Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

That small partition is normal and not something I'd worry about too much.

If you don't see "Service Pack 1" under "Windows edition" in System Properties then it is not SP1.

That seems a bit low. On my desktop, my Intel X-25M G2 160GB drive gives me a 7.7 for the hard disk score.

You can use SiSoft Sandra and the various benchmarking utilities people have posted screenshots of throughout this thread.

30 seconds isn't bad. You could always tweak it further but that's fast enough.

You could update your Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver from the site I posted a few pages back in this thread. Make sure write caching is enable in the properties page for the drive. Your DVD burner does not affect the WEI score.

If it's working then I wouldn't worry about it. Just graph the latest drivers for the Intel graphics card and the nVidia drivers from their site.

 

Whoa! Are you saying you got that computer in that condition from the ebay vendor? Was it sold as "new"?

Couldn't have been.

 

have you installed any other mouse-keyboard software? i installed software for my logitech bluetooth keyboard that caused a similar problem but when i removed it everything worked fine. i couldn't customize the keys on the logitech keyboard but otherwise it worked great as well.

 

It's referring to the Ultrabay adaptor, not the computer.

 

Can you try using RST driver directly from Intel website, not from Lenovo.

I worry they may had modified the driver and capping it at 3Gb/s.

 

Thanks for the benchmarks!

 

Will W701 12.7mm caddies work in the W520? I read something on another page that claimed that they wouldn't for some reason.

I found this one for $13 shipped inside of the US.

NEW! IBM 12.7mm SATA 2nd HDD Caddy Bay R400 R500 DV16 | eBay

 

I tried uninstalling/updaing the drivers from lenovo manually and also through windows. Didn't change anything. Keyboard is obviously fine but scrolling with mouse is just annoying and multi-touch gestures are almost unusable. It doesn;t always recognize scrolling and it's definitely not smooth. zooming is usually ok but not great.
Someone suggested using the HP envy driver but I'm not sure if I want to do that.

 

Can any expert help me configure my soon to be w520? need it for a desktop replacement. I originally was looking for one asap(within a week) but i manage to get by.

I would love to use the new sdd over the hdd, would it be cheaper to buy a hdd then upgrade it? same question apply to the ram.

I will mainly use this laptop for daytrading, school and tuning. I am a very impatient person so a fast laptop is a must

 

Thors.hammer & Hrana - thanks for your help!

I think I just didn't have all the drivers installed: it's kind of like you have to restart a lot and continually update via think vantage and such.

Anyway, seems like the WEI numbers are where I would expect them to be now:

Proc: 7.5
Mem: 7.6
Graph: 6.9
Game Graph: 6.9
Prim. Hard Disk: 7.7

My setup is a 2720 w/ 16GB ram (10600) and the intel 320 and intel 310 SSDs. Vid card is Quadro 2000M.

Windows still just says "Windows 7 Professional". Should I update to SP1?

Edit: TH: I installed from one of the digital River Win 7 Pro ISOs burned to a DVD. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't SP1.

 

Not a problem. Your numbers look good. I'm glad you figured it all out. If you plan on updating to SP1 then make sure you make a full backup of your drives onto an external drive with something like Clonezilla. Then try SP1 and see how it goes. I'm sure it'll be fine for your setup since you're not using 1866Mhz RAM but the backup gives you a way to revert all the changes safely. To do this just go to Windows Update and install all everything. It'll be reboot and eventually you'll see "Service Pack 1" written in the system properties page. Let us know how it goes if you go this direction.

I know this thread is huge but there are plenty of golden tidbits on different configurations and justifications for each choice. I think it would be best if you configured a system within whatever budget you have and then asked for feedback from the forum. Lots of knowledgeable people will be more than willing to help you out.

 

For those interested in reading the benchmark between DDR3 1333Mhz versus 1600Mhz, check out Tomshardware test on 800Mhz, 1066Mhz, 1333Mhz and 1600Mhz memory. Although they are desktop memory, I think the results should be similar to laptop memory.

With all the talks about the faster memory; 1866Mhz by its higher number looks much more impressive than the lowly 1333Mhz, I thought it would be magnitudes faster! Apparently, the majority of applications could care less about the speed. On average 1600Mhz memory is around 2% faster than 1333Mhz memory.

LGA 1156 Memory Performance: What Speed DDR3 Should You Buy? : Which Memory Speed Do You Want?

On recommendation from Hrana, I purchased 3 sticks of G.Skill DDR3-1333Mhz for $40 each. I'll give a report when it comes and when I get a chance to test it out.

