Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

Did they fix anything else? I'm guessing not.

EDIT:

I downloaded the original "1.25" file on May 30, 2011. It has these checksums:

File: 8buj05us.exe
CRC-32: 4bb56756
MD4: 466510fd6790990618d0aae97ec47746
MD5: 8ed6ea145c14522dac1499a4f2b40bed
SHA-1: 8f3d1bed2b04c303985cb9caa051f95f1b3f178d

The "new" file I downloaded tonight has these:

File: 8buj05us.exe
CRC-32: 4bb56756
MD4: 466510fd6790990618d0aae97ec47746
MD5: 8ed6ea145c14522dac1499a4f2b40bed
SHA-1: 8f3d1bed2b04c303985cb9caa051f95f1b3f178d

As far as I can tell they're exactly the same. Am I missing something?

 

LOL. Good one. Apparently they just added a new readme. Sneaky.

 

I am pretty sure it is the same file & same BIOS that we downloaded 3 weeks ago. Doesn't fix anything that is actually important.
Their engineers seem not able to fix any of the listed issues that is more important, especially the Turbo-Boost one.
Our W520 is like a top-end Porsche 911 Turbo, but with turbo disabled via a micro-computer chip (BIOS), and their mechanics having a hard time enabling it.

 

I don't mean to pile on Lenovo but some people have been waiting for those fixes for a while. I really hope they're doing proper QA on the next BIOS so it'll fix everything. If they don't manage to do it then I'll start to admit that I regret leaving Dell's Precision Workstation line for Lenovo's W-series.

 

Is it somehow possible to enable RAID on non-raid configured machine?

BTW I tried to play Unreal Tournament 3 on my machine and it is not capable (1000M) - because of cooling. I had 64 FPS constant, but after a while the GPU started throttling and FPS dropping to 12. It is a 4 year old game... My next notebook will be dual-cooling platform I can say.

 

tpfancontrol.... use it to spin your fans up faster and I bet it solves your cooling issues.

I can run BOINC at 100% gpu and 100% cpu. I'll get throttling eventually with stock fan settings, but don't even get close with the fans spun up faster. I have the 2000M.

 

2820QM. TurboBoost was working on 1.24 and continues to work on 1.25.

 

The issue as of now seems to be limited to w520s with the 2720QM CPU.

 

I seems to recall a post that addressed your RAID question and it seems that if you order RAID from the factory the w520 comes with a different, RAID enabled motherboard. So, this implies that if you did not order RAID as configured from Lenovo, you will not be able to enable raid afterwards, even if you get an ultrabay adapter and another hard drive.

I believe that the post was on the lenovo official forums, I'll dig around and see if I can find it.

 

and a 40 second start-up delay with the Porsche W520 with the Intel 510 carburetor

 

The only way I managed to do it is to return it to Lenovo and get a motherboard RAID enabled configuration.

 

Basically we got a 'handicapped' Porsche W520 with a 40 seconds engine warm-up timer for all Intel 510 carburetor, and a malfunctioning Turbo unit.

 

I had to do the same thing. I'm sure their is a way to do it because I've inspected both motherboards and they're exactly identical.

 

so it is probably some software thing... Bios/jumper/firmware thing I guess. Is it possible to turn off the RAID in BIOS, when you have RAID configured machine?

 

Yes, you have 3 options: RAID, ACHI and SATA

PS: If you look in the Lenovo Hardware Maintenance Manual, there are different types of motherboard. Those with and those without RAID.

 

But a Porsche is still a Porsche, so we still love it nevertheless, hoping the factory will come out with a fix soon.

 

And if you have the 8-cylinder 2920 cc engine, do not put on 1866Mhz HyperX shock-absorbers. It will crash!

 

Interesting W520 review, published 10 days ago (10 June 2011):

Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Review | StorageReview.com

 

Just ordered 4x4gb Mushkin ram and Intel 320 160gb ssd!

 

Has anyone had any problems with Sandforce 2 drives? I'm planning on getting an Agility 3 120GB soon.

 

Here's an update from a Lenovo employee:

Here's an update for everyone that is patiently waiting on this fix just like I am:
Lenovo BIOS team has found the cause of the problem where processor gets stuck at idle speed while on battery. BIOS contains modules from other companies (such as Phoenix, AMI, Intel, nVidia, etc) and the problem is in one of those modules. We have reported the problem to the other company and are waiting on a fix. As an interim solution, Lenovo BIOS team tried to take the working module from version 1.06 and merge it into version 1.25, but this did not work as hoped. Sorry that there is not better news today but we'll just have to wait this one out, or else go back to 1.06 which many users report works correctly (I have not personally tried it).

 

i have a vertex 3 and right now they are having firmware issues. i wouldn't recommend any sandforce drives until this issue is resolved. check out the ssd manufacturers forums and you will see what's going on.

 

If the Sandforce drives are crap right now, does the Crucial M4 have any issues with the W520? It uses a Marvell controller like the Intel 510 and that has issues.

