Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

For those of you looking to use ThrottleStop to unlock the full potential of the i7-2920XM, there are a few posts worth reading here.

In summary, Lenovo has locked down what we can do with the Core i7-2920XM. To unlock that processor's potential will require a hacked BIOS unless Lenovo gives us the blessing to toy around. So is the i7-2920XM worth the price premium today? Like I've been saying, the answer is a resounding NO until a BIOS hacker helps the community.

There is some additional commentary over here about a competitor's laptops. It seems like the i7-2920XM may be unlocked but other manufacturers are locking things down to varying degrees in the BIOS. I suspect the need for BIOS modifications will extend beyond Lenovo. This is a rather unfortunate move.

 

Hi, did anyone try this 12.7 mm caddy? I would be interested wether it works with the W520. thx

Ultrabay SATA 2nd Hdd Lenovo ThinkPad T420 T520 12.7mm | eBay

 

Looks very much like mine though I got it from a different ebay vendor.

 

I just took receipt of a new W520. Very nice machine. I was previously using a T400 and able to drive my NEC MultiSync 3090 at its full resolution of 2560X1600, which requires dual-link DVI through the dock.

It appears that this dual link option no longer exists with the W520 or its dock and I'll need to use some sort of DisplayPort to Dual Link adapter to get maximum resolution.

I'd appreciate if someone can confirm if this is correct or not before I buy additional hardware.

If correct, what do you recommend as an adapter?

Thanks!

Louis

 

I am driving 2 external monitors and the notebook display concurrently with the dock.

 

I have a T410 and a new T520. The T520 is a far better machine but it is much bigger than I expected. I'd rather have the T410/420 but I needed the Quad core so I had little choice. The Power brick is also huge.

Louis

 

Just installed TPFanControl on my W520. Tames the fan, which was out of control. Highly recommended.

Louis

 

Maybe, but that attitude is highly usable in "hacking" - according to Kevin Mitnick, it is all about social engineering

 

How to I switch between the NVIDIA and the integrated graphics? I could do this on the fly with my T410 but I don't see this option in the W520.

Thanks!

Louis

 

Mathelo, in the boot sequence press F1 to go to BIOS and in the graphic option you can select the options integrated (IntelHD 3000) discrete (Nvidia) or Optimus (both works together). It is not know to me if that can be done on the fly in MS Windows OS, under Linux it cannot, has to be setup in BIOS or there are special adapted boot options for Linux where during the boot the graphic card modus can be selected.

 

My W520 is probably on a plane or something at the moment so I don't have it yet. However, from what I have read, you can right click on a program and choose between "Start with Intel HD 3000" and "Start with NVIDIA Quadro 1000M/2000M". Or, you can just let the NVIDIA drivers decide which GPU it needs if Optimus is running. Optimus does automatic switching.

 

Understood and agreed, but my question in can I use the two display ports and still have the thinkpad display active?

BTW, mine left Shanghai,China
Order date: 04/12/11
Shipped: 04/29/2011
ETA: 05/02/2011 !!

 

wolfindersteppe,

Thank you for the quick reply. The bios is already set to NVIDIA Optimus but I'm not seeing how in use it is switching between the graphics cards.

Louis

EDIT: Did a bit more research and apparently this is an automatic switch requiring nothing from the user.

 

Thanks! This is helpful.

Louis

 

Not exactly the same but I'm using the 2 DVI ports on my docking station and my thinkpad display is active.

Louis

 

Nice monitor except that NEC decided to save 5$ by not including DisplayPort. So you will have to buy a $$$ active DisplayPort<->dual-link DVI adapter. Passive cables will only give you single-link DVI.

For the record, I get full resolution on my W520<->Dell U2711 (2560 x 1440) via DisplayPort. Thankfully my monitor has DisplayPort input...

 

Yea, my one complaint about this monitor but it wasn't an issue at the time I bought it. Now it is.

Any recommendations for an adapter? I've read that these can be problematic.

Louis

 

What kind of engineering? The 2000m is meant for engineering simulations--the only difference from the 1000m is the number of CUDA compute units: the 1000m is 96-core, the 2000m is 192-core. Some MATLAB simulations, for example, will see a near 100% increase.

However as a college student you'll probably spend most of your time in Word, Powerpoint, and browsing the web. Don't expect any difference at all for those tasks (or for games, where the number of CUDA cores is often not the bottleneck).

