Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

I'd get a longer warranty. Also, do you need WiMAX connectivity or is it a nice-to-have item? If the latter then I'd get the Ultimate-N instead. Other than that it looks like prices have jumped up between $300-500 on the W520 so try to secure a customer rep discount if you can.

 

Will do on the warranty, i just thought that would be a better wifi since the price. This is going to be my first purchase of a expensive laptop so i am expecting it to last for me. Hopefully i can secure a customer rep discount, if not a shareholder discount. Might be able to grab me a few share.

Any other tips on the memory and ssd on newegg? (brand, model, that most people prefer)

 

At this point get a total of 16GB memory. You can grab either 3 more modules of 1333Mhz RAM from Crucial or G.Skill (links have been posted in this thread). The other option is 4 modules of Kingston non-XMP 1600Mhz RAM. This is identified as the modules that have "/8G" instead of "/8GX" at the end. Lastly, you could upgrade to 1866Mhz RAM but we've identified a problem in this thread in Windows 7 SP1 that prevents Resume from Sleep that doesn't exist in non-SP1 Windows 7. Hopefully we'll have some idea of what Kingston's engineering team finds this week. To be safe (and save some cash) stick with 1333Mhz or 1600Mhz modules.

As far as SSDs go. They have also been hit or miss in terms of performance and compatibility. This thread covers those issues fairly well too. My personal preference is sticking to Intel SSDs such as the 320 or 510. They may not be benchmark queens but they are reliable.

You should consider picking up the Intel 310 80GB mSATA drive for the system as long as you don't get the WWAN module. It'll work great as a system drive. As you've seen on this forum, some people have managed some very impressive boot-up times with that drive.

Regarding RAID... I've contacted Lenovo about enabling Intel Smart Response Technology (SSD caching) via an Intel Option ROM update in the BIOS. If they release an update then factory RAID-enabled W520's will be able to use the 40GB or 80GB Intel 310 mSATA drive as cache. Ideally, in this configuration you'd run 2 larger HDDs in RAID and use the mSATA drive as cache. This configuration is ideal for the sub-$100 40GB mSATA device (many people have asked why a 40GB version exists and this is part of the reason why). You can read my posts about it here. If you like this idea then you could also save money by going for the i7-2720QM instead of the i7-2820QM and get RAID instead. It's just a thought.

 

I just reinstalled the magnifier. Can you tell me how you activate it? I pointed my mouse on the desktop and pressed Fn+spacebar. Nothing happened. Tried it on various website, MS Office software, etc. with no result. My resolution is set to 1920x1080 with DPI medium (125%).

 

Are there any hardware configurations that are problematic for Server 2008?

 

hey everyone,

first time poster. just ordered my w520 and was wondering why people were recommending the $40 gskill ram over a patriot stick like this:

Newegg.com - Patriot Signature 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model PSD34G13332S

thanks!

 

I'll throw my $0.02 in:
I don't think the i7 2828QM is worth the extra money over the i7 2720QM
You will love the FHD screen!
Consider an aftermarket color sensor for calibrating all the screens you might have now and in the future, you can get them just as cheap or better ones for a little more (see Spyder)
Do you have a reason for the WiMax card and the additional cost of the monthly subscription? Wifi is pretty easy to get in most places and where it's not you probably won't find WiMax either. It also eliminates the possibility of using the Intel 310 mSata card since they use the same WWAN slot.
Seems like Intel 510 and OCZ Vertex 3 are the most popular SSD drives on this forum but are not without some issues (read through previous posts for more info). I believe most of the issues will be worked out before the end of summer and since the prices have come down 40% in just the last couple of months, I wouldn't be in a big rush.

Lastly if you're planning on having the unit for a while, you might consider a longer warranty.

 

Because RAM is RAM is RAM. Just get whatever is on sale when you decide to buy; it's all mostly the same.

 

Personal preference. There's been articles that show the relative gain from 1333 to 1800 is not much and upto you how much that is worth. I personally bought 2 sets of Patriot 1600MHz from Frys as they are nearby and I can install the memory right away.

 

Thanks BDKCl and Hrana,

This is why i love forums, you guys have been really helpful for me towards making my decision.

