W530 Still?

[Brad]

Using a W530 for a while like since sometime in 2013.

Still does the job for me.

Not bad for a ThinkPad released in June of 2012.

Who else?

Let me hear...your praises...or?

Brad

[atagunov]

I got two T520-s at home and they're working just fine. Not since 2012/2013 though, buying new is too rich for my blood I've had them for 5-7 years I guess. I'm not swapping them for anything else, except.. I'm probably upgrading to T530/W530 with T520 keyboards. Still got some hardware swapping to do, will keep keyboards, possibly try to keep the body of one of the T520-s and the screen too - we'll see how well T530 mobo fits into T520 body. One thing I'm missing on T520-s are 4-core CPU-s and I'm going to run them one way or another. Otherwise, yeah, I'm definitely staying with T520/T530/W530-classic keyboard camp. The 1080p panel on W530 that I just got is just gorgeous (small whitish blemish around centre 3mm in diameter not withstanding), 32Gb RAM is the biggest RAM amount I ever had. Or course you got to rock at least 16Gb RAM on these and 4-core CPU won't hurt.. Or course you absolute have to run an SSD.

I think there is a word to be said for T530 without nVidia - for a Linux developer's machine that is sometimes used with an external monitor that's probably better. They should be running cooler and have longer battery life; no need to toggle graphics in BIOS when docking. Under Windows drivers solve the issue I understand but under Linux it's a smoother ride to only have Intel graphics - unless you actually want nVidia omph and don't mind proprietary drivers; or unless you never use external monitor and are happy to switch nVidia off in BIOS.

[Brad]

Thanks for the reply.

I bought used W530's along the way. One of the first W530's was from a forum member here in the first half of 2013.

Since then collected a few more along the way as backups.

Using the 3940XM CPU, K2000M GPU with 4 x 8Gb and an SSD the W530 serves my needs well.

Replaced the keyboard on the current example more than once (PRO TIP: only keep one or two ThinkPads out at the same time. They are black and wife can't tell the difference)

The ac adapter has been replaced several times too becoming intermittent at the plug end from bending all the time.

As long as the W530 continues to suit my needs its here to stay.

I have more than one P series workstations that will be re-homed after upgrades that are very nice and very fast, very very fast with more CPU, GPU, RAM and SSD.

Brad

[DiagonalArg]

I'm still using mine! Along with a T530, W520 and T520.

The XX30's are where I stop. I'm not going for locked BIOS's.

My next machine: RISC-V & Coreboot!

[m11k]

Recently switched from an aging desktop PC to a W530 on a dock as my daily driver. The W530 has double the RAM that my desktop had (32GB). Aside from running a little warm, it runs like a champ! Very usable.

I think there is a word to be said for T530 without nVidia - for a Linux developer's machine that is sometimes used with an external monitor that's probably better. They should be running cooler and have longer battery life; no need to toggle graphics in BIOS when docking. Under Windows drivers solve the issue I understand but under Linux it's a smoother ride to only have Intel graphics - unless you actually want nVidia omph and don't mind proprietary drivers; or unless you never use external monitor and are happy to switch nVidia off in BIOS.

I completely agree with this. I wish they had a W530 without nvidia graphics, that way I could coreboot it easily and still have 32GB of RAM. I'm currently running Debian 11, and fortunately the nvidia 460 drivers work well without any problems. Video issues on my desktop PC, which also has an nvidia card (under nouveau), were part of the reason I switched to the W530.

32Gb RAM is the biggest RAM amount I ever had.

Me too for a personally owned PC. At my work I recently evaluated an AMD EPYC system that had 64 cores (128 threads), 1TB of RAM, and 12TB of NVMe storage. I think that's the most powerful system I've ever logged onto.

My next machine: RISC-V & Coreboot!

I can't wait for this either!

I have to admit, I am slightly tempted by the Purism Librem 14, running coreboot out of the box. I don't know if I can get by without a trackpoint though...

[Brad]

If your W530 is running warmer lately try re-pasting.

Lowered my temps considerably.

Not sure of the before temps but now feels much cooler and monitored temps have not exceeded 60c.