 

you say I should remove the SSD, boot until black screen, and then boot with the SSD?

 

It was, but I disabled the raid when I got it. I just bought it that way since the sales rep gave it to me at the same price as the non-raid and I'll use the ultrabay caddy more than a CDROM.

 

For those using Vertex 3 SSD, new firmware released.

OCZ Technology

I will update mine and test again on the W520.

Hope to get even longer battery life after update.

 

My W520 arrived yesterday and I'm using it now! The battery life feels quite decent and I'm very happy with the build quality and performance thus far. (2720QM with 4GB of RAM, I intend on installing 16GB to handle my VMs and large databases).

Like others have reported, my battery is loose too, but even with my OCD nature with new gear I don't mind it too much (the wobble is less than 1mm in total I think). I think if you have been worrying this you should rest easy. The protruding 9 cell is not as bad as I thought either. So if you worry about that right now you can stop worrying about it. Most importantly, the laptop is surprisingly light, and the brickis very well made and none too heavy in my opinion. For a 15" laptop the weight of the total package is quite good.

However, I am slightly worried about the screen bezel. The top part of the bezel has quite a bit of gap between the plastic and the panel and when tapped lightly it flexes around 1mm or so. The bottom bezel also has a small gap that is easily depressed with no force at all.

Now these don't bother me from a functional perspective, but I wonder if it's normal? The top bezel makes a "tapping" noise as the bezel hits the panel when tapped lightly (I'm talking feather light), the same tap applied to the palmrest is just a hollow sound because nothing is flexing and hitting anything else.

 

I tried to enable Intel's Smart Response Technology ( SSD caching) feature in the newest version of Rapid Storage Manager but it failed. I posted my experience here just in case anyone is interested. I have opened a support ticket with Lenovo about a BIOS update so we can get the newest Intel Option ROM which would theoretically enable this feature for RAID-enabled W520 owners.

 

No problem. Let me further clarify an answer to your original question about the 100MB partition. It's known as the System partition. If you look at it carefully, you'll see some critical OS files.

It contains the boot manager and the boot configuration database also known as the BCD store. Other stuff is there too, but that's the main function.

Current versions of Windows don't support encrypting this partition. The boot loader and manager must be up and running before you can decrypt other volumes. Hence the reason this partition is small and useful, thus always created by default setup processing. You can actually override this but it isn't recommended.

In your case, it sits on the 80GB drive. This is no big deal as long as you keep the drive in the machine. Just keep in mind right now that the two drives in your machine are married to the OS installation you have.

If the System partition was on the 160GB, you could remove the 80GB drive an pop it into another machine and it wouldn't affect matters.

But like I said, if you have no intention of ever doing that, you DO NOT need to worry about. Just keep it in mind.

 

Lenovo RapidDrive sounds like an AHCI implementation of this.

 

That was my take too. I'd be surprised if Lenovo didn't offer a BIOS update so they could offer this configuration from the factory since it fits in with RapidDrive so nicely.

Anyway, speaking of drives. I found a sled for the Intel 310 mSATA drive to convert it to a normal SATA disk for emergency data recovery needs. I found their compatibility list interesting because they list a lot of mSATA devices that haven't been discussed in this thread. I suspect most, if not all, of them are compatible with the W520.

 

No joy with the drivers directly from Intel. I'll see if I can find some beta ones to try. I am currently @ 10.1.0.1008.

 

I have a question for owners who didn't replace their HDD and has 4gb RAM. I have the i7-2720 and find the system sluggish. Often times, the system displays the little timer circle. I have experienced this on MS office 2010, Acrobat Reader, explorer, Firefox, etc. I have also experience MS Office programs and Firefox abends. I don't know if this is a problem with the installation. I do plan to go up to 16gb ram. But, the sluggishness is making me wary. Anyone with a similar problem?

 

So here's an interesting observation. If you want Sata III speeds in your primary bay, unistall the Intel RST drivers and just use the default Windows 7 Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller drivers. I'm getting better speeds then when the c300 was in the Ultrabay, where it was confirmed Sata III, 6 Gb/s speeds...



If that is the case I'll just stick with these drivers until the Intel RST ones run at full Sata III speeds.

 

What's the WEI score when you set Discrete Graphics only in the BIOS? This will give you the highest score for your system. If you have Optimus selected it will only use the Intel HD graphics which results in a lower score.

 

Interesting. I'd be most interested in a 7mm enclosure for an Intel Series 510 SSD 120GB board. If you find one of those, please private IM me first so I can order, then let the T420s Owners thread.

Yes, I'm greedy.

