And better then paying for an OS youll never use. Im sure corporations and governments are getting better discounts. But for those who already have windows or use linux $15 is better then nothing like you said.![]()
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Thors.Hammer Notebook Enthusiast
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Given that the 7 Pro upgrade on the dual-core W520 is $50, eliminating the OS entirely from a quad-core model that only comes with Pro should be a greater savings than $15.
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Is there a way to get .edu emails if you don't have one?
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Processor
Intel Core i7-2720QM Processor (2.20GHz, 6MB L3)
Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 English
Display type 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
System graphics NVIDIA Quadro 2000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory
Color sensor No Color Sensor
Total memory 4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Keyboard Keyboard US English
Pointing device UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader
Camera 720p Camera
Storage subsystem Internal RAID - Not Enabled
Hard drive 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Optical device DVD recordable multiburner
System expansion slots Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
Battery 9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
Power cord Country Pack North America with Line cord & 170W AC adapter
Bluetooth Bluetooth 3.0
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250
Integrated mobile broadband Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
Language pack Language Pack US English
Fingerprint Reader -
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My SSD RAID0 sequential read is 25% lower than is should be (817MB/sec vs 1,100 MB/s StorageReview is getting)
I think I may have just figured out the reason:
I used the 128kb strip size when I set up the RAID, as recommended by Lenovo.
This is the recommended size for SATA drives. But now I see that for SSDs a 16kb strip size is recommended.
Arrrrgh! I don't think I can change it "on-the-fly". Did you use a 16kb strip size for your RAID0?
EDIT: While Intel recommends 16kb, the reviewers here [M] RAID 0 Stripe Sizes Compared with SSDs: OCZ Vertex Drives Tested concluded that 128kb is best (at least for the Vertex 30GB). -
I ended up sticking with Lenovo's recommended 128k strip size as I was most concerned about excessive writes and write amplification since TRIM doesn't get passed through to the RAID array.
In general for 2 SSD RAID 0 array, from my simplistic understanding, a lower strip size will typically give you better random performance and a larger strip size will typically give you better sequential performance. Since your sequential reads performance is less than expected, I think it has more to do with write amplification than your strip size. If you went down to 16k, I would expect your sequential performance to decrease further. I think the only way to recover your performance would be to perform TRIM or secure erase on your SSD but I don't know if you would really notice the additional 200mb/s in sequential transfers.
As a side note, after running my OS on my RAID array for a few weeks now and through normal usage, my sequential reads have drop from 977mb/s to around 900mb/s. -
Thors.Hammer Notebook Enthusiast
- Go to school
- Create a recognized educational institution. See .edu Policy Information
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AESdecryption Notebook Evangelist
Has anyone on this forum noticed that the Thinkpad X1 offers 8GB RAM w/ 1 DIMM. Why does Lenovo continue to not offer the 32 GB (4 DIMMs) RAM 1333MHz option?
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I was wondering why Intel recommends a 16kb strip size for SSD RAID0 (vs. 128kb for regular SATA drives) and found this explanation:
"The reason smaller is better when it comes to stripe size on SSD RAIDs has to do with the nature of the storage medium combined with the mechanisms of RAID. I will explain in short here, and you can read up more for yourself you are more curious.
Intel SSDs can do 90-100% of their sequential bandwidth with 16-32KB blocks @ QD 1, and at higher queue depths they can reach it at 8KB blocks. Harddisks on the other hand reach their maximum bandwidth around 64-128KB sequential blocks, and do not benefit noticably from increasing the queue depth.
When you RAID-0, the files that are larger than the stripe size get split up in chucks equal in size to the stripe size and distributed amongs the units in the RAID. Say you have a 128KB file (or want to read a 128KB chunk of a larger file), this will get divided into 8 pieces when the stripe size is 16KB, and with 3 SSDs in the RAID this means 3 chunks for 2 of the SSDs, and 2 chukcs for the third. When you read this file, you will read 16KB blocks from all 3 SSDs at Queue Depth 2 and 3. If you check out ATTO, you will see 2x 16KB @ QD 3 + 1x 16KB @ QD 2 summarize to higher bandwidth than 1x 128KB @ QD 1.
