W520 Quad Display?

I was under the impression I could have 3 external displays as well as the thinkpad display active if I had the Mini Dock Plus Series 3 - this does not appear to be the case, no matter how I connect the displays. I have the Display Port to DVI adapter and I believe I've tried every combination of Display Port (both dock and thinkpad) / DVI / VGA on the externals but I can not get more than two active at once.
Did I misread documentation and this is expected? If not, what is the magic setup?

Are you sure about channeling all the signals through the integrated GPU? Because when I connect an external screen, Optimus stops working and nVidia GPU is active all the time until the screen is disconnected. Also nVidia Control Panel shows that only the laptop LCD is wired to the integrated GPU, all other ports are wired directly to the nVidia thus forcing it to be active when an external screen is connected. Even in the BIOS you cannot select an external LCD as a default screen when "Optimus" or "Integrated graphics" options are selected (with "Discrete graphics" option you can select other output devices).
Originally I hoped that DisplayPort 1.2 specification which is available since December 2009 would be present, but regarding the 2 external display limitation I don't think so anymore (DP 1.2 would allow chaining multiple screens according to the specification and it would probably be mentioned in the specification sheet). Although the nVidia Quadro 2000M is capable of DP 1.2 output, Lenovo somehow did not use it to its full potential due to some poor design decision - please note that this is only my opinion and it is supported only by the facts I described here.
Lenovo ThinkPad W520 15.6" 1920x1080, UEFI 1.42, Intel Core i7-2820QM 2.3GHz, Intel HD3000 + nVidia Quadro 2000M 2GB, Kingston PNP 16GB (4x4GB) 1600MHz RAM, Crucial m4 040H 256GB SSD, Lenovo TP Drive Adapter UltraBay 12,7mm + WD Blue 1TB 5400rpm HDD, Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN, Gobi 3000, Lenovo TP Port Mini Dock Plus Series 3, Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit

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Quad display resolution?

I am thinking about upgrading from my current x200t to something with optimus to do the following quad set-up
ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 Quad Display Configuration:
1st Display: Active ThinkPad display
2nd Display: VGA analog monitor attached to the ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 - 170W (4338) VGA analog port.
3rd Display: DisplayPort or DVI digital monitor attached to the ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 - 170W (4338) DisplayPort or DVI digital port (left side pair).
4th Display: DisplayPort or DVI digital monitor attached to the ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 - 170W (4338) DisplayPort or DVI digital port (right side pair).
does this mean I can run the thinkpadp display, one 24" at 1920x1200 via VGA and two 30" at 2560x1600 via DisplayPort?

well the T410, T510 with Optimus can support that, i haven't heard may people using 2 x 30 inch WQXGA resolution + 1 x WUXGA. Most people i know whom this setup uses 3 x 24 inches.
Depending on what you do, you may want to try the newer T420, T520, which can support internal display + displayport out at WQXGA + WUXGA on the VGA without the dock installed.
The new W520 should also support optimus, but most official resources said that it support only 3 monitors.
Regards,
Jin Li
May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

W530 Quad Display Options

Hey Everyone,
So I just recently learned that the lenovo docks cannot display 3 independent external displays with the w530 as the 4th.
One rep even told me that if I were to try to set up a quad display, that one of the displays would merely be a clone of what's on the laptop (unacceptable).
Does anyone have a good work around for this?
For example, what if I combine the lenovo dock with a ViDock 4 ?
Or perhaps a DynaDock 3.0 ?
Are these solutiions "overkill" when combined with the lenovo dock?
Is there a more efficient/cheaper solution to be had?
Ideally, I would like to just stick the w530 into the lenovo dock and have 3 independent external displays working along with the laptop as the 4th display, and then eject the w530 from the lenovo dock without any fuss.
What do you think? Any help or suggestions on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.

