Thinkpad T510 Owners lounge

Yeah. The graphic sucks. Otherwise, it's a gorgeous machine. T510 is probably the borderline compromise I can have between performance and portability (T410s: wonderful machine practically adds no weight to your pack, but lack the performance I seek / T410: highly portable but lower performance / W510: power sink, could barely take it out for long on battery)

 

So what's your real world battery life lkpcampion? I'm particularly interested in yours since you have the exact configuration I was looking at.

 

The graphics suck? Are you talking about with the Nvidia chip? Are we talking about running the screen with a 60 HZ refresh rate? I thought the screen was pretty nice especially for a matte screen.

 

I do agree with lkp, it is gorgeous!

 

Graphics in terms of how much computing power the gpu has. I realize the screen is great, but the gpu is weaker then what I'd like to see in a brand new machine. The T61P (2 generations out now) had an Nvidia chip that's just as fast as the 3100m that's available now. For a 2+ year old machine (ancient in the computer world) to be equal to a brand new redesign is a little frustrating.

 

Well, I fiddled around with the power manager a bit. When in AC, I always max out everything to rip the best performance.

I configure the 'power source optimized' scheme to do these when on battery:

Max CPU: Adaptive
CPU Deeper Sleep: Enabled
Optimize fan control: Balance all parameters
Display brightness: 8
Auto optical drive power off: disabled (I used to have it enabled, but it fails to power up again with PM ver 3.12 when i plug it in again, so I disable it)

Dim display: 5 min
Dimmed brightness: 4
Lower refresh rate: 15 mins
Lower to: 50 Hz
Turn off display: 15 mins

....I have a SSD, other settings are not that crucial. With all these, when I am continually working on the computer (email/outlook, browser, itune, evernote etc...normally 3-5 tasks active concurrently), the estimated time left on the battery icon is ~4:35 hour when I have ~87% of battery. When I leave it idle and the power saving kicks in, it once says the battery can sustain for 10+ hours, although regularly it's like ~7 hours when i am flipping between active and idle state.

I've heard battery life can be better with an i5. I am looking into if there's any easy way to down clock it on the fly if needed. Anyone knows?

 

Maybe you can try RM Clock. But I don't know if it runs on new TP...

 

It doesn't say that it supports the newer core ix series CPU though. Not sure if I should risk.

 

Yeah, I've also read that for the small performance gain from I5->I7 you spend a fair chunk more in power.

 

solved my own question...

 

I have a T61 with discrete graphics that gets extremely hot now after only a few years of graphically light use. It makes me very hesitant to go for a discrete T510 with the same card manufacturer. I worry that the issue remains unresolved.

Looking at the design of the T61 and T510, what are the chances there will be heat related issues in a T510 with discrete?

Also, is there any hope for being able to configure FullHD and integrated graphics?

Also, if I ordered from Lenovo Canada, would I have trouble using the warranty from a US address or extending the warranty with Lenovo US?

 

I can't speak specifically for these 2 models, but in the past few years a lot of work has gone into increasing efficiency of CPUs, and increased efficiency means less heat. I have a new Dell laptop here that runs a good 15 degrees cooler than a Dell I had from 1.5 years ago. It's a good bet that any newer system is going to run cooler than an older one.

 

If your thinkpad is making a quiet high-pitched whining sound, it could be because of the mic. Try muting the mic and see if the sound goes away.

 

If your thinkpad is making a quiet high-pitched whining sound, it could be because of the mic. Try muting the mic and see if the sound goes away.

 

T510 Test on Notebook check http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-Thinkpad-T510-4349-4JG-Notebook.25722.0.html

 

I sent my order in, but I'm not expecting anything for quite some time!

 

Reading that review, I have to say I am quite glad I got my T500 when I did. Nothing about the update appeals frankly.

 

I would be extremely grateful if a T510 owner would check to see if this generation/model of Thinkpad allows "STEREO MIX" as a recording source?

To check this (in case you don't know how), in the SOUND applet in the control panel, goto the RECORDING tab. Right click inside the window and make sure "SHOW DISABLED DEVICES" is CHECKED. If STEREO MIX is available for recording, it should appear in this window.

All of the current gen T series have not had the stereo mix option. I fear the T510 won't either, but I thought I'd ask here. Both Lenovo and Sony seem to adhere to wishes of the recording industry and disable this through the audio chipset. Acer, HP, Dell, Toshiba all have stereo mix available.

TIA

 

Just checked, no Stereo Mix unfortunately.

 

Dammit. I can't believe they are STILL blocking this.

Thx eXtreme

 

Yeah my T510 just has Internal Microphone.

 

And I should add: I just finally officially joined the owner's club here since my T510 was delivered this afternoon.

 

I'm on my way towards joining. Yesterday I ordered a T510, HD+, i5-540, 4GB single DIMM with integrated graphics and two mini dock plus'. I ordered a Seagate 500GB 7200 FDE (encrypted) drive from Newegg ($130!).