Brad

[TPFanatic]

It's not a W-series but I've been contentedly running a T420 since the end of 2019, when my previous Nvidia T430s died of GPU death, I believe I overheated it. My T420 has QHD IPS, 16GB, and mSATA+SATA drives, I use it for everything, from HD video editing to encoding+burning+ripping optical media. Even eSATA sees use from time to time. USB 3.0 would be nice to speed up transfer speeds with my phone, just haven't bothered to install my Expresscard adapter yet.

Only thing it can't do is modern graphics/gaming. I have an eGPU but my install of Windows doesn't like talking to it. So it's largely unused as I haven't wound up gaming as much I thought...

I'm a stickler for the 7 row and ThinkLight, and QHD IPS is an incredible and worthwhile upgrade. Think three full-size documents open side-by-side. Looks like T420/30(s) is the end of the road for me.

[olddog]

I run a W530 at home and a newly acquired W541 at work. Both run a little hot and need re-pasting, which I will do soon, but apart from that they perform flawlessly and there is little to choose between them except for the useful numeric keypad on the latter.
I will only change them when they die.

[rkawakami]

Well, I'll be the old fart in this conversation...

After years and years of using A31p and T23 laptops as my go-to systems, I've settled on a group of W520 for my everyday usage. It was the last of the "old style" or "classic" keyboards, which is the main reason I like them. They are running W7-64, i7 quad-core CPUs, FHD displays, have at least 20GB of memory and 500GB spinning platters. They are fine for what I'm doing with them; the hardest they are pushed is when I need to do some video editing or format conversions. As long as I keep them in sleep mode, instead of shutting them down or using hibernate, they are quick to respond. Otherwise, if I have to cold boot them, it takes several minutes before Windows becomes responsive again. None of them get what I would consider overly warm, even when doing video work. I've never taken them apart for cleaning or replacing/upgrading hardware (besides memory) so I'm guessing that the fan and thermal paste are still factory. All of them are eBay graduates. I've never paid list price for a Thinkpad and therefore have never been an original owner.

(PRO TIP: only keep one or two ThinkPads out at the same time. They are black and wife can't tell the difference)

Kind of hard to fool the wife when my office closet shelves are full of Thinkpads, along with the stash underneath my desk and the three dozen or so systems lined up on the spare bed. I've covered them up with empty boxes and packing material but I don't think it's helping to mask the number of laptops that are taking up space.

[firefly6240]

I actually just upgraded to a W530 believe it or not.
moved to it from my trusty T410 a few months ago.

I've done most of the upgrades I can think of, put a lot more money into it than I imagine most people would deem worth it.
I realize I easily could have spent the money on a good newer laptop but they really dont make them like this anymore, after a ton of research I got this one very specifically.
It took me a long time to decide to move from my T410 but I think the W530 is where I'll be for a long time to come.

I have the I7 3840QM (this is really the only thing I can think of left to upgrade, but from what I hear its one of the best balanced options for price/mobility/performance, other options favor one area or another, I might do it someday though)
32GB ram
a 1TB Samsung Evo 870 SSD in the main drive bay (with slackware current installed)
an SK Hynix 1TB SSD in the ultrabay (with Windows 10 installed)
and a dogfish 256gb drive in the Msata bay (with freeBSD installed
I have the full HD 1080P screen,
Fingerprint reader.
Custom bootloader
Wireless AC card
backlit keyboard (also have the non backlit, they do feel slightly different)

I dont have the color collaborator
also dont have the smart card reader.

Slackware is my main OS and hands down gets the most use, I use anydesk to remote into my work desktop when working from home since the office uses mostly microsoft.
Windows just gets booted when I want to play newer games.
and freeBSD is mostly just for fun.

Honestly I upgraded for future proofing only, there isnt really much this laptop cant do even today.
it ran circles around the laptop they gave me at work even with the 8GB ram and old 500GB intel SSD it came with.
I cant recommend this workstation enough. I'm a very casual gamer so cant speak to that part so much but it handles everything I've thrown at it from Linux and windows.

[Brad]

That is a nicely configured W530 that has quite a bit of onboard storage.

My W530 has been getting along nicely for several years running W7P on a Samsung Lenovo FRU 512Gb 2.5" SSD.

