- Joined
- May 15, 2006
The W530 is a relatively new release from Lenovo, introduced in June, 2012. Because it is so new, there is not a lot of information regarding how the laptop is to use. Most reviews simply focus on what has changed and what features it has or are useless "video" reviews. The existing [text] reviews are a good thing, but it doesn't give the whole picture, which includes how it functions on day-to-day activities.
My first (and current) Thinkpad is a T61, which I bought back in 2008. Since then, it has not had a lush life as I (computationally) beat on it the entire time. I've extended its usability by adding more memory and a solid state drive, but it is out of the warranty period and is no longer meeting my requirements for computing. Since I have school coming up in August, now is a good time to replace it.
Specs:
I could not find if Arch Linux (or Linux in general) works on this laptop. I have successfully installed Arch, but only got as far as the terminal login screen. I'm having issues with it booting an encrypted hard drive. This is likely not related to the laptop itself. UEFI works great, though.
Crucial claimed that my laptop did not have a mSATA slot, even though pictures show it and the documentation from Lenovo says it has it. After getting the size specifications, and despite Crucial saying it isn't compatible, ordered the card. I'm happy to say that it fits perfectly and works great.
Since my main operating system is Linux, I'm going to try and run the stock install within a virtual machine. Failing that, I will re-partition the stock 500gb drive.
Other reviews:
http://www.laptopreviews.com/lenovo-thinkpad-w530-review-2012-07
http://blogs.technet.com/b/keithcombs/archive/2012/07/10/lenovo-thinkpad-w530-mini-review.aspx
I will update this thread as I find things I like/dislike about the laptop. I haven't had a lot of time play with it since my OS isn't working. My goal isn't to cover every new/changed feature that the laptop has, but instead to report on how cool/terrible the changes are for an everyday user.
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Like:
Hinges: They updated the hinges and it feels much more solid. When tilting the laptop, the lid does not flop around like my T61. Whether it will stay this way is to be determined.
mSATA: The laptop takes the Crucial mSATA cards perfectly. It takes the place of a WWAN card, if there is one. This allows you to run a SSD in addition to the stock hard drive.
Release latch: The release latch for the lid is located in the body of the laptop. It seems to have given them more space, so it is easier to unlatch and probably won't get stuck like it does on my T61.
Accessibility: To add more memory add the SSD, you take the memory panel off and remove two screws. The keyboard pops out and you have full access to the board, and it even comes with a cable that is long enough so you can reach under the board (damn you, T520 ).
Indifferent:
Battery fit: The battery does not fit as well as my previous laptop and it moves around a fair amount. It does not stop it from working, so this is just an annoyance.
Keyboard: Lenovo completely revamped the keyboard, making it look "sleek" and adding backlighting. The lighting works very well. The layout, however, is difficult to get used to. The back/forward buttons that were just above the arrow keys are now page up/down buttons. The print screen is also at the bottom of the keyboard, for some reason I can't fathom. The home/end/insert /delete buttons feel the same when typing, so it is difficult to hit them without looking at the keyboard. The special function keys (screen brightness, etc) are part of the F* keys instead of where they were before. I'm not sure if I like all the changes, and it will take some time to get used to.
Caps lock: There is no indicator for the caps lock button. At all. Yes, I'm serious. While this doesn't seem like it would be a huge issue, typing passwords could be interesting since they are masked. For normal typing, this is just an annoyance.
Dislike:
Power light: The power light is only visible when the lid is open. When the laptop is on and closed, you can't see if the system is on. The only external lights are sleep and battery.
USB: There are only 4 USB ports.
Microphone: There is no port for an external microphone. You are forced to use the built in ones.
DVD drive: The drive will not eject when the system is booting or during the boot device selection. This makes removing a live disk annoying.
Touchpad: The touchpad is now flush with the case, instead of being indented. It is very easy to rest your palm on the edge, which causes you to move the mouse inadvertently or prevent you from moving it (palm detect feature).
My first (and current) Thinkpad is a T61, which I bought back in 2008. Since then, it has not had a lush life as I (computationally) beat on it the entire time. I've extended its usability by adding more memory and a solid state drive, but it is out of the warranty period and is no longer meeting my requirements for computing. Since I have school coming up in August, now is a good time to replace it.