The DOCK cannot drive more than 3 external displays, but the W530 can indeed drive four external monitors the same way as the T420/T520 series was found to support by accident and the newer ??30 series machines support by design:
The readme for the Optimus video card drivers is enlightening, as is the Intel HD Graphics readme:
??30-series machines: http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/g5de33ww.txt
??20-series machines: http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/83de44ww.txt
Intel HD Graphics: http://downloadmirror.intel.com/21430/eng/relnotes_gfx64_2761.pdf
Scroll down to "Display Topology" in the Optimus driver readme's and you'll see this:
For the T?30's *EXCEPT* the T430s/T430si models, the Intel chipset controls the VGA ports and the NVidia NVS controls all the digital ports, and the Intel HD Graphics chipset controls all the VGA ports.
For the T430s/T430si models, the Intel HD Graphics chipset controls EVERYTHING.
For the W530 models, the Quadro K-series controls everything _EXCEPT_ the build-in LCD screen on the laptop which is powered by the Intel chipset.
The K-series Quadro cards can all drive 4 displays from what I've found. These are found in the W530-series.
The Quadro cards in the W520 could only drive 3 displays.
The ??30-series-used "3rd Generation Core" Intel HD Graphics options can drive 3 displays.
The ??20-series-used "2nd Generation Core" Intel HD Graphics options can drive 2 displays.
This means that the T430s/T430si can possibly only drive two external displays.
The W530 can drive four external displays + the internal (Quadro: 4 of your choice between the dock and laptop ports;Intel laptop's built-in screen)
The T530/T430 can possibly drive FIVE external displays though this is theoretical and 100% unsupported/untested by Lenovo even if it works so a later BIOS update may well disable this somehow. (Quadro: 2 digital on the dock, DP on the laptop; Intel: VGA on the dock, VGA on the laptop, laptop's built-in screen)
NONE of the options can drive more than 3 external monitors digitally however. And the dock cannot power more than 2 digital screens of those three, because the DVI/DP ports are actually paired, effectively DP->DP+DVI repeaters/splitters inside the dock.

Kingston memory - KVR13LSE9/8 - has anyone used with W520 Quad core?

I have to order my memory for upgrade from a company catalog. The memory recommended on the Kingston website for the W520 quadcore is not available (TL-TP3B/8G - DDR3, 1333MHz, Non-ECC, CL9, X8, 1.5V, Unbuffered, SODIMM, 204-pin). However, KVR13LSE9/8 is available and appears to be the right specs (Kingston 8GB ValueRAM - 8GB (1 x 8GB) - DDR3L - 1333MHz (PC3-10666) - ECC - Unbuffered - 240-pin SoDIMM - 1.35V - CL9). Wondering if anyone has used this memory with their W520 quad core?
Thanks

Avoid Value RAM, they have a greater chance of not working. If you need cheaper RAM, I can recommend Crucial.
Jonas
Microsoft MVP: Windows Consumer Expert
Yoga Tablet 2 10 || ThinkPad X1 Carbon (20A7007MPH) || ThinkPad Helix (3698-6EU) || IdeaCentre B540
Twitter: @jonashendrickx

Optiplex 3020 SFF Quad-Display Configuration

Hello all,
I have an Optiplex 3020 SFF which needs to have a quad-monitor display. Currently installed is an NVIDIA NVS 300 (half-height) card (min-PCIe) with 2 monitors connected, this is OK.
I have another dual-head monitor card which is an AMD Radeon HD 5450. When I connect a third monitor there is no display at all (correct drivers are installed etc), if I remove the NVS 300 the monitors connected to the AMD work fine.
So it looks like in-compatible cards, any recommendations considering that there is a PCIe slot and Mini PCIe slot only. Will another NVS 300 card work in anyone's experience?
OS: Windows 8.1
Desktop fully patched, BIOS and drivers are the latest on Dell website.
Thanks,
KG

ok so first off get FB off of servers. sounds like you have enough going on. it doesnt take much to make something not work like a different Java version so get off that.
so let's say you are now on a few dev boxes that are client OS's
why are you wanting to go from 4.0 to 4.1 when you could jump to 4.5 and be done for a year ?
if the migration is going to take some time then go for the gold or just stay where you are.
i cannot appreciate what you are going thru because i am always using the latest tool and sdk so keep that in mind but i don;t understand this 2 migrations in 1 year thing it is like passing a kidney stone twice

Best SSD for w520 quad core

i have a Crucial C300 128gig in my dock slot now with the factory 500 gig in the hdd slot... the crucial sucks. any good one that works great with the w520, i know a lot are problematic.

