W530 Owner's Thread

I am sorry if this was answered already, but my searches failed to find my answers.

Did this work? I finally got my W530 from Lenovo. I really want WiDi, however, I messed up when ordering. I got the non-Intel standard Lenovo wireless. I only realized that when I tried to connect to a newly purchased Netgear Push2TV box.

I did a number of searches last night to find these answers. Either on this forum or the Lenovo community forums, someone said to get the CENTRINO ADVANCED-N 6205 direct from Lenovo. I tried to use their web site to find just this wireless card for purchase and couldn't.

There appears to be a number of models of this card.

Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205 Product Brief

I found one of the models at my local online retailer, NCIX.

CENTRINO ADVANCED-N 6205 (62205ANHMWEBC)

So my questions are:

Q. What model of the Intel Wireless card do people have in their W530s?
Q. Is it true that the 6300 Intel wireless only works in W530s with no web camera?
Q. Are the 2x2 / 3x3 antennas already built-in most W530 models?
Q. Is the installation of a new wireless card easy? (I already know how to get under the keyboard to the RAM/wireless card)

I appreciate any assistance the community can provide.

 

So my questions are:

Q. What model of the Intel Wireless card do people have in their W530s?

Mine came with the 6205, I ordered a 6300 off ebay and installed it myself, works fine

Q. Is it true that the 6300 Intel wireless only works in W530s with no web camera?

Ummm, working for me with web camera

Q. Are the 2x2 / 3x3 antennas already built-in most W530 models?

Yes, had all three antennas preinstalled

Q. Is the installation of a new wireless card easy? (I already know how to get under the keyboard to the RAM/wireless card)

Yep, easy peasy lemon squeezy


btw, make sure whenever and wherever you order your 6205/6300 it is Lenovo compatible, has the FRU that matches Lenovo part #'s

or it won't work

 

Hi,

Atlast i got my Lenovo W530. I am planning to put msata SSD (mushkin) for OS and another SSD (samsung pro 840) in the regular bay. My shipped HDD contains OS in drive C and recovery in drive Q. How do I move the same exactly once i get my new msata drive installed. Any idea? I did not get install CDs/DVDs with W530 shipment. Any help on how to move the OS to msata disk along with the recovery drive is highly appreciated.

-RT

 

Use the appropriate software tool. One such is Acronis True Image.

Alternatively, you can create the Lenovo factory recovery media (read up on this to know exactly what you have to do), and then restore from such media onto the new mSATA SSD.

 

does anyone with extended use of the w520 and w530 have any input.

 

That's not a bad price at NCIX, but odds are that it is not Lenovo specific. Call them up and ask them.

Meaning that Lenovo whitelists the wifi cards that works on ThinkPad laptops.

Buy a used one at eBay. e.g. a search for: Intel 6205 Lenovo 520

pulls up 4 hits; sort by lowest price/shipping and you find a used one for $20 + $3 shipping from Rosemead CA (L.A. area). A more complete list of Lenovo laptops that that part will work for is about half way down the web page. email the vendor and ask if it'll work for a W530; odds are that it will.

I bought a used 6205 (only needs a 2x2 antenna, which is what I have in both my laptops, see sig) from a Rosemead vendor (at $15 + $3 (used prices bounce around)); there are several different ones in that area due to the big Pomona computer show at the fairgrounds there. Odds are that the cards may never have been used, as one these vendors upgrade a laptop's card to a higher end card for display/sale at the monthly computer shows, the old (never used) card is now "used"

And even if the card has been used by a private party, I still wouldn't have any qualms buying from these vendors because they sell a lot of these cards as "used"

Cards that are Lenovo specific and "new" cost more, but what else is new?

Good luck.

 

New W530 (243852U) owner here (about a month), and just applied this BIOS update. I've got some questions.

(1) Although the release date in the README shows 4/16/2013, the internal BIOS still shows 2.52 and the BIOS date still is shown as 2/27/2013... both in the Lenovo BIOS setup as well as CPUID, and MSINFO32.

