Lenovo L220X CAD Review
Hi there,
I am full time employed as civil engineer by a large construction company. My job is to design roads and bridges and I use CAD software 10-14 hrs a day. I use AutoCAD, MicroStation and MX (MOSS) for road design.
I have worked with CAD for the last 14 years of my life and went through lots of displays and I can see when a display is suitable for CAD or not and I was asked to pick up the workstations configuration.
We had to wait 1 month for delivery, in total 20 displays.
Currently I have 2 L220Xs on my desk now. In total in my office therea are 8 (4 workstations with 2 displays each). From the image quality and real estate these monitors are absolutely fantastic. In CAD we use only 256 color, maybe in render and mapping we use more colours and usually we don't care about color accuracy. What is the most important for CAD "drivers" is resolution and these displays deliver (1920 x 1200 was the resolution of 22" Diamondtrons). The display from a CAD user stand point is fantastic, I can only recommend them to any CAD user seeking good displays at low price, they have it all; lots of space, resolution, black is black, good colors (from our standpoint), usb ports for input devices, good contrast, decent ergonomics.
There are 2 things bothering me; I have a stuck pixel on CYAN on the lower left corner of display. And the fact that these things heat up. With 8 displays in the office we don't need any heater! There is a handle on the back in upper-mid position and in that handle temperature is very high. If I approach my cheek to 15-20 cm of display I can feel the heat radiating from the displays. It's incredible how much heat these things generate! I turned luminosity and contrast below 60% and there is still plenty of heat, I'm thinking of sort of a handle to attach to the monitor to keep my coffee warm.
The stuck pixel is not bothering me because of position but heat accumulates during work hours and builds to quite high levels. Air conditioning is a must in offices with many monitors like these.
The integrated USB Hub is a handy device but I think that it could be improved, the bottom side sockets are hard to plug everything in, cold be used only with permanently plugged devices. The side ones are OK, but if you put 2 displays side by side 2 of the sockets are covered by the other display. All the sockets are upside down, that means for example that if you have a usb stick with a acces LED you won't be able to see if the stick is accessed or not, has it been properly ejected or not. The only good point about this situation is that you don't see the annoying led flashing.
The build quality and color scheme is very appropriate, the build quality resembles ThinkPads, legendary for robustness and longevity and quality as well. The quality is reflected also in weight, these things are heavyer than your average 22" LCD. The stand is also feature rich, with cable managment and height/twist/tilt possibility. What I would suggest LENOVO is to make a CAD pack, comprised of 2 displays and an arm to hold them. With LENOVO design that arm will be an fantastic piece of engineering and ergonomics.
To conclude, for CAD jockeys this is a fantastic display, it has lots of space, exceptional resolution, contrast and bright colors at an exceptional price. Ergonomics are good except heating and USB sockets issues (which is arguable). The good points are outnumbering by far the only low point so I give it a 8.5 out of 10. If a back cover redesign resolves the heating issue it will be a 11/10 display. Being a first of this kind I can say wholeheartedly that LENOVO did a fantastic job with this display. I own a T60p and I want to pair it with one of these for personal use.
Thank you LENOVO!
Message Edited by vali on 05-06-2008 12:45 AM
I have upgraded from 2gb to 4gb RAM (Vista bu 64bit) but T400 was still slower than the old MSI notebook. I had MSI 12", 1.8ghz sempron, 2gb RAM, 160HDD with UBUNTU 8.04. Now T400 with P8700, 4gb DDR3, discrete Ati 3470. What really helped me was NOT using Vista at all! I'm now on RC of Windows 7, it's much faster (boot, turning off, and aslo system respose is I think 4 times shorter than Vista has). Just wanted you to know how are these systems different. But if I had a choice, I would go for some linux distribution. Sadly fingerprint reader and thinkvantage software are not supported
Message Edited by popo666 on 07-11-2009 10:20 AM
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Translated review:
http://66.102.9.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=cs&u=http://www.svethardware.cz/art_doc-F4D05AD17C0A9151C12573EE002EFD93.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dxl20%2B%2Bdelta...
Prad.de review:
http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2008/review-lenovo-l220x.htmlHi! You can try this setting.
Brightness: 51%
Contrast: 72%
Red: 54
Green: 48
Blue: 59
I use L220x via DVI on my T60 (connect to Mini-Dock) with this setting and find that the color saturation is lower than the preset "sRGB", which is better for me. -
Lenovo l220x optimal calibration settings
Hi all,
I recently bought my lenovo l220x monitor, it is a great monitor, but when I went to 2 of non profesional monitors they displayed one picture that I chose allmost the same, but diferent than my lenovo displays it, problem is with preset sRGB, my lenovo shows much warmer picture than those 2 monitors.
I do 3d design and graphic design, I don't own a calibrator, but is there some "home made" preset on how to set colors right on l220x, a step by step description would be verry usefull-
ThanksHi! You can try this setting.
Brightness: 51%
Contrast: 72%
Red: 54
Green: 48
Blue: 59
I use L220x via DVI on my T60 (connect to Mini-Dock) with this setting and find that the color saturation is lower than the preset "sRGB", which is better for me. -
Hello Lenovo Community!
Recently, I bought a Lenovo T500. After much research and reading many user's opinions as possible (two of which that was really helpful was on this forum by MidnightSun and www.notebookreview.com) I chose the T500. In my research, I could not find many video reviews and was kind of disappointed (obviously, it was not a deal breaker.) I would have liked to have had more written reviews, video reviews and just in general more information. So, I want to do this review to help future researchers become informed consumers! If anyone has any questions or suggestions (e.g.. Of bloatware to remove or any tips) please chime in!
Preface
Before I begin my review, I want to say that I am in no way an expert at computers beyond the basics. I've never bought a laptop before, and my old computer (given to me) was a Gateway M465-e, a business oriented laptop. It came with 512 RAM, 1.6 Ghz, 15.4" screen and I really liked it. It lasted me 5.5 years (and still going) although the past few months, it has really taken a dip (hence the reason for buying a new one!) I will be comparing my experiences with the T500 with that Gateway. I will be using my computer for mainly working with spreadshett, word documents, surfing internet, media hub (especially for iTunes), and, OF COURSE, playing video games! Whoot for switchable graphics!
Specs
Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8Ghz, 1066mhz 6MBL2)
Windows Business Vista 64
15" WSXGA+ TFT, CCFL Backlight
ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with Intel Advanced Management Tech.
2GB DDR3 SDRAM
Camera
UltraNav
160 GB, 7200 RPM
Fingerprint Reader
Intel Turbo Memory 2GB
7-in01 Media Card Reader
Express Card Slot and Smart Card Reader
Integrated Bluetooth
Intel WiFi Link 5300 AGN with My WiFi Tech.
6 Cell Li-Ion Battery
Initial Impression
My computer took about a week to arrive. The packaging was fairly simple. I had expected the box to be bigger (why, I have no idea. I guess this is commensurate with the premium price. Hah.) Inside were the usual suspects: the computer, manuals, startup booklet, power adapter, XP BackUp CDs, ThinkPad nubs (replacements) and battery.
At first look, I thought it was quite big and bulky. However, after comparison with my Gateway, I found it to be slimmer and lighter (I chose the T500 primarily because of resolution; I really wanted the 1680x1080 resolution.) Personally, I love the sleek black look. It makes it look ominous, menacing and clean. It felt sturdy, but not as much as I had expected (I had this crazy idea that it could take a light-medium bang from a hammer.) Perhaps the image formed from reading about IBMs were a bit inflated. Anyway, it was clean, all the ports were where they are meant to be, it smelled nice, and of course looked pristine! It implored me to turn it on.
Build and Design
As aforementioned, I am becoming a huge fan of this design. From the creased overhang of the top bezel to the asymmetrical screen position, I love it! Little details like the hashed/ribbed strip from the top left corner and the imbedded "UltraConnect" lettering above the screen really make the ThinkPad feel like it warrants the price, special and unique. The top of the ThinkPad is made of a rubber-plastic material that allow a good grip. There is minimal logos and stickers. I especially like the indicators on the top (when it is closed) as well as on the bottom of the screen (when opened.) The hinge also seems to have been well built as it has a lot of resistance in opening the lid. When it is opened moving the the notebook does not move the screen at all (I hate it when you have to readjust your screen after swinging it from one place to another.)
