The Lenovo ThinkPad W520 is Lenovo’s upgrade to the W510 mobile workstation notebook. This 15.6-inch notebook is powered by up to an Intel Core i7-2920XM processor and equipped with up to a discrete NVIDIA Quadro 2000M GPU, switchable to Intel HD integrated graphics. Like last year’s model, the full HD (FHD) displays on the 1920 x 1080 resolution models have a 95% color gamut and a huey PRO color calibration system application. At the time of writing this review Lenovo has not yet announced if there will be an upcoming multi-touch screen option like last year or not.
In this review we will measure the ThinkPad W520 up with other workstations in its class by putting every specific detail of it to the test. Read on to find out if this is the laptop for you.
The ThinkPad W520 sports the same traditional black ThinkPad aesthetic we've come to expect over the years. Underneath a soft-touch raven black lid, you'll find a typical all-black ThinkPad deck with a light blue Enter key on an otherwise black keyboard. The bright red TrackPoint that sits between the G and H keys on the keyboard makes the boldest statement on this minimalist design. However, the green lights that illuminate the power, volume up/down, and microphone mute buttons are a welcome touch.
At 14.7 x 9.7 x 1.4 inches and 6.2 pounds, the ThinkPad W520 isn't the thinnest or lightest 15.6-inch notebook on the market, but, considering the notebooks' heavy duty components, it's surprisingly portable. In fact, the W520 is the same weight and only a little bit larger than the 14-inch Dell Latitude E6420 when equipped with a nine-cell battery (13.9 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches, 6.2 pounds). We had absolutely no problem carrying the W520 around the office or toting it across town in our bag. Our biggest complaint was the 1.4-pound power brick, which noticeably added to our load.
Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Specifications:
* 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) LED backlit display, 95% color gamut, matte, 16:9 ratio
* Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
* Intel Core i7-2920XM quad-core CPU (2.50GHz, 8MB cache), Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 (3.50GHz)
* NVIDIA Quadro 2000M w/2GB DDR3 VRAM GPU switchable to Intel HD Graphics 3000
* 8GB DDR3 RAM (4GB + 4GB)
* 500GB at 7200 RPM SATA hard drive (Seagate Momentus)
* Multiburner combo drive
* Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (802.11 a/b/g/n wireless) and Bluetooth
* 9-cell Li-ion battery (94Whr), 170W and 20V adapter
* Lenovo Fingerprint Reader
* Dimensions: 14.68″ x 9.65″ x 1.29-1.44″
* Starting at 5.75 lbs with 9-cell battery and at 5.40 lbs with 6-cell battery
* Retail price: starting at $1,299, as configured: $2,969
* Warranty: 1-year for parts