However the ECP info (only presented when in the BIOS setup) definitely shows the latest 1.10 (G4HT36WW). So it certainly appears that the BIOS update from 4/16/2013 was applied.

Is this just sloppy maintenance by Lenovo and really shouldn't the BIOS date value have been changed so as not to confuse people using programs (including Lenovo's) to view BIOS versions or is this typical?

(2) I use Aida64 as my hardware monitor, and I've noticed that the new BIOS ECP (which specifically directly addresses fan speed, presumably to reduce sound) seems to go to 0 RPM except when the CPU is really doing something. This situation seems related to a CPU temperature of about 115 degrees F (see following screenshot).



When the machine gets busy and the CPU temp goes up in the 125-140 degree range the fan comes on and may go up to 1700, or 1900 RPM or higher (up to 2700 or even 3300), but quickly drops off again and goes back to 0 until the next load. For example:



I suppose this is what Lenovo intended, but I'm concerned about letting the CPU run at 120 degrees with zero fan cooling it.

Should I be concerned, or is this what others are also experiencing?

 

I have the same behavior since installing the new BIOS so I assume that this is how it is intended to work. While the machine is now a bit warmer, the new BIOS makes the fan a lot quieter and that's really a huge improvement in my opinion. With the previous BIOS, the fan was always on at 2700 rpm...

I do not know what the safe temperature range is for the processor (in the long or short term), but I assume that Lenovo would always stay on the safe side and that they would not hesitate to implement a more aggressive cooling if it was needed since they do not have to deal with the fan noise but would have to deal with the return of defective machines.

 

While undocked, the fan speed should be around 1700 rpm most of the time at idle. Idle temp should also be around 48-53c.

 

I use Thinkpad Fan Control and I tweaked my settings for the new fan speeds. I left 40 as off and 55 as speed 1, but then had smaller gaps for the rest of it and included all the fan speeds. My old settings looked like this:

Code:

Level=40 0
Level=55 1
Level=70 3
Level=80 7
Level=90 128 (BIOS control)

The new ones look like this:

Code:

Level=40 0
Level=55 1
Level=60 2
Level=65 3	
Level=70 4
Level=73 5
Level=76 6	
Level=79 7	
Level=85 128 (BIOS control)

After running the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility's CPU burn-in test for 5 minutes, the processor went up to around 80 and stayed there, not getting higher than 82. So I figure I'm in the right range. And by including all the fan speeds, now I've got a more gradual build-up.

 

Will the K2000M and its mini-displayport be "powered" enough to run 120Hz @2560x1440 ? I want to use a Yamakasi Catleap with this notebook. Thanks

 

I don't know about 120Hz, but the max resolution for the displayport is 2560x1600.

 

it has been a month since using the w530. Installed Autocad and sketchup softwares, anyone using this software and experience regarding its operation using it? I have a friend who do have a w530 with a slightly lower specs and it seems opening and overall operation seems different with same files. Saving takes 3 times in autocad the time compared roughly 8 secs to save a file around 4 mb. and copying or moving an object seems like a rubber band feeling. it hangs and lags. How can i check if my installed drivers and hardwares are installed and working properly. i updated the latest bios. hope anyone can help, Using Intel Core i7-3940XM Processor Extreme Edition, NVIDIA Quadro K2000M Graphics,msata drive 256gb, 32gb ram and ssd storage. Thanks

 

Hmm according to google displayport supports 120Hz, but also at 2560x1600 ?

 

This sounds more like a storage device issue. What make model mSATA do you have? What about the other SSD?