Here is my new revise order after listening to some advice

2720QM
Ultimate-N WiFi
FHD screen
Longer warranty probably 2+ years
Color sensor(i dont think ill be needing a aftermarket one, will be my only comp)


Then ill order 3 more stick of 1333Mhz ram, and Intel 310 or 510 ssd.

Is there anything else i should look for? thanks alot guys. About to fork a good amount of money for my workstation and i want to get it right.

 

Thanks! I was doubting the memory controller on my mobo for a while there.

I had one stick of 4GB Crucial that didn't do a BSOD but did mess up my hdd's boot manager and prevented restore and recovery from completing.

Found the bad stick among the 3 I added by running memtest86+ 4.20 and swapping them across slots. Trying to guess which one it was by memory value wasn't working for me (thought 1-4GB would be slot 0, 5-8 would be slot 1, etc. but apparently not so).

This is the first in a decade I've run into a bad dimm. I've had crucial, kingston, corsair ... the last time I had a bad one ... it was a crucial 128MB sdram module (that wasn't using Micron chips). Hahaha, at least they aren't hard to RMA.

Anyone else notice that Slot 0 sodimm feels hot (warmer than the copper pipes next to it)?

Also the Lenovo Restore & Recovery only lets you backup the C: OS partition. If you're using msata 310 + hdd for data, you'll have to use the Windows version.

 

Have you spoken to a rep yet and gotten an idea about what they're going to charge you for your config? Figure out what the reps can do and then sign up for a Lenovo Barnes and Noble gold account to compare the discounts.

The Barnes and Noble gold account saved me a lot of money on my W520. YMMV.

 

Why 2820QM over 2720QM?
Intel® Processor Technologies

Will 2MB smart cache will make some difference?

 

Hi Huberth...do you have 2 240gb installed? The only reason I ask is that I'm getting about 986 mb/s with 2 120gb 510s in RAID 0. My understanding was that the 120gb were slower than the 240gb. I can post my crystalmark results later but I think the other numbers are relatively the same.

Did you run your benchmarks on battery?

 

I've had the same issue with Solidworks and I think this is a known issue on the Nvidia forums as well. I tried to get Optimus to kick in for Solidworks when Optimus is on but Solidworks never got past the splash screen. The only way I was able to get Solidworks to work is to enable discreet through the BIOS.

Has anyone else been able to get CAD working with Optimus enabled?

 

Anyone looking for a W520 in the UK check my sig and PM me.

 

Been working great for me so far. Just note that:

Install .net 3.5 before power driver/manager.
Optimus doesn't work, you'll need to select your video in the bios when you want to switch.

Think those are the only two issues I've had.

 

You won't see any difference in normal use and the differences will be marginal at the CPU's limits. It's not worth the extra money.

 

Yes, I have 2x240GB Intel 510 SSDs. The test was run on power. I re-ran the test with the write-cache enabled (see attached image).

I think I still have some more 'tweaking' to do.

My PCMarkVantage score is "only" 19,105, whereas storagereview.com was getting 20,700 with 2 510s in RAID0.

 

CPU Name ------------- Passmark CPU Mark (higher is better)

Intel Core i7-2630QM @ 2.00GHz --- 6323
Intel Core i7-2720QM @ 2.20GHz --- 7411
Intel Core i7-2820QM @ 2.30GHz --- 7544
Intel Core i7-2920XM @ 2.50GHz --- 8082

From: PassMark - CPU Benchmarks - List of Benchmarked CPUs

 

How full is your RAID array? My RAID array is only about 15% full at the moment.

I ran PCMark 7 and got 4007 but am unsure of my Vantage score. I find it strange that your scores are lower than mine since I have the 2x120gb. At the same time, when will we really ever use these speeds in real world applications?

When I ran CrystalMark on battery, I was got around 880 mb/s in sequential reads. I can't recollect my other scores but I will re-run the benchmarks and confirm all my scores.


As for tweaks, I really didn't do too much but I did have write cache enabled and didn't notice a drastic difference in my scores (I know some people say write cache slows downs Intels and speeds up OCZs).

 

My RAID0 is 28% full (323GB free of 448GB).
Maybe I have to give it a little rest to do its Garbage Collection?