One thing that bothered me a little was the vertically-positioned USB ports. I have a USB-port-extension device which increases my number of ports by 3. However, I am unable to use this device because of the shape of the device and because of the vertical port. It is difficult to describe, see below for picture. Anyway, having only 3 ports is quite terrible, considering my 5+ year old Gateway had 4.
Keyboard and UltraNav
One of the first things I looked for was the much-feared keyboard flex. This seems to have been mostly remedied because there this minimal flex on the right portion. There is, however,flex on the left portion of the keyboard (maybe left of the u-h keys.) It is only when I press quite hard that it flexes. When I am typing regularly, as I am now, it is utterly unoticeable. The keyboard, overall, is quite good. I like the clicky feel of it and can type on it with no hinderances or reserve. The volume buttons are VERY welcomed as they provide responsively (my old GW I had to hold the Fn to adjust.) I just say that the position of the PgUp/PgDn/Home/End and Esc button is a bit awkward as I have to move my hand quite out-of-way to access them. This is but a minor issue. I also wished that the delete button wasn't where it is. I use the delete button quite a bit and it is kind of difficult (as in the out-of-the-way sort)
As for the UltraNav, I am quite fond of it, although there are times when I prefer the normal touchpad-and-button. For me, the UltraNav is quite sensitive and can be frustrating to use. One moment you're shooting across the screen just fine, but then finding that one small spot on the screen is quite tedious. And yes, I know you can adjust it, but I just can't seem to find the perfect level. I have seen older ThinkPads, and think that I would have liked to have the red strips on the UltraNav buttons.
Display
The display is great, it is of the matte variety and is non-reflective (rather, minimally reflective.) It is clear and crisp throughout without any dark areas or any irregular eveness. It looks great at 1680x1080. The viewing angle range is wide and being 15.4" has lots of estate. The one thing I would like to comment on is brightness. My friend, sitting next to me, has a MBP, and I must say, it is far bright than the T500 at maximum brightness. And, yes, I did allow the screen to reach full brightness. This is not so much a big issue at the moment, but I do kind of worry that in a few years my non-LED display will become much less bright. But that's a trade off I'm willing to take (for screen resolution.)
Performance
In terms of performance, it seems to be slightly slower than I had imagined. I expected that it would blaze through everything and it mostly does. When adding my 10k+ songs onto iTunes, it took a significantly shorter time than my Gateway, but longer than I would have liked.
I played Bioshock, at first attempt at maximum resolution (1680x1080) and with all the bells and whistles turn on. It was sluggish, and barely playable. I had to turn the resolution down quite a bit before I thought it was smooth (as on Xbox or a PS3). I surmise this might have something to do with my RAM amount because even just sitting idle 65% of physical memory is used (darn you Vista and ThinkVantage!) The performance, I suppose, could be called as snappy and powerful and will handle, I'm sure, anything I will throw at it during normal usage (e.g. not gaming.)
Battery Life
When I ordered the computer, I didn't put too much on the battery because the T500 will be my desktop replacement and will be plugged in most of its life. Despite this, I have attempted a to measure battery life on a charge; I must say that it is pretty good. On a full charge and normal usage, i.e. wireless, multiple tabs on while online, Windows sidebar, and Skype, I was able to get about 5 hours plus or minus half an hour (I usually don't use my computer in blocks of 5 hours, so when I do stop, I put it to sleep.) This is pretty good considering I have the 6-cell battery and is not really a priority for me. Though still important when considering the price of the system as a whole.
Audio Speaker
The speakers are generally weak compared to my Gateway. The volume isn't has loud and the quality of the sound is not as good. This too like the battery life, was of low priority because, even though I use the T500 for media, I have a set up at home where I can plug it into a system that amplifies the sound and quality through speakers.
Heat and Fan
Compared to my Gateway, the ThinkPad is infinitely better in terms of dissipating heat and reducing noise. On the GW the fan would run incessantly, even without any taxing programs being run. Then it would turn into hyper fan mode and eventually shutdown from overheating. In the ThinkPad, the story is completely different. Even when I ran Bioshock, though audible, the fan never was intrusive. The heat, too, was quite good. It gets warm but never hot. If you want to see numbers, you should look at the review on notebookreview.com. I don't disagree with those numbers.
*******EDIT********
I apologize for not continuing the review as stated earlier. I won't review much else, UNLESS REQUESTED (and please, if you want me to review some part of the machine, I will more than happily do so, so just ask!)
For the final part of this review, I will give, what will be my final impression on the machine (that is, before my long-term; which won't be for a long time.)
Final Impression
I have now had my T500 ThinkPad for quite some time now, having used it for various tasks and knowing its idiosyncrasies, can say that overall I would give it a 8.5 out of 10. I really hate giving a definite Yes or No to these things, but if I were to be asked whether I recommend this computer or not, I could not say without full reservation that I do. There are several reasons for this: Firstly, though I love the resolution (as aforementioned, 'twas reason I opted for the T500 over the T400), I wish it were brighter, i.e. LED-bright, but at this resolution, and as of this review, it is not offered. And sitting next to a MBP owner, who's gorgeous screen is a stark reminder of superiority in terms of screen brightness, it instills a sense of uneasiness because of the not-cheap price--though to be fair, a spec'd up 15.4" MBP is significantly more expensive (~$600 more; I have the 3 years accidental damage and warranty.) At full brightness, it is a joy to look at, anything lower however is much darker. For example, with all lights off and in darkness, the lowest setting was difficult to see---what?---I expect to be able to see (read: use) it comfortably without straining my eye at every setting. Otherwise, what's the point? This is to say the screen is not bright enough at all levels. I understand the remedy is as easy as turning up the brightness, but that is not the point.
Secondly, ThinkVantage is helpful however it is ultimately a bloatware for me. When I open up the Task Manager, I would say about a third of the processes taking up my memory is ThinkVantage stuff. Taxing my system when most of the time I don't need it. To uninstall it would kind of defeat one of the uniqueness of the system (I mean, they even dedicated a button for it) and just doesn't seem right. I have yet to do so because I don't know the kinds of effect it will have on the system, so it may or may not be done.
Thirdly, there have been several crashes. For example, yesterday instead of my usual Fn-F4 (sleep), I closed the lid instead (which should yield the same effect.) As I got home from work, I found that not only has it not been sleeping, but had had the processor running inside my protective case. It was HOT and as I opened the lid, I saw the Blue Screen of Death. Additionally, it takes a long time for the computer to go to sleep (I'm talking about 30 seconds-1 minute.) My 6 YO Gately does it in 5-10 seconds, but then again, it runs Windows 7. This is probably the fault of Vista, though and can't be blamed on Lenovo.
All in all, if I could re-order a system from Lenovo, I would consider the T400 with LED and the same configuration (though I would want the T500's more powerful graphics option.) I realized that though I initially wanted the large screen size, I would trade it for portabiltiy. I realized the T400's screen was sufficient after looking at the MBP. I still wouldn't get a MBP because it just doesn't offer the flexibility of a PC (I find PCs easier to manipulate in general.) Happy shopping!
Message Edited by StrangeL0ve on 07-21-2009 11:34 AMI have upgraded from 2gb to 4gb RAM (Vista bu 64bit) but T400 was still slower than the old MSI notebook. I had MSI 12", 1.8ghz sempron, 2gb RAM, 160HDD with UBUNTU 8.04. Now T400 with P8700, 4gb DDR3, discrete Ati 3470. What really helped me was NOT using Vista at all! I'm now on RC of Windows 7, it's much faster (boot, turning off, and aslo system respose is I think 4 times shorter than Vista has). Just wanted you to know how are these systems different. But if I had a choice, I would go for some linux distribution. Sadly fingerprint reader and thinkvantage software are not supported
Message Edited by popo666 on 07-11-2009 10:20 AM -
Looking at possibly buying one of these but not sure about the i3-4005u series. I see from bench tests online that it is quite a bit slower than the "m" series, but will it be enough for standard office work/web browsing etc? I assume it will be but will I notice a huge difference in terms of responsiveness/speed between the i3-4005u and the i3-4000m?
I guess not
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How do i get to hidden menu ?
Solved!
Go to Solution.Turn off display by power button. Press and hold <-- and --> buttons then turn on display holding this keys. Service menu is now shown as "F" in main menu. Enjoy..
