Lenovo ThinkPad W520
Notebook Specifications
Notebook: Lenovo ThinkPad W520 (Thinkpad W Series)Processor: Intel Core i7 2820QM
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA Quadro 2000M 2048 MB
Display: 15.6 inch, 16:9, 1920x1080 pixels, glossy: no
Weight: 2.7kg
Price: 2400 euro
Average of 5 scores (from 5 reviews)
Reviews for the Lenovo ThinkPad W520
Takin' Care of Business. Lenovo ThinkPads of the W series are pure-bred professional laptops that have earned a reputation for powerful performance, above all in the area of graphics and computation-intensive office tasks. The ThinkPad W520 is the most recent 15.6" model in the series and is said to reconcile tradition with technological progress, but is the ThinkPad W520 all it's cracked up to be?
Source: Comp Reviews
For anyone that needs a serious laptop with lots of performance for workstation class work on the go, there is no question that the Lenovo ThinkPad W520 is one of the best options on the market. It offers some superb performance thanks to its quad core processor yet still manages some excellent running times. Graphics professionals will also want to look into the upgraded IPS display and color calibrator that is one of the best on the market for color accuracy.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 04/29/2011
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Notebookreview.com
The Lenovo ThinkPad W520 workstation most definitely lives up to its ThinkPad name and workstation standards. It provides great all-over performance with its quad-core i7 processor, NVIDIA Quadro 2000M graphics, and 8GB DDR3 RAM. The 95% color gamut FHD display is easily conducive to professionals in the graphics arts or similar industry. It also has a wide range of ports and features, such as the two HighSpeed 3.0 USB ports and the Pantone huey PRO color calibration system. We did not feel as though the complaints we did have about the workstation were deal breakers in the least bit. For those in need of a powerful workstation, this system should be a definite option.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/29/2011
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 70% performance: 90% features: 90% mobility: 90% ergonomy: 70%
Source: Laptop Mag
The ThinkPad W520 provides really strong workstation-level performance in a portable 6.2-pound package with amazing battery life, a gorgeous screen, and the industry's best keyboard. However, the $2,969 configuration we reviewed is pretty pricey for a laptop that doesn't include a solid state drive, though we highly recommend adding that as an option. The sound could also be better. Still, if you're looking for a workstation that can plow through any task, the ThinkPad W520 is a solid choice.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 04/25/2011
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Keith Comb's Blahg
I didn’t think the Lenovo ThinkPad W520 would be much of an improvement. It’s the same keyboard, chassis, screen, etc. as the ThinkPad W510. But the beauty is below the surface and in this case, the Sandy Bridge chipset offers much better performance while managing energy use much more efficiently. You’ll certainly want to watch for more scientific testing by the professional review blogs and organizations but it sure looks like a super machine for your consideration. I look forward to seeing how it fairs against the competition in the shootouts. Until then, buy with confidence. This is a sweet machine ready to do some hard work. Let me know if you have any questions.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/27/2011
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebookcheck
DE→ENSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/07/2011
Rating: Total score: 88% performance: 91% display: 88% mobility: 83% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 89% emissions: 82%
Comment
NVIDIA Quadro 2000M:
Mobile middle-class workstation graphics card based on the Fermi architecture. The 128 Bit memory bus and the DDR3 memory could be potential bottlenecks of the 2000M.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.
2820QM: Fast Quad-core processor based on the Sandy Bridge architecture with an integrated graphics card and dual-channel DDR3 memory controller. » Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
15.6": 15 inch display-variants are the standard and are used for more than the half of all notebooks. 15.4 inch display with 16:10 are the standard for notebook displays. However nowadays, more and more 16:9 displays with 15.6 inch appear. The reason why so many people like displays with medium size is, that this size is not exhausting for the eyes, does not need too much energy and the laptops can be kept quite compact.» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
2.7 kg: This notebook is lighter than the average of all notebooks. It is too heavy for sub-notebooks. 14 inch displays are normal for this class of weight.
Lenovo: Lenovo Group Limited is China's largest and the world's fourth largest personal computer manufacturer. Lenovo produces desktops, laptops, servers, handheld computers, imaging equipment, and mobile phone handsets. Lenovo also provides information technology integration and support services, and its QDI unit offers contract manufacturing. Its executive headquarters are located in China and USA. It is incorporated in Hong Kong. Lenovo was formed in 1984 as a spin-off of the Chinese Academy of Sciences new technology unit. The company initially began as a reseller, distributor and later CM for foreign brands, including IBM, entering the Chinese market. In 1990, Lenovo started to manufacture its own PCs and by 1997 became the market leader in China. In 2004, Lenovo bought IBM’s PC business for $1.25billion. Market share regarding sales of personal computers in 2007 (market research IDC): HP 18.9 %, Dell 16.4 %, Acer 9.9 %, Lenovo 7.5 %, Apple 5.7 %
81.2%: This rating is to be considered as average, because the amount of notebooks with better ratings is about equal like the amount with worse ratings.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