Storeagereivew.com did a comparison test of the intel 520 SSD vs Intel 510 vs corsair P 3 vs Crucial C300 in a 2 SSD RAID configuration in a Lenovo W520:
(see the last part of the page
http://www.storagereview.com/intel_ssd_520_raid_review
Intel is known for its reliability.
I also heard from Lenovo that the BIOS team found the issue causing the warm boot delay with Intel 510 SSD, but it will take a while to fix (perhaps a couple months).
W520 4270CTO i7-2820QM Quadro2000M 1920x1080 Display 16GB RAM 2x240GB Intel 510 SSDs (RAID 0) - BIOS 1.42 - PCMark7:4,568
Samsung Series 9 15-inch NP900X4C-A03US - PCMark7: 4674

W520 quad with 135w 55Y9317

I have a w520 with an i7-2760qm,1000m and i got a 135w AC adaptor for a w510 (I heard it works). When I boot it warns me it's not enough power then it runs on battery. But when the machine is off it does charge from this 135w AC okay. Does the 135w only work with dualcore machines?
w520 i7-2760qm, quadro 1000m, 4x4gb, SSD in HDD spot, HDD in DVD spot, 9cell battery, wifi/bt off

Slaps head. It does occur to me now that your Quad core is the new version. Lenovo could very well have put the nastygram in there to force the use of the 170W power supply. On prior models a warning like this could be overriden at boot time and reset in the BIOS.
Lenovo will have to answer this one.

W520 External Display Incorrect Size/Ratio

Hi,
I have recently ran into problems with my W520 w/ Nvidia 2000m when connecting to an ViewSonic 1920*1080 external display. I just want to clarify that I have been using this setup for about 2 month with a HDMI to Displayport connector and it have worked fine.
Yesterday. I plugged in my Displayport connector before I started the computer. Usually, I start then plug in once startup is complete. After doing so, the computer started up thinking my external is the main startup display. After startup, the proportion of the display is totaly wrong. I checked my resolution, it still says 1920*1080 but it seems that my thinkpad believes that the display's ratio is maybe 4:3 or 1:1 instead of 16:9. So, basically, everything on my external is elongated so I cant see the top or bottom of my desktop. It is like my graphics card think my external display is bigger than it really is.
I have tried to use Nvidia resize calibration, but it actually take away pixels from 1080 down to 810. I have also deleted by nvidia drive and reinstalled with no promise.
Any input is always appreciated and thanks in advance!

hey dy58,
could you uninstall all graphic drivers. let windows install its generic drivers.
with the generic drivers install, try again your setup and see if the aspect ratio is proper.
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T520/W520 external display issues

Hello community,
We have issues connecting a external display via Port replicator. In the BIOs it is not possible to select either Digital 1 or 2. During boot up no picture is shown on the external display.
This is very annoying because we want to use Pre-Boot-Authentication.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

issue is solved. We have to choose the discrete graphics first and disable OPTIMUS OS recognization

W530 and quad display configuration

Hi,
I customized my W530 but in accesories it did not offer me a suitable docking station/port replicator for the four display configuration I need (3 monitors + display). Which of these
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-76617
is W530 ready? My system graphics will be NVIDIA Quadro K2000M (if it's relevant).
Thank you!
MH

To partially answer my question it is none of those replicators in the link. I found a different link where w530 is explicitely mentioned:
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product-and-parts/detail.page?&DocID=PD024298
Unfortunately neither 433815U nor 433835U is available at the store.