 

Possibly...I usually leave my laptop on overnight and then pack it up in the mornings. But I'm assuming you haven't had the 510s for that long since they didn't come out too long ago so I'd be surprised if GC will fix the issue...unless you've done a significant amount of writes/deletes to your SSDs already.

On a side note, I've manually run TRIM on my mSATA 310, which should have much more writes/deletes than my RAID array and less available space, and it completes instantly which makes me think that my RAID array is still in good shape.

 

A 1.8% performance increase isn't exactly earth-shattering, so I'd stick with my recommendation for the 2720QM.

 

The CPU benchmark is probably a relatively small numerical core that fits already in the i7-2720QM's cache. Which makes the benchmark irrelevant to whether or not the added CPU cache makes any difference.

Still, its clear from the start that you can only measure the difference between i7-2720QM and i7-2820QM with a stop watch. A human won't be able to notice the speed difference.

 

Benchmark Results : Does Cache Size Really Boost Performance?
A large shared L3 cache is desirable in most modern CPUs because this is how the cores of these CPUs talk to each other most efficently. When multitasking or using multi-threaded apps, inter-core bandwidth is a big deal. L3 cache while considerably slower than L2, is also still vastly faster than main system memory.

more power running higher power applications.
If you run a lot of heavy apps like Vegas, photoshop with many pictures open, etc. the extra Cache will shine. If you're just a casual gamer and everyday user, then you won't notice much of a difference.

 

I personally can't really say why, except that when I bought the Gskill it was on sale for $37.99 so it saved me a few dollars: both brands of memory have the same performance specs, so that was the reason why. And - i think that earlier on, someone mentioned that the G.Skill Dimms were what was coming in the W520s. That being said, my default Dimm is from Sansung.

 

I just checked here Intel 510 Series 250GB SSDs Reviewed in RAID 0 - CrystalDiskMark and PCMark Vantage - Legit Reviews. They are getting similar scores to mine.

Perhaps the fact that you have 3 SSDs (1 for the OS and the other 2 in RAID0) speeds things up?

 

Good info!
"While cache size only had a limited impact on the synthetic benchmarks such as PCMark05, the performance difference in most real-life benchmarks was significant."
Conclusion : Does Cache Size Really Boost Performance?

 

New W520 drivers are out today:

Intel HD Graphics Driver, Bluetooth Enhanced Data Rate software II etc.:

Lenovo Support - Drivers and software - ThinkPad T420, T420i, T420s, T420si, T520, T520i and W520

or simply run "System Update"

But still no fix for the 30 second delay at warm-boot SSD issue
(message: "Thinkvantage active protection sensor diagnostics. /")

 

Possible but I doubt it. I'll dig through some of my settings later tonight to see if I can see what may be causing this.

Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Review: First Thoughts | StorageReview.com

In this review, they state that they are getting 1,100 mb/s with 2x 240gb 510s in RAID 0. But they had a fully upgraded system. The interesting thing is I think the only differences are in the sequential reads as I remember the other scores to be roughly the same.

 

Bummer...I was hoping for updated Optimus drivers.

 

May I suggest that people do a backup before applying these updates. It is probably a co-incidence - but my Windows installation fell apart quite spectacularly at the same time as these updates. It is currently being restored from last night's backup.

I hope it's not because of this - although I'd be especially wary if you've got the Intel 310 as a boot disc - but better safe than sorry.

 

What kind of CPU temps (and with which CPU) are you guys getting under load? If this has been discussed before please link me, the search function isn't that great.

 

I second this! Do not install if you don't have to or if you don't want to test your backup. Since I didn't have any backup of my system partition, I am typing this on a freshly formatted Win 7 installation..... The system failed right after installing the updates.

 

Hey guys. I am wanting to purchase a lenovo w520, I have talked to a sales rep and have talked the price down to $1612 before taxes. here are the configs:

4270CTOThinkPad W520 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
6/6/2011

Intel Core i7-2720QM Processor (2.20GHz, 6MB L3)1
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 6412
15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
NVIDIA Quadro 1000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)8
UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
Intel 160 GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA4
DVD recordable multiburner5
9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++60
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN)10
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable65
4270 : 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller
--------------

The original price was $1899 before taxes. I have the option of buying it for $1612 now... is this a good price? Or should i try to go lower?

