W530 Owner's Thread

Yeah, I was always leaning towards the W530 but someone mentioned the Asus so I figured I'd look into it. I do have the money for an 840 pro and some quality ram, which is what I think I'll do.

 

Thanks. Could you pls provide me the link to the document containing instructions for replacing these components?

 

Hardware Maintenance Manual - ThinkPad T530, T530i, W530

 

Any news regards GPU update? Current GPU lineup for w530 is really old and slow. I am looking to buy a new laptop, and would buy the w530, but the GPU are just too old. I need to buy before august 21. Not sure what to do. . I prefer lenovo over DELL and HP business class.

 

Thank You.

 

Next gen is K2100 from nVidia, for Haswell (and Thinkpads with Haswell haven't been even publicly announced yet)

August 21 + Lenovo + newer GPU = IdeaPad Y510p.

 

So I've been reading about how Lenovo ended support for Power Manager for Windows 8. It also seems like others have been able to get the Windows 7 version to function in Windows 8. Has anyone successfully done this with the W530?

If so I'd really like to know how (compatibility mode?) and what version?

 

I bought my W530 couple of weeks ago

I'm wondering if my HWinfo values are ok
Is the cpu multiplier of 12x right or should it be lower? Since max FSB for 3820qm is 1333MHz

Does that have to do with the 8 logical cores due to hyperthreading, so that memory to fsb ratio is 8? Or for some other reason my FSB speed sucks?



I just found this, so I should be ok with the FSB. "This is normal and seen on the core i5 as well. The bus speed is simply the base speed for all the clocked devices, but everything else runs with a multiplier."

Considering a possible future RAM upgrade, the 3820qm system is rated as FSB 1333. On the other hand, I see in Aida64 that my RAM modules 2x4GB are 1600MHz. HWinfo says that max suported memory clock is 1300MHz, probably due to the 1333 FSB thing. Why did they bother then to instal 1600 modules?

 

The 12x multiplier shows you're either running on idle or on battery, so your CPU frequency is 1.2 Ghz (or 12 x 100 Mhz). Your memory is running at 798 Mhz (essentially 800 Mhz), which is the correct speed also. 800 Mhz x Double Data Rate (the type of memory used) = 1600 Mhz effective.

Also, the memory clock speed is no longer tied to the processor clock speed. That was only true for older processors. As Intel's current processors have an integrated memory controller, the bus speed is not relevant to memory.

 

HWiNFO shows a cpu multiplier range 12 min - 37 max for turbo at 3700MHz.

I see, then the HWiNFO "max supported memory clock: 1300MHz" what does it mean?

 

That means HWiNFO is claiming the system supports up to 2600 Mhz RAM, which is incorrect. So you can ignore it.

 

Shall I buy the W530 now or wait for a new upgrade (possibly W540)?

 

It depends on your priorities. The W540 should have better graphics and battery life, with a very slight bump in processor performance. It may or may not also incorporate a redesigned buttonless touchpad with designated clicking areas that attempt to emulate physical buttons associated with the trackpoint.

 

Hi, I have a W530 and when i watch shows on battery, or use the pc on battery the screen constantly changes brightness.

does anyone know how to fix this?
-under power options everything is disabled that can relate to it
-i am using nvidia card
-disabled sensor monitoring service

but its still happening....

any ideas?

thanks

 

In power settings related to the graphics cards, set "On battery: Maximum Performance".

 

I am looking into buying a w530 with a quadro k2000m , but can anyone tell me how good does the video card perform in 3ds max ? im interested how many polly can it handle for example in the viewport and how performant is it compared to a graphics card gtx 770m

 

don't have an answer on the difference in polly count but

the K2000M is FULLY certified by Autodesk for many apps of theirs including 3ds

Autodesk - Certified Hardware

 

Strange issue.
i got an e-mail saying my linked in account had been compromised and i should change my passwords. I went into the control panel and stupidly removed the password as i figured i only ever use the fingerprint reader anyway. Today i now find i can't log into my account. It asks me for a password (which i don't have) and when i try my fingerprint reader is comes up with an error message "logon failure: unknown user name or bad password..... Lenovo helpdesk can't help and passed me over to Microsoft who also can't help, i do not want to have to use the recovery software for something that should be so easy....any idea's????

 

Hey,

I am considering getting a W530. I was going to get it built-it to order but found there is a similar model that would save $250 if I get if from a retailer (BH photo). Anyway, the difference is that it would come with the DVD writer instead of a second HDD. I will be replacing the main HD by a SSD anyway so it actually makes sense to go that route, since I will be able to put the 500GB drive in the place of the DVD.

My question is where do I get the "cover" that will be needed. I am only guessing here but I suppose that when you take the DVD out there will be an open slot. is there a conversion kit that I can buy somewhere?

thanks

 

You'll need to search for an Ultrabay HDD adapter for the W530. You can get one from NewModeUS for about $50 that'll look nice; some come with 9.5mm covers which leave a gap, whereas theirs are the full 12.7mm height.

 

thanks, found this one: Ultrabay III 2nd HDD Adapter Lenovo ThinkPad W530 T530 T430 SATA 3 0 6GB S | eBay

they say it's 12.7 mm and it's only $10. I'll give it a shot

Thanks

 

If you live in the US, this vendor in NY can put a caddy adapter in your mailbox in 3 days.

 

oh well I guess I pulled the trigger a little too fast.. It's all right I don't have the SSD yet.

does the main drive accept only a certain type of SSD? (thickness wise)

 

Either 7mm or 9.5mm. Likely the rails in the main bay of your W530 accomodate 9.5mm thickness. Most SSDs now have 7mm thickness; for example, Samsung 840 (Pro). In that case, just pad the rails with some foam wrap cut-outs.

 

Thanks!

