T520 availability with Quad Core Processor, Optimus and FHD display, or get a W520?

[ExcursionPSD]

I'm interested in replacing my R50 before it gets too old

I want a large screen, high resolution, fast processor and good battery life.

However at this time, I don't see any models of the T520 that have a FHD (1920 x 1080) display, quad core processor, and the NVIDIA discrete Graphics Processor with Optimus  technology to give me good performance when viewing training videos, and good battery life when using normal Offices software (including Lotus 123).  The closest I can get is the T520 4239-26U, which should be excellent on battery life (FHD, Optimus, 128G SSD), but comes with the i7-2620M dual core processor, not the Quad Core I am interested in.

I can get my desired options now, but I have to go to a W520 Workstation Thinkpad.

Would be glad to hear from anyone regarding pros and cons of going to a W520, instead of waiting for the configuration I want in T520?

I am not a gamer, and do not do multimedia editing or preparation or run CAD.  It appears that similarly configured models of the T520 versus W520 will have similar weight, battery life, cost and performance.

[ColonelONeill]

You don't really need a discrete GPU for non CAD and non gaming. The integrated graphics is more than enough, and also helps in terms of battery life.

Any particular reason you require a quad-core?

[Q-Ball]

"However at this time"

Exactly. Just wait a few more days. The T520 is only 4 days old, after all. I don't think that the W520 is even available for purchase either off of Lenovo's web site. Also, for your application, the W520 is a very large waste of cash.


First of all, Lenovo.com does Custom-To-Order machines- normal retailers don't. You can usually also save a chunk of change over similar-speced retail configurations (not to mention getting a few more options standard that you can't get in the store).

The only thing that you'd get out of the W520 is a better graphics card that lacks Optimus (the ability to switch off the Nvidia card for the Intel- though that never gets used if you've got Windows Aero on).

The T520 and W520, I believe, are the exact same chassis (the W510 and T510 are, or at least have lots of part commonality).

The thing is, though, is that you'll be fine with the Integrated graphics on the T510 or T520. You won't miss the 'extra' functionality that the Nvidia card provides since you don't tax the machine at all.
DVD's won't bog the system down (they don't bog down an old laptop with a Pentium T2180/Integrated) since I don't think you'd be running more than one application while watching a video anyways.

By the way, why do you need a quad-core processor for simple web browsing and DVD watching? An i5-2520M will suit your needs just fine. Quad-cores in your situation are just a plain waste of cash and are actually *slower* when you're not using their full capabilities, and by the looks of things, you won't. Also, quad-cores eat more battery life than dual-cores do.

An analogy is this: You don't need a supercharged 500 HP V10 engine in a grocery-getter that does fine with 60 HP. The small car also sucks less gas down than a V10 does just due to the fact that the large engine is, well, large.


The last generation T510 should also suit your needs just fine. Get a Full-HD screen, Intel graphics (no, you don't need the discrete for what you're doing) and any other options you want (like a 9-cell battery), then add a Solid-State Drive (SSD) after you receive the laptop.
This would also work with a T500, actually, provided you could find one with a 1920 x 1200 screen (check Lenovo.com's Outlet or eBay if you want to go that route) That would be better for office work since you have more vertical screen space, and you could still add the above improvements to it.


They're expensive (at about 2 dollars/GB) but as far as your uses are concerned it should be worth it over a faster processor since that processor can only go as fast as the computer's fastest part: the hard drive.

With an SSD you'll see your office suite of choice open and be ready the moment you click on the icon, and Windows will be ready 30 seconds from pressing the power button.

I'd recommend SandForce drives for best results (just skip drives that are 25 nm since they're slower) and you should be alright. You could also go with an Intel or Crucial drive since they offer faster boot times than the SandForce ones but they are slower in writing data.

Just pick the cheapest one that's a SandForce, Intel, or Crucial drive and not 25 nm.

If you don't download large files/store videos/will ever come close to filling a 250 GB hard drive, I'd go for at least a 60 GB drive.


Of course, you could just outfit your R50 with an SSD and one of those QXGA screens (a resolution of 2048 x 1536- against 1920 x 1080 or even 1920 x 1200- is a great deal better) if you can find one (check ThinkWiki for details)- you'd see and feel a dramatic difference in the way that machine performs. Assuming this is predominantly an office machine this might be an option but this depends on whether you have a 14" display or a 15".
I don't know if you can install a different board (for a faster processor) in an R50 but that might also be a worthy upgrade.

[joe6486]

I agree with the above advice, but I'd still love it if anyone had information on availability as originally asked.

(I do CAD work, and definitely need better graphics ability.  Games would be nice too, but not required.)

I'm running a T60p, and the CAD crashes regularly due to lack of RAM.  I'm very much looking forward to upgrade but am not sure how long I can stand to wait.

[pkincy]

I think that the 4242-48U and or 4239-26U will be the closest you will get and they have the dual core i7 chip.  I believe those are a couple of combinations that (due to teh NVIDIO graphics) won't be able to be ordered until Mar 29.

I, too, want the I7 2720QM chip so likely will go with the W520 in a week or so when they are out.

The other want is the RapidDrive (addition of an 80GB SSD) option with the HDD.  That is not yet available.