 

Heck, the Crucial C300 has issues.

Probably the Intel X25-M or 320 with the Intel controllers are the best bet at this time.

Obviously there are some folks with Marvell and SF controllers that can make them work, but if you spend much time on these fora you will likely shy away from either.

 

I'm seriously considering between W520 and T520 at the moment. Just a quick question though.

If I use displayport to HDMI, does it transmit sound as well?
I'm asking because I heard there are some issue with Lenovo machine in the past. (Was it one of T series model or W510 I can't remember)

If there are no sound issues, would this work?
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10428&cs_id=1042801&p_id=4826&seq=1&format=2

 

Running with 2 Vertex 3 Pro 240GB, 1st as OS, second in UltraBay.
In order to install the Ubuntu 11.04 64-bit had to update the firmware from 2.02 to 2.06, using fwupd tool it ended up with update to 2.08. Ubuntu boots much much faster, uses far less RAM and it feels much responsive that MS Windows 7 Enterprise.
It was really funny to experience that in order to update the firmware on OS disk the workaround with booting to Linux Live CD and updating the firmware via fwupd utilitly had to be applied.
Conclusion - Vertex3 Pro 240GB SSD are the fastest payable SSDs for laptops for now but still very cutting edge experience.

 

Care to elaborate? Mine works just fine. The newer firmware revisions seem to work just fine. Only firmware versions <=002 were a pain, but thats ancient history now.

 

For those with the RAID configuration, is the RAID HDD adapter for your second HDD the standard caddy or something else? The standard caddy leaves a significant gap when used in the slot. I've been looking at the HDD 12.7mm caddy offered by NewmodeUS as an alternative since Lenovo doesn't seem to be able to create a proper one for the W520. Thanks for the reply.


Update: The FRU for the RAID is 60Y5513. I located an unboxing video of this part (it's amazing to me that someone would do this for a FRU!) and it appears that it is composed of 5 items: the STANDARD 10.5mm caddy, a plastic spacer to fill the gap screwed into the top of the caddy and 3 foam rubber pieces to be placed on the top sides of the caddy. So it seems that a specific 12.7 mm HDD caddy does not exist for even the RAID configured systems.

 

Can anyone confirm the order of the RAM slots for this machine? There seems to be two conflicting descriptions. One here, Optimizing memory in W510 - which slots to use - Lenovo Community and the other here Lenovo Support - What is the correct DIMM slot order to populate additional memory DIMMs - ThinkPad W510, W701, W701ds

 

The issues are in the cables people buy. Some support audio, some do not. I would recommend going into one of the T420, X220, or any current generation thread about DisplayPort audio issues and look for reports of working cables from people and buy one of those.

 

The images are conflicting. If I recall correctly from my W520, slot 0 is the bottom slot under the keyboard. So the IBM link is correct.

 

1) As to the new new bios 1.25, to quote Thor (or paraphrase) [or actually, ask a question inspired by his prior posts] What would motivate me to move (again) off of 1.06? I have working Turbo, and even the recent Lenovo comments seem off the mark -- I lost Turbo in battery AND WHEN ON AC. What do I have broken that would be fixed, and worth risking a brick? Obviously my Intel 510 40 seconds issue is not fixed.
2) Regarding OCZ/Sandforce , all I can say is I never got the OCZ Vertex 3 to perform above HDD speeds (see prior posts for details in this threads), and I messed around with it quite a bit before RMA'ing it for an Intel 510 250 gb. The intel worked perfect from the box, installed with Win 7 with no f6 drivers, and performed to expectations out of the gate.

 

Where do you have the Intel 510? Main drive bay?

Interestingly enough I found that the ultrabay adapter location was faster and still is. However I have moved my OS/programs/boot drive to Drive 0 slot and have the data drive in the caddy, simply because it is a bit easier to use the optical caddy should I need it.

 

There are many post about bios. Can somebody summarize me the problem My w520 will be in my hands tomorrow. I want to know when i start to use it is there a todo list like update bios etc.?

 

Most of the problems that I've read about deal with the throttling of the i7-2720 to 800MHz clock, even when the laptop is using AC power. BIOS version 1.06 seems to be the most stable one out there, though some people are starting to download the real 1.25 BIOS and giving positive feedback.

 

Is the W520 easily upgradable in the future like better graphics card or processor? And where to find a W520 with Quadro 2000M? I only find 1000M on Lenovo website

 

I am using 1.22 with good results

 

there is some problem with this notebbok ?

or all is good/works perfect ?

my idea configuration is

i7 2720
2x4gb
ssd
nvidia 1000m or 2000m
full hd display
wireless n6300
9cell

someone use it with lenovoi docking station ?

 

Guys, I am having problems with the line in jack on my W520... put simply, it doesn't work. In the "recording devices" tab in the sound manager, the only recording device listed is "internal mic". Can anyone assist with how to get this working?

 

This could be theoretically caused by the fact that W520 has not line-in jack.

 

I thought that the headphone socket was a dual headphone/line in socket?