I debated about integrated vs. discrete, but I don't game, and like the idea of longer battery life, smaller battery, smaller adapter, cooler operation.

I'd finally read enough impressions about the HD+ screen to go for it. There was concern about its brightness, but most are saying it is fine.

I sprung for the single DIMM so I could expand later just by adding a module instead of replacing both.

I need FDE for my profession and Lenovo only offered the 250GB disk. $130 for 500GB at newegg is so reasonable, that I went for it. I hear it's a pain to configure from scratch, but it'll be an adventure.

I ordered two mini dock plus', one for home, one for work. An added advantage is they come with an eSata port. That makes up for the one I lost with the integrated graphics choice. I'd love USB3.0, but don't want to go up to the W510. I can always get an express card adapter when the standard catches on more. Lenovo couldn't accommodate my request of two docks keyed the same. I'll have to see if my locksmith can help with that.

Shipping date is 3/14. I couldn't get free shipping since I live in Alaska (Anchorage). Odd since it seems all the units going to the lower 48 stop here anyway. Go figure! Only $25 shipping so I can't complain.

 

Congrats and I hope you don't have to wait too long! Interesting they charged you for shipping. I'm south of you in Vancouver BC and shipping was free for me. It did however take a very ODD route: UPS flew it over the Atlantic to Ontario, and then trucked it out to Vancouver. This seems horribly inefficient to me--Shenzhen (where it came from) is right on the Pacific ocean, as is Vancouver. it could have been here in significantly less than the 8 business days it took (pure shipping time). Oh well.

 

Mine was delivered this afternoon too! Ordered on Feb 14th, delivered today.

So far I like everything, except high pitch noise coming from CPU, how can I disable it? It's really annoying...

Is it Intel's speedstep ?

Does anyone else experience the same issue?

PS: i5 540 with Intel HD

 

I haven't noticed any high pitch noise yet. I just lifted mine up and put my ear near the bottom and couldn't hear anything but a slight fan noise. I'm usually pretty sensitive to annoying high-pitch noises so I'll keep an ear out for it. I have the same CPU and gfx as you.

 

When you'll have time, could you please post your BIOS settings for CPU power... although I doubt is there any difference here.. and your video driver's version?

Have you tweaked any video settings? Like performance or anything else?


It may sound weird, but I had a similar problem with my T61, which appeared right after I upgraded video driver for x3100, I just rolled back to initial one that it came with and I never heard that sound again.... right now I'm using Linux on it.. and again no high pitch sound....

Oh, one more thing, could you please check the power settings in Lenovo's Power Manager tool? Go to advanced mode and Global Power settings tab and scroll down.
I just disabled power management for CPU and PCI bus(and restarted windows), and I stopped to hear it.

Thank you in advance.

 

I'll try to get back to you on this late this evening or sometime over the weekend.

 

Please too. I'm experiencing some whining, for which I chose to spend an extra $29 for a 1-year on site. Not very loud, but I plan to drag techs in and out of my place until they can fix this for me.

 

Could you try to disable power management for CPU and PCI bus in Power managent tool from Lenovo? I think it worked for me.. but I need to spend more time with the new T510... to see if it really worked or it's just me not hearing it anymore

 

I think I did disable (and Reboot) them already. Would you mind explaining more specifically what you mean by 'disabling power management for CPU & PCI bus' however? There are 3 settings I spot and for CPU speed I don't see a disable option.

 

I meant this (see attached image).

PS: I'm pretty sure that it reduces pitch noise enough for me at least.

 

I just got an email that my order shipped! It was scheduled for 3/14, then the date disappeared, then I got the email. No tracking info yet, so I'm not sure for sure, but looking good. That's only three days after order!

 

I did what you showed. The high pitch noise does sound a little less audible when on battery. It's even better when on AC, as always. I can still hear some whines when I am attentive, but I am not in a quiet enough room right now. Guess there's hardly any objective way to quantify it, but feeling-wise it seems better.

I wonder how much battery we lose by doing this. I would expect we don't have to do this for a $1500 laptop (at least for my config.)

 

It was just my docks that shipped. There was a choice on the order page to ship as things are available, to hold till all was together, or only ship things when the computer ships. I picked the last option, but it evidently made no difference.

And the computer portion of the order still has a blank estimated shipping date!

 

I just pulled my trigger on T510, anyway, after purchasing the machine, it's time to get into the work. But i'm happy to be part of the Thinkpad family. My portable laptop is my DELL M1210, and after i changing the fan several weeks ago it's alike fresh new(though it's over 2.5 years) and quite quiet....But a lit slow and I don't want to install a Win7 on it to torture it. LOL.

This is my T510 configration:

Intel Core i5-520M Processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)
GenuineWindows 7 Professional 64
15.6" HD+ Anti-Glare Display with LED Backlight and WWAN AntennaIntel
HD Graphics with Always On USB
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Multi Recorder Optical Drive (12.7mm)
9 cell Li-Ion Battery
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000 (1X2 BGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
4313 : 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller

I hesitated a while about the discrete card or the integrated card, but during my 2.5 years of M1210, i rarely play a kind of game like WOW or FARCRY, and playing Warcraft or watching 720P movie is smooth on it, so i think that's not a problem on T510, i just chose integrated card to make the laptop cooler and quieter...