Haven't needed much more than this one SSD. I am not editing or storing video on board. Just mostly work related storage.

Still happy with this W530 so no changes on the horizon that I can think of.

Oh I have changed the keyboard several times and even the chassis too but all have been W530's.

Over time I have managed to prepare at least one complete spare W530 with almost all brand new parts as a backup and have more than one in several states of repair or you may say disrepair.

I am continued to be amazed that that this ancient a ThinkPad has remained relevant, at least for me, for such a long time.

Let the villagers rejoice! Long live the W530!

Brad

[firefly6240]

wow is replacing the chassis as hard as it looks?
I just took apart my W530 last night to replace the fan and clean all the vents from the inside. (original fan was grinding and off balance, which was how I got it fairly cheap)
when I got this one I noticed a few units on ebay that were really cheap because of chassis damage, I was just curious how hard actually swapping one is.

That is a nicely configured W530 that has quite a bit of onboard storage.

My W530 has been getting along nicely for several years running W7P on a Samsung Lenovo FRU 512Gb 2.5" SSD.

Haven't needed much more than this one SSD. I am not editing or storing video on board. Just mostly work related storage.

Still happy with this W530 so no changes on the horizon that I can think of.

Oh I have changed the keyboard several times and even the chassis too but all have been W530's.

Over time I have managed to prepare at least one complete spare W530 with almost all brand new parts as a backup and have more than one in several states of repair or you may say disrepair.

I am continued to be amazed that that this ancient a ThinkPad has remained relevant, at least for me, for such a long time.

Let the villagers rejoice! Long live the W530!

Brad

[Brad]

If you are familiar with a screwdriver and have a little patience it can be accomplished successfully.

Brad

[crashnburn]

I'm still using mine! Along with a T530, W520 and T520.

The XX30's are where I stop. I'm not going for locked BIOS's.

My next machine: RISC-V & Coreboot!

I wonder how long that will take to get to market and compete with Apples M1/2 jumps.

[DiagonalArg]

I'm still using mine! Along with a T530, W520 and T520.

The XX30's are where I stop. I'm not going for locked BIOS's.

My next machine: RISC-V & Coreboot!

I wonder how long that will take to get to market and compete with Apples M1/2 jumps.

Don't know, but work is ongoing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RISC-V#Open_source

[crashnburn]

I wonder how long that will take to get to market and compete with Apples M1/2 jumps.

Don't know, but work is ongoing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RISC-V#Open_source

Apple also has made some great special function Co Processors in their SoCs to handle todays computing needs more optimally. Is that on the Hyper V agenda?

[my03]

Hi

I actually had the W530 as my work laptop for a while and loved it. Naturally it got replaced by newer thinkpads (and sometimes other brands). Three years ago, i bought a unit privately via one of those "company-refurb" businesses (from Germany in that case and i'm living in Sweden) so one of the first things i did was to order a new backlit Nordic keyboard for it (it came with 8GB ram + 500GB spinning HDD). Since then, things got haywire. It got 24 then 32GB of ram, a 1TB SSD as the main HDD, one 240GB in the HDD caddy (old DVD slot) and another 240GB in the mpcie (old WAN) slot (used to be 120GB in there). To top it off, i sold of the 3840qm and replaced it with a 3940xm CPU (repasted with Kryonaut).

This thing is truly a monster and i love to use it. As of yet, there is really nothing that i have used it for that will make it budge (this includes virtualisation, application server use (Oracle, Websphere), running ESBs, MQ, databases, etc). My current workmachine (T590) i feel does not really touch this "old man" either

[mikemex]

I've got one, I bought it second hand a couple of years ago. I think I paid $200 for a 3740QM, 16GB (4x4GB DDR3), 512GB spinning 7K2 drive, K1000 graphics and FHD.

Hardware prices are so cheap now that didn't think twice about upgrading it. It now has 32GB (4x8GB DDR3L) and 1TB SSD. I also got a docking station, brand new in box with an extra charger, keys and all. The same guy offered me a 9 cell battery for $15. I thought it was used, but it turned out to be NOS. It holds 89 Wh and runs for a maximum of 8 hours doing light tasks with Turbo and discrete GPU disabled in the BIOS.

