Thinkpad W701 Owners Lounge

Hey all, 2 other questions for you:

1. When I ordered my laptop this afternoon, I chose to put 4gb of 1066 RAM (PC3-8500) in it. I could have paid $150ish more for 4GB of 1333 RAM. Would this upgrade be worth it or am I basically tossing my money at Lenovo?

2. I chose to not get the wacom tablet / color sensor. Is this upgrade worth it? The color sensor looks to me like it is very useful. I don't really need the tablet, so I guess I'm more asking about the usefulness of the color sensor.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

I've bought one with 4Gb and then upped it to 6Gb by buying 2x1Gb on eBay for about $5

From what I've seen, the pre-built model with color sensor and digitizer did cost less than custom-built model without it and equivalent other hardware.

 

Crucial sells 4gb modules for $129. So the price isn't that much different. Just depends on whether you want the memory that Lenovo chooses for your system or custom memory.

The calibrator helps your screen match the real world, so that when you print photos, they will look the way they do on the screen.

I am having an issue with my Wacom digitizer... It doesn't work!

It was working fine on Friday, then all of a sudden it no longer works. I put the pen to the tablet, and nothing happens. I didn't install anything out of the ordinary. Device manager and ThinkVantage show that everything is working properly.

Also, if you are thinking about buying one, I highly recommend getting something other than the 5400 rpm drive. This drive is PAINFULLY slow. I thought I could live with it for a while until I get money for a SSD, but it almost unbearable.

 

Thanks for the advice (along with everyone else!). After doing some research, I've found that the 1333 MHz memory really doesn't make any noticeable difference over the 1060Mhz memory so I'm going to stick with the latter. Also, I decided to add the wacom tablet to my laptop since I think it might be helpful for note-taking. Hopefully, mine will not die on me!

 

Mine still ok after 2 months. It's quite good alternative to touchpad when you work without mouse.

 

Yes.

After doing a factory reset, my pen tablet is still non-functional. So, I'm sending it in for repair after having it for only 4 days!

The first tech support guy I talked to was a real jerk, too! He said that Adobe Production Suite was probably causing the problem. I was like, "I don't think so...". But he insisted I uninstall it. He was wrong.

Luckily everybody else I talked to at tech support was very nice and understanding.

The last guy I talked to told me the turn around time is usually only a few days.

 

Grrrrr. Okay. I just tried to run the calibrator again and now IT doesn't work!

HueyPro says "Sensor not detected."

I have run the ThinkVantage tool a million times and it always says "Everything is fine!" and I'm like "the hell it is!".

Are you guys using the ThinkVantage driver and update tool? Is there a better way to make sure all drivers are properly installed? I'm going nuts and no one at Lenovo seems to have a clue.

 

Maybe the connectors got dislodged, you can take palmrest off and check.
(you can see how to do it at W700/W700ds videos there - Lenovo Service and Support Training)

 

Well, all cables are properly seated. Nothing looks out of the ordinary.

Only thing I can think of is a driver issue. I'm going to continue being enraged...

 

Sent it in. Got it back. Took three days. Felt like 3 hours.
It works. I'm HAPPY!

Everything works like a charm. Lenovo customer service and Mark_Lenovo at Lenovo forums was really awesome! He talked me down out of my buyers' rage.

Just calibrated my handwriting. Very neat.

Also calibrated the screen. So pretty. Open three browser tabs. Search Google Images for "Neon blue, neon green, and hot pink" Flip back and fourth between them and be amazed.

The blood in Left 4 Dead has such a pop to it.

 

I am currently considering getting myself an W701 to replace my Alienware M17x which I will probably return to Dell, and I have a few questions that I can't seem to find answers for.

Are all 1920x1200 screens RGB LED on the W701? I see some W701's with just 1920x1200 LED in their description at local shops.

Does the W701 come with an extra HDD caddy (does it even need one?) when you buy it with a single drive? I'm planning to add an SSD for my OS next to the 320G drive it comes with.

As far as I know there are no 512M SoDimms in DDR3, so if I get the machine with 2G I can easily add 4G or 8G myself, right? It should have two slots empty?

Thanks guys!