The bandwidth when reading or writing files equal to or smaller the stripe size will not be affected by the RAID. The sequential bandwidth of blocks of 1MB or larger will also be the same since the SSDs will be able to deliver max bandwidth with any stripe size since data is striped over all in blocks large enough or enough blocks to reach max bandwidth for each SSD.
So to summarize, benefits and drawbacks of using a small stripe size:
+ Higher performance of files/blocks above the stripe size while still relatively small (<1MB)
- Additional computational overhead from managing more blocks in-flight, although this is negligable for RAID-0.
The added performance of small-medium files/blocks from a small stripe size can make a difference for OS/apps, and can be meassured in PCmark Vantage."
from: AnandTech - Intel X25-V in RAID-0: Faster than X25-M G2 for $250?
Someone did a test of 16kB vs 128kb here and yes, the 16kb strip size got 10% faster sequential reads and 20% faster performance in PCMarkVantage: Intel X25 V x 3 Raid 0 results - XtremeSystems Forums -
It is all metal, and it fits very well, with no gap top or bottom.
The bezel is about 1mm taller then my Optical Disc Drive, so this gives a tight gap-less fit.
It is designed not for quick-removal of hard disk from the tray.
You have to remove 3 screws, then take off the metal top in order to install or remove the hard drive.
Otherwise I was not able to get the drive in.
This shouldn't be an issue for those who just want to add a 2nd or a 3rd hard drive to the W520.
Pictures provided below:
.Attached Files:
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Anyone notice that you cant use the trackpad when holding down a key on the keyboard? Or is it just me?
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I got mine to day as well and it fits great!.
But I had a tough time installing my intel ssd drive into that. I did remove the screws and opened it to install, but for some resaon really had to fight it to get the ssd snap into the connector. Was worried if I might even break the sata connector on the caddy!
But at end was able to push it in and use the 4 screws to tighten the ssd to the bay.
Anand -
AESdecryption Notebook Evangelist
~$300
Lenovo 8 GB RAM for the ???W520??? here (FRU 57Y4427).
But I wonder, is it for the laptop or desktop as RAM? -
huberth said: ↑I was wondering why Intel recommends a 16kb strip size for SSD RAID0 (vs. 128kb for regular SATA drives) and found this explanation:
"The reason smaller is better when it comes to stripe size on SSD RAIDs has to do with the nature of the storage medium combined with the mechanisms of RAID. I will explain in short here, and you can read up more for yourself you are more curious.
Intel SSDs can do 90-100% of their sequential bandwidth with 16-32KB blocks @ QD 1, and at higher queue depths they can reach it at 8KB blocks. Harddisks on the other hand reach their maximum bandwidth around 64-128KB sequential blocks, and do not benefit noticably from increasing the queue depth.
When you RAID-0, the files that are larger than the stripe size get split up in chucks equal in size to the stripe size and distributed amongs the units in the RAID. Say you have a 128KB file (or want to read a 128KB chunk of a larger file), this will get divided into 8 pieces when the stripe size is 16KB, and with 3 SSDs in the RAID this means 3 chunks for 2 of the SSDs, and 2 chukcs for the third. When you read this file, you will read 16KB blocks from all 3 SSDs at Queue Depth 2 and 3. If you check out ATTO, you will see 2x 16KB @ QD 3 + 1x 16KB @ QD 2 summarize to higher bandwidth than 1x 128KB @ QD 1.
The bandwidth when reading or writing files equal to or smaller the stripe size will not be affected by the RAID. The sequential bandwidth of blocks of 1MB or larger will also be the same since the SSDs will be able to deliver max bandwidth with any stripe size since data is striped over all in blocks large enough or enough blocks to reach max bandwidth for each SSD.
So to summarize, benefits and drawbacks of using a small stripe size:
+ Higher performance of files/blocks above the stripe size while still relatively small (<1MB)
- Additional computational overhead from managing more blocks in-flight, although this is negligable for RAID-0.
The added performance of small-medium files/blocks from a small stripe size can make a difference for OS/apps, and can be meassured in PCmark Vantage."
from: AnandTech - Intel X25-V in RAID-0: Faster than X25-M G2 for $250?