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Lenovo ThinkPad X220 video review
We've received our Lenovo ThinkPad X220 review unit with the IPS display (lovely!), 2.5GHz Core i5 second gen and the 6 cell + 19 cell slice battery combo. Really fantastic machine!
Here's our video review: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=40140
Lisa@MobileTechReviewDid the lenovo logo come back on the lid again? Eh.
W520: i7-2720QM, Q2000M at 1080/688/1376, 21GB RAM, 500GB + 750GB HDD, FHD screen
X61T: L7500, 3GB RAM, 500GB HDD, XGA screen, Ultrabase
Y3P: 5Y70, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, QHD+ screen -
Just wanted to give a heads up about a review of the W530 that's written by a user who owns the W520, so it's heavy on comparisons which is kind of helpful if you're familiar with that machine. I'll quote the whole review below sans all the images to prevent bandwidth warnings! Also truncated and removed some sections to get under the 20,000 character count limit Full review with images is here: http://www.laptopreviews.com/lenovo-thinkpad-w530-review-2012-07
Just like last calendar year, Lenovo is ahead of Dell and HP in releasing a workstation equipped with the latest and greatest Intel Core processors and nVidia Kepler professional graphics. Starting at $1,299 on Lenovo.com (which is the same starting price as the W520 when it was introduced), the Lenovo Thinkpad W530 can be configured with processors ranging from the Intel Core i5-3320M to i7-3610QM to the top-end i7-3290XM, supports up to 32GB RAM and 270 nit 95% color gamut FHD display for demanding business customers. The W530 is like the W520 in many ways as a professional workstation laptop.
The Thinkpad W530 under review comes with the following specs:
Processor: Intel Core i7-3520M (2.9GHz, TurboBoost to 3.6GHz, 4MB L3 cache)
Graphics: nVidia Quadro K1000M
Memory: 8GB RAM DDR3-1600MHz
Display: 15.6” 1600 x 900 resolution, matte finish
OS: Windows 7 Professional
Storage: 500GB 7200RPM
Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion, 57Whr
Wireless: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
Ports: Gigabit Ethernet, VGA, mini-DisplayPort, powered USB 2.0, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 (x2), combination headphone/microphone jack, ExpressCard slot (34mm), SDHC reader, 1394
Weight: 5.95lbs (2.7kg)
Keyboard
Let’s just start off with the most obvious change. The new keyboard is the most radical change in the ThinkPad line since…forever, really. Up until now, the ThinkPad series has had the same keyboard style since introduction, with minor changes here and there. Replacing the traditional 7-row ThinkPad keyboard is the island-style 6-row keyboard, found on the whole range of ThinkPad's, from the 12” X230 all the way up to this 15.6” workstation. Even with the changes, the surface of each key has stayed the same during the transition (1.5cm by 1.5cm for the alphanumeric keys) as well as the spacing between each key (roughly 0.4cm). Other keys, such as Caps Lock, Enter, Shift, Backspace, etc., have stayed the same size as well, though the Caps Lock key no longer has an indicator light. Notable differences include shape changes in the Esc key, Delete key, moving the power button from top-center to top-right, and the lack of a dedicated Menu key. However, the most important changes in key layout are as follows:
The layout of the “special keys” (Delete, Home, End, PgUp and PgDn) has been dramatically rearranged on the new keyboard
The dedicated Forward/Back buttons are now gone. These buttons used to be located to the right/left of the Up Arrow key and are now replaced with the PgUp/PgDn keys
The Print Screen button is now located where the Menu button should be.
The Scroll Lock and Pause buttons have disappeared, though they have been relegated to near-oblivion in today’s world
And just for change’s sake (as far as I know), Lenovo decided to paint the Enter key black instead of the traditional ThinkPad blue and the Windows key is bigger on the W530 than the W520 (1.5cm squared vs. 1cm squared).
To those coming from an older ThinkPad, the newer keyboards are either something to love or something to hate. The older keyboard in previous generations were renowned for their quality and keyboard feel (certainly, they were one of the best laptop keyboard on the market) and is so popular that it has an almost religious following among ThinkPad users. On the flip side, the newer keyboard has a lot to prove to the ThinkPad community. While the common-used alphanumeric keys have the same area and spacing as the old keyboard and the typing quality on it is above average (compared to other island-style keyboards), Lenovo’s choice to move and kill off some special function keys fly in the face of what most ThinkPad users would want. I love using the Forward/Back buttons while browsing the internet and using Windows Explorer, for example, but with the current and likely future ThinkPad's killing those buttons off, I will miss being able to navigate with just my right pinkie. The choice to move the Print Screen button to the bottom of the keyboard just baffles me, period. It would have been nice if Lenovo had kept the 7-row layout while designing the new keyboard and if the keys had stayed in pretty much the same positions during the change (for example, “special keys” staying in the top-right, bringing back the Forward/Back buttons), I wouldn’t make too much fuss over the new style even though I personally prefer traditional keyboards. At least the Fn button stays in the bottom-left corner, an odd quirk that’s been featured on ThinkPad's for as long as I can remember.
Build and Design
Just like the W520 before it, the newer W530 is a tough machine, built well and meant to last. The outside casing of the laptop is made using ABS plastic, while the inside contains an internal rollcage to protect internal electronics in case of a drop or other accident. It also makes the laptop all but impossible to flex (there’s maybe a millimeter or two of flex when twisting the display). There is a keyboard draining system that will protect the laptop in the event of a small liquid spill onto the keyboard as well. Sturdy, metal hinges attach the display to the body of the W530, and they are firm enough to hold any angle they are set up despite any typical vibrations or other movements, and if the W520 is any indicator, they will stay firm for years to come.
As I’ve mentioned in my Thinkpad W520 review, Lenovo’s business laptops are certainly capable of withstanding a few drops onto the floor. Even with repeated drops, having the power brick fall onto the palm rest from several feet above, and traveling with the notebook unprotected in a backpack for just over a year, I’m sure that the W530 will be able to survive prolonged abuse for years to come.
One thing to note about the W530 (and workstation laptops in general) is the power brick. The version with the K1000M GPU comes with the 135W power adaptor and it’s just slightly smaller and lighter than an actual brick of the clay variety, coming in at 6in by 2.5in by 1.4in and 1.83lbs. Those considering buying a W530 with the K2000M will receive the 170W power adaptor (like my W520), which measures 6.5in by 3in by 1.4in and actually weighs less (1.7lbs) oddly enough.
Display
While the review unit came with a 900p, 220 nit HD+ display, the W530 is also available with a 768p 220 nit display (which I recommend against; 768p needs to stay in netbooks and bargain-bin laptops, not workstations) and a 1080p, 95% color gamut, 270 nit FHD display. Depending on the configuration options, either the 768p is the default and the 900p is a $50 upgrade, or the 900p is the default; the 1080p display is a $250 option, though after owning a W520 with said display, I highly recommend it if it’s in the budget. Both the W520 and W530 use the same model displays.
With the 1080p display to the left and 900p display to the right, the 50 nit difference shows. Compared to the HD+ display, the FHD appears to be noticeably brighter (though in photos, it shows as being more white-washed, though this is due to the camera and not the displays). Colors on the 95% gamut FHD are also more saturated than the HD+ display, though the HD+ display still has colors that pop out well. Black reproduction on either display is good, with both being very dark. Being TN panels, viewing angles on either is just average, though better than on glossy display found in most consumer laptops. Tilt either screen back far enough (they go just past 180 degrees) and colors turn into shades of black or extremely darker versions.
Sound
This is where the W530 makes the W520 look shameful. Owners of the W520 workstation laptop would either have to use an external speaker set, headphones, or have to perform modifications in order to have a laptop that sounds half-way decent. The W520 speakers were low volume (even when at 100%), had no depth, and would sound tinny when playing near 100% and/or playing high-pitch noises.
In contrast, the W530 actually sounds amazing. In my review of the Thinkpad W520, I contrasted the W520 to a Dell XPS 15 with JBL speakers, concluding that the only way to get good sound from a W520 was to use a different sound solution from the internal speakers. However, I feel that the W530 can compete with media center laptops in terms of audio performance, a major plus over the previous generation Lenovo workstation. This is in thanks to different audio drivers (the W520 uses the Conexant 20672 SmartAudio HD drivers, and the W530 uses Realtek High Definition Audio) and Lenovo’s inclusion of Dolby Home Theater v4 software, which I went into detail about in the Ideapad U310 review. In a nutshell, this software includes a few factory-shipped sound profiles and settings appropriate for different usage scenarios, which allow a user to enhance voice quality (in the Movie profile) or to enjoy rich sound when listening to music (in the Music profile and various settings). While the W520 was tinny and lacked bass, the W530 can reproduce sounds from any pitch found in music and gives great bass for a laptop lacking a subwoofer.