W520 wont display 2 external monitors and laptop screen

Hi everyone.
I have previously had 2 external monitors working as well as my W520's screen, so 3 screens in total. A few days ago Windows 7 crashed with a BSOD and now I can only connect 2 screens at once.
Everyhting seems to be connected correctly as far as i can tell
This is the error I now get when trying to activate the 3rd screen.
Is there another driver I need to install to reenable the laptop monitor to work along witht the two external screens?
Any help is appreciated.
Like the song says... 'you dont know what you've got till its gone'.
Thanks
shane

Why isn't the second Acer external monitor (2 of 2) "checked" as well?
Don't you want all three screens in use??
How DID you have your monitors connected before the BSOD problem caused your current situation? Do you have the two Acer monitors daisy-chained via DP from the DP connector out of the K1000M on the laptop? And you were also using the laptop screen as the third? If so, I'd think that all three boxes would need to be checked in nVidia Control Panel.

W520 quad core - upgrade RAM to 32GB - Kingston vs. Crucial & 1.5V vs. 1.35V ?

hello all,
I'm about to upgrade my W520 memory from 16GB (4x4) to 32GB (4x8).
I need to choose between the two models (x2 of course):
1. Kingston SO-DIMM 16GB KIT DDR3 1600MHz HyperX CL9 Plug and Play (1.5V)
prod. code KHX16S9P1K2/16
I think this one is a well proven solution for such configuration and virtually fail-free (true?)
... and ...
2. Crucial SO-DIMM 16GB KIT DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Ballistix Sport (1.35V/1.50V, XMP)
prod. code BLS2C8G3N169ES4CEU
this is XMP, dual voltage version - can work at either at 1.35V or 1.5V
it would be nice to have slightly lower consuption and less heat, but I don't know if the machine is able to work at 1.35V memory wice;
and being XMP vs PnP - would it mean any hassle around with SPD and such?
does anybody have any experience or knowledge in this regard?
or which one would you recommend?
btw I'm not going to make any overclocking, etc ...
thank you
Stirri

I bought curical, they didnt work (constant BSOD), got a refund, bought the same samsung RAM as was already in there, worked a treat. Slightly more expensive, but I recommend getting samsung if you can.

Need help: W520 connecting 2 external monitors

Hi,
I just bought two new monitors and trying to connect both of them with W520. Both monitors are 1920*1080 and have VGA, DVI, and DP. (No HDMI)
I know one solution that probably going to work is to connect one with displayport and the other with VGA.
However, I really hope I could use digital signals for both of them since VGA is still not completely as good as displayport or DVI.
As the displayport on W520 is the only digital output, I called the technical support to ask if I could use a dp->dvi converter and a dvi splitter to connect both monitors. The technical support confirmed this. But I still don't know if I should use a dp->dual-link dvi or just a regular dp->dvi.
I've also read the reviews of USB->DVI adapters. The common problem they have is that videos could not be smoothly played.
I don't want to buy the dock or an active converter since they cost too much. So, please suggest what is the most economic solution if I want to get 2 digital output from W520.
Thanks!