Honestly, I don't use my fully upgraded classic Thinkpads that much and I feel bad for hoarding stuff other people might still find useful. I'm sure I'll end up doing the ecological right thing and pass my stuff to someone else. I just have too many computers at this point...

[wrybread]

I still use a W530 as my daily driver, and I keep ordering them for friends. I don't know of a better large laptop unfortunately. All the larger laptops I know of clutter up the space with numpads (which is a huge dealbreaker for me) and/or have unusable keyboards or touchpads. The W530 is just a well designed laptop and is a joy to use. And I have yet to encounter anything it can't do, and I'm a super heavy video editor and coder. But not a game player, so can't comment on that.

The only major downside for me is that compared to modern laptops it's power hungry, but no biggie for me.

I always make sure to get the 1080p display, that's a must. And I always re-paste the CPU. And of course SSD for the program drive, and I like to max out the RAM but for friends who mostly use them for videos I leave it at 16 gigs (and maybe get them a T530, though those don't seem to be much cheaper, oddly). And a 1 or 2 tb drive in the DVD bay for data. And I always do this mod to allow me to use 90 watt power supplies:

viewtopic.php?f=70&t=131940

I can't imagine lugging around the gigantic power supply that Lenovo requires for these, and I've been doing this mod for coming on a year and my laptop is powered on 24/7 and no problems.

After doing all the above it's a great laptop. It still gets looks from people accustomed to Macbooks, and I've even had kids comment on it, but I believe there's such a thing as too small for a laptop. And besides, I just bought another one for $260 shipped.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255266811605

Can't do that with a Macbook!

[atagunov]

My W530 ended up being unlucky.. I only pull it out when I need an extra Windows machine. Some modest Skype duties, a tiny bit of Adobe Premier. Mostly the machine is sitting in reserve waiting for when I need it. Both my Linux T520-s are still running daily, but that W530 is out of luck.. Well maybe it will last longer Well worth preserving. 2nd nicest in my collection after X2100

[chakaponden]

Still using my W530 for work and even gaming on low graphics setting

[Brad]

Great hearing everyone's W530 stories.

I recently gave mine a good cleaning and re-pasting.

Still the workhorse as ever.

I have had several through the years. The one I'm working with right now has been powered on nearly 24/7/365 for the last 5 years or so.

One reason is that it has everything I need. Several USB ports and an optical drive which is not used to often lately.

It's really a tribute to the manufacturer.

Happy ThinkPadding!

Brad

[TripAces]

Just chiming in here for my first post, not wanting to start a fresh thread.

Just bought a T530 from a licensed refurb.. absolutely perfect condition restored.. honestly, you just cant beat these keyboards, the centre touchpad and trackpad with top and bottom button layout.

Being a big guy/big hands not having a number pad on the right which pushes over the keyboard to the left is honestly the biggest gripe I have with newer models.. and no I wont go to a 14'' it's too small.

So Im stuck imo with a superior system

I am typing on the T530 now.. I5-3230M 8g NVs5400 1600x900 (beauty screen) far superior to the 1366x768 by a mile.. and backlit keyboard (so sweet) paid 250 total for it ..

But I realize that I need to at least have the Quad Core in the system if I am ever to do the editing etc. But for regular boring stuff.. duo core is perfect.

I do want for home use and 'light gaming' the W530..

My other concern is Windows 11.. I think everyone is waiting officially but it seems like the 30's will be able to run 11.... if so that's all the future proofing i care about.. at least until 2025-26 EOL for 10.


Is it worth shelling out the money for the W530?

Thanks

and ps: I really wanted the Ideapad 3 or Legion... but the keyboard layout and feel is something from the sarlacc pit. cant lenovo just put proper keyboards in the gaming laptops... I would of dished 1500 bucks for the latest hardware if they did that.

[TPFanatic]

Have you seen the new p1 gen 4 or x1 extreme gen 4 with centered keyboard and 16" 16:10? Previous gens are still centered keyboard but 15.6" 16:9 and of course prices are going down. They have nice graphics and cpus, just they're expensive...