Software
Unlike the previous W520, Lenovo’s ThinkPad W530 comes with a bit of bloatware out of the box. Of course, there is the typical trial AV software, Intel WiDi, and Microsoft Office Starter 2010, though this is to be expected in pretty much any laptop bought today. Also included is a trial of Nitro Pro 7, a PDF editing suite, and Corel DVD MovieFactory (Lenovo Edition). Lenovo also includes a cloud storage solution called “Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync”. Skype is also included on the W530 and with the integrated camera, the video coming from the W530 user looks clear and colorful.
Lenovo also includes some excellent software as well. My personal favorite is the Lenovo Power Manager 6, which is like the default Windows power manager on steroids. A user can change system settings (CPU deep sleep, display brightness, ODD power, etc.), idle timers (when to stop the HDD, dimmed display brightness, standby and hibernation), advanced settings (allow/disallow hybrid sleep and wake timers, power management for PCIe, USB, CPU, and system cooling), events and alarms. By default, it comes with six power profiles (Power Source Optimized, Max. Performance, Max. Battery Life, Video Playback, Energy Saver (which actually drains more power than Max. Battery Life, oddly), and Timers off (for when a user wants to use the W530 in a presentation).
The best I can describe Lenovo SimpleTap as being is a Metro-like interface on top of Windows 7; either launching it from the Start menu or the blue ThinkVantage button on the keyboard will activate it, resulting in the traditional Windows desktop being replaced with a Metro-style tile system and a toolbar on the top-right corner. The user can always exit out of this interface by either pressing the Escape key or clicking on the SimpleTap background. The included Thinkpad-branded fingerprint software is also excellent, allowing for a simpler and more secure way to log into Windows; I use it exclusively on my personal W520, though there is a setting to allow a user to log in with a password en lieu of a fingerprint. Last but not least is the ThinkVantage Tools suite, which includes the above ThinkPad applications, plus: Password Vault, Update and Drivers, Airbag Protection (an active protection system for the HDD), Factory Recovery Disks, Messages from Lenovo, Enhanced Backup and Restore, Internet Connections System Health and Diagnostics, and Web Conferencing.
In the case of a fresh Windows install, a user can always download the Thinkpad-branded software from Lenovo’s website. If anything, I recommend keeping the Power Manager software.
Battery Life
Not using Power Manager’s Battery Stretch, the Lenovo Thinkpad W530 was able to last six hours and 46 minutes while having the display brightness set to 5 out of 15 and only using the Intel GPU (Optimus disabled). The 6-cell battery was also able to last five hours and 25 minutes under those same conditions, but also included a 45 minute YouTube video. Using the same settings, but running solely on the K1000M, the W520 manages a battery life of three hours and 52 minutes.
Out of curiosity, I tried installing my W520’s 9-cell battery into the W530, and while it fitted correctly, there were some issues. If a user tries booting with the older battery, the W530 will stop booting and display the following message:
The battery installed is not supported by this system and will not charge. Please replace the battery with the correct Lenovo battery for this system. Press the ESC key to continue.
What that means is that even if the W530 is plugged into its charger, the laptop will still not recharge the battery. This is because the older batteries lack an authentication chip inside of them (found in OEM batteries in the -30 series of Thinkpads). A user can still use an older battery with the system, but will have to find some other means to charge up other than the W530.
User Upgradability
If you know how to use a screwdriver, you can upgrade the W530 yourself with aftermarket parts. Lenovo, in a way, even encourages this by publishing their service manuals online. To access RAM slots 3 and 4 and to access the hard drive bay, all that’s needed is to remove the only two doors on the underside of the laptop, three screws total. This ThinkPad ships with a Hitachi Z7K500 500GB 7200RPM hard drive and no RAM in the last two slots (out of a total of four slots, allowing 32GB of RAM maximum).
To gain access to the rest of the components, there are two additional screws located on the bottom that must be undone. One is located right next to the RAM module door (towards the front edge of the laptop) and the other is located within the RAM module area itself. When these are gone, all one needs to do to remove the keyboard is to slide it towards the display, lift from the bottom edge near the trackpad, and carefully move towards the trackpad. First thing I noticed was that the size, shape, and connector is the same for both the W530’s keyboard and W520’s keyboard, so it might be possible to put an traditional ThinkPad keyboard into this Ivy Bridge system. However, there are additional keys on the W520’s keyboard that are not found on the W530 (Screen Lock, Forward/Back keys, etc.) and the BIOS probably would not know how to handle those extra keys. Anyway, Lenovo ships out this particular system with two sticks of generic Samsung memory (4GB each), an Intel 6205 WiFi card, and a slot for either a WWAN card or mSATA SSD (only one can be installed at a time). If an end user must have both, they could install the mSATA SSD and use an ExpressCard 3G cellular data card externally.
Conclusion
Like its predecessor, the W530 is a functional workstation laptop that’s first out of the gate with an array of Ivy Bridge processors to choose from. It can pack up to an Extreme Edition i7-3920XM, nVidia Quadro K2000 GPU, 32GB of RAM, 1080p display, and up to three system drives -- mSATA SSD, primary HDD bay, and another drive if you replace the optical bay with an Ultrabay HDD caddy. While not equipped with the more expensive options, our review unit is certainly a great workstation that will serve a professional well in any CUDA-based work (CAD, video or photo editing, graphics design, etc.). The most noticeable change between the W520 and W530 is the keyboard, and for a lot of potential buyers it will be a love it or hate it situation. For those buying into the ThinkPad line for the first time, it may not bother you too much. Those who are long-time ThinkPad users (such as myself) will probably be disappointed in the direction Lenovo has gone with the new design, but ignoring the odd arrangement of non-alphanumeric keys the new ThinkPad keyboard is actually a joy to type on. The curved keys fit well around the fingers, just like the old keyboard, and since the spacing between keys are the same it shouldn’t feel too different for those upgrading to a newer ThinkPad.
If history is any indicator, the ThinkPad W530 should not only be the first Ivy Bridge mobile workstation, but will also be the lightest of the bunch as well (the W520 was 5.95lbs, Dell’s Precision M4600 was around 6lbs, and HP’s Elitebook 8650w started at 6.5lbs). My only objective complaint about the W530 (ignoring the keyboard) is that Lenovo did not introduce an option for users to purchase one with a FirePro professional GPU (Quadro’s competition), found in workstations offered by Dell and HP. For those that do not need CUDA, it would have been a great, cost-effective solution while still staying with the legendary ThinkPad line.
Pros
Business-quality durability
Multiple storage drive options
Over 6.5 hours of battery life
IBM warranty support
Vastly improved sound quality (compared to the W520)
Cons
No Forward/Back keys, other missing keys
Cannot use previous-generation Lenovo OEM batteriesI think no one "normally" working will use touch specific elements of Win8! Metro is one part of Win8, but i think normal desktop mode will be preferred by 99 % of the users.
With the new upcoming Microsoft Surface, touch might work well, but i just don't see myself touching my laptop's screen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------W520 4276CTO i7-2860QM Quadro2000M 1920x1080 16GB RAM - 160 GB Intel 320 SSD -
Hi forum, i bought this laptop one and a half months ago and i notice that the temps are getting higher than normal.
When its idle it sometimes drop to 28C which is the lowest ive seen but usuallly is about 36C. When i open Skype, facebook game etc it can hit 83C with no reason. The cpu usage at that point is bearly 18%. My first thoughts are same, the fan is not kicking when i has to and makes the cpu run hot and then unable to cool it as much as it should.
I hope someone help us because i started to get annoyed, i cannot stress the laptop atall. Even when i play a game in facebook i can hear the fans rpm increase.
www.postimg.org/image/nsrxsavz1/
Is there any update that can fix this? cause its no dust or thermal paste issue and ofcourse no applications are running
According to :
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-G510-Notebook-Review.117221.0.html
The G510 graphics core always clocked at full speed in the stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour). The processor only ran at maximum speed in AC mode (2.9 GHz). When performing the stress test in battery mode, the CPU clocked with 2.5 GHz. The CPU's temperature settled to approximately 69 °C in the stress test (AC mode).Check temps with hwinfo.