Perry

[ColonelONeill]

@joe6486:

If you do CAD work, then a quad-core and discrete GPU would be justified. The NVidia GPUs found in ThinkPads are also workstation class, which means you'll get a better boost out of them than you will from consumer gaming cards (likewise, you'll lose a bit on gaming performance).

Not sure if the four slots of RAM is limited to quad cores again this time.

[Q-Ball]

Looking at the hardware maintenance manual:

The T520, with any processor (even the quad-cores), is limited to 2 RAM slots.
The W520, with any processor, has 4 RAM slots.

The T520 and W520 are otherwise the exact same chassis.

[ExcursionPSD]

Thanks a lot for the viewpoints and advice.

Let me share some of my research, which appears to be contrary to what most would expect.  It is based on http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/psref395.pdf  version 395 of the Personal System Reference.

T520 models with NVIDIA Optimus technology have the NVIDIA NVS 4200M with 1GB VRAM

W520 models with NVIDIA Optimus technology controlled discrete graphics cards have a choice of NVIDIA Quadro 1000M or 2000M with 2GB VRAM

Page 123 memory section points out that W520 dual-core models are limited to 2 DIMMs with 8GB total max, while quad-core models can go to 16GB max. using 4 DIMMs.  The T520 datasheet indicates maximum memory with any processor, is 8GB using 2 DIMMs

The Optimus technology, assures me that I will not be using battery to support the extra GPU, unless the application mix can benefit from the GPU rendering.

ProVantage has many models of the W520 for sale now, some with Quad-core processing, and Optimus.

The T520 models with Quad-Core processors, have not yet gotten into the Reference book.

Both systems have a full and a half PCIe slot and their I/O features are similar, except the T520 has a 4 in 1 Card reader and an additional, the W520 has 2 USB ports that are USB version 3.0 (all T520 USB is 2.0).  Options for HD, SSD, LAN, WLAN, WWAN,

T520 models with Optimus have 1 combination USB 2.0/eSATA port, all W520 models have this port (they all have Optimus)

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I get a new P.C. on about a five to seven year cycle, and want to make sure I have enough horsepower and memory to handle future software and OS.  When you spend time waiting for a machine to boot or come out of hibernation (many times a day for me!) a high speed CPU becomes important.  I generate/regenerate 10 to 15 thousand record databases from my spreadsheet and it is taking up to five minutes to do that currently.  I want it done fast.  I plan to get a 27++ slice battery to complement a 55++ 9 cell main battery.  With either a T520 or W520, this should give me 15 to 20 hours of usage on battery.

Also, It is my understanding that the Intel Turbo-Boost technology for the 2nd generation dual-core and up, will throttle clock speed up or down, depending on the workload, and that this will improve battery life. http://www.thinkingneverstops.com/thinksmart.php?Core_Processors_Family

If you configure a mid-level T520 or W520 the same options, you might be amazed at how close the bottom line price ends up, especially with FHD displays and Optimus technology graphics.

[Q-Ball]

Ah, so you DO need the computing horsepower.

I thought, from your initial post, that you were just going to use the computer for more 'trivial' tasks such as browsing, DVD watching and content-creation for Office work. It might be worth the extra cash to go for the W.

What kind of program are you using for this task? How multi-threaded is it?

Remember- dual-core processors are clocked higher than quad-cores. So, if your program can only harness the 2 cores than the fastest dual-core would be worth it. But, if it can handle all 4 then the quad-core is best.

Turbo Boost 2.0 does NOT keep the quad-core processors and dual-core processors separate. What I mean by that is that a quad-core, TurboBoosted on a single core, will have speeds similar to a TurboBoosted dual-core using a single core.

Also, from what I've found, is that Optimus is running and is running all the time. It doesn't shut off unless you kill Windows Aero (or at least it doesn't on an NVS 3100M from 2010).

But an SSD should be your first upgrade for boot times and hard disk reads. I can only really recommend an SATA III SandForce drive if you're going with the W520 since you'll be able to read and write that data back to disk very very quickly as well as come out of hibernation and power-off very quickly (SandForce drives have the best write speeds, SATA III ones especially).

How much of the R51's hard drive do you use? That should be the BARE minimum for the size of an SSD- I'd add an extra 20 to 40 GB of cushioning on top of the most drive space you'll ever use. It may be expensive but in intensive I/O operations like I'd assume that database application is, it will be worth it.

Installing an SSD will not void your warranty, by the way.

Interestingly enough, I'd probably recommend you get it off-the-shelf- you can test the goods immediately. Also, then you can return it right away if it has anything wrong, like a whiny motherboard for instance.

[nikg969]

This modell just popped up in Germany:

  Thinkpad T520 NW93UGE/42433UG
i7-2720QM (2.2GHz), 4GB, 500GB 7200, 15,6" FHD 1920x1080 LED, 1024MB nVidia NVS 4200M Optimus, DVDRW, HD-Cam, Intel a/g/n WLAN, BT, UltraNav, UMTS, FP, Sec. Chip, 9-Zelle, Win7 Prof. 64, 3J. Garantie (VOS)

Looks like pretty much what you are looking for.

Kind Regards

Nik