 

Yes, there is only one type of 1920x1200 screen panel part and this is RGB LED from Samsung.
1440x900 however has 2 different part types possible, both matte WLED, one from Samsung, other from LG.

It does not. However it's easy to buy caddies. I have bought mine on eBay quite cheaply.

Not sure about that, I have bought 4Gb model and it came with 2x2G SODIMMS, leaving 2 slots empty.

 

Thanks, that's just what I needed to know! I'm going for the RGB LED screen, just like in have in the M17x, so that's great.

A quick search confirms your suggestion. I found one in germany and it is not expensive.

Like you state in your signature, this is indeead a great base machine to expand to my own liking.

 

Just ordered a w701. Found pretty good price for EU. 1780EUR. It's quite basic system with i7-720, 320GB 7200rpm and 2GB ram, no wacom or calibrator. Plan to add ssd and 8-12GB memory.

Fingers crossed for a quick delivery!!!

 

Just done the same, mine is an NTV2EUK - is it the same spec as yours?

Paid a lot more for mine but had a hard time tracking one down in the UK and its still yet to arrive (due Monday)

Also have an Intel SSD (only 160GB) ready to fit, have to say I won't buy a mechanical drive again based on the SSD's performance in my CTX-Pro, it was amazing! Like you I will add at least another 2GB (Crucial Memory)

Hope I've made the right choice, need it as the core CAD station for my work.

 

Anyone know if W701 (with 1920x1200 screen) can be bought below $2500 before taxes in north america?
That's how much i can get it right now for with all the coupons and I'm wondering if it worth to wait a little for possible bigger discounts.

 

Same goes with me, I would'nt really settle for less now I've tried SSD.
I am getting 2x256GB (RAID0), would've gotten it already if not for the shop who sent it to my billing address instead of delivery address...

 

That looks like a shop product number to me, and not Lenovo's one. Could be wrong though. At least mine is in a different format, it's 2541 - 27G. Right now I'm installing the system on a 90GB OCZ Vertex2 SSD. I already have 12GB 1333 memory in it.

I'm a stop-motion animator, working mostly with various Adobe Master collection software. Got the 12GB memory especially for After Effects, as it'll swallow any amount you throw at it.

Got the computer from www.bluelink.nl, and SDD+DDR3 from ALTERNATE. Hardware - Software - Entertainment.

 

Thanks the info.

NTV2EUK is a standard Lenovo UK build and actually Bluelink stock an NTV2 which is 1.73Ghz with color sensor, digitizer, FX3800M - a much better spec than mine their price is around the same as Lenovo UK

I looked your model up and it seems very similar to mine, but much cheaper, so I wonder what the differences are?

Its hard to get the actual spec from Lenovo's site, but take a look and compare to yours, you could have got a bargain!

LENOVO THINKPAD W701 CI7/820QM-1.73G £1870.98 - Coastway Computers


Does anyone know if its possible to retro-fit a digitiser?

 

It is possible and quite easy - palmrest part needs to be replaced with one with penholder and digitizer.

not in stock...

 

Just compared the NTX27NU (2541-27G) to the NTV2EUK, it seems the latter has Intel Vpro, Fingerprint Reader and Trackpoint and is some 2130EUR + VAT (TAX) .... a lot more expensive.

All I know is everyone is sold out in UK, so its either brilliant or end-of-line.

Why is there a modem, is it mainly for the FAX?

Has anyone had any experience with Intel VPro technology?

 

From what I've seen the digitizer looks worth having as it will be used for PCB CAD design and Solidworks. Would you happen to know where I could get one from, or can Lenovo retro-fit one?

Incidentally my model is a 2500-2EG, however I'm not sure if it comes with the fingerprint reader, Lenovo's site says "no", most seller sites say "yes"

I've also ordered a mini-dock but again precisely what it will provide video wise is unclear. What I really need is twin screens i.e. the Lenovo + monitor, guess I'm assuming a unit of this spec can do it, 3 screens would be even better.

Its a bit confusing, guess I'll know soon...

 

The current parts list has no palmrest without a reader.

But personally I keep fingerprint reader disabled, since it actually reduces security (think about leaving your passwords on anything you touch).

