB • 3x USB (1x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0)/FireWire/Modem/Gb LAN/WLAN 802.11agn/Bluetooth/eSATA • DisplayPort • UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA • ExpressCard/34 Slot • 4in1 Card reader • FingerPrint Reader • Webcam (1.3 Megapixel) • 15.6" WUXGA non-glare LED TFT (1920x1080) • Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) • Li-Ionen-Akku (9 Zellen, 10.8h Laufzeit) • 2.60kg • 36 Monate Herstellergarantie (Einsendung)

- greetings from vienna

 

First of all, thanks for all the useful discussion! I've been following this thread for a few weeks and picked up some good tips. I ordered my W520 (2720QM, HD+, 1000M, Intel 6205) on 4/12--I'm still waiting for delivery.

For what it's worth, I spoke with a Lenovo rep on the phone this morning regarding my machine, which is currently slated for shipment on 5/4 (originally 4/22, then 5/9, now 5/4). He claimed that the machines are ready to go, but they are undergoing some sort of quality control before being shipped out. Granted that could be a line straight from the phone operator training handbook, but it somewhat contradicts the parts-shortage explanation. I do think there were/are some supply chain issues (what else pushed back the ship date?), but hopefully they have been mitigated to some degree. Either way, it gave me some hope the machine might get here less than 4 weeks after I ordered it.

Also, early on I found recommendations for a Crucial RAM upgrade (204-pin PC3-10600 DDR3-1333 SODIMM) to match the OEM stick. Now I'm seeing a lot of talk of the Kingston 1600 kit. I'm going to be going to 8GB on a budget for now and don't want to replace the original stick, so can anyone confirm the Crucial upgrade works? I ordered the memory a week after I ordered the computer and it's been sitting in my desk drawer at home for a while now. It would be nice to know the upgrade works so I don't have to worry about returning it.

 

Personally I do not think the 1600 MHz RAM is worth the price increase (noting also that you'll also have to replace the original stick of memory). I doubt if you will see much, if any, real-world improvement in performance.

 

RAM post...

I have installed 4 sticks of Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9S3K2/8GX in my W520 for a total of 16GB.

CPU-Z reports:
DRAM Frequency 664.7 MHz
FSB DRAM 1:5
CL 9.0 clocks
tRCD 9 clocks
tRP 9 clocks
tRAS 24 clocks
CR 2T

Have I made a terrible mistake?

 

Not if you're going to use it all

Note that even if you don't use it all, Windows 7 will fill up your empty RAM with files that you access frequently/recently, speeding up the loading of programs and files.

 

Can we enable RAID on those "pre-configured" model like 427637U or other models?

 

On these electro-forums it's anathema to quote oneself and a number of others at length, regardless of how pertinent the discussion. Check out page 126 and the following for an illuminating discussion of DRAM operation on the W520.

Despite its foundation on impression, we've amassed an impressive corpus of technical knowledge on a new machine. The fact that it's accurate enough to make elementary predictions is striking.

Has anyone gotten the KHX1600C9S3K2/8G (non-XMP) to run at 1600MHz?

 

Hey everyone.... I've been following this forum for about a month now, finally registering to add some information to the community. Definitely a big thanks to everyone posting here providing all this info.


- I did not order the RAID enabled and as many others have reported it is not available in the BIOS. I even have the Lenovo Ultra Bay Caddy, and inserting that into the bay (With a HDD installed) does not make the option visable in the BIOS

- I purchased the Kingston HyperX 1600Mhz /8GX not realizing it was XMP memory and can confirm CPU-Z is reporting 667Mhz for a total speed of 1333. I have placed an order on buy.com for the new HyperX PNP 1866Mhz memory and should have it tomorrow, I will report back my findings

- I have the Intel SSD 510 250GB drive installed in the primary bay and it is running at 6.0 Gbps. Also the warm reboot option has not shown itself with my machine HOWEVER, I like the gentlemen at Storage review am running a much later BIOS:

UEFI Bios Version 1.21
UEFI Bios Date 3-30-2011
Embedded Controller Version 1.09

This is the BIOS that shipped with my machine ordered on 4/13/2011 shipped 4/20/2011 arrived 4/21/2011. Specs provided below...

