Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

Thanks for the detailed info...I'm glad to hear that Optimus isn't causing you problems. Which Intel SSD do you have and have you tried a warm reboot? The only reason I ask is because I am planning on using 510s in my w520 but am hearing some w520 owners having issues with them.

 

I'm definitely interested in this as well - I have the Intel 310 sitting at my desk (just waiting for my W520!) that I'm planning to use as boot / swap file and would like to get a 510 for apps and some work data. I'll keep the HDD for general stuff...

I'm all about the reliability of the 510, but if there are issues, it would be good to know before I go plunk down $600 on one of these!

 

I have an Intel 320 160gb. I've had zero issues so far.

 

Why buy W520 from Lenovo?

Silly question. Thanks to all the great advice in this forum I have decided to buy a W520 (I7-2720QM, 1920x1080), no RAID and immediately fill up the RAM and get a vertex 3 SSD drive as the primary using the other drive in the Ultrabay adaptor. Essentially my spec is very similar to 427637U model spec'ed in

http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/psref398TS.pdf

If you google this model you can find it at multiple third party sites for approx $1500.00 whereas the same specification on the Lenovo web site (8G RAM, 500G drive, 3 year warranty) comes to approx $1950. I mentioned this to a Lenovo sales rep but they didn't have anything useful to say about it.

It is true that if I bought it from Lenovo I could tweak it a little e.g. upgrade the wireless but that isn't really worth $450.00 to me so why wouldn't I buy from one of the third-parties and have it shipped out tomorrow rather than order from Lenovo and get it in a month?

Probably I am missing something important or maybe Lenovo is only competitive at the height of their sales or maybe they cater to heavy customizations so people have no choice? Any ideas what the drawback is of buying from someone else?

Many Thanks

Ian

 

Casper99-

Look above in the posts where other users, including myself, have posted our configuration and price. More favorable pricing is available from reps, especially when we want to upgrade the model to, for example, the 2000M graphics card. You will see that, if you added tax onto the pre-config model, that you could actually come out ahead with a rep's discount.

 

Some more information:

3dmark06 - 11608

3dmark Vantage - P6707

3dmark11 - P1436

StarCraft II - ALL settings at Ultra (everything as high as it will go)
Average frame rate was around 28-32fps. Overall the game was very playable. Select things would make it drop to 14 or so very briefly.

Other interesting tidbits of information:

Power consumption (from my Kilowatt hooked up)
While running 3dmark11, first 4 graphics tests, 75 watts. CPU test, 100 watts.

Playing Starcraft II, between 90 and 105 watts.

Even with all that power consumption the temperatures all stayed nice and cool with the fans spinning on high.

 

Bherila, thanks for the response. I have read all the posts in this thread and can see some sweet deals but I guess I encountered a rep with little ability / desire to help, I'll try again tomorrow. Unfortunately I can't really see any meaningful upgrades, I don't need the extra graphics and if we omit the SSD & RAM that only leaves a minor wireless, warranty or CPU upgrade. The i7-2820QM doesn't seem worth it while the i7-2920XM would be but is a big bump in price. I need a slew of accessories (extra power supply, 9 cell slice battery, Ultrabay HDD adaptor, etc.) but I'll need those where ever I buy the unit from. I'll try lenovo again tomorrow, thanks again.

 

Sorry to keep floggin the what video ports can the w520 with a ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 - 170W drive, but after reading all the posts, I still am a bit unclear.

From Lenovo's page Dock Plus Series 3 - 170W (433830U) ;
Up to two monitors can be attached and the ThinkPad display is disabled (ThinkPad display is blank)

xianking, where you (or anyone) able to confirm if ThinkPad display is disabled (as indicated by the Lenovo site) or if it was still active with the two display ports active?

Basically, I am trying to still ascertain:


[1]Can I drive 2 X Display Port monitors AND built in display

And

[2]What other display extenders have folks used with the W520

 

I think you need more fonts, colors and sizes to make the post more readable.

On a serious note, either Lenovo Support - ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 - 170W - Overview is wrong or the W520 has a bug. I have yet to see anyone use that dock with three of the five ports active via a W520. I'd love to be proven wrong.