With tmonitor you can disable turbo boost which is a manufacturer hardware overclock and monit temps -
Lenovo Thinkpad W530 Review
by Djembe
One of the longest and most enduring brands in computers is Thinkpad. Originally developed by IBM in the USA, Thinkpad notebook computers are now manufactured by the Chinese company Lenovo. The W series debuted in 2009 as the highest-end Thinkpads offered. They came with the same patented Thinkpad technologies, such as an internal rollcage and shock-mounted hard drives. However, they also offered competitive workstation-class graphics cards with drivers optimized for professional graphics work.
The W530 is the latest in that line, and it looks almost identical to its predecessor, the W520, with three differences. Two of these differences are ports: thefull-size DisplayPort of the W520 was replaced with a mini DisplayPort in the W530 and eSATA was eliminated. The third change is the most noticeable and it has caused some consternation among Thinkpad traditionalists: the traditional Thinkpad keyboard has been replaced by a chiclet-style keyboard with one fewer row. Does the new keyboard live up to its predecessor? And is the notebook as a whole a worthwhile addition to the Thinkpad lineup? Read on to find out.
Specs
My W530 came with the following specifications:
Intel Core i7-3720QM processor
Nvidia K2000M graphics
15.6” 1920x1080 screen
500GB 7200RPM hard drive
4GB memory
Bluetooth 4.0
Intel Ultimate 6300 wireless card
DVD burner
9-cell battery
Since Lenovo (like virtually every other configurable computer company) vastly overcharges for memory upgrades, I upgraded the memory and storage myself. Lenovo provides an excellent installation guide for how to do this, which includes instructions for how to replace even the most difficult of items. Upgrading to a system-maximum 32GB RAM and a 256GB Samsung 830 series SSD was a simple operation.
Design and Build Quality
Lenovo advertises that Thinkpads are designed to withstand use by the military. While they are not marketed as rugged notebooks, Thinkpads are expected to be well-built, high quality systems. In general, the W530 does not disappoint in this. The chassis is very rigid and does a very good job of protecting the internal components. I was only able to make the screen image distort when pushing very hard on the back of the lid, and even then, I could only make the image distort when I pressed close to the upper corners. The hinges are solid and easily hold the notebook lid open at any angle. Vigorous shaking will cause the screen angle to shift, but it never appears to be the slightest bit wobbly or unsteady. There is minimal flex anywhere in the chassis. The W530 is a very well built machine. The only potential detraction from perfection is that there does seem to be a small amount of wiggle room around the 9-cell battery (which protrudes approximately an inch out the back of the system), but I had no difficulty at all in holding the system up only by the battery and rocking it back and forth. No disconnections occurred and nothing gave any hint of coming apart or breaking. As a result, I can confidently say that the small amount of wiggle around the battery does nothing to mar the stellar build quality of the W530.
As to design, Thinkpads have looked basically the same for the last 10 years or longer, so you know what to expect. At 1.4 inches think, the system is almost twice as thick as many Ultrabooks, but still thinner than some gaming systems with similar performance. You won’t find aluminum highlights or lighted logos on the W530, but the matte black W530 has an understated look that is appropriate in most environments.
Screen
The screen on a notebook is an important aspect, since it’s what you’ll be looking at for the majority of the time you’re using the system (except when you’ve got it attached to an external display). Lenovo offers three screen options for the W530, and I chose the high-resolution 1920x1080 matte display option. The higher-end screen also has increased brightness over Lenovo’s other screen options, up to 270 nits. The screen is model number B156HW01 v4 from AU Optronics, which was also used in the last two generations of W-series Thinkpads: the W510 and W520. So why did they use the same screen? As the saying goes, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. The screen is bright enough that I only use it on full brightness if I’m using it outside. For the record, it is sunlight-readable at maximum brightness, although it has a tendency to look a little washed out in bright sunlight. In all other circumstances, the screen looks very good. It also has good viewing angles, maintaining color integrity (no color inversion) even at extreme horizontal angles. Vertical angles are not as forgiving, but the screen definitely has a much larger “sweet spot” than most, it is evenly lit (less than 10% difference between brightest spot and dimmest spot, according to Notebook Check), and its 95% Adobe RGB color gamut means colors are rich and vibrant.
Keyboard, Touchpad, and Trackpoint
The keyboard is new for this year’s Thinkpads, and even though it loses a row of function keys, it retains the comfort and ease of typing found on previous Thinkpad keyboards. The keys have adequate travel and typing is an effortless experience. I find myself making significantly less typing mistakes due to accidental keypresses or overlaps while using the W530 than with most other computers that I’ve used. And it comes with an additional bonus: the new keyboard, unlike the previous one, is backlit. The backlighting is customizable in three steps: low backlight, high backlight, and Thinklight, a small light built into the lid that shines down on the keyboard area. Personally, I find the Thinklight somewhat distracting, since it highlights my hands much more effectively than it highlights the keys underneath them. However, the keyboard backlighting is done very well and allows for easy key identification in any lighting conditions.
The touchpad is textured, and easily accommodates multitouch gestures. However, I prefer smooth touchpads and the one on the W530 does not seem as responsive as some of the Asus touchpads I’ve used. For most gaming or other situations where precise control is needed, I would elect for an external mouse. However, in its favor, the W530 has dedicated touchpad buttons – two sets, no less! Another of my personal preferences is that I abhore clickpads. As an example, I find using Macbook Pros to be annoying due to the fact that you need to press down on the whole clickpad in order to register an action. The twin sets of left and right click buttons on the W530 are easy to press and responsive.
Additionally, since this is a Thinkpad, it contains a little round nub between the G and H keys that allows for alternate cursor control. It’s called a trackpoint, and is one of the IBM-patented features that is found in a number of business notebooks today. I very rarely use this while websurfing or working with productivity applications, but I found it to be significantly more useful than the touchpad while playing Portal 2 and I ended up using the trackpoint throughout the game.
Connections
The W530 has a full selection of ports. On the right side of the notebook, you can find the DVD tray, Ethernet, the combined headphone/microphone port, a card reader, and an ExpressCard slot. The left side holds 3 USB ports, two of which are the latest USB 3.0 spec. Also on the left side are VGA, mini DisplayPort, IEEE 1394 (Firewire), a hardware wireless switch, and the exhaust vent. The vent makes a very effective hand warmer, if you are doing anything resource-intensive. On the back, in addition to the battery, there is the power plug and a yellow USB 2.0 port that can remain powered even when the system is turned off in order to easily charge cell phones, tablets, or other USB-powered peripherals.
Performance
Three years ago, the first time I tested a system with a quad-core processor, I was disappointed because there was no noticeable performance increase. Intel has done some improvements with their quads since then and the i7-3720 performs admirably. Its default clock speed is 2.6 Ghz, however it happily will use Turbo Boost to overclock up to 3.6 Ghz as the cooling allows. Under maximum load with all cores via Prime 95, the CPU still maintains an overclock to 3 Ghz. I must mention, though, that this is all when the system is plugged in. In order to preserve battery life, Lenovo has limited the CPU to slightly under half its default clock speed while on battery power. This means that even with a high CPU load, the processor will not go faster than 1.2 Ghz while on battery. To benchmark the processor, I used Geekbench, an OS-agnostic CPU performance benchmark tool. The i7-3720QM scored 10870 plugged in and only 4100 when unplugged, so the difference in CPU capacity is clear. But even with this difference, I have found that this limitation actually has comparatively little effect on my usage while on battery. Games, for instance, run perfectly well on battery power. For those who need more processing power unplugged, you can remove this limitation with a program called Throttle Stop. Of course, it goes without saying that running heavy CPU-intensive programs will drastically reduce the battery life.