P.S I plan on buying some memory from newegg to upgrade it to 12bg of ram. That will be the only modification. I am using this as a college student double majoring in Electrical/Computer Engineering and CompSci at Duke.

 

wow...this is really disappointing. do you have your OS on an Intel 310 as well? I think I will pass on this update as it appears it was primarily geared at incorporating the X1.

 

That's not a bad price for a W520 with a factory SSD, may save you some hassle too.

 

I just dowloaded Download PCMark 7 | PCMark and ran it and got a 4,495 PCMark7 score.

 

same here i'm restoring from thursday's backup.

 

Wow...you just blew my score out of the water. Was that with Optimus running? I wonder how much is due my OS run off the 310, how much is attributable to your CPU (I have the 2720), and how much is due to the GPU (I have 1000M).

http://3dmark.com/compare/pcm7/39343/pcm7/39447

I did a comparison and our results and everything looks close except the storage sub-system. Apparently, the 310 is much slower 2 SSDs running raid. =P

 

SW09 will work with Optimus after some trickery. Load up SW and then it will get stuck at the Logo Splash screen. Start another instance of SW and that one will load. Then go into Task Manager and close the one that is stuck on the splash screen. The one that is still running should be using the quadro card with Optimus. It's indicating it in the Taskbar Nvidia Optimus tool program for me. More of a work around at this point.

I can't seem to get Pro/e Wildfire 4 to work with the Quadro card with Optimus enabled though. I've even tried loading the program by right clicking the shortcut and telling it to use the Nvidia card. I've also setup in the Nvidia Control Panel that Pro/e is to use the Quadro card.

**EDIT**
I was having a weird BSOD issue when trying to load Pro/e. It would never show the Pro/e splash screen and then the system would get bogged down and non-responsive until the BSOD. I've updated to the 270.61 WHQL release Nvidia drivers and that seems to have helped the BSOD issue Pro/e, which is weird as it still uses the Intel graphics.

 

Yes, I do. I will have to setup a backup for the whole system drive... Not sure why I didn't in the first place.

 

My W520 hiccupped badly on the bluetooth driver install but by walking away to make a phone call all finally recovered to normal.

Perry

 

Very helpful...I just tried it and it works for me as well. Who would have thought about opening multiple instances of SW?

Where did you get the Optimus tool to check which card is running?

I wish I could help with the Pro/e issue but I'm obviously Optimus challenged. Does Pro/e run fine if you set the BIOS to discrete GPU?

 

That discovery was by accident really. I didn't think my first double click had launched SW and the splash screen was hidden behind something so I re-launched SW again. It then finally loaded and after minimizing multiple windows I noticed that the splash screen was still up and stuck after 30 or so minutes working in SW. But lots of great discoveries are by accident, like viagra and silly putty.

I don't think it's in the Lenovo Optimus drivers but I know in the 270.61 linked drivers when you open the Nvidia Control Panel under one of the Menu Bar items there is something that says to the extent "Display GPU activity in Notification Area" or something like that. I'm away from my laptop so I'm going by memory. You can download the tool for older driver revs here.

I tried using discrete graphics only in the BIOS with the Lenovo Optimus drivers but then that's when the BSOD issue was occuring too. I haven't tried it with the latest drivers. But with the 270.61 drivers you can temporarily set the laptop to use discrete graphics only within Windows but that didn't seem to work. Will tinker around some more tonight.

 

Still a brilliant discovery! This will save me countless reboots. If only I had been more impatient and tried to open multiple instances myself. While I don't think any accidental invention will rival Viagra anytime soon, you forgot to mention krazy glue and the microwave oven.

I was digging through the nvidia control panel and found it through the 'Desktop' menu across the top. One thing I've noticed is that the GPU continues to show running for Solidworks unless I end a couple of the processes through task manager.

I'm surprised going full discreet is still causing problems with Pro/e. However, I'm sure you will accidentally stumble upon a solution.

 

Does anyone know what series SSD comes with the W520 when you select Intel 160gb SSD in your configuration. Is the the 310 or x-25M series?

From my understanding the 310 series SSD outperforms the x-25M, correct?

 

Yeah, it seems that SSD RAID0 makes a lot of difference....