 

Unless you want to customized your laptop, there is no benefit to buy from Lenovo. Like many business, Lenovo hate customization, it cost them more overhead cost to have overhead cost. It the preconfig model. Another benefit by buying from third-party is they will ship faster than if you order from Lenovo directly.

 

Does anyone here already have some experience what happens to battery endurance after replacing the 500GB Harddisk with a SSD?

I'm awaiting my W520 next to be delivered in a few days (takes a bit longer here in Germany) and I think about putting in the Intel SSD510 since it shows good performance and power consumption (especially when idle) looks fair.

Any additional recommendations? things I should be aware of?

 

Why not get the 310 (80GB), so you could use the 500gb as storage. Even if the 310 is not as fast as the 510, I don't think you will notice it doing everyday task.

 

I like the concept of having a small/power-saving/efficient SSD for operating system & programs while storing the rest on a HDD - but since I need the 3G module installed, the 310 unfortunately doesn't fit in anymore.

So I was torn between continue using a vertex2 that sits in my current laptop (and causes some trouble there*) or - seems to be the better option - trade it in for an Intel SSD with the chance of better reliability.

*-I'm one of these guys who experiences blue-screens whenever the laptop wakes up from sleep mode - even after the 3rd OCZ firmware update ... really annoying

 

Thanx a lot for this first hand information! I was wondering about tpfancontrol and the factory fan settings as well. You provided all the information I was interested in! Now I'm just waiting for the next good coupon and I'll pull the trigger

 

No so silly. You buy direct because of the crazy sales they have occasionally, and for the ability to customize. You pay for it in crazy shipment delays and horrible customer service after the sale. I didn't even WANT the RAID, but it was going to ship quicker that my other order that didn't have RAID (which is still held up, even though it is on a priority list, and yes, even though it is canceled)

My actual finally shipped machine:
1 4270CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM
$1,376.23 $1,376.23
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
0A69621 SBB I RAID-CONF BY LENOVO
0A69623 SBB PRSATA RAID 1(2 HDDS REQ
0A68901 SBB DR HDDS320GB HDD7200RPM
60Y7204 SBB RAID VIA BAYADAPTER
0A68529 VBB ECS+4IN1CR
45M4816 SBB 9CELLLI-ION BATTERY
0A68904 SBB CPNAMLC+ 170W AC AD
0A68261 SBB BLUETOOTH 3.0
75Y1724 SBB THINKPADB/G/N
44C7950 SBB INT WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR
0A68564 SBB LANG PCK US E
0A68537 SBB FINGRPRNT READER

 

Is the customer service after the sale that bad? I upgraded to 3-year priority on-site with my order. I'm hoping that on-site means I'll have good decent and reasonable response times.

 

I had a 3 year depot warranty (with accidental protection) on my T61p and was very satisfied. If the part that needed to be replaced was user-replaceable, they sent it to me overnight. If I had to ship the laptop to be repaired, the turn-around time was 3 business days - 1 day for package to get to them, 1 day for repair and I would receive it next day, so ship Monday, receive repaired Wednesday. It really couldn't have been faster.

I bought 3 year priority on-site + TPP with W520 and I don't expect to be disappointed.

 

I don't mean warranty customer service (which I hear, is awesome, though I've not had the need to use it <knock><knock>)

I mean the "we made the sale, now we hand post-sale pre-ship support over to our outsourcers". THAT support was pretty bad, and frustrating.

 

I don't *THINK* so, but figure I'd check here. Kinda moots the point of having the dock if I can't hook my USB 3.0 drives to it...

ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 - 170W - 433830U
Lenovo Support - ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 - 170W - Overview

Anyone?

-Dan

 

I ordered my machine on 4/12, and the original shipping date was 4/22. It was subsequently postponed to 5/12, and then quickly updated to 4/30. I just checked the estimated shipping date, and it's now 5/16. I am considering cancelling my order. Does anyone know of a reseller where I can get the following:

i7-2720qm
FHD display
Intel Centrino N 6200 or 6300
preferably 500GB HD
all else stock

for around $1400?