 

Am I the only one here that has i7-2920XM/8Gb/NVQuadro 2000M/1920*1080FHD/160Gb SSD/3G model ?
Just wondering since I have not seen any comments about this setup.
My personal opinion is that this piece of HW is worth every penny when it comes to how system is performing under heavy load (both for work/gaming) compared to my earlier experiences with Thinkpads during 14 years in past.

 

The i7-2920XM is a great processor but Lenovo's BIOS settings do not allow overclocking which is the only reason I'd pay the extra $700 over the i7-2720QM. I'm sure someone will release an unlocked BIOS eventually which is the point I'll consider picking one up from a retailer to do a swap. Other than that, I agree the W520 is a rocket once the memory and hard drive bottlenecks are addressed.

 

I have the 1000M. Here are my numbers:
with Optimus
Processor: 6.7
Memory: 5.9
Graphics: 4.9
Gaming Graphics: 6.7
Primary HD: 5.9
Base Score: 4.9

with Discrete
Processor: 6.7
Memory: 5.9
Graphics: 6.7
Gaming Graphics: 6.7
Primary HD: 5.9
Base Score: 5.9

I do think the programs run faster. But, doesn't using discrete generate more heat and use up the battery faster?

I am going to up my ram to 16gb. Maybe with that I will see better results.

 

Hmm...
I get these scores:
Processor: 7.1
Memory: 5.9 (need 2nd DIMM)
Graphics: 4.7 (6.7 on discrete)
Gaming Graphics: 6.7
Primary HDD: 5.9

If you need battery life, leave it on integrated or Optimus. Otherwise, Optimus or discrete is fine. I leave mine on Optimus because I don't want to use the Quadro 1000M when I don't need it. Just wondering, do you experience the fan pulsing issue (it sounds more like a whirl every 5 seconds than anything else)?

 

I used SIW to see the RAM on my W520 without opening it. It is a Samsung M471B5273DH0-CH9. I was surprised at how much 1 4gb stick cost. Anyone know why?

 

The fan runs but blows cool air. I hardly notice the sound. But, my old laptop runs hot and I always have a cooling fan on which runs loud. So, the W520 fan is almost silent to me.

 

Is enabling Raid configuration on W 520 really worthwhile ?I don't use a lot of heavy apps.Basically one or 2 games,browsing, Sql management studio,Microsoft visual studio and Sony Vegas.I will have an external backup (Maxtor) setup in place using incremental backups once a week.

 

Is anyone here running dual hard drives on their system? One main and one on the ultrabay. If you are, then how is the battery life? I plan to run two drives in the future, a 640GB and a 1TB but wanted to know how long the battery will last before I invest in the 1TB drive. I plan to use the W520 to take notes and record lectures. I may take up to 3 classes in the future which may have up to 9 hours of lectures in a day. My mental battery will be drained... maybe I should invest in a second battery or a battery slice.

Thanks!

 

I am also getting the same better benchmark result on my Vertex 3 using the standard Win7 AHCI driver, after removing the Intel RST 10.1.1008 driver.

I removed the Intel RST in order to flash the firmware of the Vertex 3, then I checked its performance right after the update and noticed better numbers.

Using Crystal Diskmark, I tested the drive in the Mainbay and in the Ultrabay, and I am getting full 6 Gb/s SATA3 speed in both.
I tested the drive in both ports for 10-15 minutes each and there are NO "throttle-down to 3Gb/s" issue. I re-ran Crystal Diskmark after 15 minutes and still getting full 6 Gb/s speed.

I used the Lenovo original caddy (with gap) in the Ultrabay.

So question right now is... Use RST or not ??

What benefit or advantage of using the Intel RST ??

Can anyone else also test their W520 by removing the RST driver ?
.

 

I think I may have damaged the screen latch on my W520.
I can hear spring noises now when I use it. It works fine, though.

 

I'm curious to know how you can damage it? Does it sound like the spring is loose when you shake the lid or carry the laptop?

 

What numbers do you get?

 

I wanted such a configuration as well, but I also worried about battery life & noise. In the end, I went for the following configuration:

As main drive, I installed a 300GB Intel SSD320 which runs perfectly - quiet and lightning fast. In the ultra-bay, I put a WD Scorpio blue 750GB. Both drives are the most power saving ones within their class.

In daily life, The Scorpio is in sleep mode most of the time and the SSD takes much less power than the originally installed 500GB Toshiba 7200 RPM drive. Without having it measured, I would say, the battery lasts a little bit longer than before - even with 2 drives and 1TB of capacity ... and with TPfancontrol on the other side, noise level went down significantly.

