W530 Owner's Thread

Yup. I'm spending hours to save 15 secs on each start up must.go.faster

On the other hand, I do like to stay up to date with what's available. On my old Vaio, even with the ssd, it could take 45-60 secs to fully resume from hibernation. My neighbor happened to mention that his Macbook Pro was almost instantaneous coming out of "Safe Sleep" (grrrr). But now, with my new system and iRST, I'm down to 7 seconds and it's pretty hard to look back - even if I do have to enable it manually for now . . .

EDIT: I did figure out that by delaying the task that starts the iRST manager by 5 minutes allows the manager to start enabled. But it's still off when resuming from hibernation.

 

deleted ------ wrong subforum I guess.
My apologies

 

I am about to pull the trigger to buy W530 laptop. I have following questions:

Is the 4 year warray for $300 is worth?
Can i still add mSata if i don't confgure one during my purchase?
If i can add msata, what is the maximum capacity i can add to?
I will be running VMs in the laptop. So my plan is to add msata as big as possible and run complete OS in it. In the main drive add VMs as i need (max 2 or 3 windows7 vm). is this posible?

Your help in this regard is highly appreciated.

RT

 

Yes. (Better to add it yourself. The slot is empty and ready for use, underneath the keyboard.)

As large as you need and can afford.

Yes.

Although... I would have a "large enough" (64~128GB) mSATA SSD for boot/OS/apps and have a "very ḷarge" SSD in the main bay for everything else.


Welcome to the ThinkPad forum!

 

I'm asking this because I'm pretty new to SSDs and mSATAs: Why would it be advantageous to use the SATA II mSATA port for boot/OS/apps if you have an larger SSD in the SATA III main bay?

I've been trying out mSATA chips and just put in a Muskin Atlas 120GB which is benching faster than my Samsung PM830 did when I had it on a SATA II port on my older laptop. Of course, these are different systems and the Mushkin isn't currently running the OS but might I do better to boot off the Mushkin than the Samsung?

 

There are differences in speed, capacity and price per GB.

mSATA drive capacity costs more per GB. Buying high speed SSD storage for virtualization therefore makes more sense when using devices in the ThinkPad primary bay, or in the UltraBay.

 

It's not a matter of advantage but a matter of choice. You can always decide to use a large SSD in the main bay for everything.

 

Hello,

Thanks everyone for the great information found on this forum! I just ordered a W530 to replace a 5 year old T61 and had a quick question:

Can anyone recommend a good ballistic nylon computer bag that will hold the W530 and the monster 170W AC Adapter? I have looked a the ThinkPad Business Topload Case and a Targus Zip Thru 15.6" Traveler but it is difficult to tell if it has room for the power adapter.

 

Kaso,

Thanks for your reply. That makes sense. I choose to do OS in msata even though it is only sata ii as the same reason you mentioned. My OS is going to be more like a bare metal OS. i am not planning to run anything. going to treat it as a vm host. The main drive will hold my VMs in which one will be my primary VM.

Just for curiosity, if i put 128GB SSD in msata and 512GB SSD in main drive, what would be drive letter for msata?

-RT

 

Windows 7 would assign C to the boot/OS mSATA SSD.

Awesome.

 

Is this worth buying in ebay? Lenovo ThinkPad W530 24382LU i7 3920XM 2GB Quadro K2000M 32GB 750GB HDD Blu Ray 0887037776852 | eBay

Not sure what they mean by hybrid grahics. Just the processor upgrade itself is like $600.

-RT

 

It means as it says: "Hybrid Graphics System - Intel HD Graphics 4000 & 2GB NVIDIA Quadro K2000M."

ComputerUpgradeKing is a feature-added reseller of notebooks. They buy ThinkPad TopSeller models (prebuilt per published configurations, with product types such as "24382LU" whereas all customer-configured orders are commonly called "2438CTO"), make upgrades to certain components and sell the modified Lenovo models.

 

I think the hybrid graphics just refers to the Intel 4000HD combining/working with with the K2000M.

I opted to forgo the higher end processor for the time being - I got a 3720qm - but may upgrade in a year or so if/when those XM prices come down. I spent about $800 less for similar specs with the lower end processor. The 3720qm is plenty fast enough for me, coming from a C2D T9300 in my old laptop but it would depend on what you are intending to do.

 

I'm trying to install an msata ssd on to my W530, but unfortunately i don't find any slot at all under the keyboard cover. The are where the slot is supposed to be there is just blank with a black cover on top. What could be the reason for the same?

 

Did you download and review the W530 Hardware Maintenance Manual from support.lenovo.com? Instructions and locations are definitely there.

 

Thanks. I got it after reading the hardware maintenance manual. I have one more question. What's the best way to migrate Windows 8 OS from my current HDD to the newly installed msata SSD? It would be nice if you can provide a link to this entire procedure.

 

Make the recovery discs and use those to put those on the OS onto the mSATA. If you follow the instructions, it's fairly self-explanatory.