Someone did a test of 16kB vs 128kb here and yes, the 16kb strip size got 10% faster sequential reads and 20% faster performance in PCMarkVantage: Intel X25 V x 3 Raid 0 results - XtremeSystems ForumsClick to expand... -
magicman0 said: ↑Anyone notice that you cant use the trackpad when holding down a key on the keyboard? Or is it just me?Click to expand...
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huberth said: ↑Encouraged by your and hrana's success, I put in all 4 Kingston HyperX 1866 Mhz modules in my W520 and it works perfectly with BIOS 1.25.
Hubreth - can you confirm you have bios 1.25? The link says 1.25 and I was online with a tech who said 1.25 was available, but when I installed it, according to the thinkpad toolbox, mine was still 1.24. In fact when I opened it, it said something like are you sure you want to overwrite your exisiting files.... Is it possible you have a connection you're not sharing with the newbie? (smile)Click to expand... -
hathdan said: ↑huberth said: ↑Encouraged by your and hrana's success, I put in all 4 Kingston HyperX 1866 Mhz modules in my W520 and it works perfectly with BIOS 1.25.
Hubreth - can you confirm you have bios 1.25? The link says 1.25 and I was online with a tech who said 1.25 was available, but when I installed it, according to the thinkpad toolbox, mine was still 1.24. In fact when I opened it, it said something like are you sure you want to overwrite your exisiting files.... Is it possible you have a connection you're not sharing with the newbie? (smile)Click to expand...Click to expand... -
kirayamato26 said: ↑hathdan said: ↑That IS the 1.25 BIOS, Lenovo just labeled it weirdly.Click to expand...Click to expand...
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wesmain said: ↑kirayamato26 said: ↑I still want to know whether the user with the success story had sp1 installed. I know that after i installed the 1.25/4 bios update, I still need a non-1866 stick installed for mine to suspend/resume properly.Click to expand...
(PS: @hathdan: I recommend creating a signature with your system specs)Click to expand... -
huberth said: ↑wesmain said: ↑Yes, I have SP1 installed and BIOS 1.25 (mislabeled as 1.24). 1866MHZ memory works perfectly, at least with my i7-2820 CPU.
(PS: @hathdan: I recommend creating a signature with your system specs)Click to expand...Click to expand... -
Never mind. I have no idea what's causing this. It worked a few times, but now it doesn't. Graphics options appear to have no effect.
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Thors.Hammer said: ↑Click to expand...
Sorry, had to quote that!
On a different note, I am really struggling with the touchpad. My main concern is vertical scrolling. I have Smart check settings off (palm check/starting zone and scroll region filters), but I still find one or two finger scrolls essentially hit or miss.
Example, In Chrome (or IE), scrolling is anything but smooth, with a chunky feel to it. Its totally different that my old HP 6710D, which still provides a silky smooth scroll.
15.0.18.0/SYnaptics driver.
Also, Am getting a missing driver "?" error in device manager for "PCI SImple Communication controller "
Hardware / Physical device object. NTPNP PCI003. Any clue? -
schreibman said: ↑LOL!
Sorry, had to quote that!
On a different note, I am really struggling with the touchpad. My main concern is vertical scrolling. I have Smart check settings off (palm check/starting zone and scroll region filters), but I still find one or two finger scrolls essentially hit or miss.
Example, In Chrome (or IE), scrolling is anything but smooth, with a chunky feel to it. Its totally different that my old HP 6710D, which still provides a silky smooth scroll.
15.0.18.0/SYnaptics driver.
Also, Am getting a missing driver "?" error in device manager for "PCI SImple Communication controller "
Hardware / Physical device object. NTPNP PCI003. Any clue?Click to expand... -
kirayamato26 said: ↑Try turning off gesture filtering. Those are my settings and I find scrolling just fine to use. You can always use the TrackPoint to scroll, too.Click to expand...
Also, just not a TrackPoint dude. -
schreibman said: ↑Sorry, forgot to mention gesture filters off, and I have scroll region as big as it gets. Still no love.
Also, just not a TrackPoint dude.Click to expand...
And, I've never used a TrackPoint before and I find it fun to use from time to time, or when I'm too lazy to move my right hand off the palm rest. -
For my track pad scrolling and tapping needs I disabled scrolling, gestures, filtering in the Ultranav settings (except for horizontal scrolling) and use TwoFingerScroll:
Downloads - two-finger-scroll - Two finger gestures for Synaptics TouchPads on Windows - Google Project Hosting -
Yea - welcome me to the club. Just finished entering my credit card info on my W520. Now the waiting game begins.
