Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

Flash likes to kick it into discrete mode. I have the NVidia settings set to default to integrated GPU

This is more of an Optimus issue.

I'm not seeing fan craziness with or without TPFC.

Erm. The HD3000 is more than enough for BluRay decoding for me. I think something is wrong with your system there. I'm playing with Splash Pro. I found NVidia's video processing was lower in quality.

IE, like most browsers, still defaults to 32-bit. Flash's 64-bit plug-in is new. You can find Internet Explorer (64-bit) in the Start Menu, but IE9's 64-bit JavaScript engine isn't as good.

 

Is this the correct one for the HD3000?

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Windows 7* 64, Windows Vista* 64
Win7Vista_64_15221.exe
Version:15.22.1.64.2361

 

Uhh... just putting it out there... I think the HD 3000's HW decoder is much better than NVIDIA's PureVideo engine for HW decoding. I can watch 6 simultaneous 1080p H.264 videos in MPC-HC with the HD 3000, and only 3 with the Quadro 1000M before it becomes choppy.

 

^^ good info

 

What he said.

 

Have 2 problems atm

Sometimes starcraft 2 dont activate discrete and rebooting dont really help and I have forced it to use discreet I think but dunno

Also for some reason my computer has startet going to sleep at random points :S today it did it in the middle of a sc2 game while docked it my dockingstation

edit: the sc2 mighnt not be a gfx problem but my cpu being stock at 800mhz :S

 

hey ddong, appreciate your input on this thread

on a related note, my W520 has left Shanghai finally !!

I should have it on Monday, 'play' with it for a day or two with a HDD

do an install or two

will report my findings

and whatnot

........

they call them "drivers"

but who is driving whom ??

 

Any new bios to donwload to fix 800mhz bug? its bios 1.30

edit: reinstalling the bios seemed to fix it :/

 

Hhmm well, after i installed right drivers, Optimus turns the Quadro on when i launch VLC or MPC (this is the default optimus setting for these programs..) and with it no problems, with HD3000 it's not ok at all, and i agree that's not normal, but i installed the drivers still!

 

hello lenovo owners
maybe I'll be one of you if I found out 520w fits my demands
can you please tell me if it fits me or the features are more what I need
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...ing-video-ae-designing-ps-ai.html#post7977006

thanks in advance

 

Could you explain?

Also, I am not a graphics card expert and am a bit confused about the integrated vs discrete mode.

For example: I have noticed that Microsoft Expression Web 4 seems to run faster when I have an external monitor connected (which I suppose forces discrete mode).

Perhaps I should chose the "Run with graphics processor" option, when I launch the program? (Why does it default to "integrated"?)

 

If you have problems with the Optimus technology, you could always manually switch to the Intel or nVidia GPUs. When you turn on your computer and the Thinkpad splash screen pops up, hit F1 and go to Config > Display > (Integrated or Discrete GPU). Click F10, save and restart.

 

You can define application rules in the NVidia control panel.
Right click a program (any program, actually), "Run with graphics processor", "Change default graphics processor".

Here you can define a specific graphics processor for each program, i.e. force Firefox's plugin-container.exe to run on integrated only, and Expression Web to run on the discrete graphics card.

----------------

Remember the strobe effect if you waved your fingers in front of a CRT monitor at a low refresh rate?
Anyone notice the same effect happens on the W520 screen at all brightnesses except for 15?

Really not amused by LED backlighting in it's brightness control paradigm. =/

 

Thanks. I now specified NVIDIA 3D settings to run "Microsoft Expression Web" on the discrete card. (I think this is better than setting it in BIOS, since I want to preserve the battery optimisation features of the Optimus technology)

How did you figure out that Firefox's plugin-container.exe should best run on integrated only?

 

Because otherwise it would turn on the discrete GPU just for a Youtube video, and that was just plain overkill.

 

Hi everyone, just barely 3months after having W520..it seems that the fan noise has been getting louder(rattling sound like something is loose) do anyone have the same problem as me?

 

Haven't really noticed anything other than the common problem with Thinkpads where the fan will rev high for a moment, then normal for ~5 seconds, then rev again, repeat. However, that's not much of an issue unless you actually try looking for it.

 

I thought that was fixed?

 

It sometimes happens to me whenever it's real quite and I notice it. I haven't bothered downloading and running TPFanControl or anything like that, so that's why I still have the "problem".

 

Weird. It does look like you're a few BIOS versions behind though...