From the specifications in http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/tabook.pdf :

NVIDIA Quadro® K1000M or K2000M, PCI Express® x16, 2GB memory,
supports external analog monitor via VGA DB-15 and digital monitor via Mini DisplayPort;
supports three independent displays;
Maximum external resolution: 3840x2160@60Hz (DisplayPort via optional Mini DP cable);
1920x1200@60Hz (single-link DVI-I via optional Mini DP cable); 2048x1536@85Hz (VGA)

 

i tried opening a cad and sketchup files from my documents and from a ssd. the same files and it seems almost the same thing. but just now i tried to disable microsoft security essential, sort of doing a littel bit better.But well below expectation from this setup. Is there a way to configure the w530, power management perhaps or other thing i neglected to check or do?

 

can anyone confirm if this memory is the perfect fit for W530 with quad-core (3740qm)?

Amazon.com: Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800) CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Memory Modules For Mac CT2C8G3S160BM: Computers & Accessories

i'm asking because amazon presents it as "for mac" but the spec seems to be identical to the required spec for W530

i'm about to order two of those (for 32gb max) and if somebody can confirm it, i'd sleep better tonight

thanks

 

yes I know someone with this in a w530. It also works perfectly fine on my w520. 1.35v ram works at both 1.35 and 1.5

 

I don't see this item number specified on the Crucial site as one of the memory options compatible with the W530 QuadCore. Why does your description show "memory modules for Mac"?? The Lenovo W530 is a Windows machine.

Rather than going to Amazon, you should go to the Crucial site to determine the proper memory products compatible with your machine.

Then select Lenovo as the manufacturer, Thinkpad W Series as the product line, Then select Thinkpad W530 (QuadCore) as the model.

Then push "find it", to see the compatible recommended memory for your upgrade.

The 8GBx2 kit recommended is Part Number: CT3291640.

You can also push the "show ALL compatible computer memory" to see all of your options for compatible memory for the W530 QuadCore.

I do not see the CT2C8GS3160BM item you ask about listed in their complete compatible product list. The obvious explanation is that the W530 is not an Apple/Mac product. Somebody gave you wrong information for your shopping.

Crucial memory should be purchased directly from Crucial. They have terrific prices, customer service and tech support, shipping delivery speed, and obviously are the manufacturer. Their "store" is the best.

 

Newly available 2.53 BIOS, from Lenovo System Update. Lenovo web site still shows 2.52 as the latest available, though I'm sure this will get updated soon.

New BIOS definitely now shows 2.53, dated 5/24/13 in CPUID etc.

Based on what I saw in the Lenovo Community forum, it seems there is an improvement made in 2.53 to support fan speed when the W530 is docked. Apparently with the initial changes they made in 2.52 for fan speed it was "floored" at 2700rpm when docked, which obviously is extremely noisy and loud. I never had that problem but then I run un-docked.

Definite improvement for me in 2.53 over 2.52 (still un-docked), regarding this very quick drop to 0RPM when it seems there should be some fan cooling needed to support CPU activity.

I now see a more common base of 1965RPM fairly normally, with it dropping off to 1789RPM, 1633RPM, and then down to 0RPM when there is truly no need for active cooling. This makes me feel much better, and 1965RPM is still virtually silent so there is no new noise problem brought on with this 2.53 BIOS change. But I feel much happier now that I have non-zero fan when the machine is definitely not idle.

 

Where do you see this BIOS? I do not see it at support.lenovo.com. The latest I see is support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=DS029170

 

That's just what I said. It is NOT YET POSTED on the Lenovo support site.

But it is recognized as a newly available update in "system updates" using the built-in Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools program, if you run it from your W530. It will be downloaded and installed automatically (there will be a system restart/re-boot triggered, as the BIOS update must be applied outside of Windows during the boot process).

 

You can download it since today from the Lenovo site:
http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/g5uj15us.iso
(or http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/g5uj15us.exe if you want to do the update via Windows)

 

well there are several reasons why i'd rather buy from amazon. crucial is a bit more expensive. i'd have to pay tax in addition if i buy from crucial. and i get 3 times as much (credit card) points if i get from amazon. when added up, it amounts ~$50 savings if i go with amazon.

but as you mentioned, i'm still puzzled why amazon presented it as "for mac" as if it's only for mac. but then macs these days use memory that's identical to that of the PCs, right? (can anyone confirm this?)