You will need FRU# 60Y4938 - "Palm rest assembly with fingerprint reader, color sensor, and digitizer for W701 and W701ds"
You can get it from Lenovo parts shop

"Hotseller" cheap pre-built deal models are almost always sold out in UK. I found it easier to buy from US seller, even with taxes&shipping it was fair price and without hassle, also config was quite good.

 

Thanks for the kind help!

Actually considered the US, only thing was I was (still am) desperate for a m/c as my CAD work has come to a halt, perhaps mistakenly I assumed locally it would be here quicker.

Palm Rest Assy seems expensive, but it's impressive that Lenovo has such good spares support

 

I don't think it's that expensive if you add prices of components it does contain. The only Wacom digitizer would be about hundred I guess.

 

You could be right, its £236 + delivery.

All Lenovo W701 custom options include the FPR, Pantone+Wacom+Stylus are a +£128 option.

A Wacom Bamboo costs £50 (if its any good and not such a nice solution - cables), + the Pantone sensor and possibly + FPR - all adds up.

As the FPR isn't shown as an option, could it be on mine? -guess I will soon find out.

 

Took some time to read through the few posts (lots of useful information thanks Ingvarr) and gradually getting up-to-speed on Lenovo.

Didn't realise my old m/c was AKA Sager 5720-C so it will interesting to compare the W701 when I get it, so far I agree with comments about Sager, weight, 17" displays etc.

 

Ingvarr,

Have you fitted your SSD's yet?

This units got 2x320GB raided, are these CRU i.e. can I just take them out without affecting warranty?

Just made a recovery DVD and ready to fit just the one SSD. Anything else worth doing at this stage?

Also is there a good benchmark utility?

 

Yes, I've just migrated to my new SSDs. As you can imagine this is totally killer combo, literary rips through any task imaginable. Good benchmarks are CrystalDiskMark, HDTune and AS-SSD. I've posted my AS-SSD results here

HDDs are CRUs. You can replace them without affecting warranty (of course unless you somehow manage to damage you laptop by doing that).

 

Ingvarr, you have been missing out on a few great 3800m deals

Great enough that I just got one... without any laptop to put it in
And there was another listing that randomly ended unsold for 200$.

Of course, you may have something else in mind.
What do you know about the supposed openness of MXM 3.0 on this laptop? Were you thinking it would take a 6870?
With the w700 people have said that the cards are not totally compatible with other laptops, so it will be interesting to see if you get a 5870 in it as well as how this card I got works in a Clevo or MSI...

 

I know that Lenovo Quadros are using custom bios making them "locked" by usable only in Lenovos.
However AFAIK as long as MXM 3.0 card is unlocked, W701 should accept it.
Using ATI/AMD would create problems with custom RGB LED I2C control (its using NVidia API) - RGB LED color temp/gamut controls will most likely stop working. So NVidia cards are advised.
Now that Lenovo updated drivers to 2xx version and I've finalized my storage subsystem, I intend to start scouring sellers for good NVidia MXMs.
I am not very keen on putting 3800M in, I want to try something better first, 3800M is always an option if nothing else will work.

 

^^ And by better, you mean the FX5000M? That's a very expensive card ~2.5K. Also, HP8740w doesn't accept it unless you update the BIOS with an integrated support. Dunno if Lenovo whitelists/blacklists the cards but there's a chance you might need a new BIOS to even recognize the new card.

 

By better I mean 460M/470M/480M. I don't need Quadro, also they are almost always vendor-locked (thats why you need a new BIOS, with proper unlock code in it).

 

Good idea. I'm very curious about your progress - keep us posted, please!

 

Looks like I may be able to use Radeon after all. Prices on NVidias are killing me...

I have managed to successfully reverse-engineer low-level I2C control on Samsung RGB panel that W701 uses. That allows control over backlight color temperature and putting panel into sRGB mode ( very useful, wide gamut is rarely needed). Also allows to set funky colors on the RGB backlight instead of boring white
Obviously, standard Lenovo control panel uses NVidia API for i2C communication and will not work with Radeon.
But since I now know low-level protocol, I will be able to reproduce control using Radeon's own I2C API.

 

Seems all-quiet in this thread.