 

Man, your W520 looks like it's been through hell already.

 

As a college student in engineering (at least where I go) you will be spending most of your time in Matlab, Excel, Word, Powerpoint, and the web, plus some specialized programs -- SolidWorks (if you're MechE), some circuit programs if you're Electrical Engineering, etc.

SolidWorks and/or Matlab can benefit from the GPU, but odds are you'll be using a lab computer those programs anyways (at least most of the time). Thus, the GPU shouldn't be much of a concern for you unless you want to do intense gaming or GPU development.

One of my concentrations (majors) is Applied Math, and even when processing huge data sets I've never been bothered enough by performance to try to use the GPU. Your professors aren't going to expect that you have a state of the art GPU on your laptops anyways, because for most of the students, they won't have one.

 

Its only chalk and some coffee stains ;-)

 

There's a new use for a ThinkPad lid I haven't heard before. Chalkboard. Nice.

 

Thanks! That should work for me, as I'm trying to drive 2 * Dell U2410,1920x1080 while keeping the Thinkpad display active. They have DisplayPorts and DVI.

 

Yup, having been through this program, the above post is exactly right. A W520 - in pretty much any configuration - will probably be more of a powerhouse than most campus computers!

Regarding the graphics card: obviously the 2000M will be faster at everything than the 1000M - noticeably at games (but as you know, this is NOT a gaming card!). So, if you want to get a workstation laptop that you can still fire up Starcraft II or L4D2 at FHD or Portal 2, or Crysis, etc... then you can decide if the $200 increase in price is worth it to you for substantially increased gaming performance, because it will be substantial over the 1000M. Otherwise, the benefit of the 2000M is going to be for large solid model assemblies, rendering, and similar applications.

In terms of Solidworks (or any other 3D CAD software), at the level that you'll be working at in school, you really won't have the time to develop big models that would stress out your system (unless you do silly pattern repeats and such) and the 1000M should absolutely be more than adequate. If you decide to join some solar race car design team and end up with big models, then you might see some increase in CAD performance from the 2000M, but in most cases most workstation cards are good for general use solid modeling.

Have fun!

 

Hello all, I found an interesting thread (message 35) from the Lenovo forums. The following is the data printed from the Intel AMT 7.1 Management Engine Firmware executable from a user's W520 to check for B3 stepping. What I'm concerned with is the last line which reads "CPU Upgrade State: Upgrade Capable".

I was wondering if any of you here knew the answer to this question .

 

PCH Version: 600005

if it is 600005 then is B3 stepping

 

Ok thanks, and i am looking to go into computer or nuclear engineering. I might go with the 2620 processor then. Anyone have any quotes or a good place with preconfigured systems?

 

I am having the same problem. Original order: 4/11. I have seen estimated ship dates of 4/27, 4/30, and today it changed to 5/22. I think I saw a comment regarding RAID configurations shipping faster than non-RAID. If I configure a system today, it lists ship estimates of 14 business days. I have already received my extra RAM, docking station, Adobe CS5 Master Collection... NO COMPUTER
----------------------------------------
THINKPAD W520 - 1 YR
SBB ICI7-2820QM IHD GR200
VBB GENUWIN7PROFES.64
SBB GW7P64 E
SBB 15.6FHD (1900 X 1080) LED
SBB NVQ1000M GR
VBB COLORSENSOR
VBB 8GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM
SBB KEYBOARDUS ENGLISH
VBB FINGERPRINT READER
SBB 720P HD CAM INT MICR
SBB I RAID-NOT EN
SBB 500GB HDD7200RPM
SBB NO MSSDRIVE
SBB DVD RC8XMXDLLRULTEHATA
VBB ECS+4IN1CR+SCR
SBB 9CELLLI-ION BATTERY
SBB CPNAMLC+ 170W AC AD
SBB BLUETOOTH 3.0
SBB NO MODEM
SBB IN.CENT.ULTIMATE-N 6300
SBB INT WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR
SBB LANG PCK US E
SBB CLPLW520 WLAN/WWN/WPN
SBB COLR SENSOR
SBB ENERGYSTAR 4.0 TIER 2 PACK
SBB FCC LABEL
SBB NVGRQ1TPM/AES
SBB GEO LABEL US WLAN BL
SBB 2ND GIL(ICI7 VPRO PR
SBB 15.6FHD LED B-L,11NWWN,C
SBB MECH MPARTS
SBB 4GB DDR3 SDRAM1333MHZSMM
SBB MS LABEL (W7ST/EE 2.0)
SBB FINGERPRINT READER
SBB PCK MOW EXCEPT CH HK JP
SBB REAR CLPL W/ COLOR S
SBB SLBIDTP00002BFORROW170W
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SBB WLAN MP 3X3 HALF (H1)
SBB WWAN MP WWAN RD FULL F1
3YR Depot