 

True. Mine shipped with 1.25 iirc, and I upgraded to 1.26 to fix throttling issues. I haven't had any problems since, so I don't feel the need to update the BIOS at the moment.

 

1.26 also fixed the pulsing fan issue, so you shouldn't hear the fan go up every 5 seconds.

 

Well, I haven't bothered hearing the fan since updating to 1.26

I'm sure it's fixed by now I would imagine (especially after looking over the 1.26 BIOS documentation again), it's just that I probably haven't noticed due to being busy with other things.

 

UPS just left...

I haz a new W520

wooooooooh hooooooooo !!!

(hopefully issue free lol)

 

btw, the extra $25 for Express shipping was worth it imo

it left Shanghai China on Friday and I received it in Portland, Oregon USA on Monday before 10:30am



*and yes, it went from Anchorage Alaska to Louisville Kentucky then back to the West Coast lol

 

I have a question re: upgrading the memory

It came with one 4gig stick which is in one of the slots under the keyboard

and there is 2 slots open under the bottom of the case

So.....

To install my 2 sticks of matching 4gig Ram I had waiting,,,,,

do I remove the stick of ram under the keyboard and put my new sticks of ram in those two slots ??

or can I leave the existing ram in the slot 'a' under the keyboard

and put my new ram sticks in slot 'a' and 'b' under the case

and have 12 gigs of ram lol

btw, I have the i7 Dual core, not the Quad

thanks

 

I believe you use both A slots (1 under keyboard and 1 under laptop). Since you have the dual core, the max it will support is just two modules, not four. You need a quad core to use the other two slots.

 

yeah I know, I mentioned it to let people know before giving me an answer to my prob

ok thanks, just need some confirmation

I never had a lappy with 4 dimm slots lol

 

well after a search it appears it is the same as the W510

What is the correct DIMM slot order to populate additional memory DIMMs - ThinkPad W510, W701, W701ds

In my situation I put one module in slot 'a' under the keyboard

and the other module in slot 'a' under the laptop bottom

*sigh

 

Uhh... you should have 2 dummy cards with the dual core CPU. Don't put the RAM module in one with a dummy card (and there should only be 1 free). In other words, you should put the RAM in the slot on top under the keyboard, and the slot on the left (closer to the Ultrabay) on the bottom.

 

yeah thanks, I saw the dummy card, and installed in the two slots you mentioned

kb was a bit of a pita tho'

overall very nice machine

cleaned up the junk and tweaked win7

making recovery discs now

then will start installing and enjoying this puppy

 

A few weeks back, someone noted that the Lenovo Multiple Monitor document was now showing that you could run up to 4 display monitors, counting the built-in Thinkpad screen. Previously, the limit was 3 monitors total.

I bought a Series 3 Plus 170W dock in August 2011, when the limit was three. I ordered, and received according to the packing slip, a 433830U. The "30U" part is not displayed on the label, however. It just says "Type 4338." After the serial no. it shows "11/3," which I presume is a manufacturing date of March 2011.

My questions have to do with "What changed to now allow four monitors?" and "Will my dock work with 4 monitors?" Was the 3-monitor limitation in the dock itself, in the Thinkpad W520, or elsewhere?

Thanks for any guidance.

(My dream, should I win the lottery, is to set up three 24-inch 16:10 monitors as the front windshield and two side windows for my flight simulator...)

 

guys, i'm not sure if my concern has been discussed in prev pages.

i just received my w520. i installed audio and photo editing softwares (adobe cs5,lightroom,nero,etc.) tried some to run and found no problems so far. only when i tested it with pinnacle studio 14 video editor and played prince of persia 1080p mkv-converted-video where i noticed dragging, skipping and lost frames. i also used both vlc and powerdvd 11, used all video codecs but still the same annoying results.
i went to bios, disabled nvidia optimus and switch it to discreet. ps14, vlc and powerdvd played the movie smoothly without losing frames.

my question is, how come nvidia optimus is not functioning? i thought it will automatically switch graphics when high performance is needed? if i'll let it stay on discreet just to cope up with my working softwares, what's the use of nvidia optimus then? or is there something wrong my system?

 

Have you tried just using integrated to see what happens?

 

Hi guys

I have just placed an order for my new w520. I have found the B&N discount in this thread. Thanks guys.

I have a couple of questions regarding RAM and SSD.

SSD:
I would like a complete replacement for my desktop, so I am going to do a raid 0 setup.

By the time I receive my machine the Intel 520's should be out, but I was also thinking of a Mushkin deluxe. Does anyone have experience with the later? How is the GC on it? Do you have any suggestions to stable raid0 SSD setups? And is trim working or not in raid, it seems it's not, but that also seem very strange as Intel supports it!?