So a little question regarding memory upgrade.:-

Will opening up my laptop and installing additional memory myself affect the warranty?

The 4GB shipped in the unit is a single module and so running in single-channel mode. Will filling the slots to 16GB i.e. all slots occupied, automatically put it in dual-channel mode?

 

The DIMMs are CRU (customer-replaceable units), so changing them will not invalidate warranty, unless you actually damage something else while doing so.

As long as top and bottom slots contain pairs of equal DIMMs, it will automatically activate dual-channel mode.

 

Thanks Ingvarr, modules fitted, tested, all AOK.

In truth, anticipated this but it was good to get it confirmed!

 

It seems that W701 should accept almost any MXM 3.0 (Type B) module out there. At least mechanically - will it work and how well is another question
Article with photos.

 

W701 by JoelCDoyle, on Flickr

Here's mine after two months. Still awesome.

 

I've had w701 for about 2 months now. I got it with i7-720, 320GB, 2GB RAM and without wacom and calibrator. Since then I upgraded to 90GB SSD for a system drive, and 12GB 1333 RAM. I reinstalled Windows 7 pro to the SSD with Lenovo recovery disks.

Couple of issues I'd like to ask about:

1. The computer doesn't turn on screen saver, turn off monitor and doesn't go to sleep. Even when it's on hours without activity. All settings for screen savers and sleep are on. Should I reinstall power manager?

2. I got a scare a few weeks ago when I heard a metallic rattling sound from the fan on the right. It lasted for about two days on and off. I vacuum cleaned the fan, without an effect. I already contacted warranty, and they suggested to wait for few days, whilst the sound vanished. What are your thoughts? Maybe the bearings just needed some spinning time to get on going smoothly?

3. CPU temp. Normal light work temp is around 46-52C, but when I render a video from After Effects (all cores 100%), the temp rises up to 80C. I know i7 is specified up to 100C, but still 80C seems a bit high. If I would reapply the thermal paste, would this a) lower the temperature, b) finish my warranty?

All good apart from those. It's amazingly fast workstation. Faster than most of the desktop workstations I've used!!

 

1. That's why I never use default manufacturer installer windows, god knows how they screw with settings/registry. First thing I do - clean reformat/install from default MS distro.
2. I never had issue like this. Sounds like maybe some wire or other foreign object inside is touching the fan. I recommend opening the case and checking it up.
3. Not sure how thermal control works, I need to re-test mine i7-820 - I will tell you what temps I get.

 

Might be worth Googling, for example I found this:-

"http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7desktop/thread/c91674b0-110d-4503-b7ff-037b6eb507dc"

Also mentioned are mice continually waking up the PC, ditto some programs too.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

Ingvarr:
1. I'll have to think about the fresh install, when I have couple of days to spare. I already have CS5 Master collection, Maya 2011 and tons of other smaller software installed. Especially the CS5 takes ages to install. I already found an instructions for legal Win7 download: http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-7-download-links-just-like-vista-before.html

2. I might as well open the case. It was really fast and easy when I installed the RAM.

3. Do you happen to know about the warranty? Do I lose it if I apply thermal paste?

Oceanbrave: Many issues and fixes in the thread. I'll test some, but I'm a bit worried changing registry values etc, unless I'm sure it'll fix the problem.

 

CPUs are not user-replaceable so I am pretty sure this will affect warranty.

 

Create a restore point, you can undo any registry changes you make provided they are not catastrophic.

 

I've tested my i7-820QM with Prime95 all cores max burn, and it's the same - temp max is 80C. Fan was going about 2400RPM at this point.
It's how cooling system configured, below 80C fan is not increasing RPMs much, mostly because it's unnecessary (this temp is perfectly safe for the CPU). Anything above, and fan kicks in more, maintaining temp at 80C.

So you have nothing to worry about.

 

Yeah, that's true. I wish HP implemented similar cooling in their Elitebooks. I have to use HWinfo32 with a secret option to manually control the fan...
BTW, how's the GPU upgrade going?

 

Wow, that's damn good! HWINfo32 on AW m17x reads around 2k RPM fans even when doing light work in Windows. Unless I switch to Power Savings and enable Stealth Mode. On load, its often around 3.2k rpm.

 

That's a good news