 

I think you should go for the 2720-QM, actually. It's a significant upgrade from dual to quad core, for one. And, the 2720-QM supports additional features that the 2620 does not support.

 

That pretty much mirrors my experience. I spent a lot of time in SolidWorks and MATLAB when I was an Engineering Physics student (which amounted to a mix of Applied Math and Mechanical Engineering). These days I spend nearly all my time in Siemens NX, MATLAB, and office applications. But in either case the requirement on the W520 is only that it be functional at what you need to do, which either configuration probably will be, as you will have access to an computer lab with more capable workstations, or at least a distributed compute capability that will take care of most of the workload.

It's a calculus of time vs. money that you have to work out yourself. As a working professional my time is very valuable and I have access to a lot more money than I did as a student spending only 15 to 20 hours a week in classes. It was a no-brainer for me to plop down the extra $200 or so for the 2000m, but back when I was a student that may not have been the best choice.

Be careful: the 2620 is a big step down because it is half the number of cores and ships with a less capable motherboard (most notably of 8GB limit instead of 16GB). It's really not a big step up price wise to get the 2720, and worth it both price and performance wise if you expect to do anything other than office applications and online browsing.

 

I was referring to the "Upgrade Capable" value.

 

Personally, I think that just means that there is a socket and the CPU can be replaced.

Edit:
I have a question for the W520 owners, as I should be receiving mine soon. If you repartition the HDD, will the recovery disks give you the option to install to the partition you want to install to? I've been reformatting my computer about 6 times a year (beginning of summer, middle of summer, end of summer, Christmas, spring break, and one random time) for the past few years. So, I partition my HDD to have a dedicated 32GB OS partition (going to bump up to 40GB on the W520 because I doubt I'll have as much time in university, and Windows 7 collects a lot of junk) to be able to do so easily without having to back up all my data. So, will Lenovo's recovery allow me to install the OS to the partition I want it to? I will also be probably dual booting it with Linux, so this is somewhat important.

 

Just tried Portal 2 on this beast. With the 2000M, 4GB Ram, and the 2820, at highest settings and FHD, it doesn't even a skip a beat. Truely impressed

 

I finally pulled the trigger! Below are the specs and prices. I won't need RAID.
But I will be getting a Blu-ray burner, a Spyder3 Pro and replacing the 1x 4GB ram SODIMM with 1x KHX1866C11S3P1K2/ 8G.
I'll upgrade to an SSD drive and 32GB 1866MHz later on... knock on wood

ThinkPad W520 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Ships within 17 bus. days

Processor: Intel Core i7-2820QM (Quad-Core)
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 - English
Windows XP Mode: Windows 7 XP Mode - English
Display type: 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare display, with Wireless WAN Antenna
System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro 2000M Optimus Graphics technology (2GB)
Total memory: 4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
Keyboard: Keyboard - US English
Pointing device: UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) Fingerprint Reader, Smart Card Reader
Camera: 720p HD Camera with Microphone
Storage subsystem: Internal RAID - Not Enabled
Hard drive: 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
System expansion slots : Express Card Slot, 4-in-1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader
Battery: 9 Cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery
Power cord: 170W Slim AC Adapter - North America, Latin America (2pin)
Bluetooth: Broadcom Bluetooth 3.0 with antenna
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN
Language pack: Publication - US English

Price: $1868.49 + taxes
2Yr Onsite Warranty Next Business Day: $173.40
DisplayPort to Single-Link DVI-D Monitor Cable: $22.79

P.S.

For those of you that are waiting for your W520 like I am.
I talked to a Lenovo Rep last week and he did confirm that there was a delay because of a "cable" shortage.
It affected ALL orders placed on 05/25/2011 and up.