 

Read the reviews at the bottom of that Amazon page for the CT2 memory you point to, and they are ALL MAC USERS!! This memory part is for an Apple product machine, in my opinion. Why do you not agree?? What more do they have to say than that it's for a Mac, not a Lenovo W530?

Furthermore, if you do a SEARCH on the Crucial site for CT2C8G3S160BM you get no hit. They don't seem to know anything about that part number. Might not be a current item but you'd think they would at least show it as their part. Strange.

As far as I'm concerned, you're simply looking for the wrong memory for the W530 if you're buying an item that is "compatible with Mac". I've bought Crucial memory many times over the years for many machines... directly from them, starting from their own "configurator" putting in the manufacturer, brand, model, etc.. They have my customer loyalty, and they've never sold me the wrong item.

Penny-wise, pound foolish.

 

Don't get lost in marketing. DDR3 is standardized and will work in all pin-compatible systems. Apple likes to advertise that their products use specially-certified components, but that's just their marketing and way to get people to spend more if they have a Mac. If it works with a MacBookPro, it works with a W530.

 

Well, why would Crucial's "search" not find a hit for that part number? Seems non-existent to the "search engine", which is of course curious since the Amazon listing claims it's a Crucial card.

And why does the Crucial "memory configurator" provide a whole different set of available/compatible memory card part numbers if you ask for Lenovo W530 QuadCore??

Hey... I don't begrudge anyone for trying to save money as a result of shopping for a particular item. And if it turns out that it's absolutely truly a memory card which is usable and compatible with another computer other than the one it is described as compatible with, well quite remarkable in my opinion but apparently nevertheless true and useful to know.

But if it were my computer, and I were looking to buy Crucial memory to upgrade it, I'd certainly trust the Crucial web site info rather than a seller on Amazon or eBay to provide the correct product details and steer me in the proper direction to buy the correct item.

If there was any doubt or confusion whatsoever, I'd JUST PHONE CRUCIAL AT 800-336-8915 and speak to a sales specialist.

Make a phone call to Crucial, ask them about that part and its usability in the W530, and put the matter to rest. That's the way to settle this once and for all, instead of debating here on this thread.

 

It's been 3 months with my W530 and so far things are going okay, except with quality of lenovo support. I have a few questions.

1. How do I check the fan speed on my W530? Can I also control the rpm rate?

2. Lenovo technician recently replaced the motherboard for a problem with the SD card reader. After replacing the same I'm getting the error 2200: invalid system serial no...how do I fix this?

3. HWinfo shows my memory speed as 800MHz, but my DIMMs are 1600MHz modules. I have 4 modules installed. Is anything wrong?

 

Try TPFanControl.

You're using DDR3 RAM modules. "DDR" stands for "double data rate."

 

You can check the fan speed and choose between BIOS-set fan speed levels with Thinkpad Fan Control, as Kaso noted. However, you cannot manually set your own fan speed.

Lenovo changed the format of its serial numbers in one of the BIOS updates, so updating to the latest BIOS version may take care of the error message.

Also as Kaso said, memory is advertised at its effective rate. With industry-standard double data rate memory, an actual clock of 800 Mhz means an effective clock of 1600 Mhz. So your memory is working perfectly.

 

Hmm. I did update to the latest BIOS version but I'm still getting the same message. What could be wrong?

 

The other option, in that case, is likely that something is still looking for the old (8-digit) serial number and does not recognize the new (10-digit) number. Since Lenovo stated you can't go revert to the old format from the new, I'm not sure what the solution to that would be. You'd probably need to get it from Lenovo.

 

With HWInfo, if you push the SENSOR button on the toolbar, you will produce a window that shows all the information you are looking for (voltages, temperatures, fan speeds, etc.).