The W530 comes with an Nvidia Quadro K2000M and uses Nvidia’s Optimus graphics switching to go between the dedicated graphics and the integrated Intel 4000 graphics, according to program need. In my experience, Optimus seems to switch graphics adapters in a logical manner according to program need, but in the case that it chooses the wrong graphics adapter for the program you need, you can set up program-specific preferences to use either integrated or dedicated graphics as desired. The K2000M is based on Nvidia’s Kepler architecture and 28nm process technology. As a professional GPU, it is aimed more at content creation than content consumption. Still, the K2000M is a capable midrange graphics card, able to play all the latest games at medium-high settings. The K2000M has comparable performance to the Fermi-based 560M and is a little bit less powerful than the Kepler-based 650M. Portal 2 can be played at fluid framerates at native resolution and maximum settings. Starcraft 2 is playable on native resolution at maximum settings, but some more demanding sections are not fluid (30+ FPS), so I lowered to high settings and everything runs smoothly. Civilization 5 runs smoothly at medium-high settings, and Dragon Age: Origins works well at near maximum settings, all on native resolution. The system scores right around 2000 points in 3DMark 11, varying from 1970 to 2053.
The Samsung 830 SSD contributes a lot toward making the system feel fast. The system boots in approximately 32 seconds from pressing the power button to everything loaded in the Windows desktop and shuts down in 14 seconds. On battery power, these numbers rise slightly with 45 seconds to start and 17 seconds to shut down. The SSD also allows for higher scores in PCMark 7. And speaking of PCMark 7, I experienced a curious thing when running the benchmark multiple times on two different W530 units. The first W530 provided a very respectable top score of 4910 in the benchmark, which is roughly the same as scores by the new Retina Macbook Pro. However, the second W530 on which I ran the benchmark netted a score of 6765, which is, as of the date of this review, the highest score among systems with the Intel Core i7 3720QM processor.
Audio
The W530 comes with Dolby Home Theater v4, which allows music and video to sound quite good. There are three presets as well as a graphic equalizer that comes with the software. While bass is lacking compared to any dedicated speakers, this is a common situation in notebooks and bass in the W530 is better than most. Overall, the W530 has very acceptable audio at reasonable volume.
Heat and Noise
The fan on the W530 is always on by default, and its 2700RPM minimum rotation speed is loud enough to be noticeable in a quiet room. Under maximum load, the fan can ramp up to 4200RPM, which makes it louder but never really unpleasant. Still, in order to reduce the fan noise when the system did not need it, I installed Thinkpad Fan Control, which allowed me to set my own temperature points and fan speed levels. As a result, the notebook is completely quiet as long as the processor is under 55 degrees Celsius. Further, the fan is very effective and able to quickly cool the processor and video card without significantly heating up the rest of the chassis. Under maximum load (Prime 95 + Furmark), the keyboard only felt slightly warm, and the only really hot area on the notebook was immediately above the exhaust vent. Under normal use, the notebook remains cool and as comfortable to use on my lap as it is on a table.
Battery Life
My W530 came with a 9-cell battery rated for 94 Watt-hours. While playing games such as Starcraft 2, the battery lasts approximately 2 hours. Playing DVDs at full brightness with the K2000M resulted in approximately 4 hours of battery life. Web surfing at half brightness results in 7-8 hours battery life, depending on surfing habits. And very light web surfing, note taking, and word processing at half brightness results in 9 hours of battery life. That number can be extended all the way up to 11 hours at minimum brightness. Basically, the W530 can last an entire business day unplugged as long as it was not needed for anything very resource-intensive.
Customer Service, Support, Repair and Replacement
Typically, a review would not include a section on support. However, something happened to my initial W530 unit and I can provide a perspective on Lenovo’s support experience. The problem that developed was a failure of the Intel 4000 integrated graphics. All other systems and components, including the quad-core processing cores on the i7-3720QM, worked fine. However, running only on the Nvidia graphics caused the battery life to be affected (6 hours maximum, compared to 11 hours maximum running on Intel graphics), and so I called Lenovo. The service tech to whom I spoke remoted into my computer and looked at the recent Windows updates I had downloaded. He suggested that I restore to an earlier point prior to the Windows updates, and if that did not work, to call back and Lenovo would fix it. Needless to say, it did not work and I called back. The service rep sent a box for the computer to be sent to the EasyServ repair depot.
I sent the box out the following day with my computer, and did not see my system again for over a month. The online status listings for my system changed from “being repaired” to “waiting for customer information” at least 4 times during that period. Since I was frequently checking the status in hope that my computer would be repaired and sent back to me quickly, I called Lenovo whenever I saw that the status was “waiting for customer information.” As a result, I was able to follow along with the story of how my computer’s repair was progressing. It went something like this: First, the techs re-imaged my hard drive (I sent the machine back with all the original parts, keeping my upgrades until I got it back). That did not fix the issue (which I could have told them, since I tried using different drives myself before calling Lenovo) and led to the first “hold for customer information.” At no point during any of these holds did they actually need any information from me, but it seems to be the universal code they chose to use for “waiting for [whatever].” First, they were waiting to escalate it to a higher level tech. Then, I was told I needed a new motherboard and they were waiting on the new board. Then, I was told that the new motherboard did not work and they were referring the system to a design team. Then, the design team discovered that they shipped and installed the wrong new motherboard and it needed a different one. Then, I was told that the different new motherboard was backordered and it would take longer to arrive.
During the first four weeks that they had my system, I called Lenovo maybe six or seven times, and they did not call me once. The situation was rather frustrating. However, after approximately four weeks, one of the service reps gave me the phone number of a specific employee, who informed me that since my repair had taken so long, Lenovo was going to replace my computer. He said a member of Lenovo’s Executive Replacement Team would call me to set up the replacement. A week later, I was able to talk to the Executive Replacement Team member, who confirmed the specifications of my unit and said the replacement computer would arrive in 2-3 weeks. Two days later, I got my original computer back from the depot. Thankfully, I was then able to use the original system until the new one arrived. Now, I am typing this review on the new system and everything works well.
Lenovo’s customer service staff were unexceptionally friendly and helpful. I spoke to a number of them, and each and every one was courteous and willing to help. Lenovo’s replacement staff were also easy to talk to, responsive, and effective. The EZServ repair techs, however, appear to leave something to be desired. I bought a 3 year warranty , including Thinkpad Protection and on-site service. If anything goes wrong again with my Thinkpad, I am going to insist on the on-site service option.
Value & Recommendation
The Lenovo Thinkpad W530 is a well-built notebook with very good performance, thermal design, and battery life. Very few computers manage all of these together, and the down side of the W530 is price: it is more expensive than other systems with similar performance. Still, I believe the extra price is justified by what the computer delivers: a solid system with no compromises.
You should buy one too if:
You want a system that will last a number of years
You need a combination of excellent performance and excellent battery life
Consider something else if:
You’re on a strict budget and want the most performance for the money
You want a computer with a style that will turn heads
Thinkpad W530, i7-3720QM, 1920x1080 screen, 32GB RAM, dual SSDs (Samsung 830, Crucial M4 mSATA), Quadro K2000M, 9-cell battery, DVD burner, backlit keyboard, Bluetooth, Intel 6300 wireless cardI used 1600Mhz Corsair Vengeance RAM. You can either get it in matched sets or in single modules.
The default system RAM is made by Samsung and also runs at 1600Mhz.
Thinkpad W530, i7-3720QM, 1920x1080 screen, 32GB RAM, dual SSDs (Samsung 830, Crucial M4 mSATA), Quadro K2000M, 9-cell battery, DVD burner, backlit keyboard, Bluetooth, Intel 6300 wireless card -
T410 review up on laptopmag.com and video review by Phaxmohdem
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-t410.aspx
moderator note: subject line adjusted.Found this on Engadget, this is the first part of Phaxmohdem´s video review. There are 6 parts.
Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review: Unboxing and Overview:
Follow @LenovoForums on Twitter! Try the forum search, before first posting: Forum Search Option
Please insert your type, model (not S/N) number and used OS in your posts.
I´m a volunteer here using New X1 Carbon, ThinkPad Yoga, Yoga 11s, Yoga 13, T430s,T510, X220t, IdeaCentre B540.
TIP: If your computer runs satisfactorily now, it may not be necessary to update the system.
English Community Deutsche Community Comunidad en Español -
Hello. I have the Lenovo L220X. I am going to get a Mac pro: n. Now, I have the iMac and the lenovo is another evidence of it. The problem is that the text of the screen is a bad one.
Is there anyone in this evidence for the Mac pro level. I would like to know whether the text of the mac pro's with the weak?
And what about spyder3 pro? Will it work this proof?Help. Is it really anyone in this display, and the mac machine?
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Have the Lenovo L220x 22" monitor. None of the usb ports seem to work - any device, including flash drives, plugged into the monitor isb ports are not recognized. The devices work when plugged into the CPU ports. OS is Vista. Can anyone point me to a solution? Thanks.