[mikemex]

W530 are pretty good machines (I got a couple, the most recent purchased this year). They are cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and still pretty powerful. It's not difficult to get one and fully upgrade it for like $300. For a quad core machine with 32GB of RAM, that's a pretty darn good bargain. Plus you can get a decent dock for pennies.

Please consider that an old laptop like this offers better value than even a desktop. Because for the price of the computer itself you get a monitor, an UPS (the battery), a nice backlit keyboard, a mouse...

The only valid reason to get a newer system is the GPU (battery life would be another issue, but if you're using a big mobile workstation, chances are that you use it mostly over a desk / rarely use it on the go).

Do you *really* need a powerful GPU?

If not, stick with the W530 and start saving for a new system. You'll save a lot of money if you wait a couple of years to get a new machine. Anything you like now will be far less expensive by then. And the W530 is likely to serve you well until then.

Heck, in all honesty, I can't even imagine a situation in the near future in which the W530 will truly become obsolete. It supports more RAM than many contemporary machines. The screen has the same resolution. The CPU is plentiful for all but the most demanding tasks. You can even put a modern 6E WIFI card. Or upgrade the SSD (recent SATA drives are not as fast as NVMe, but are much faster than they used to be).

But you know. We live in a consumer society. Rarely it's a matter of having enough... but a matter of having the latest and shiniest.

P. S. I'm typing this from my W530.

[Brad]

Amen...

...Still using the W530.

Well said Mike.

A few keyboards and cleaned irregularly its served and continues to serve me well.

I can notice that some newer ThinkPads seem faster but like Mike says do I really have the need for speed?

Happy ThinkPadding to all...

Brad

[heilong]

Was using an X220 as my main laptop since 2011, but this year I wanted to play a game (Phoenix Point) so picked up a used W530. Upgraded it with an 3940XM, 32 Gb of RAM, and an AX210 WLAN/BT card (mPCIe version from AliExpress). Also bought an eGPU setup - EXP GDC Beast (ExpressCard version), ASUS Phoenix Geforce 1060, and a Dell DA-220 PSU. The game ran quite well, meanwhile I liked the laptop a lot and so it replaced the X220 as my main one.

I've also done the classic keyboard mod, and am super happy with it.

[Brad]

That's quite a setup.

I am interested in the wireless you upgraded to.

Where and how is it installed?

Brad

[heilong]

I am interested in the wireless you upgraded to.
Where and how is it installed?

Original WLAN card out (Bluetooth Daughter Card as well), new WLAN+BT card in. It's a direct mPCIe replacement, antenna connectors are compatible as well.
You can find it on e.g. AliExpress by searching for "AX210HMW Mini PCI-E", price is ~31 EUR. The sticker on the card says Model: MPE-AXE3000H. No need to tape any pins or do any other magic. But obviously you need an unlocked BIOS to remove the WLAN card whitelist. If I remember correctly, to make Bluetooth work, I had to go to advanced BIOS settings, USB ports, and enable the one port in the list that was disabled. The card works with stock AX210 drivers from Intel, both WiFi and Bluetooth.

On my X230, I used another option: an official Intel AX210 card (only available in M.2 form factor), and an M.2 to mPCIe adapter, I got one on eBay, it's called "M.2 2230 Key A+E to Mini PCI-E Adapter Converter for Intel wifi Card AX210 AX200", brand name is "fenvi". It comes with two extra-short antenna cables. The original antennas (IPEX/U.fl connectors) plug into the matching sockets on the adapter, while the short cables (with smaller MHF4 connectors on both sides) go from the matching sockets on the adapter to the sockets on the Intel card. The entire setup takes more spaces than the original mPCIe card, and is easy to fit if you don't use the second mPCIe slot on the X230. It's possible to use together with a 3G card, not sure if it could coexist with an mSATA SSD.

[Honu425]

Not sure if this fits this thread, feel free to move it (just let me know where).

My W530 (32GB ram, 500GB SSD) is now being tasked with feeding an HDMI input projector. Is there any way to get an HDMI output from the W530, shy of taking the dock with me when I need to accomplish this and using a DVI to HDMI adaptor?

I think all that made sense.

Ideas?