The other consideration for the warm reboot issue is that I have set the BIOS to UEFI Boot only and installed Windows 7 fresh. This was a bit of a challenge as I needed to customize the folder structure on the USB key as well as add a .efi file from a current windows install or from the install.wim file. More info can be provided upon request.

I am experiencing one issue with BSOD when I install the Biometrics driver, I will continue troubleshooting that tonight.

I also ordered the Panasonic UJ-240 bluray burner for $124 from Centrix International and it works perfectly.


Here are my specs:

1 SYS.4270CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM $1,864.75 $1,864.75
The above product code consists of the following component(s):
1 4270CTO THINKPAD W520 - 1 YR DEPOT TOPSELLER WARRANTY $1,809.55
1 0A68261 SBB BLUETOOTH 3.0 $0.00
1 0A68287 SBB NO MSSDRIVE $0.00
1 0A68540 SBB NO MODEM $0.00
1 0A68542 SBB ICI7-2820QM IHD GR200 $0.00
1 0A68545 SBB 4GB DDR3 SDRAM1333MHZSMM $0.00
1 0A68547 SBB DVD RC8XMXDLLRULTEHATA $0.00
1 0A68553 SBB 500GB HDD7200RPM $0.00
1 0A68558 SBB 720P HD CAM INT MICR $0.00
1 0A68561 SBB SMART CARD READER $0.00
1 0A68564 SBB LANG PCK US E $0.00
1 0A68599 SBB PCK MOW EXCEPT CH HK JP $0.00
1 0A68625 SBB GW7P64 E $0.00
1 0A68765 SBB WLAN MP 1X2/2X2 HALF (H1 $0.00
1 0A68768 SBB WWAN MP WWAN RD FULL F1 $0.00
1 0A68771 SBB MECH MPARTS $0.00
1 0A68782 SBB GEO LABEL US WLAN BL $0.00
1 0A68809 SBB 15.6FHD LED B-L,11NWWN,C $0.00
1 0A68894 SBB NVQ2000M GR $0.00
1 0A68903 SBB COLR SENSOR $0.00
1 0A68904 SBB CPNAMLC+ 170W AC AD $0.00
1 0A68945 SBB CLPLW520 WLAN/WWN/WPN $0.00
1 0A68946 SBB REAR CLPL W/ COLOR S $0.00
1 0A68951 SBB NVGRQ3TPM/AES $0.00
1 0A68966 SBB 2ND GIL(ICI7 VPRO PR $0.00
1 0A69620 SBB I RAID-NOT EN $0.00
1 0A71377 SBB SLBIDTP00002BFORROW170W $0.00
1 0A71678 SBB MS LABEL (W7ST/EE 2.0) $0.00
1 40Y9135 THINKPLUS TS AND CS COMMERCIAL $0.00
1 40Y9135 THINKPLUS TS AND CS COMMERCIAL $0.00
1 41C9169 LENOVO THINKPLUS EXTENDED SERVICE AGREEMENT - 2 YEARS - PICK-UP AND RETURN $55.20
1 44C7950 SBB INT WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR $0.00
1 44C8401 SBB ENERGYSTAR 4.0 TIER 2 PACK $0.00
1 45M3090 VBB GENUWIN7PROFES.64 $0.00
1 45M4572 VBB 4GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM $0.00
1 45M4805 SBB IN.CENTADV.-N+WIMAX 6250 $0.00
1 45M4816 SBB 9CELLLI-ION BATTERY $0.00
1 45M4839 SBB KEYBOARDUS ENGLISH $0.00
1 75Y0162 SBB M W7 XP MD- E $0.00
1 75Y0175 VBB COLORSENSOR $0.00
1 75Y0571 SBB WIMAXOPTIONUSCLEAR $0.00
1 75Y2143 SBB FCC LABEL $0.00
1 0A68526 VBB FINGERPRINT READER $0.00
1 0A68528 VBB ECS+4IN1CR+SCR $0.00
1 0A68535 SBB 15.6FHD (1900 X 1080) LED $0.00
1 0A68536 SBB FINGERPRINT READER $0.00