Solved!
Go to Solution.ahh, that explains it. connect the A:B cable from the display (the one next to the VGA connector) to your computer and your hub will work.
ThinkStation C20
ThinkPad X1C · X220 · X60T · s30 · 600 -
Sharper and readable text compared to L220x
Hello everyone:
My L220x is suffering from really bad blurry text problem. I've gone through the L220x threads on the subject, and after countless hours of fiddling around with the settings, I've given up. No matter what I try, the text quality remains *bad*. These TN pannels are no good. Wish I have looked at my friends Dell 2408wfp before I got the Lenovo.. Dell is 1000 better!
Unfortunately, I cannot return the LCD to Lenovo and get a refund. Any recommandations on what's a good Lenovo display that renders sharper more readable text?
Any advise on this will much appreciated! Thnx.Lenovo L220x is not sharp. It cannot be fixed. I'm changed 6 units and nothing. If you like sharp text do not buy this display. Now i'm happy with HP LP2275 and HP tech service quality is much better at least in Russia.
Message Edited by hlabs on 06-21-2009 09:40 AM
Message Edited by hlabs on 06-21-2009 09:40 AM -
Lenovo W-540 Review
Note: This review was originally written for the W-540 sales page, but it was way too long to be accepted. I am posting it here, hoping it will provide something of a guide for those interested in this computer. The intention is to post a short review on the sales page, with instructions for navigating to this complete version.
dlane_W540
INTRODUCTION
I’ve been using my W-540 for about five weeks now, so I think I have enough experience with it to make some comments. I decided on a W-series when the W-530 was current. I was happily using a T410i (my 4th Lenovo laptop) until increasingly heavy Photoshop work slowed it down to the point that I was falling asleep watching it crank away. The W-540 replaced the W-530 in the Lenovo line-up as I was considering what to do, so I started watching for reviews. At that time there were only 5 of them on the web site—most seemed to be from power users who had issues with…well...anything that was different from their favorite older model. I was surprised to see such inflexibility among professionals when it came to new stuff. On the other hand, it is not hard to understand resistance to having to deal with a new thought process in order to accomplish the same tasks that were coming automatically before.
While I am not a programmer or cad cam user, I spend much of each day in front of a computer keyboard. So, instead of pretending to be an expert, I will try to speak for those who just need a fast, configurable computer with a top-flight screen, and who are willing to deal with a learning curve to get used to it. This, then, will look at my experience with the computer in light of comments I read on the web—a review of reviews, so to speak. Later on, I’d also like to offer some advice for configuring the unit.
For reference, my W-540 has the i7-4800MQ chip, the K2100 video card, and the IPS high res screen (with the color sensor). It also has an SSD main drive, and a 500GB hard drive in the Ultrabay. I’m running Windows 7, with 16GB of memory.
THE CASE
It is clear that the current line of Lenovo laptops have as design goals light weight and compact dimensions relative to their screen sizes. They went with a “carbon fiber reinforced plastic” material, so I’m not surprised that it is thin and a bit more bendy in spots than the older units. This 15-inch computer (with a number pad) weighs only 4 oz. more than my 14-inch T410i. The guts of both are mounted to a magnesium structure frame. The lighter weight is welcome, and after a few weeks of traveling with the computer I am confident that it is a sturdy and robust design. The case surfaces at first feel a bit odd to the touch, and look to be thin, but the workmanship is excellent. The whole idea with carbon fiber is to add strength without needing thickness and weight, so what first concerned me is now a source of pleasure.
THE KEYBOARD
There are some gripes about the keyboard out there. Some can’t accommodate the reality that to include a number pad, the qwerty part has to be offset to the left. Just align your fingers to the ridges on the F and J keys, or to the eraser head, or two the ridge on the down arrow. In writing this review, I’ve gone from finding the off-set position to be slightly irritating, to not noticing it at all.
Key spacing and feel seem fine to me. I work with at least two different keyboards during an average day, so again, it’s just something you get used to. The Delete, Backspace, Home, and End keys are in very different positions from the T410i, which is taking some learning on my part. It could well be that these are the new “standard” positions for these keys on 15” Lenovos.
I read a review that downgraded the machine because the keys were sticking. The reviewer also mentioned that the end panel did not fit well. The fix for the sticking keys is on the web—just re-setting the position of the keyboard bezel. I have a hunch it got knocked out of place during shipping—probably the same event that knocked the end panel out of whack. No problem with mine.
NIGHT LIGHT
Older ThinkPads had a nice night-light mounted next to the camera on the lid. In contrast, the keys on the W-540 are lit from below. Either style serves the purpose, although I happen to like the lid-mounted light better, since it would also light the touch pad, and my fingers. That said, the characters “printed” on the surface of the keys now have to actually go all the way through the surface (and be translucent) to allow the light to come through from the underneath. Thus, I would imagine the key’s characters will never wear out.
FUNCTION KEYS
I read some complaints about the row of function keys. A one-finger click now activates the icons on the keys (brightness, volume, Wi-Fi, etc.) You must press the Fn key to access the traditional F1 to F12 functions. It’s backwards to what I’m used to. The Fn key can be locked, though, giving you the standard one-touch access to F1-F12. A light shows on the key when locked, and the lock holds through a re-boot. So, if your software relies heavily on function keys, the computer can respond traditionally. On the other hand, there are some neat things available on the function keys. You have one click access to Control Panel, to the “computer” screen, to your list of active programs, and to the windows “search” function. For general use I leave the computer as is, with the icons on the function keys active. I use function keys frequently in Photoshop, so I lock the Fn key down when I boot that program.
HARD DRIVE ACTIVITY LIGHT
There is much hand-wringing about the lack of a light telling when the hard drive is spinning. When I read about it I was sure it would be a major irritation, but I’ve only noticed it once since working with the machine. It seems almost everything has some sort of “wait” graphic these days—a spinning circle, or something. Besides, this thing has an SSD for a main drive. It is very fast to accomplish things, so the value of a light to indicate that the computer is working (when nothing else is changing on screen) is questionable.
NUMLOCK AND CAPSLOCK
NumLock and CapsLock have icons that appear (and hold) on screen when those keys are activated. I suppose if you use software that is active in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, AND requires a lot of numeric entry there (or full caps text) it could be an issue. Someone in a review mentioned the icon covers part of the scroll bar in a particular app, but it is not one I use. Besides, if you use the touch pad as intended, you will never have to navigate to a scroll bar. Hard to figure why they didn’t just add little lights to the keys, though.
THE TOUCH PAD – OH MY!
Of all the features on the W-540 the touch pad has generated the most controversy, so I’d like to spend some time discussing it. There are five “button functions” now integrated into a single touch pad. The top three are for the eraser head, and the bottom two are for the touch pad. Having to tilt a big touch pad, as opposed to pressing a much smaller button, certainly takes more energy. It feels more clunky and noisy than the old system, which seems to be irritating the Lenovo faithful who were hoping the W-540 would be essentially a W-530 with the latest processors, and a cutting edge feature set.
For those preferring the touch pad, there are no markings where the buttons used to be. Even worse for traditionalists, the lower left corner of the touch pad is active for moving the cursor, so when you hit that same spot to left-click, the cursor tends to move about a half inch on screen—enough to get you the wrong menu item. The expert reviewers appeared to assume this was some sort of defect which rendered the W-540 unacceptable. I think they are missing the point. The new machine offers more inputting options through the touch pad than the old ones, so it has potential of being faster to work with—but only if the user is willing to learn a couple of new tricks, and to tailor the software to support them.
The larger touch pad has a nice feel to it, and a huge variety of adjustments in the “mouse” menu. You can left and right click in silence with one and two-finger taps on the touch pad. You can enlarge the screen image (or the reverse) with pinching motions as you would on a cell phone. You can also scroll with a slow, two-fingered swipe. Finally, a double tap anchors the cursor for dragging. So, in use, there is no need for traditional touch pad left or right buttons, and, with silent taps, you can work unobtrusively. All of this works nicely with software like Photoshop. However, as delivered (and depending on the size and shape of your hands) word processing can be a problem.
