Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Overview

Lenovo ThinkPad W520Specifications of the upcoming Lenovo ThinkPad W520 15.6-inch mobile workstation have been published in a document on Lenovo’s website.

It is a successor of the W510 and is made for designers and engineers. The notebook packs higher-end Intel 2nd Generation Core “Sandy Bridge” laptop CPUs, dedicated professional-class Nvidia Quadro video card options, plenty of RAM, and various storage choices.

Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Processor, Graphics, RAM, Storage

The W520 includes the dual-core i5-2540M and i7-2620M, and quad-core i7-2720QM, i7-2820QM, and Extreme Edition i7-2920XM. Dual-core systems have two SO-DIMM slots, while quad-core models have four, supporting up to 8GB and 16GB of DDR3 RAM, respectively.

Besides Intel HD integrated graphics, the ISV-certified mobile workstation comes with the NVIDIA Quadro 1000M or 2000M dedicated video card, both with 2GB of video memory. The integrated and discrete GPUs are combined using Nvidia Optimus switchable graphics technology, in order to deliver longer battery life.

Data storage options include a solid state drive or a traditional hard disk, and the Ultrabay that accommodates an optical drive, secondary HDD, or other Ultrabay-compatible parts.

Regarding computing performance, Lenovo says that the W520 and other new Thinkpads can stay in Intel Turbo Boost dynamically overclocked CPU mode longer than other laptops with the same technology. This improvement Lenovo calls Turbo Boost+.

Display

Display choices are the same as in the ThinkPad T520. Available are LED-backlight anti-glare 16:9 screens with 1366×768, 1600×900, or full HD 1920×1080 resolution. The lower-res displays have 60% color gamut and 220-nit brightness, while the 270-nit full HD choice has 95% gamut.

Battery Life

The Lenovo ThinkPad W520 ships with a 6-cell or 9-cell battery, providing up to 6.5 and 10.8 hours of battery life, respectively. Notebook’s run time can be extended to 21.6 hours, using the 9-cell unit and an optional 9-cell slice battery that mounts on the bottom of the case.

Other Features and Specs

Regarding connectivity, the ThinkPad W520 incorporates 802.11n Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth 3.0, optional mobile broadband, Gigabit LAN, and a 56k modem.

Other features are an optional X-Rite color calibration sensor in the palm rest, a spill-resistant keyboard, 720p high-def webcam, microphone that supports conferencing, stereo speakers, DisplayPort and VGA video connectors, two USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, and one eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port, 4-in-1 media card reader, FireWire 400 port, and an ExpressCard slot.

Security is enhanced using an optional fingerprint reader, the Trusted Platform Module 1.2 chip, optional Smart Card slot, and optionally encrypted hard drives. Also are available security features that come with optional Intel vPro system management technology.

The laptop is around 1.3 inches thick and starts at around 5.5 pounds.

The chassis looks as same as in the T520 and passes “8 MilSpec tests” for ruggedness. The display lid is made of carbon-fiber / glass-fiber hybrid, while the bottom is made of glass-fiber reinforced plastic.

Price and Availability

Lenovo’s mobile workstation runs Windows 7 Professional OS and is expected to be available in late March 2011 for a base price of 1,329.

UPDATE: The laptop is available now for a base price $1,299.00 at Lenovo.com.

Source (The pdf document contains details of other new ThinkPad laptops as well.)

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