 

Hmm. I tried that but there is no option to restore the recovery image to the SSD...Just wondering what to do.

 

Is the mSATA the only target in the system?

 

Nope. I have both the hdd and the msata installed. I created the recovery cd on the usb drive and booted through it. It only gives me an option to restore the system from an image or system restore. It simply doesn't give you an option to restore the existing Windows 8 image on to the ssd.

 

Might want to take a look at Lenovo's official process at Methodology to create Recovery Media and reload a Lenovo Think system with Microsoft Windows 8 preload

Frankly, I would recommend using Acronis True Image Home 2013.

 

Thank You. You made my day. This procedure worked like charm. I have one more question. Is there any need for aligning the partition since this is an SSD?

 

The volume on my W530 is very low. Even at high volumes it doesn't produce enough sound. Anyone having this issue?

 

I was configuring W530 yesterday. While configuring I had two questions.

1) Does Smart card reader comes with every W530? I talked couple of representatives and one said all comes with Smart card reader and another one said only some models. Only way i could read while configuring the system online was going with the color sensor. But I don't need a color sensor but definitely a smart card reader. Let me know what's your find on this.

2) The lowest speed CPU i can configure is i7-3630 and the fastest speed i can configure is i7-3940XM, but the price difference is like $800. I planned to buy the lowest end cpu but later wanted to upgrade to i7-3940XM 9after 1-2 years). But the representative said the motherboard totally changes for the i7-3940XM cpu and only way is to configure it at the time of purchase. Is this true? I could not find any good information online.

Thanks for your time.

RT

 

No. Smartcard reader is a configurable item. Without knowing your work environment, I'm wondering why you need smartcard (security) access to your notebook. Were you thinking of multicard reader? A smartcard reader takes cards that look identical to bank/credit/debit cards, with a security chip on them. A multicard reader takes a variety of (small) flash memory cards, such as SD, used in digital cameras and phones.

Possibly true, but I'm not sure why the "total change." Thermal management? In any event, the price difference is $700 if you look at Intel ARK.

Maybe spreading the payment over 1-2 years?

 

I connect to my work using smartcard. So i definitely need it. I have it in my dell D830 and have been using it for several years. Infact all dell comes with it. With lenovo i am forced to use color sensor and it costs me $100 more.

Regarding replacing CPU, that's a good comparison.

 

I'm sure you meant Dell Latitude and Precision notebooks, not all Dell.

 

My W530 came with a smartcard reader so it is definitely an option. Unfortunately it doesn't often show up on the lenovo.com buying site for CTO options. It does for the T430s so it seems odd the option isn't there for the W530. I think it's only an additional $20 USD.

If you don't see it in the configurator, I would build a config and save the cart. I would print that off then call the sales line and have them add it for you.

 

Yes Kaso! i meant all dell business line laptops. Are we not talking "business" here?

 

What's this now!? I've been intending to do the same thing so I hope this isn't correct! One thing I think I noticed was that some systems only come with the 90W adapter but a system with a faster cpu will automatically include the 170W adapter. I have a 3720QM (w/170W adapter). I've assumed I could upgrade to the 3940XM at a later date as well.

 

Well, the lines are quite fuzzy these days. I would include Vostro and XPS if you insisted. On the other hand, not all ThinkPads are "serious," "business" notebooks. Many SMB owners just use whatever that gets the job done.

(We're getting seriously OT.)

 

My guess would be they have a more substantial cooling system included with the XM CPU due to the higher TDP rating. I don't see any reason you can't physically upgrade to the 3940XM, but you might want to keep an eye on your CPU temperature to see if the new processor runs hotter.

 

Good advice. I've been paranoid about laptop heat since my old HP DV6000 died (twice) in the Nvidia/Wireless/MB fiasco.

What I've assumed is that my bios/MB won't have any problem recognizing & running the 3940XM. In my last laptop, a Vaio, I went from a T4300 to T9300 for speed and VT-x support. That upgrade actually resulted in cooler operation (idling below 30c) after applying better thermal paste. The Sony rep actually told me that the CPU could not be changed.

But the Lenovo rep actually seems to suggest to myrt that there are different w530 MBs based on what CPU is ordered. I doubt the Rep is correct, but it's a little disconcerting. I don't personally have any immediate plans to upgrade but I'd certainly want to be clear on this before I spent the money on a new chip.

 

It may be worth mentioning that there are different W530 motherboards in general. Lenovo has system codes numbered 2436, 2438, 2441, and 2447, all of which refer to the W530, and I haven't been able to figure out any differences between them.

 

In Australia, all the W530 that i have ordered came with SmartCard reader, regardless whether you order it or not.

Regarding having a different motherboard for each CPU option, i don't think that would be possible.

Lenovo may have a different CPU for the W530 with Dual Core CPU (but i have heard those one have 4 dimm slots, with 2 blanks inserted and another 2 for your ram, since dual core i5/i7 only support 2 ram slots). Also, Lenovo may have a different motherboard FRU number for W530 with RAID.