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I did opt for the 2-day shipping. -
findbuddha said: ↑For my track pad scrolling and tapping needs I disabled scrolling, gestures, filtering in the Ultranav settings (except for horizontal scrolling) and use TwoFingerScroll:
Downloads - two-finger-scroll - Two finger gestures for Synaptics TouchPads on Windows - Google Project HostingClick to expand...
I shut off all of the Synaptic scrolling, and use this app, works 100% better.
THANKS -
schreibman said: ↑Two Fingers FTW !
I shut off all of the Synaptic scrolling, and use this app, works 100% better.
THANKSClick to expand... -
I have the FHD 1920x1080 screen. I recently noticed that by default it's set to 50hz. This can be increased to 60hz.
Did you guys leave it to 50Hz or increase it to 60hz? -
How are people (especially mSata people) separating your OS / Programs and your data on different drives?
Are you somehow relocating the Users folder to the Data drive, and if so, how are you doing this? It seems like this should be pretty simply, yet I've done a lot of searching and reading, and end up with conflicting information, with some people reporting stability problems.
These links detail various approaches, starting with the simple, and straightforward. Yet I wonder if this approach will still result in lots of data written to the SSD, clogging up the 80G mSata.
how to move user folders to different drives ?? - Microsoft Answers
The following video shows the same approach. The woman in the video is toooo much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koST74INsb0
These links get more complicated. What do you think?
Move the Users Directory in Windows 7
User Profile - Change Default Location - Windows 7 Forums
Win7: how do I move user folder to a different drive - Microsoft Answers
I'd love to hear how other people are handling this. There have been similar discussions in other forums.
BTW, my w520 arrived today. I couldn't locate the mSata drive when I ordered the w520, so I ordered it ($$$) from Lenovo, thinking they probably had a big stack of them. It ships with the OS on the mSata, but will try to write all USER data to the mSata as well, instead of the standard HDD. -
Thors.Hammer Notebook Enthusiast
BusNut said: ↑Yea - welcome me to the club. Just finished entering my credit card info on my W520. Now the waiting game begins.
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I did opt for the 2-day shipping.Click to expand... -
So, I'm looking to pull the trigger soon on a W520, but I had a question first before I buy.
I have a Series 3 dock that I used with a T410s. Could I just buy a 135W adapter and use this dock with my new W520? I know that the 170W adapter will not fit. I am looking at the base level Quad core with the 2000M graphics if this changes anything. -
wesmain said: ↑I still want to know whether the user with the success story had sp1 installed. I know that after i installed the 1.25/4 bios update, I still need a non-1866 stick installed for mine to suspend/resume properly.Click to expand...
yahyavi said: ↑I have the FHD 1920x1080 screen. I recently noticed that by default it's set to 50hz. This can be increased to 60hz.
Did you guys leave it to 50Hz or increase it to 60hz?Click to expand...
arlcrane said: ↑How are people (especially mSata people) separating your OS / Programs and your data on different drives?
Are you somehow relocating the Users folder to the Data drive, and if so, how are you doing this?Click to expand...
EDITED: It looks like I messed up BIOS 1.25 results. -
arlcrane said: ↑How are people (especially mSata people) separating your OS / Programs and your data on different drives?
Are you somehow relocating the Users folder to the Data drive, and if so, how are you doing this? It seems like this should be pretty simply, yet I've done a lot of searching and reading, and end up with conflicting information, with some people reporting stability problems.
These links detail various approaches, starting with the simple, and straightforward. Yet I wonder if this approach will still result in lots of data written to the SSD, clogging up the 80G mSata.
how to move user folders to different drives ?? - Microsoft Answers
The following video shows the same approach. The woman in the video is toooo much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koST74INsb0
These links get more complicated. What do you think?
Move the Users Directory in Windows 7
User Profile - Change Default Location - Windows 7 Forums
Win7: how do I move user folder to a different drive - Microsoft Answers
I'd love to hear how other people are handling this. There have been similar discussions in other forums.