 

No, that's why I stuck it out. :-(. Cheapest I casually saw was $1500 for something like this: PROVANTAGE: Lenovo 427637U ThinkPad W520 4276 (Optimus) -Intel-Core I7-2720QM-2.2 GHZ-DDR3 SDRAM-Ram: 8 GB
But even that is "special order". eBay has some, but most of them say "ships from Lenovo warehouse" -- are they really in stock or (it sounds like) they are just middlemen asking for fulfillment from Lenovo. Some have had good luck that way, but again, $1500 for a different machine.

I've got a FHD RAID, stock a/g/n wireless quote if you're interested (you don't get DVD, but get 2 500GB HD's) for $1437. Not sure if you anyone can use my quote.

With all the delays, and the VIP sale going on, I got a few "sample" quotes in case I wanted to re-order. The quotes are supposedly good for 30 days.

 

SPECIAL ORDER : Product is not a stockable item. Item must be ordered - immediate shipping is NOT available.

This type of order can take 2 to 3 weeks to fill. Do NOT place an order for this product if you cannot accommodate this lead-time !

 

Good point, I didn't see that

I think it would be possible to transfer the quote by simply editing the shipping and billing address on the quote. My rep was able to edit my address on the spot after I ordered my W520 (there had been an error on his part), at any rate. I have the following quote if anyone wants it (PM or e-mail me and I'll send you the rep contact information).
He also said that the information could be altered again if, for example, the laptop doesn't ship before the semester ends and I go home for the summer.

i7-2720QM, Win7 Pro, 15.6" FHD, 2000M, 1x4 GB, no RAID, 500GB HDD, Expresscard, 9-cell, Bluetooth, Ultimate (6300) N for $1748.66

On a similar note, if anyone has a quote with the old discount for 2720QM, 15.6" FHD, 2000M, 1x4GB, RAID, Bluetooth, Advanced or Ultimate N (don't care about the rest) that you won't be using, please PM me

Also, if anyone knows that trading quotes is, in fact, NOT allowed, please PM me and I will edit this post to remove the offending pieces.

 

I saw the listing from KYRO.com. When they say: "item is not a stockable item," I take it to mean that they make periodic purchases from Lenovo. Cancelling my outstanding order and placing a new one through Lenovo (or indirectly via a reseller) seems like it will accomplish nothing but prolong the process. I should have added to my list of requirements: subject to the condition of immediate availability.

I appreciate your help, but unless I can find one in stock, I will proceed as in the following:

Kamaswami:"What is it that you've learned, what are you able to do?"

Siddhartha: "I can think. I can wait. I can fast."

 

If its too late, I'm sorry I couldn't help in time. I have accidently cleaned the partition table too (using diskpart). I used a tool called TestDisk to restore the partition table. Just a note though. To sucessfully recover, you have to not do anything to the drive before you try and recover.



P.S: How does the smart card reader work. is it Pre-boot or Post-boot?

 

Woohoo! Just shipped today. It was scheduled to ship 5/11/11.

CONFIGURED SYSTEM
$2,160.10 $2,160.10
4270CTO THINKPAD W520 - 1 YR
0A68541 SBB ICI7-2720QM
45M3090 VBB GENUWIN7PROFES.64
0A68625 SBB GW7P64 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
0A68554 SBB 128GB SSD ATA
0A68287 SBB NO MSSDRIVE
0A68547 SBB DVD RC8XMXDLLRULTEHATA
0A68529 VBB ECS+4IN1CR
45M4816 SBB 9CELLLI-ION BATTERY
0A68904 SBB CPNAMLC+ 170W AC AD
0A68261 SBB BLUETOOTH 3.0
0A68540 SBB NO MODEM
0A68255 SBB IC ADVN 6205 2X2AGN
44C7950 SBB INT WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR
0A68564 SBB LANG PCK US E
0A68945 SBB CLPLW520 WLAN/WWN/WPN
44C8401 SBB ENERGYSTAR 4.0 TIER 2 PACK
75Y2143 SBB FCC LABEL
0A68949 SBB NVGRQ1TPM/AES
0A68782 SBB GEO LABEL US WLAN BL
0A68966 SBB 2ND GIL(ICI7 VPRO PR
0A68809 SBB 15.6FHD LED B-L,11NWWN,C
0A68771 SBB MECH MPARTS
0A68545 SBB 4GB DDR3 SDRAM1333MHZSMM
0A71679 SBB MSLBL W7ST/EE 2.0,RAPDRV
0A68537 SBB FINGRPRNT READER
0A68599 SBB PCK MOW EXCEPT CH HK JP
0A68776 SBB REAR CLEAR PLATE
0A71377 SBB SLBIDTP00002BFORROW170W
0A68765 SBB WLAN MP 1X2/2X2 HALF (H1
0A68768 SBB WWAN MP WWAN RD FULL F1
0A34387 3YR PRIORITY ONSITE + 3YR TPP