Qty Product Code Description Unit Cost Total
1 433830U LENOVO THINKPAD MINI DOCK PLUS SERIES 3 - MINI-DOCK $215.99 $215.99

Qty Product Code Description Unit Cost Total
1 43N3412 LENOVO THINKPAD SERIAL ATA HARD DRIVE BAY ADAPTER III - STORAGE BAY ADAPTER $47.96 $47.96

Qty Product Code Description Unit Cost Total
1 0A33058 DISPLAYPORT TO HDMI ADAPTER $22.49 $22.49

Best,
Spencer

 

I see. So would this be the original meaning of anathema, "something lifted up as an offering to the gods", or the more modern use, "a thing detested or loathed"? I just want to know where I stand.

 

@efrsysop... Don't want to quote the whole post, but is that

including the mini-dock, HDD caddy, and everything?

 

No that is just the system, the dock, caddy, and DP-> HDMI were extra at the price listed. I wish that was for everything, but I got a decent deal on the machine itself... At least I keep telling myself that

 

Thanks for the response, but I don't think it's quite that simple in some cases. There are broad issues that don't need a personal response but do need an explanation or fix. For instance, the RAID option on the CTO buying site really required a change and they've done that though I would not have implemented the change they did. Further transparency on why they won't ship RAID capable systems with a single hard drive would show more community spirit.

Another example is the W520 docking station support for attached monitors. Why is it Lenovo hasn't answered the key question on this issue? If they are researching the problem, say so.

Silence doesn't cut it.

 

the problem with publicly stating if/when things are being researched is that it sets an expectation by customers as to when a solution should happen.   many times that timeframe is considered immediate with no elbow room whatsoever.

silence doesn't always mean nothing is happening in the background or that complaints aren't being read and logged.   besides, last i checked, microsoft (or any other company for that matter) doesn't pop into forums to announce every little big/issue/error investigation.   they typically announce a fix instead.

 

The best way to determine meaning is by use. Maybe it's both. "Thou shalt detest it as dung, and shalt utterly abhor it as uncleanness and filth, because it is an anathema." So quoting yourself is like offering sh*t to the demigods of the forum.

On a different note, I'll be sending my XMP Hyperx back. I'll wait on the trial results of several users who bought the new PnP in order to decide what best suits my W520.

 

Ok, thanks. That's probably a bad example because it's a relatively new discovery and probably does need time for research, formulating a response, and getting it through legal review.

A different and maybe better example is the ongoing dialogue about screen quality. There are several views on this issue. Matt Kohut mentions in Inside the Box SATA 3.0 600MB/s on ThinkPad Notebooks that it's been discussed and covered already. I have looked but I don't see where that's the case. Maybe I missed a comprehensive discussion that goes beyond the widescreen ratio move.

Everyone has read about the shift from 16:10 to 16:9 and how the notebook makers had no choice. However, people want to know why other LCD characteristics have declined in terms of quality. You can compare the ThinkPad LCD screens over the past 5-7 years and see the issues quite easily but where are the answers from Lenovo on that? Offering the IPS screen on the X220 doesn't answer this for a T410 or T420 owner.

 

Hi Hrana,

you wrote that you ordered 2 HDs. Did you get an optical drive as well? It didn't allow me to select one once I selected the Raid option.

 

@ Thors.Hammer - that i'm not sure.   my only thought regarding the blogs is that it could be an ill effect from ad-nauseum bickering about broken this, flexible that, and poor-quality insert anything here.   that's not to say there aren't viable issues or things to complain about.   it's just that the constant influx of complaints can make one numb after a while.

the X220 IPS offering might not solve issues for T410/T420 owners but it's a glimmer of hope for the future.   one can only hope that the shift to 16:9 by panel manufacturers saves enough costs to make modern IPS offerings equally affordable.   that's what i'm hoping for, anyway.