Specs:
I got a good deal through work, and only paid around $1350 for the laptop itself. To make the laptop significantly better, I purchased a Crucial M4 128gb mSATA solid state drive and 32gb G.Skill RAM. You might think this is insane overkill, but remember that I intend to keep this laptop as long as it is alive and meets my computing needs.ThinkPad W530
Processor - Intel Core i7-3720QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz)
Display type - 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display
System graphics - NVIDIA Quadro K1000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory
Total memory - 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (1 DIMM)
Keyboard - Keyboard Backlit - US English
Pointing device - UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader
Camera - 720p HD Camera with Microphone
Hard drive - 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Optical device - DVD Recordable
System expansion slots - Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader
Battery - 9 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70++
Bluetooth - Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna
Integrated WiFi wireless - Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN
I could not find if Arch Linux (or Linux in general) works on this laptop. I have successfully installed Arch, but only got as far as the terminal login screen. I'm having issues with it booting an encrypted hard drive. This is likely not related to the laptop itself. UEFI works great, though.
Crucial claimed that my laptop did not have a mSATA slot, even though pictures show it and the documentation from Lenovo says it has it. After getting the size specifications, and despite Crucial saying it isn't compatible, ordered the card. I'm happy to say that it fits perfectly and works great.
Since my main operating system is Linux, I'm going to try and run the stock install within a virtual machine. Failing that, I will re-partition the stock 500gb drive.
Other reviews:
http://www.laptopreviews.com/lenovo-thinkpad-w530-review-2012-07
http://blogs.technet.com/b/keithcombs/archive/2012/07/10/lenovo-thinkpad-w530-mini-review.aspx
I will update this thread as I find things I like/dislike about the laptop. I haven't had a lot of time play with it since my OS isn't working. My goal isn't to cover every new/changed feature that the laptop has, but instead to report on how cool/terrible the changes are for an everyday user.
-----
Like:
Hinges: They updated the hinges and it feels much more solid. When tilting the laptop, the lid does not flop around like my T61. Whether it will stay this way is to be determined.
mSATA: The laptop takes the Crucial mSATA cards perfectly. It takes the place of a WWAN card, if there is one. This allows you to run a SSD in addition to the stock hard drive.
Release latch: The release latch for the lid is located in the body of the laptop. It seems to have given them more space, so it is easier to unlatch and probably won't get stuck like it does on my T61.
Accessibility: To add more memory add the SSD, you take the memory panel off and remove two screws. The keyboard pops out and you have full access to the board, and it even comes with a cable that is long enough so you can reach under the board (damn you, T520 ).
Indifferent:
Battery fit: The battery does not fit as well as my previous laptop and it moves around a fair amount. It does not stop it from working, so this is just an annoyance.
Keyboard: Lenovo completely revamped the keyboard, making it look "sleek" and adding backlighting. The lighting works very well. The layout, however, is difficult to get used to. The back/forward buttons that were just above the arrow keys are now page up/down buttons. The print screen is also at the bottom of the keyboard, for some reason I can't fathom. The home/end/insert /delete buttons feel the same when typing, so it is difficult to hit them without looking at the keyboard. The special function keys (screen brightness, etc) are part of the F* keys instead of where they were before. I'm not sure if I like all the changes, and it will take some time to get used to.
Caps lock: There is no indicator for the caps lock button. At all. Yes, I'm serious. While this doesn't seem like it would be a huge issue, typing passwords could be interesting since they are masked. For normal typing, this is just an annoyance.
Dislike:
Power light: The power light is only visible when the lid is open. When the laptop is on and closed, you can't see if the system is on. The only external lights are sleep and battery.
USB: There are only 4 USB ports.
Microphone: There is no port for an external microphone. You are forced to use the built in ones.
DVD drive: The drive will not eject when the system is booting or during the boot device selection. This makes removing a live disk annoying.
Touchpad: The touchpad is now flush with the case, instead of being indented. It is very easy to rest your palm on the edge, which causes you to move the mouse inadvertently or prevent you from moving it (palm detect feature).
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