 

Hi there,
Could you weight your W520 (w/ and w/o the battery, burner), please ? John did it for the T420s and I find it very usefull (weights in Lenovo's Tabook are sometimes optimistic... )

Thanks!

 

Does anyone know how to activate the magnifier function and what software it works on? I tried Fn+Spacebar everywhere and nothing happens.

 

Hi,

I'm new in this forum and and just got my new w520 yesterday.
(4282W16) i7-2720QM |4 +8gb ram |FHD | Quadro 1000M| 500gb (yet)

I'm quite happy with my new toy but there are two issues i want you to ask.

First, the touchpad. It works but just like a touchpad of an entry level netbook.
Sometimes it reponses not until i moved my finger an inch and multitouch gestures are not comparable to the smooth working of any tablet.
I already put the sensitivity in the ultranav menu to soft but it doesn't work perfect ( like i'm used to work with a MBP or an Elitebook)
(moreover i can't understand the reason of giving the touch area this rough surface but thats another thing)

Anyway - is there anything i can try to give it more responsivity?


The other Problem i have to deal with is that my autocad doesn't recognize the quadro GPU.
When i start Autocad Architecture 2011 the Gpu-icon in the taskbar show activity for autocad but autocad itself doesn't find it and i can't activate hardware acceleration either.
I already installed the NVIDIA_Performance_Drivers_for_AutoCAD_x64 from the nvidea HP -it changed nothing.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

RAID0 basically will double your HDD or SSD speed. (Note: If you didn't order a W520 with RAID enabled, you won't be able to enable it later.)

 

It makes sounds as you pull on the lever, but otherwise works fine. It sounds like it's playing a scale going down as you pull on it, and up as you release it. It also doesn't feel as smooth as when I first got it (feels notch-y? and every "notch" makes a sound). The latch still feels solid, though, so I'm not too worried. If it breaks under warranty I'll just send it in for repairs.

 

HI kevinlau, I have removed Intel RST and tested, definitely better benchmark results, getting full promised read speed of 550 MB/s and write speed of 500 MB/s beginning with 256 KB file size, before the full speed was only from 4096 KB file size (using ATTO).
[Update 1] BUT - in case of W520 with OCZ Vertex 3 - do not remove the Intel RST drivers - on the next boot the W7 kept crashing with BSOD, had to restore the system to a previous point.
[Update 2] Now I am getting the same excellent benchmark results of read 550 MB/s and write 500 MB/s running the Intel RST 10.1.0.1008 driver. No clue...

 

I just installed a second Intel 510 and put it in RAID0.

Here are the CrystalDiskmark results

Single Intel 510 (left) RAID0 (middle) RAID0 with write-cache (right)

PS: Now if Lenovo could only fix the 30 second delay at warm-boot
(message: "Thinkvantage active protection sensor diagnostics. /")

 

Optimus is probably not activating the 1000M. You can right click the AutoCAD shortcut and choose to launch if with the 1000M and if that doesn't work you can force the 1000M to run all the time in the BIOS.

 

Now if that doesn't give you wood I don't know what will.

 

How about a PCMarkVantageScore of 18,639 !
Note: I have not yet turned the write cache on for the RAID0

EDIT: with the cache turned on the PCMarkVantage score is 19,105

 

I think you need Think Vantage hot keys (I'm not sure if that's the correct program though), so if you did any kind of reinstall do you know if you didn't install it?

If it's a stock setup, then I'm sorry, but I don't know - except that Fn+Space works for me.

 

Building mine, here is my spec. any comments?

Description
ThinkPad W520 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty Edit
Processor: Intel Core i7-2820QM Processor (2.30GHz, 8MB L3) Edit
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Edit
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 English
Windows XP Mode: Microsoft Windows 7 XP Mode - English Edit
Display type: 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready Edit
System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro 2000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory Edit
Color sensor: Color Sensor Edit
Total memory: 4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM) Edit
Keyboard: Keyboard US English
Pointing device: UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader Edit
Camera: 720p Camera Edit
Storage subsystem: Internal RAID - Not Enabled Edit
Hard drive: 320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm Edit
Optical device: DVD recordable multiburner Edit
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader Edit
Battery: 9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++ Edit
Power cord: Country Pack North America with Line cord & 170W AC adapter Edit
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0 Edit
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250 Edit
Integrated mobile broadband: Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable Edit
Language pack: Language Pack US English

Plan on buying bigger memory and ssd drive on newegg.

My total is about 2.2k right now, hoping to call to talk to a rep to get some discount.