RAM:
Simply; What is the best 4GB brick for this baby? I just can't spend the money for 8GB bricks.

Thanks, great to read this thread, though it contains more info than my brain can handle. Why I had to ask, sorry for this.

RGG

 

If T-series with discrete graphics is plugged into either 90W and 170W version of Minidock Plus 3, it can drive 4 monitors (counting the built-in). The document just got a bit of copy/paste, to explicitly demonstrate that quadcore T520 (which requires 170W dock) also can do that.

W520, with Quadro graphics, is limited to two external monitors + laptop screen. If need more, the only option is USB->DVI adapters or external video card via ExpressCard slot (ala Vidock etc).

 

thnks for the quick reply cmpengr.

yes i just did, and it played well with ps14 and powerdvd, played smoothly on vlc default video output though it was draggin on some vlc codecs.

which means there's something wrong with nvidia optimus function? or the bios?

 

Make sure you order a W520 with RAID enabled. The Lenovo order site does not really make it clear that RAID CANNOT be enabled later on an non-RAID W520 motherboard.

Intel does not support trim with RAID, but it's not a big deal, since GC (garbage collection) works great on the Intel 510 SSDs.

 

Crap. I have a W520 with Quadro 2000M.

Where is the limitation--in the W520 BIOS or firmware? If in BIOS, this could be remedied, but not if in firmware, right?

 

aries disable PCIe power management in bios, let me know if that helps any.. this with optimus enabled

 

In nVidia Quadro Optimus implementation, which is of different kind than that of NVS-series. Considering that you only lose connection through VGA port, which is not ideal for connecting larger screens, it's not that big deal.

There are other limitations as well. AFAIR it's also not possible to drive 2 external monitors with "Discrete video only" set in BIOS, as the system insists that laptop display must be one of the monitors.

 

The remedy for that is to close the laptop lid (make sure it isn't set to sleep when you do so). Then it'll use both externals as the internal gets disconnected.

 

Unless you're running a game on all monitors, the USB2DVI adapter from Lenovo works quite well for Web/Office use. You can also play video on it (though some people report issues, I've had excellent luck with Silverlight videos).

 

Anyone tried USB->DVI adapters on a W520? On earlier Thinkpads, these are crap; way too slow, lots of tearing, etc.

Wondering if plugging in one of these into a USB 3.0 port would perform any better than on the older USB 2.0 setups.

 

I use HIS MultiView II to connect 20" Dell as 3rd monitor ( HIS Multi View II Adapter - Computer & Consumer Electronic Reviews ) , with the device plugged-in into the USB hub on the monitor itself.

No problems whatsoever, with Aero etc, but I mainly use it office/text display.

 

Only if the adapter is 3.0 compliant.

 

Maybe, but unlikely. From my testing, the USB 3.0 ports are about 10% faster than the USB 2.0 ports, likely due to the controller difference.

 

Not all companies have registered their programs with Nvidia. It sounds like you need to (with Optimus enabled) right click on the shortcut to your slow-running program and add it to the list of programs to run in Discrete mode. Note: You will need to drill down to where the .exe file is located.

 

Hope this is appropriate to post here, if not a Mod can move it.....make it a 'tread'

I realize this is a mini review lol.

.......

Just got my W520 a couple days ago. Shipping, packing and build time were all good for me.
Pretty damm quick.

I stuck with the factory install and immediately removed stuff and cleaned her up.
Software wise I removed pretty much ALL bloatware including Lenova extras.
Then got all the Windows 7 updates.

Came with BIOS 1.30

Excellent build quality as usual, albeit with caveats....

The battery, 9 cell, is loose as a goose.

Unlocking/opening closed screen is less than perfect. Does not work quite right.
Half of the time you can release the catch and open the screen no problem.
And the other half of the time the catch sticks or is off and you have to play with it. Not cool.

Keyboard is ok and not bad. But not like a ol' T60 or T43, or a Dell 620 for that matter. I am just ok happy with it.
The quality has went down.

I have a creak when pressed in the left palmrest area.

No creak or weakness around and under the dvd 'slot' and body. Excellent tight fit and finish with the dvd bay drive.
No creaks anywhere else.

USB 3 is blazing and works properly, mostly. There are two places, after first use one spot 'pooted" out on me and became slow but the other works fine. ??