 

The DVD drive is not included when you configure RAID cuz you can not have RAID and DVD drive at the same time. The 2nd disk in a RAID occupies the ultra-bay slot, so you will need to get an external DVD drive if you are using RAID. So Lenovo figures is better they keep the optical drive and not include it.

 

They could put the issue to rest by explaining the business and technical drivers for screen quality, the supply options they pick from for mass production, and how they arrived at the decisions they made.

They could further put it to rest by doing what HP did. Offer a DreamColor screen but at an increased cost.

My point isn't really about the screen issue. It's about social networking, transparency, and community. It requires investment. When you go dark on an issue, you lose credibility. Or in some cases it invites endless speculation.

 

@niriven, @Fezza458: The best option if you just want to add another stick is to buy it off one of the members here who are doing a full upgrade. When my system arrives sometime in May I'll be selling the stick, probably for a few bucks less than what the Crucial stick is going for, shipping included ($30-35?). I'm sure others here would be willing to do the same.

@gottagetta: yes, unfortunately. You bought the XMP-enabled RAM. The W520 BIOS doesn't recognize the XMP functionality, so they default to 1333Mhz. Others here have made the same mistake See if you can get them swapped for the non-XMP RAM (same price), which should work at 1600Mhz, although we're still waiting for confirmation on that.

You could also buy the 1866Mhz Kingston RAM as some others are doing here, but that'd be pretty pointless if they only run at 1600Mhz (Intel says that's the cap for this chipset), and even then they might be slower if the timings aren't optimized for that speed.

 

Hello,

I have W520 i7 - 2720QM (4276-37U)
With UEFI BIOS date March 02 2011 and version is 1.06

Intel 510 SSD will work with on machine ?
I don't want to buy one if I'm not sure ( I cannot return it) I'm from another country

Thanks

 

Have any of you used the W520 in a W510 dock? Any adverse affects?

 

Update -
Vertex 3 arrived yesterday from Amazon, and Lenovo
Lenovo apologized for the change in ship date, and credited me $100.00, bringing my config down to $1,447.10




4270CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM 05/04/11 $1,547.10 $1,547.10
0A68541 SBB ICI7-2720QM
45M3090 VBB GENUWIN7PROFES.64
0A68625 SBB GW7P64 E
75Y0162 SBB M W7 XP MD- 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
0A69620 SBB I RAID-NOT EN
0A68552 SBB 320GB HDD7200RPM
0A68547 SBB DVD RC8XMXDLLRULTEHATA
0A68529 VBB ECS+4IN1CR
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
0A68537 SBB FINGRPRNT READER



Also, I am ready to RMA the Intel SSDMAEMC080G2C1 80 GB Internal Solid State Drive.
Based on some other posts, looks like (?) folks were havin delays in fufillment?
If so and anyone is interested in it, I paid $179.98, just make me whole + whatever it costs to ship (say 10 bucks?), let me know before I send it back to Buy.com.

 

Honestly it's hard to say. I don't want to give you the wrong information and have you be stuck. I haven't seen much talk about the warm reboot issue other then the one person over on Storage Review. It might have been an isolated issue or it might be related to the BIOS. The fact that I am booting strictly UEFI could also negate the issue for me. At this point I would hold off until more people post their results, or Lenovo posts the updated BIOS and embedded controller firmware.

Based on the information available right now it seems that the issue has nothing to do with the drive itself. SO, if you have another use for the drive or don't mind sitting on it until Lenovo posts the new update (assuming you even have a problem) then you could go ahead and order it now.

Hope that helps....

 

It is a huge difference in speed between Intel 510 SSD and HDD?
Could you give me an example ?

Thanks

 

Yes... there is a huge difference. Earlier in this thread I linked an Anandtech review of the Intel 510. It has benchmarks and plenty of analysis. Googling it might be easier.

 

Sounds like there's a minor problem with the drive on reboots. See Restart Quirky with W520 and Intel 510 SSD - Lenovo Community

Looks like the drive works fine for cold boots and shutdowns.