I have read comments about the cursor jumping around. It happens when typing as your hands rub over the touch pad. This was not a problem with previous models. The touch pad on those was an inch narrower, so even larger hands missed it. It may take some experimenting to get rid of it, but you have plenty of tools to work with. There is a software adjustment to make the touchpad insensitive to something larger than a finger. Another adjustment varies the touch pad’s sensitivity to finger pressure. Still further adjustments allow you to desensitize the areas of the touch pad your hands are likely to activate—giving the same effect as a smaller touch pad. My large hands tend to hover across the top corners of the touch pad, so I’ve desensitized those areas with good results. Be sure you are using the latest driver.
Of course, all of this goes away with an external mouse plugged in, so there is a work-around as you figure out what’s best for you. Having one-touch access to the Control Panel (via the Fn keys) makes it easy to jump to the Mouse settings as you experiment. Having adapted to the new surface of the touch pad, I enjoy using it.
THE OPTIONAL HIGH RESOLUTION SCREEN
I read that a high-res screen would create problems with icons appearing small, and with some software being difficult to scale. In spite of assurances to the contrary by Lenovo sales reps, there have been issues. If you want to feel secure, search the web for compatibility issues between your favorite software and high-resolution screens. Photoshop CS5 editing tools were too small to use with the screen set on full resolution. Quicken was also not happy. On the other hand most any web content, and Office 2013 programs (at least Word and Excel) readily scale up and down to fill the screen. Backing the resolution down to 1920 x 1080 brought the two errant programs back into range.
So, the obvious question is: Why bother with the high res screen? The standard screen is 1920 x 1080. The answer is that this is an IPS type screen—the same technology used in preferred stand-alone monitors. The blacks are really black, and you can view images from most any angle with reasonable fidelity. So, this is a beautiful screen, even when not taking advantage of its full resolution. Photos look wonderful, so I’m very comfortable at the lower resolution setting. Besides, from the Windows Desktop, a two-fingered click on the pad brings up a submenu that gets you directly to the “screen resolution” function. You can switch it around in a few seconds if necessary, although your desktop icons may shift to accommodate. One other thing: The screen surface is not a glossy finish, but neither is it as “matte” as other Lenovo screens. I mention this because there is conflicting information out there. Finally, I have a hunch that “standard” screens will become more high-resolution as time goes on, and the software developers will find ways to take advantage of it. Thus, the high-res screen is something of a hedge toward keeping the W-540 current for a longer period of time.
For what it’s worth, I have not used the standard screen, so I cannot comment on it, other than to say that other reviewers seem to like it.
COLOR CALIBRATION
The screen calibration device (Color Sensor) is well worth it for those who want to be sure their photographic prints match what the screen is showing. It is far easier to use than external devices. Calibration needs to be done regularly (especially with a new monitor). You can set your preferred interval (days or months) in the software. The software pops up at the specified time, you close the top and listen to it softly chirp for a little over a minute, and it’s done.
ODDS AND ENDS
This computer has no latch. I’ve carried it around a bit, and welcome the ease of opening. I don’t see a downside.
The power supply transformer on the power cord is huge relative to my older Lenovos, but about the same size as a friend’s earlier W-series. Lenovo shows no DC adapter for this computer. I suppose you could use a DC-AC inverter if you need to use the computer in a DC environment, but I asked the question on the Lenovo web site and did not get a useful answer.
I am not qualified to evaluate the microphones, camera, or speakers, other than to say that the built-in audio set-up seems quiet and robust compared to the T410i. There are lots of adjustments in the Dolby Home Theater software. Speaker output comes from slots on the front/bottom surface of the case, so, in addition to the software options, the quality of the sound can be changed by moving the computer closer or farther from the edge of your desk or table.
The left-side USB ports (one type 2 and one type 3) are close enough together to create physical interference if both are used at the same time. There are two more on the right side—spread farther apart, so it’s not a big deal.
The audio output is a single jack meant for a headphone/mike combination. My T410i is also like that. I’ve come to recognize this as appropriate for a business-oriented computer. A regular set of headphones works fine, but I’d be cautious if you intend to use a plug-in, external microphone with the unit.
CONFIGURATION SUGGESTIONS
If you are in a hurry, take Lenovo’s advice and buy one of the more standard packages. You can easily find them on line at Lenovo retailers. Expect an unpredictable wait time if you go outside the norms. In my imagination, the Lenovo people in the U.S. had a bunch of parts which they assembled to order. As it turned out, my order was “sent to manufacturing,” where the unit was built to spec. There were a couple of revisions to the estimated delivery date, but finally I received notification that the unit had been shipped….from Shanghai, via Alaska. Exact delivery predictions at the time of ordering for this sort of thing must be difficult.
This is my first computer with a solid state drive (SSD). It boots from cold in about 30 seconds, and does a restart cycle in well under a minute (including log-in with the fingerprint reader). Fully waking up from sleep is only a few seconds. Back-ups are satisfyingly fast through the USB-3 ports. This sort of speed, along with the typical on-screen parade of graphics during the process is why a light to tell you the hard drive is spinning is of questionable value. But yes, I’d still like to have one—just because I’m used to it.
ULTRABAY IN NAME ONLY
The Ultrabay set-up on the W-540 (and T540p, for that matter) is different than earlier computers that feature a release latch on the bottom of the unit. Instead of a latch, Ultrabay components for the W-540 are secured to the computer with a tiny screw. The screw can only be accessed by removing the large hatch cover (two screws) underneath the computer. The carbon fiber reinforced plastic hatch cover is thin, and a bit finicky to work with. The sales staff at Lenovo thought there was an external catch, but there is not. They were misinformed, and I actually called to correct them once I had my computer. Thus, no matter what anyone tells you, you CANNOT buy a W-540 and think you will easily swap a DVD drive with, say, a second hard drive. It’s minor surgery, best done with a jeweler’s screwdriver and some fine needle nose pliers.
Be sure to read the User Guide to keep from breaking the hatch cover. When I ordered mine, they shipped the Ultrabay carrier and the hard drive from the US, so they arrived early. I had to install them myself and found manipulating the tiny screws and pulling the hatch cover to be a bit scary.
……Not exactly what you would call “convenient.”
CONCLUSION
When I first started looking into a photography-optimized computer, the question was whether to custom build a desktop, or to buy a top-line laptop. The W-series laptops offered the processing speed and graphics card that I needed, in a portable package. When the W-540 came out, it offered an IPS screen, which sealed the deal for me. Now that I’ve used it as intended—processed some photos with it, done some writing, watched a movie or two, and carried it around—I’m convinced that Lenovo’s compromises were good ones for my uses. They have done their job of providing a modern PC, with an eye toward conservative design, modern materials, and with a touch pad that reflects the direction software developers are going. I needed to do a little catching up, reprogramming my fingers to feel comfortable with the new keyboard set-up, and tailoring the touchpad software for my hands. It was a small price to pay to make the most of what the W-540 offers in speed, monitor accuracy, and portability.
And I no longer fall asleep waiting for Photoshop to complete a task.Very good write-up. I've had my W540 for almost a week. My thoughts:
The Case: The screen feels a bit flimsy to me, I think that's due to small hinges mounted near the edges.
The Keyboard: I don't mind the offset keyboard, my current and previous Dells have had these, but they were 17.3" and 17" screens. I'm in engineering so I'd much rather have the extra numbers keypad than a centred keyboard. Although I don't like the CTRL and FN keys being the other way around.
Night light: Haven't really noticed not having one as I haven't had one in the past. My Dell has backlight keys.
Function keys: Don't particularly like this but once I found they could be locked on using the FN / Esc combo I just use this. It stays locked even if I reboot which is handy.
Hard drive activity light would be handy, as would numbers and caps lock. I've disabled the on-screen notification, that was just a pain. Sort of cr*p you would expect from Microsoft and all their silly tips, etc. that I disable as well.
Touchpad: I've commented elsewhere that this is the worse I've even seen. Absolutely useless. I've disabled both the touchpad and touchstick (again, useless) and just use a mouse.
Screen: Dreadful! I've got the 1920 x 1080 LCD. The icon size is ok, I've got it set to the smallest I can. However the screen looks washed out at the bottom. Again, I've posted about this before.
Mine doesn't have a SSD and only has 4 GB of memory, so I find it very slow. This is not a workstation unless you go for all the bells and whistles, otherwise it's ok for MS Ofifice and the internet but not for serious work. Forget programs such as AutoCAD and the like, too slow and the screen is too poor.
Anyway, thats my opinion, I'm sure others will love this unit and disagree with me.
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