BTW, my w520 arrived today. I couldn't locate the mSata drive when I ordered the w520, so I ordered it ($$$) from Lenovo, thinking they probably had a big stack of them. It ships with the OS on the mSata, but will try to write all USER data to the mSata as well, instead of the standard HDD.Click to expand... -
BusNut said: ↑I did opt for the 2-day shipping.Click to expand...
This is where you get held up. Whether you pick 2 day or just normal shipping, the amount of time it sits in customs is NOT COUNTED IN YOUR SHIPPING TIME. It can sit there for a week. If you read the small print they specifically mention this. I've seen people on here post about it taking a few hours, to it taking 3 or 4 days to get through customs. After customs processing, mine was at my door by the next day, and I think this is also fairly consistent.
If you get one of the better sales reps from Lenovo they'll specifically tell you that they don't recommend 2 day shipping. More often than not people end up calling the rep back and complaining because customs holds it up, and transit wise, the 2 day speed is pretty much the same as the regular shipping option.
Again, don't want to rain on your parade, but just a general tip for future buyers. -
infinus said: ↑I don't want to rain on your parade but I wanted to post this for future buyers, I highly discourage paying for 2-day shipping. It's one thing if you can get it for free, but it's not worth paying for it. The normal shipping is VERY fast while IN TRANSIT. It took mine no more than about 36 hours to get to the processing center here in the US.
i agree. mine stayed in customs less than a day and i had it the next day after it left customs.Click to expand... -
Cool Lenovo: "For Those Who Do" TV commercial. "We're for the inspired thinkers who roll up their sleeves and make things happen."
YouTube - Lenovo: "For Those Who Do" TV commercial (60-second version)‏
and
YouTube - Lenovo - FOR THOSE WHO DO (105-second version)‏ -
infinus said: ↑I don't want to rain on your parade but I wanted to post this for future buyers, I highly discourage paying for 2-day shipping. It's one thing if you can get it for free, but it's not worth paying for it. The normal shipping is VERY fast while IN TRANSIT. It took mine no more than about 36 hours to get to the processing center here in the US.
This is where you get held up. Whether you pick 2 day or just normal shipping, the amount of time it sits in customs is NOT COUNTED IN YOUR SHIPPING TIME. It can sit there for a week. If you read the small print they specifically mention this. I've seen people on here post about it taking a few hours, to it taking 3 or 4 days to get through customs. After customs processing, mine was at my door by the next day, and I think this is also fairly consistent.
If you get one of the better sales reps from Lenovo they'll specifically tell you that they don't recommend 2 day shipping. More often than not people end up calling the rep back and complaining because customs holds it up, and transit wise, the 2 day speed is pretty much the same as the regular shipping option.
Again, don't want to rain on your parade, but just a general tip for future buyers.Click to expand... -
zerodivide said: ↑I used the move / regedit technique. All my applications run fine. I know someone that did the junction technique with a larger hdd having initial problems with system restore but it sorted itself out.Click to expand...
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I have a quick question for those of you familiar with various backup tools. My initial plan was to use lenovo rescue and recovery but I've noticed that it only backs up one physical drive. For instance, if I'm running OS on my RAID array, it'll backup my entire RAID array but doesn't have an option to backup my mSATA. Is this a limitation of lenovo's backup software or am I missing a setting?
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I did a clean install, and I cannot find anything bluetooth related. I cannot see bluetooth in my devices, nowhere. Can you please tell what should I install?
ThinkVantage system update only show that I did not install "communication utility" and "modem adapter software". Are they needed? -
Thors.Hammer said: ↑Unless of course you consider resale value. Since the vast majority of the world doesn't run Linux or DOS on the desktop, having the factory disk set with Windows 7 in case you decide to sell it is probably a decent investment for $15.Click to expand...
As for resell value well I use my computers until they literally die so thats never a factor for me. But I did sell my first computer this year though but it was to family so it was for a huge loss anyways (practically free). So yeah Im not in the least bit concerned with the very slim chance of there being a second owner of my rigs. -
commander said: ↑I did a clean install, and I cannot find anything bluetooth related. I cannot see bluetooth in my devices, nowhere. Can you please tell what should I install?
ThinkVantage system update only show that I did not install "communication utility" and "modem adapter software". Are they needed?Click to expand...
Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread
Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by zacharyp, Mar 31, 2011.