I use Aida64 myself (not free, but superb) to provide a very informative and compact and highly-readable image of hardware monitoring. All of the sensor items shown by HWInfo in the "sensor" window that you have to request are shown in the Aida64 user-configurable consolidated display.

 

I installed TPFanControl and in Smart mode the fan speed is always 0 rpm. and the CPU temp is showing as 52C in smart mode. When I switch to BIOS mode the rpm rate goes from anywhere between 1700 - 2500 rpm. Is this the way it behaves? Also I have a strange feeling that after the motherboard change the system is somewhat hotter than it used to be. Could anything be wrong? Also how do I ensure that the fans are operating normally? I'm not able to hear any noise on the fans whatsoever. I'm using the latest BIOS version already (2.53).

 

Did you set up values in smart mode? You can adjust the fan speed according to the system temperature in the configuration file. My settings are on the previous page, if you want a baseline to go from. Also, you're not SUPPOSED to hear the fan on low settings. That was the purpose of the BIOS revision.

 

I believe it comes with a pre-set in Smart mode?

Also, since it will run hotter in Smart Mode, it's not uncommon to never reach the turn-fan-on temperature when running an energy-saving plan with the onboard video. My W520 runs runs often without any noise from moving parts. All that's left is coil whine etc.

 

I haven't tried custom settings. Will try it. Thanks.

 

Another question that I always wanted to ask about W530 battery. I hardly get 3-4 hrs of runtime with Wifi and Bluetooth turned on and display at the lowest setting possible. Is this the normal run time on a 9 cell battery? Also pls note that I have all SSD's on my laptop, no HDD.

 

No, it's not normal. I get roughly 8 hours battery life with those settings using Optimus. Is your BIOS set to use discrete graphics only? That may be what's taking up the extra power.

 

Yes the BIOS is set to use Optimus. Is there anything else that i need to do besides that? But are you sure you get 8 hours battery life, and that too with wifi and bluetooth turned on? I've never heard that from anyone owning the W530.

I always run a few VM's in the background. Could that be the case for low battery life?

 

It depends on your usage. With light usage (web browsing & note taking), then yes, I get 8 hours battery life. If you're always running a few virtual machines, then that will definitely take up power and will lower battery life correspondingly.

 

It's possible to get many more hours than 7-8 depending on how miserly the settings are and what you are doing.

 

I get really good battery life using throttlestop. I have almost no need for turbo on battery so I disable that via throttlestop.

 

The most battery life my system has indicated was 11 hours, but that's at minimum display brightness and pretty much doing nothing (word processing or reading long web sites with a minimum of refreshing). I generally prefer somewhat higher screen brightness, which lowers the battery life to 8 hours or so with typical web surfing.

 

The W530 automatically throttles the CPU at 1.2 Ghz on battery to preserve battery life. I use ThrottleStop to re-enable turbo speeds when I want to play games on battery power (which of course drops battery life to 2 hours, but it's still fun).

 

You guys are talking about battery life, and I'm sitting here with a 6-cell getting like 3 hours tops of normal usage(web/youtube) if that. I regret not getting a 9-cell, cause now its expensive to buy one separate.

 

Look on the bright side, if you do get one, you will have a spare 6-cell and the 9-cell so on a trip, you'd get even more battery life by swapping them.

 

In all honesty I don't use my laptop as much of a portable computer. I don't go on trips, really. I take it to class, where I can plug it in, and then lug it back home where I can plug it in. Then take it to a friends house and plug it in. Anywehere i go it's like "Better plug it in, don't want it dying halfway through a project."

 

Any battery is good, then.

Why regret not buying a 9-cell battery if you always "plug it in"?

 

Cause on the odd day that I forget my charger on the way out the door for class, I have to turn down all the settings to make it last, and depending on the class, I might not be able to use it at all. Is it a big deal though? Not really. But the flexibility would be nice. And if I had a 9-cell, I wouldn't need to plug it in everywhere anymore.