Anyway, i like its style and solid design.

 

I begin to suspect the whining noise may be a little ram related. For some reason, when I enable 'Large System Cache' in Win 7, the whining noise comes back pretty audible, although PCI/CPU power managements are already disabled. Plus the high pitch noise increases during internet browsing after I set Firefox to use memory cache rather than disk cache (to preserve my SSD), which increases RAM read/write.

I check the RAM is manufactured by Elpida. Does anyone know who and how good they are? Does this company still exist?

 

I talked to a Lenovo tech and they said they are familiar with a high pitched whine that is caused by the mic. Try muting the mic and let us know if this fixes the problem or not. Thanks

 

Nope. I tried when it whined. The noise has nothing to do with the mic (at least in my case).

 

Nope, it's not the mic. It may seem that it comes from left speaker, but it's not, it's coming from beneath speaker... so I'd assume CPU/GPU....

 

Has anyone considered that it might be fan noise? I can actually hear it now and it it mildly annoying. But I'm not convince it's not a mercahnical noise from the running fan just yet. I guess we could try that tpfancontrol program to basically force the fan off for a short while and listen for any change to the noise. I'm too tired to try this tonight, esepcially since I've never used tpfancontrol before (so I'll want to be more alert to check it out).

 

I am pretty sure that it's not the fan, though it shouldn't hurt to check it out. TPFanControl doesn't run on mine however - not sure why.

The noise sounds electric current related.

 

Can any owners confirm that the T510 [15.6" HD+ Anti-Glare Display with LED Backlight] is higher quality display than the ones in the T400 and X200?

 

Never seen any of the T400/X200 on hand, so can't comment. Sorry. Maybe some else can help. Personally the HD+ is good enough for me, and I moved from a T43p (2686)

 

After weeks of waiting and a few frustrated emails to my rep, my T510 with non-multitouch FHD shipped today.

Ordered: 2010-02-03
Shipped: 2010-03-08

Thinkpad T510:
Windows 7 Professional 64
Discrete NVIDIA graphics card
i7-620 processor
15.6 FHD with LED WW
UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader
Intel Centrino 6300
Gobi 2000 Qualcomm
Express Card 5-1 Media Card Reader
Integrated Bluetooth
Modem
9-cell Battery
4GB of Memory
128 SSD
Integrated Camera
40Y7696 - ThinkPad 65W AC Adapter
41U5008 - ThinkPad Bluetooth Laser Mouse
43N3412 - ThinkPad Serial Hard Drive Bay Adapter III

Total came to CAD $1713 before taxes. Estimated delivery time is Thursday or Friday of this week.

 

I am having the same high pitch noise.

I've tried disabling CPU and PCI power management in the BIOS as well as in the Lenovo Power Management. None of them worked for me.

I am sending back my T510 for repair. Hopefully they can fix this problem.

 

Have you called them? I haven't yet... but thinking about it.

 

I've called. Will send it back hopefully tomorrow.

 

Have had it for almost a month now, and I absolutely love it. Adding memory and swapping hdd was a piece of cake and really improved the performance. Windows 7 runs very smoothly and is great. Battery life is pretty good for a 15.6" screen and discrete graphic card, but I do have to play with power settings a little more than I would like. I usually get around 6-7 hrs of life. But, I usually don't let the battery power slide below 40% and charge it till 90%

Screen (HD+) is pretty good and I like some of the Lenovo software that came with it. I usually un-install that stuff, but it makes managing battery profiles and Internet connections easy.

I really like the keyboard on this. It takes couple of weeks to get used to it, since the keys are closer to each other. It is a little loud than my previous thinkpad though. I like the big 'ESC' and 'Delete' keys.

Not a fan of volume controls. Sometimes I press them but nothin' happens, unless I push on them harder.

Love the fingerprint scanner. I hardly ever use the power button to turn on the computer. Use the fp scanner to turn on and automatically log into your computer.

I disabled the pinch to zoom functions of the mouse-pad. The mouse-pad itself is nice, but I preferred the one available in older models. Don't get me wrong, this one is very nice too.

It doesn't get very hot even after working on it for hours. Power adapter on the other hand gets really really hot. Also, the adapter doesn't have a led, not sure why they decided to do that.

Sound is surprisingly good. I don't expect Thinkpads to have very good sound quality, this one exceeded my expectations.

I wish it had HDMI and USB 3.0 but oh well. The laptop is very sturdy and solid. Really like the build of it. The form factor is not thin, but it's not thick either. All in all, a great laptop for under $1200 (with my configuration) and would highly recommend to anyone who is lookin' for a 15.6" laptop. I would have preferred the 16:9 ratio, but you can't have everything.

 

Thanks for that short review! Really makes me want to order mine.

If I could just get the online store to work...