W530 Owner's Thread

[QuantumMech]

This is the place to be to discuss anything and everything W530 related. Deals, specs, upgrades, performance, problems, you name it.

Reviews:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/keithcomb...ni-review.aspx
http://www.laptopreviews.com/lenovo-...review-2012-07

My build:

Processor Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.30 GHz)

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)

Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English

Display type 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready

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 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Optical device DVD Recordable

System expansion slots Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader

Battery 9 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70++

Power cord 170W Slim AC Adapter - US (2pin)

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna

Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN

Integrated mobile broadband Mobile Broadband upgradable

Language pack Publication - US English

$966.72 with tax - B&N Gold + Weekly Coupon + 15% off email coupon

[Thors.Hammer]

Linking in http://forum.notebookreview.com/leno...ck-review.html since there is some good information. Maybe a mod will merge threads.

[Thors.Hammer]

More information in http://forum.notebookreview.com/leno...ide-gamut.html

[slapshot30]

Can we get a list going on all the parts that are upgradable?

[djembe]

The repair guide is fantastic and shows how to replace pretty much anything. I upgraded the memory to maximum and swapped the hard drive for an SSD. Regarding the latter, it's useful to know that the hard drive that ships with the W530 is 7mm high, not the standard 9.5mm high. This means that if you plan to do hard drive or SSD upgrades, it's a good idea to get 7mm high drives or you will need different rubber rails with which to mount the drive in the computer.

The CPU can also be upgraded (although that will probably kill your warranty) to the super expensive extreme version if you want, and the wireless card can be upgraded to something that supports 802.11ac or the 802.11-2012 unified standard, if/when those are released. The optical drive can be swapped out for a hard drive caddy, and there are 2 different size (and easily removable) batteries to choose from as well as a docking port on the bottom to connect to either a docking station or an extended slice battery.

[slapshot30]

The repair guide is fantastic and shows how to replace pretty much anything. I upgraded the memory to maximum and swapped the hard drive for an SSD. Regarding the latter, it's useful to know that the hard drive that ships with the W530 is 7mm high, not the standard 9.5mm high. This means that if you plan to do hard drive or SSD upgrades, it's a good idea to get 7mm high drives or you will need different rubber rails with which to mount the drive in the computer.

The CPU can also be upgraded (although that will probably kill your warranty) to the super expensive extreme version if you want, and the wireless card can be upgraded to something that supports 802.11ac or the 802.11-2012 unified standard, if/when those are released. The optical drive can be swapped out for a hard drive caddy, and there are 2 different size (and easily removable) batteries to choose from as well as a docking port on the bottom to connect to either a docking station or an extended slice battery.

Wow, thanks for all the info. I've heard of some troubles with upgrading the wireless card though... Something about them having to be Lenovo branded, so I wonder if I would be able to install a Bigfoot 1103.

[QuantumMech]

http://forum.notebookreview.com/leno...ggestions.html was also kind of useful. I'm wondering... I could theoretically keep the current HDD, make a recovery disc, and a few months from now install a new SSD with the recovery discs and transfer all my data onto that, right? SSD prices keep dropping, and I'm not really going to need the speed bump till the Spring/next year.

[K_Wall_24]

The repair guide is fantastic and shows how to replace pretty much anything.

Repair guide? Does that come with the laptop or is that something you found on their website?

The optical drive can be swapped out for a hard drive caddy, and there are 2 different size (and easily removable) batteries to choose from...

2 different sized batteries, your talking about the 6-cell and 9-cell that can be configured when ordering, or something else? I know for some models an Ultrabay battery exists, didn't know if that's what you meant when you say "and", or if you were just stitching sentences together.

[Kaso]

Repair guide? Does that come with the laptop or is that something you found on their website?

A search on "thinkpad w530 hardware maintenance manual" should lead to this page. Download the PDF therein.

[djembe]

Repair guide? Does that come with the laptop or is that something you found on their website?



2 different sized batteries, your talking about the 6-cell and 9-cell that can be configured when ordering, or something else? I know for some models an Ultrabay battery exists, didn't know if that's what you meant when you say "and", or if you were just stitching sentences together.

As mentioned, I was talking about the repair guide in .pdf form that I found on Lenovo's website.

And yes, I was talking about the 6-cell and 9-cell battery options, as well as the extra slice battery.