These 500GB samsung are looking real nice...

 

I got another quick question - I just realized that the W530 doesn't fit the transport bag I used for my old X220T.

What bad/case do you use/recommend?

thanks

 

I've been using the carrying case that came with the 15.4" Asus Z71V I bought in 2005, which has served me well over the years. Although within the last couple weeks, I noticed that it's starting to tear in one section, so I'll need a new one at some point in the not too distant future.

If you're looking for high-end, Booq makes carrying cases from "ballistic nylon," which is supposedly incredibly strong. However, they're also very expensive. Realistically, any bag designed for a computer with a 15-16" screen would work fine. You can find a lot of options on Amazon.

 

So I think this question has already been answered, but I want to double-check. I would like to replace the Seagate 7mm hard drive that came with my W530, and I'm looking at a drive that has a 9.5mm height. From what I can tell in the user's guide, this should be fine. But I can't seem to find a definitive answer on this. I have yet to open my case to see if I can simply tell that way, but I would rather minimize how much I do that and was hoping to just open it once when I install the new drive. Does anyone know if a 9.5mm hard drive will definitely fit in the bay for the original hard drive?

 

I couldn't get any 9.5 mm HDDs to fit but I heard some people got their 9.5mm SSDs to fit by opening the SSD enclosure.

Convert Crucial M4 from 9.5mm to 7mm - Crucial Community

 

The W530's main bay can take a drive that is 7mm or 9.5mm thick. The difficulty, if one looks at it that way, is in "juggling" the rubber rails that are attached to both sides of the drive.

Open the case? LOL. It's just a small door on the underside. Extremely EASY to open that door and have a quick look. You can do it RIGHT NOW.

Hmm, no need for that! Surprised you couldn't get any 9.5mm drive to fit. Unlike the T430 main bay, the W530 main bay has a lot of room.

 

You couldn't get a 9.5 mm drive to fit in the W530 hdd bay?

ThinkPad W530 with hdd removed | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

I probably used the wrong rubber pieces.

I have multiple ThinkPads so the extra parts get mixed up sometimes.

 

Could someone confirm me that i could put a msata disk in the free msata port i have in my machine and use this disk as primary?
I want to insert one in order to put windows and programs there but i am not sure this msata is used for cache or like a normal disk port?
Another thing is i see there tight dimensions, i saw some other owners have put crusial disks, what are the dimensions of these disk?
Is it ok to put a Kingston 120GB MS200 SMS200S3 which is a good overall model?

 

Yes. The mSATA slot is under the keyboard. You can treat the mSATA SSD like any ordinary drive (not cache) and can set BIOS to make it the primary/boot drive.



You can use that Kingston. I've used Crucial primarily. (All mSATA SSD's have the same dimensions.)

 

As Kaso has said, the mSATA slot can act as an independent SSD. mSATA on the market all confirms to the mSATA standard. But be wary of the new generation mSATA called M.2 or NGFF, which are of different size to the mSATA used in the W530 machines. Here are some pictures of the mSATA in the W530.

ThinkPad W530 internal layout | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
ThinkPad W530 with keyboard removed | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

I can confirm that the W530 works fine with an mSATA SSD and a regular SSD at the same time.
I'm using a Plexor mSATA and Samsung 830 standard SSD.

 

Thank you for the answers,
i had opened the laptop to measure the msata space but when i checked some drives was 54mm so i prefer to ask as the kingston is 51.
I am thinking the kingston i said before or do you propose another model? i was thinking and the Plextor 128GB PX-M5M PX-128M5M but is a bit more expensive
As i have read the msata port is sata2 port so i could not use the full speed of the disk

 

I've been using this Crucial in a few ThinkPads -- one of the best. It appears to be less expensive than the Kingston you mentioned.

Most typical use-cases do not saturate the SATA II (3 Gbit/s) speed. The mSATA SSD can be used productively -- and many forum users, myself included, have been using it like that for years.

 

That sata2 vs sata3 thing on the mSata slot is pure a theoretical matter. With current products, the only difference is in the benchmarks.

Just be real: how often do you read / write an enormous amount of large files to/from a source other than a typical HDD or network source? Since eSata is scrapped on the W530, you're never gonna bottleneck that sata2 with any external storage device.

 

As my laptop has locked bios,
could someone with msata and sata disk tell me at boot priority which is thw HHD0, HHD1, HHD2
My boot priority order is
ATA HHD0
ATA HHD1
ATA HHD2
ATAPI CD0
...
It will bew a big fail in case i put a msata disk and a mechanical in the sata port and i won't be able to boot from msata where i want to place the windows

 

HDD0 is your main hdd, HDD1 is your Ultrabay, HDD2 is your mSATA.

 

So installing a msata disk and putting there the windows will be a problem in case i have another disk in main hdd place ori it can work?

 

just move the mSATA HDD2 to top of the booting list if that is the drive you want to boot from.

 

i have a locked bios so i cannot change the boot priority,
i have writen above the boot priority i have now

 

Does the mechanical hdd have an OS on it?

 

At this point i have only the intel 520 on sata.
I want to buy a msata disk to put the windows and other programs and place at sata port a mechanical disk of 1Tb, where i will put all other sata.
Windows will be at the msata

 

if your entire hdd setup (mSATA + 1 TB drive) only has one OS installed then it would be fine.

 

In pc i have tried that but in laptop i have not.
Are you 100% positive it will work
If yes i will order right now the msata
if you are wrong i will come to find you in Melbourne
I am looking for job as here in Greece, where i live things are not so good and greeks like very much your country

 

You can always manually open the menu to pick a location where it should boot from. I believe it's F10 or Alt+F2 or something?

 

well it works with my W530 in that configuration, as long as only the mSATA has the OS on it and not the other hdd.