The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Got my w520!!

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by tyv1993, Apr 10, 2012.

  1. tyv1993

    tyv1993 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    33
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    What are some things I should do to my w520. I have it up and running everything seems ok but I haven't tested anything or installed any new software.. anything that i definitely need?
     
    tyv1993, Apr 10, 2012
    #1
  2. Thors.Hammer

    Thors.Hammer Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    982
    Messages:
    5,162
    Likes Received:
    33
    Trophy Points:
    216
    Make the Factory DVD disk set with the Control Panel app.
     
    Thors.Hammer, Apr 10, 2012
    #2
  3. tyv1993

    tyv1993 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    33
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    ok will do anything else? I heard about the dolby driver software for audio.. any other quirks?
     
    tyv1993, Apr 10, 2012
    #3
  4. Thors.Hammer

    Thors.Hammer Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    982
    Messages:
    5,162
    Likes Received:
    33
    Trophy Points:
    216
    Nothing else should be considered until you have made the factory disk set. :D
     
    Thors.Hammer, Apr 10, 2012
    #4
  5. tyv1993

    tyv1993 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    33
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    ok made the factory disk set haha
     
    tyv1993, Apr 10, 2012
    #5
  6. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    4,982
    Messages:
    34,001
    Likes Received:
    1,415
    Trophy Points:
    581
    I'd make a copy of the SWTools folder too. It contains all the software installed on your W520, including applications and drivers. Before you get all anal about everything, why not soak it in for a bit? It's never better than when you get it. Congrats.
     
    ZaZ, Apr 10, 2012
    #6
  7. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

    Reputations:
    5,036
    Messages:
    12,168
    Likes Received:
    3,134
    Trophy Points:
    681
    I've never noticed any quirks with my audio after almost a year of ownership. Besides copying SW_TOOLS and making a backup, I'd do the following:

    - If you have any spare cash, buy a Crucial/Intel/Samsung SSD. Best performance upgrade per dollar imo.
    - Do a fresh install of Windows 7 Pro, if you like.
    - Mess around with the Lenovo PowerManager settings to your liking. For example, I have a custom setting for F@H work.

    It's a nice laptop that imo doesn't need a lot of user customization or accessories. Maybe get a nice mouse (I use a Logitech G9x) or something.

    EDIT: You should also update your BIOS to the latest version, if it isn't already.
     
    Jarhead, Apr 10, 2012
    #7
  8. tyv1993

    tyv1993 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    33
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    thanks guys, yea i love it!! already got an ssd in and its great so far.
     
    tyv1993, Apr 11, 2012
    #8
  9. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    4,694
    Messages:
    5,343
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Congrats! The W series are nice machines.
     
    talin, Apr 11, 2012
    #9
  10. lathebrightman

    lathebrightman Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    cool stuff! i want one so bad. i've got 2 grand just sitting but something tells me i should wait for w530.
     
    lathebrightman, Apr 12, 2012
    #10
  11. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

    Reputations:
    5,036
    Messages:
    12,168
    Likes Received:
    3,134
    Trophy Points:
    681
    Or you could wait for the W530 to come out and buy a discounted W520 when Lenovo tries emptying their inventory of the "old and outdated" Sandy Bridge laptops.

    Unless the GPUs are massively better than the current ones, I don't see a reason why to get a W530. The SB CPUs are still pretty powerful, you still have up to 32GB of RAM at your disposal, and drive options are still the same for the most part. Now, if Lenovo comes out with a 1920*1200 or better display, then I'll eat my words.
     
    Jarhead, Apr 12, 2012
    #11
  12. monsterred

    monsterred Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Nice! I love new toys to play with! That seems like a good one.
     
    monsterred, Apr 13, 2012
    #12