 

My 3D Mark benchmark results are pretty much the same as yours, although I have a i7-2820 processor (vs i7-2720), 16 GB RAM (vs 8GB) and a Intel 510 240GB SSD:

3Dmark06 11578 (vs. 11608)
3DmarkVantage P6613 (vs. P6707)
3Dmark11 P1432 (vs. P1436)

Any comments on the results?

PS: I want the kind of score Storagereview.com is getting (they have a i7-2930): "with our two Intel SSD 510s running in RAID0, the W520 scored an equally impressive 20,700 in PCMark Vantage" Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Review: First Thoughts | StorageReview.com

That's why I am returning my non-Raid W520 for a RAID W520

 

YEH! Mine also has been shipped! Tracking is not available yet.
This was ordered on 4/18.

1 4270CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM
$1,540.83 $1,540.83
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
0A68553 SBB 500GB HDD7200RPM
0A68547 SBB DVD RC8XMXDLLRULTEHATA
0A68528 VBB ECS+4IN1CR+SCR
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
41C9337 2YR ONSITE + 2YR TPP
Status: Shipped on 04/29/2011 More info

 

I talked to my rep and he said my laptop will likely ship today. He said if it didnt talk to him on Monday (which is my estimated ship date)

 

FYI the NBR W520 review has just been posted.

John

 

Collects dust and grease easily?

 

My Dell Latitude E6400 seems to do the same thing. Isn't that pretty common? Are there more details somewhere in the review?

 

I have an Intel 320 series 160GB SSD.

2 things you could check. 1) Run with the newest Verde driver. You can download it from laptopvideo2go.com. 2) Make sure you run in the highest turbo mode. It lets the processor ramp up to a higher speed.

 

Yea, I thought it was a little odd to call it out. Especially with no 3DGreaseMark rating.

I guess they were having a hard time finding some cons and had to come up with something.

Dust? Really? That's like saying a black Benz is hard to keep clean. Doesn't stop anyone from buying though.

The only odd thing I saw in the review, that I would never have done, is rate the machine using JUST the hard drive. Hey fellas, add a SSD to the mix. This is a race horse.

 

Hi!

I don't want to cross-post, just alert any fellow W520 owner's with 95% gamut FHD screens that the Lenovo supplied monitor profile (TPLCD95.icm) seems to be wrong. It's not a calibrated profile, but rather just an sRGB clone.

Read more here: W510/W520 FHD, color profile supplied by Lenovo is... - Lenovo Community

Yours,
Mikael Sterner

 

My order from 4/15 shipped today as well. Looks like the ETA of May 4 I got from my rep should be spot-on (even though the quote estimated May 11).

 

Can someone tell me where on the Lenovo site will I find the cancel policy? I think I am going to cancel my order but can't determine if I will be charged a restocking fee. As far as I know, my laptop hasn't ship yet.

 

1. lenovo.com
2. shopping help at the bottom
3. cancel orders in the middle of the page

 

I realized that the 3DMark mostly test the Graphics Card, so I ran the PCMark Vantage Test, which pretty much mirrors the tasks I mostly use my PC for (business and web-design).
The score for my system (i7-2820 processor, 16 GB RAM. Intel 510 240GB SSD) is: 16,302

Laptopmag got a PCMarkVantage score of 9,909 and Notebookreview got 9,970. It appears that the SSD pushes up the score a lot!

When I get my RAID enabled W520 and put 2 SSDs in RAID 0, I should be getting a PCMarkVantage score of about 20,700 as per: Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Review: First Thoughts | StorageReview.com

 

Thanks Thors. I actually found it after posting the question. From third party vendor, I found almost my exact spec but with 4 gb more RAM and 3 years warranty. Since there is no tax involve, it is actually a much better deal. Even though I doubt they have started on my laptop, (my ship date when from 4/21 to 5/16), I think they are going to charge me a restocking fee.