 

Do you have the right kind of connector to use it? You can't just plug a mic in, it has to be a line that has the stereo out and mic in connections. Odds are if you are simply plugging in some kind of input that you'll need an adaptor to deal with the 2 out's/1 in style of connection that is.

 

I have the same setup with discrete graphics enabled in BIOS and I also have the issues which you report. The Action Center is pointing me towards a Microsoft Office system software update which "Windows Update" does not find as an update. Interested in anyone who shares these problems and sources / remedies for the problems.

 

I have a problem which I haven't seen reported yet (unless I have missed something). Among other reasons I was drawn to the W520 by its enhanced capabilities for web conferencing. I have used Skype for both business and family communication. I am unable to get Skype consistently to recognize the microphone and am unable to determine which of a number of different steps I take sometimes within skype, sometimes within control panel settings with which I literally fiddle to result in correct recognition of the microphone. Any settings which result in recognition of the microphone do not appear to persist or "stick" from one skype session to another. One approach which sometimes works but not always is testing the video in skype which somehow seems to result in correctly recognizing the microphone. I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

here's my wei with the vertex 3

Performance Information and Tools
More details about my computer ComponentDetails
Processor
Memory (RAM)
Graphics
Gaming graphics
Primary hard disk
Windows 7 Professional
System Manufacturer Model Total amount of system memory System type Number of processor cores Storage Total size of hard disk(s) Disk partition (C Media drive (D Disk partition (E Graphics Display adapter type Total available graphics memory Dedicated graphics memory Dedicated system memory Shared system memory Display adapter driver version Primary monitor resolution DirectX version Network Network Adapter Network Adapter
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2920XM CPU @ 2.50GHz
16.0 GB
NVIDIA Quadro 2000M
9960 MB Total available graphics memory
142GB Free (222GB Total)





file:///C:/Users/herman/AppData/Local/Temp/PrintPreview.hta
LENOVO 4270CTO 16.0 GB RAM 64-bit operating system 4
558 GB 142 GB Free (222 GB Total) CD/DVD 94 GB Free (335 GB Total)
NVIDIA Quadro 2000M 9960 MB 2048 MB 0 MB 7912 MB 8.17.12.7533 1680x1050 DirectX 10
Subscore
7.9
7.9
7.3
7.3
7.9
Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) Intel(R) 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection

Print this page
Base score 7.3

 

@anXplorer I believe there was a newer driver that helped this situation. Browse lenovo's support site for W520 drivers for the sound card.

 

Do you both notice the HDD light going crazy when things are sluggish? Perhaps you should also check and see what speed your CPU is running at when you get into Windows...

 

Whew! A WEI (Windows Experience Index) Processor score of 7.9 . (That's a perfect score: Get a perfect 7.9 Windows 7 WEI score | TechRadar UK)

Perhaps the extreme i7-2920 processor went into "overclock" mode? I thought that Lenovo BIOS blocks overclocking. Badhabit_wb mentioned that the processor score jumped up after installing the latest firmware for the Vertex 3. Does anyone have an explanation?

 

I wanted to upgrade my W520 i7-2820 to an i7-2920.

The new i7-2920 arrived two days ago and I like it. But the fan makes an annoying high-pitched sound even when the CPU is not being used much at all, like in the BIOS setup. It's not very loud, and it may get drowned out in an office environment, but at home in a quiet room you can hear it 10 feet away.

It is also possible that it is not the fan, but CPU whine. When the system is off, the whine stops. So it is not the whine that some forum members noticed when the system is off, which was fixed by disabling the power-on-fingerprint feature.

My "old" i7-2820 doesn't do that. The i7-2820 fan just makes a low whooshing sound. There is no high pitched noise.

I am not sure if the i7-2920 uses a different type of fan or if it is just that particular unit.

Does anyone have any thoughts or observations regarding this high pitched whine?

EDIT: I found the answer. I opened up both units. My i7-2920 has a different fan and heat sink than the i7-2820 - perhaps to be able to handle the extra heat resulting from the higher wattage of the i7-2920.
i7-2920 fan: FRU P/N 04W0437 Workstation 55W Furukawa Electric Co.
i7-2820 fan: FRU P/N 04W1574 Rev 1.08

So if you have sensitive ears (like I do), watch out for that!

Or perhaps it was just that one fan that is noisy?

 

Laptops in general are not designed to have upgradable components like the CPU or GPU. Theoretically you could get a 2720QM and replace it later with a 2820QM or something, but the utility of that upgrade would be questionable. The difficulty lies in making sure that the BIOS supports the new CPU and that the socket is the same. Any of the current gen Sandy Bridge quad cores should work, but it seems like a lot of work for not a ton of gain. Future CPUs will likely have different sockets and architectures which would prevent you from upgrading. The GPU is soldered to the motherboard.

It's hard to know why you are not seeing the 2000M on Lenovo's website, it could be a function of the country you are in not offering a given option. From the USA side I recently customized a w520 with the 2000M so I know it's there.