 

Hi, I was wondering if there was any 10% off coupon, I also tried to buy the laptop through a rep, who apparently didn't get me any extra warranty discount

 

Kingston 8GB Kit 1866MHz

Model = KHX1866C11S3P1K2/8G

Just installed in my W520 and it is clocking at 1866MHz, yeahhh!!

Repeat... 1866MHz !!!

CPU-Z shows 930.4 MHz,

All SPD timing are JEDEC-Compliant, No XMP & No Overclocking I assume.

Snap-shot of CPU-Z pictures attached.

Gonna get one more pair from Buy.com, for a total of 16GB.
.
.

 

Excellent news. Thanks for the screenshots. Your posts have been very helpful.

 

Very good idea, I wish I'd thought of it. Unfortunately, I've already ordered and received the Crucial stick ($50). Now I'm just waiting for a laptop to put it in! Thanks though.

 

I've already ordered 8 GB of the 1333 RAM... can anyone actually notice a real-world performance improvement with 1866 MHz RAM over 1333? If so, what is the difference? Would it be worth selling off my 8GB of RAM for the upgrade?

 

Awesome! I have 16GB that should be here tomorrow. I wil confirm all 4 SO-DIMMs run at that speed, but I don't see any reason why it shouldn't. Thanks for letting us all know!

 

Any good ram deals for Canadians. I just realized the new egg ram was US and the same memory doesnt have free shipping in canada

 

As a note, my W520 came with BIOS version 1.21 and it is not available on Lenovo website for download.
So just in case anyone not able to run the RAM at 1866MHz, then you may need to install this newer BIOS.
.
.

 

Great work! I ordered 4 sticks this morning. Now Intel needs to get the 310 80GB out to stores by May 2nd and we're good! For those that get RAID, you can get the black Asus slim external blu-ray burner. I'll post the model # later tonight.

 

Seems like all the RAM here will cost you at least $40 for a 4GB module. Try Newegg.ca - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! maybe?

 

I (happily) stand corrected. Unfortunately my 16Gb 1600Mhz RAM shipped this morning. Now I need to see if I return it unopened to Newegg without too high a restocking fee...

EDIT: Or not. 40% more expensive for a few percentage points performance improvement? No thanks. Would be better to put that money into the CPU, GPU, or SSD.

 

I was having a warm reboot issue with the 320 GB HDD that came with the laptop. It would reboot then seem toget stuck in POST or something. I disabed a couple things related to Intel AMT/AT in the BIOS and not it restarts without issue.

 

I think I have Intel AMT disabled. Can you remember specifically what you did? Was that it?

 

Here is a tip.... Reject the package when the UPS man shows up. Then Newegg will auto issue full refund when they receive it back. I done it once before.

Here is the catch, you or someone needs to be home and wait for the UPS man, otherwise he will drop off the package as delivered.

 

In the BIOS:

1) Config --> Intel (R) AMT --> Intel (R) AMT Control = Disabled
2) Security --> Anti-Theft --> Intel AT Module Activation = Disabled

 

I was looking there prices on the ram itself are similar to bad they charge 7-10 in shipping

Ill keep an eye on it though

 

I just installed a Intel 510 SSD (240GB) in my W520 (with Bios 1.06) and it works!

Install sequence:
1. Fresh Windows7 install using the Lenovo Recovery Media (4 DVDs).
2. Windows Update (including SP1)
3. Lenovo Update (not really needed - there were no important updates)
4. Installed Intel Rapid Storage Technology Console (Version 10.1.0.1008) from Lenovo Support -

Note: When I manually restart Windows 7, it takes about 10 sec to shut down, then it restarts and the Thinkvantage Logo comes up for 40 seconds (!) ("to interrupt normal startup press the blue Thinkvantage button"), then it takes about 15 sec for the Fingerprint log-on to come up, then about 10 seconds for Windows 7 to be ready to go. I am sure this can be speeded up ...)

CrystalDiskMark:

 

Does this 40 second delay also happen when you cold-boot?

 

No it doesn't! Cold boot sequence is: 10 seconds to Thinkpad Menu - 5 seconds to "Starting Windows" - 10 seconds to Fingerprint logon - 20 more seconds to "end of spinning wheel" and Windows ready.