[Reviving this slightly old topic because it still comes up on Google searches ...]
I wanted to report my successes with 3 screens - the laptop screen and two external monitors - with a W520 quad-core and a MiniDock Plus 3 - 4338 - 90 Watt. Both external monitors are connected to the MiniDock with DisplayPort cables.
a) Win7 Ultimate was easy to set up with the drivers 83de42ww (8.17.12.7593/8.15.10.2538, dated 2011-12-14). BIOS in Optimus mode, but disabled OS detection. I can use the Windows 7 "screen resolution" applet to configure the resolution and relative location of the monitors. Only issue: I have to do that each time I dock - otherwise it boots/revives from sleep using only the laptop's screen. I never use the Intel or NVidia consoles to do anything.
b) Windows Server 2008 R2 was MUCH harder to get going - largely because I was doing it six months later and using the latest drivers. The drivers in 83de44ww (8.17.12.7658/8.14.10.2538, dated 2012-04-20) just do not work for this purpose - I could not get all three screens going no matter what I tried. So I uninstalled the NVidia drivers and Intel drivers (in that order!) and installed 83de42ww (as in (a) above) and now it works fine. Even better: it remembers when I dock to light up all three displays without me having to adjust anything. To get it to work, though, I had to use the NVidia control panel to set screen resolutions. After that, the Windows "screen resolution" applet now works fine.
c) Back in November when I was trying to get 4 screens going I found a Lenovo PDF that described all kinds of display configurations for the W520. Can't find it online now. Anyway, it certainly implied that 4 screens (3 external) worked, but I couldn't get it to happen. Now I'm glad you've pointed to this specification that contains the following remarkable facts: First, that you can get 4 monitors working with the 170W MiniDock Plus, and you can also get it working with the 90W MiniDock Plus (which is what I have) ONLY IF you've got a DUAL-core, not a quad-core (I have a quad-core). Very interesting! Perhaps the quad core sucks up just enough extra energy that the NVidia chip isn't left with enough to power 3 video signals. Unfortunate.
d) I don't know why I have the 90W MiniDock Plus - Can anyone advise me? I've got a 170W brick that says it delivers 8.5 amps at 20V, that's 170W alright. But the bottom of the MiniDock says it accepts 4.5 amps at 20V, thats 90W. So did they just ship me the wrong MiniDock with the right brick?
-- David

W520 - why only two external monitors? Anyone from Lenovo?

Hi,
    From what I can gather, the W520 does not have "hybrid Optimus" mode and hence can drive only two external monitors, even when connected to the mini-dock.
    Can anyone (from Lenovo?) tell me if this a hardware or software issue?Is an update to change this possible?
    Why did Lenovo make this disappointing choice?

Dan_Falk wrote:
Hi,
From what I can gather, the W520 does not have "hybrid Optimus" mode and hence can drive only two external monitors, even when connected to the mini-dock. Can anyone (from Lenovo?) tell me if this a hardware or software issue?Is an update to change this possible? Why did Lenovo make this disappointing choice?
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-76767.html and http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-76617 don't match. The first document says 3 of the 5 display connectors on the dock can be used at the same time. In the second document, the W520 is nowhere to be found on the quad display sections.
Could we get clarification if this is working as designed on the W520 (only 2 connection active from the dock) or a bug and it should do three?
Lenovo?

W520 3DSMax Crash

I have had a few w520's already and never experienced this problem.
I installed max 2013 design with Vray on my w520 16gig quaddro 2000.
It has worked fine for months. Now after a few months it is starting to crash. It will open as long as nitrous is not selected and will work fine on open GL but will crash when a project with VRay is opened and sometimes will crash my computer. The viewports will turn black and thats it. I feel it could be a driver problem. I have sent reports to Autodesk ect. Before I get on the horn I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this problem. These crashes started only recently.
So to sumarize
Max with 2013 running on nitrous will not open and will crash max, sometimes even crashing my computer.
Open GL opens and runs fine but max crashes when vray files are opened.
This only started happening recently and max/vray ran fine leading me to guesse it is some kind of driver issue.
Is there any insite to help me get my workhorse back in the game?
Lenovo W520 Quad Core I7 @2.2 Ghz 16.GB Windows 7 Quadro 2000m
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Think back carefully and think of any new software or drivers that you installed right before the crash started happening. Most likely either a driver was updated or a new software was installed that is causing the conflict. I would try updating the BIOS to 1.39 and installing the latest display drivers then reinstalling 3DMax.
This should fix your issue if it's a software issue. Otherwise, could be anything from bad RAM to problems with your harddrive. Try running a RAM check and a hard-drive scan to see if they could be the cause.
This doesn't sound like an overheating issue

W520 Quad Display?

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