 

Any inputs on this? Pls help me fix this.

 

Have you tried uninstalling then reinstalling the audio drivers?

 

Yeah, I did but it didn't help. The audio is functioning well but the volume is too low. Sounds like as if it's a mono. My Dell Latitude D630 sounds far better than my W530.

 

You are referring to the speakers in the W530? Have you tried connecting it to another playback device (external speakers or headset) to see if the level is also bad on them?

 

Also, is Dolby installed and running? That makes a significant difference.

 

Yes, i'm talking about the built-in speakers. The sound quality on external speaker is acceptable and far better than the built-in ones.

 

Yes, it's installed and running. I tried all settings on that but didn't have any improvement.

 

Then it must not been running correctly, the Dolby Home Theater software makes a big difference for me when watching movies. Make sure to select the correct profile and if watching a video make sure the "movie" profile has both the "volume leveler" and "dialogue enhancer" selected. I found both these option the be great as it tries to keep the volume level of movies even. Lots of videos have an issue where some scenes have low volume dialogue while others are loud, making it a pain to get the right volume, this will fix that and boost the volume in many scenes.

 

It is actually running and only gives a marginal boost to the original audio. I tried everything to get a little bit more volume but i think finally this is all the laptop's inbuilt speakers are capable of producing, so i decided to live with it. I'll probably have to go with an external bluetooth speaker in the near future.

 

Hello Everyone,

I've been using macbookpro for almost 4 years, and since I heavily use AutoCad, Sketchup and Lightroom on a daily basis it has been a bothersome to rebooth from one OS to another. I have been looking at the W530 for quite sometime and decided to make the swtich. I hope someone can enlighten me on how to go about the purcahsing of W530. From Lenovo site, i intend of getting this specification and minor upgrade of some specs:

Lenovo w530 Intel Core i7-3940XM Processor Extreme Edition (8M Cache, up to 3.80 GHz)
Window 7 pro 64 bit
Lightroom 4
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
NVIDIA Quadro K2000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3
16 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (4 DIMM)
500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Bluetooth 4.0

Third Party Source Items:
Additional 2 8gb Ram, so total of 32GB
msata AData XPG x300 256gb
2.5" sata ssd 512gb
Hard drive caddy from new mode us. com

Questions:
1. If in case, I need to add additional ram, would it be okey to just buy an additional 2 pcs of 8GB of Corsair Vengance, or do i need to buy a new 4 pcs of 8GB? so the total ram would be 32GB. Or would it be wise to just get the 32GB of Ram from Lenovo?

2. I plan to use the 500gb HDD in the hard drive caddy and use the msata and 2.5" ssd for primary drive, What would be the best way to copy the Windows and Lightroom from the HDD to msata drive (256gb adata)?

3. How come some unit with the w530 comes with a color sensor option and the higher w530 specs does not? would it be wise to get the Color sensor/ calibration from Lenovo or Just get other calibration software? and can you suggest in your experience a good calibration software for w530?

4. and lastly, does all w530 whether it be lower end specs or high end spec has a msata connection? Sorry of the ignorance.

Really sorry for a long post and questions. I hope someone could enlighten me before i purchase this unit. Any suggestions and comment would be highly appreciated. Thanks

 

1. I would recommend not buying 4 x 4GB from Lenovo. You might as well get a single 8GB stick and fill the remaining three slots later.
2. As soon as you get the machine with Windows 7, go into Control Panel and use the Lenovo Rescue and Recovery application to built a factory image DVD disk set. After that, you can remove all the drives except the primary mSATA then restore directly to it.
3. I would suggest getting an external USB connected sensor and software. They do a much better job.
4. All W530's have a PCIe WWAN slot. Unless you fill that slot with a WWAN card, it will be available for your mSATA drive.

 

Thanks so much for the advice. Greatly appreciated Thors.Hammer

 

have you tried running vmware fusion or some virtual machine software on your macbook. I've run that at wok and the windows 7 virtual machine runs as fast a regular machine. No need for rebooting etc to switch OS. Plus that's the cheaper route.

 

I do run boot camp. when you say running vmware fusion, do you mean Parallel and using windows for the said autocad, sketch up? haven't tried using parallel but I might as well try it. Though it's an old mac and i want a bigger screen say 15". Do you use SketchUp and Autocad 2012/2013 ( 64bit) and maybe a rendering software say twilight/shaderlight/3d max? Coz if it is good might as well think of going to the 15" mac if budget allows. Thanks for you time

 

just an additional question Thors.hammer. when you say just but a single 8gb stick and fill the remaining three later..does it mean i can buy any 3pcs of 8GB ram say from new egg.com and install it? and if i can do that ill have to make sure that i get a 4 dimm slot right? and lastly what brand for the additional 3 rams would you suggest? would the corsair vengeance 8gb be ok?