ALSO, when I have my external HDD (USB 3 and 2) connected to one of the USB 3 ports my wireless Logitech 'nano' mouse gets 'wonky', seriously. The cursor jumps and has a ghost up in it. Disconnect External harddrive from the USB 3 port and my mouse works fine. Again, ?!!

I have moved the nano 'receiver' for my mouse to other ports. Still happens.

Screenflex is slight with ZERO screen degradation.

The 1600x900 is great imo, looks great and very bright. No dead pixels or leakage so far.
Pita to resize movies compared to a 1366x768.
As to size for eyes, this is good and pushes the limit. If you are doubtful as to whether a certain screen
will suit you for everyday use, movies, etc. Then do NOT go with the FHD. This is HD+ and although I am
ok with it and overall happy. Still adjusting.

I have had no issues with Optimus, any stuttering with video playback, flash, browsing, etc.
I have used both Intel as default and Nvidia.

Crazy enough, the Intel Graphics looks better in a HD movie than the Nvidia. Yet another !!

Overall the system MOVES and is VERY fast. Even with the Seagate 500gig 7200 they provided.
I will be going to a Crucial M4 tomorrow....

I have had NO issues with Fan 'throttling' or noise. In fact the system has been very 'cool'.

I have also had NO bsod's, shutdowns, or crazy behavior yet either. Mind you it has been 3 days now....

As to cpu throttling, if I unplug and am on battery only it throttles down to 800mhz, 1200 mhz at best,
even under High Performance mode in Windows with settings tweaked to max speed for cpu. Very not cool.
Asshats.

Plug back in and it's fine, turbos to 3300mhz no prob.

You cannot shut off the internal mousepad with an external mouse connected, automatically, easily,
otherwise or at all. Except thru BIOS which is a major Pita.

Dell Latitudes software had a quick and ez tick option to auto shut off the internal mouse etc.
when an external mouse was detected. Lenovo FAIL.

The Audio SUCKS !!!!!!! Never mind the internal speakers, but connecting through the 'headphone' jack
to external Bose speakers. Ack !! It is muffled and dulled. Sounds like shiate. Bad Lenovo, very very bad.

I have literally went thru 5 laptops in the last month. Mostly for friends. Clean installs, fix em up and tweak.
An HP dv4, 2 Asus mainstreams, 2 Lenovo V570's, etc. and the audio was excellent on all of these.
Also I have had many Dell Latitudes over the years and they always had excellent audio quality right out of the box.

WHY dumb down the audio on a $1000++ W520 "Workstation" ??!! Lenovo, c'mon.

Your lucky people are 'dumb' enough to keep buying your product.

Performance wise this baby rocks and is the 'coolest' I have had yet.

Gotta love Sandy.

USB 3 speed




This is in 'idle'






This is with a couple movies playing simultaneously and Firefox running and a couple progs




This is with almost 20 programs open and running, Firefox running with over 20 tabs open, 2 movies playing in MPC and 1 in WMP
all at the same time




I have no 'glitches' as to the above. Runs fine, fast and cool.

............


Would be nice to find a close to perfect business class workstation. Made well, with proper hardware, software and drivers.

Seems like a pipedream right now.

Overall I was happy and thrilled with a $500 to $600 unit from Bestbuy. HP, Asus and Lenova.
All consumer line but worked great.

I am willing to spend money for better.

Maybe it's time I stop paying premium for the BS and defuncts in the present wannabee Business Class notebooks from lenovo
and be happy with performance and price from a great mainstream consumer unit.

That is all.

 

Agreed, but probably only because I got an ALPS instead of a Chicony or NMB, both of whiich I preferred over the ALPS on my T400.

Might want to give your screws a tightening.

Good idea. I'd add Firefox's plugin-container.exe to force it to Intel just in case though.

Agreed. Intel movie decoding is just better overall.QUOTE=voostro;7987699]You cannot shut off the internal mousepad with an external mouse connected, automatically, easily, otherwise or at all. Except thru BIOS which is a major Pita.
Dell Latitudes software had a quick and ez tick option to auto shut off the internal mouse etc.
when an external mouse was detected. Lenovo FAIL.[/QUOTE]Too quick to uninstall the Lenovo stuff. Fn+F8 lets you disable the touchpad xor TrackPoint. Disabling the TrackPoint should be enough. This is provided by the UltraNav utility.

I use iPod headphones (which in itself is pretty bad) so I can't hear any W520 sound output issues, but AFAICT it's fine to me. Have you tried tweaking the sound card's audio output to 24-bit, 192000Hz and disabling all enhancements?