 

You can try calling them and complain about something like the non-upgradeable RAID chipset issue (that wasn't obvious in the web configurator... see posts above) to try to get them to waive the restocking fee. Not guaranteed to work, but worth a try IMHO.

 

I would be firm but professional with them. Considering the new ship date delay, they can't blame you and there's plenty of time. I would document EVERYTHING including recording the call. I regularly record conversations like this.

 

Good points. Here's my experience with returns:

I ordered the corrected W520 fairly late on 4/26/2011 so my rep told me to call during business hours and she'd transfer me over to a returns rep with information regarding my situation. I called my rep the next day but she didn't call back so I "cold called" Lenovo Returns myself. I ended up with a nice Indian lady. I told her "I received my laptop 7 days ago and the configuration error was Lenovo's mistake so I have ordered another laptop." She saw the new order under my customer number and had a paid shipping label in my email within a minute. I wasn't charged a restocking fee either. No arguing, no grief, and no drama. It was a very pleasant conversation. I forwarded the RMA email to my sales rep and heard back several hours later from her with an email curious about how I swung it. Maybe I'm just lucking out?

Anyway, regarding returns... My reading of the paper agreement that comes with the laptop leads me to believe that if you either refuse shipment or accept shipment but do not open box and therefore do not break the security seal on the laptop's plastic bag inside then you should be able to return the system for a full refund without a restocking fee. Therefore it behooves owners to READ the options list printed on the outside of the box PRIOR to opening the package. If there is an issue then call to return it. It helps if you've placed a new order.

On a side note, most of these customer service reps tend to be nice people in a tough job. They deal with people all day in a service setting and probably get screamed at regularly. The key is to be polite, ask them how their day is, and try to mention their name 3-4 times in the beginning of the conversation. Blame the "higher ups at Lenovo" for "making trouble for both you and me" and be somewhat apologetic for "making so much trouble." Finally, thank them for their "patience and professionalism" and tell them that they're an "asset to the company." Always reinforce the thank you by including their name at the end of it (for example, "thank you, Bob"). Keep your voice calm, evenly paced, and pleasant even if it is a difficult situation. It may sound lame but these people will go out of their way for you when it comes to discounts and returns.

 

To anyone ordering this, I just wanted to set a clear expectation I had for this laptop. I wanted to integrate my laptop to my primary TV, but so far no luck. I did create another thread (W520 DisplayPort -> HDMI Problem?) if this is a concern for you as well. Keep in mind that it worked for 2 out of the 4 TV's I tried it on, 3 were LG, one LG did not work, and the A sony Bravia did not work.

 

This is all VERY good advice. But it makes me wonder if hrana is headed into politics.

 

bherila and Thors: Thanks for the advise. I am going to call them tomorrow to see what the latest ship date is. Since several people who order after me said their systems shipped, I want to see if mine is also on the way. If it is, I am satisfied. If not, then I will have to decide if going through the hassle is worth it.

 

Yes, one certainly catches more flies with honey. I rarely get mad at the reps. I am such a wimp that they walk all over me all the time. Besides the better price, having 8 gb ram and 3 years warranty, the pre-config'ed system includes a modem! I know this is dear to your heart.

 

Also, keep in mind that being mean to a rep will not give them any incentive to go out of their way to help you. I'm sure they have plenty of canned responses that they can go through to avoid a return, and I bet they get screamed at not only by dissatisfied customers, but also by their managers if they give out too many discounts or accept too many returns. If I was a rep and already got yelled at by a customer, I wouldn't go authorize a return so my manager could yell at me later, too.

Also, when I do the live chat and the rep has been helpful (one time I randomly got my own sales rep on the live chat!), I do the survey and leave them glowing reviews. (And, for the guy I knew, I let him know I did that to give him yet another incentive to give me a discount the next time I want to order something).

 

I was looking at this computer for college next year because i am going to be majoring in engineering. I was planning on getting the 2720QM with the FHD Display. Should i get the 2000m or will the 1000m do fine?

 

1000M is probably fine unless you want to do really demanding gaming or something like that. Looks like the best deal around right now is the preconfig models.