 

congrats
my rep said mine would ship friday (ordered 19th) but havent received an email or update on my order status yet. Should ship on monday though as that was my original ship date

I think you mean 4/25 as 5/25 is in the future

 

So it is $1868 includes warranty and cable or exclude (mostly exclude if not wrong)...

 

Have any of you had any issues in Portal 2? I was able to finally get mine to run, initially the sound would stop working after the first menu came up. Ended up figuring out that by disabling the voice (mic) option that it would then work. It's not liking something with the microphone when it tries to enable it.

 

Hey, I was wondering if anyone has tried out the slice battery on the W520 and has pics of what it looks like? Also, how much extra battery life does it give?

 

W520 - 35% off = $1868 CAN "laptop only".
Warranty = 15% off
Cable = 5% off

Correction: W520 was ordered on April 25th, 2011

 

Nevermind, fixed my own issues. The new audio driver on the IBM/Lenovo website wasn't showing up in the System Update utility and it fixed my issues. This machine sure is fast!

Running Portal 2 maxed out and Starcraft 2 at Ultra with zero issues.

 

Does the W520 have a IPS display option?

 

I want to upgrade my W520 from the single factory installed 4GB SIMM to a full 16GB configuration.

Can I add another three 4GB SIMMs from Crucial Memory, or do all four SIMMS have to be from the same make?

 

Yes, you can.

No. The only IPS display currently offered is on the x220.

 

Thank you Volker. Could you tell me which vendor or exact article it was? I wanna make sure the one I'm buying works.

 

I reinstalled the recovery disks to the c: partition, then linux (opensuse 11.4) to another partition changing the size of the windows partition to about 40 GB. Works well as long as you install windows first.

 

Can anyone who already owns a W520 verify if the warranty covers repairs or even onsite repairs in China? I plan on buying the system in the US and taking it with me to China for work. Unfortunately, Lenovo's website only allows current owners of the W520 upgrade the warranty to an international warranty and there's no way for me to check the price before purchasing.

If it's not too much trouble can someone with a basic W520 2720 configuration tell me how much it would cost to upgrade the warranty to a 2 or 3 year service/onsite warranty for China? The link to check for prices is: Lenovo - Warranty upgrades and support

Thanks ahead of time!

 

I think, with all the warranty upgrades, it might just be cheaper to buy one in China. Lenovo is a Chinese company, after all.

 

Thanks to hrana's and unkieandrew's representative in common I had a W520 configured on 4/22 and I pulled the trigger on the order on 4/27. I think I benefited from locking in a configuration while discounts were in place and it appears that doing so held the price til I ordered. Interestingly the order appears to be targeted to ship on 5/22. From reading this thread I assume that such a date is a fiction and it will ship earlier. I am interested to see orders placed later that appear to be scheduled to ship sooner but not anxious about it.

1 SYS.4270CT CONFIGURED SYSTEM $1,748.66 $1,748.66
The above product code consists of the following component(s):
1 4270CTO THINKPAD W520 - 1 YR DEPOT TOPSELLER WARRANTY $1,590.43
1 0A68261 SBB BLUETOOTH 3.0 $0.00
1 0A68287 SBB NO MSSDRIVE $0.00
1 0A68545 SBB 4GB DDR3 SDRAM1333MHZSMM $0.00
1 0A68547 SBB DVD RC8XMXDLLRULTEHATA $0.00
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1 0A68766 SBB WLAN MP 3X3 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 41C9168 LENOVO THINKPLUS ON-SITE REPAIR - EXTENDED
SERVICE AGREEMENT - 3 YEARS - ON-SITE $158.23
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 45M4804 SBB IN.CENT.ULTIMATE-N 6300 $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 75Y2143 SBB FCC LABEL $0.00
1 0A68526 VBB FINGERPRINT READER $0.00
1 0A68529 VBB ECS+4IN1CR $0.00
1 0A68535 SBB 15.6FHD (1900 X 1080) LED $0.00
1 0A68536 SBB FINGERPRINT READER $0.00
1 0A68540 SBB NO MODEM $0.00
1 0A68541 SBB ICI7-2720QM $0.00

My thanks to hrana and ukieandrew both.

 

Has anyone confirmed whether 1600 MHz RAM will run at its rated speed in the W520 or if it gets clocked down to 1333?

 

Haha, I wish that were the case. According to the Chinese Lenovo website, the W520 is not even announced. The only places that list it for sale, import it from the US and adds a service charge. Pretty crazy...I know.