ThinkPad W series


The ThinkPad W-series laptops were introduced by Lenovo as workstation-class laptops with their own letter designation, a descendant of prior ThinkPad T series models suffixed with 'p'. The W series laptops were launched in 2008, at the same time as Intel Centrino 2, marking an overhaul of Lenovo's product lineup. The first two W series laptops introduced were the W500 and the W700.
The W series laptops from Lenovo were described by the manufacturer as being "mobile workstations", and suit that description by being physically on the larger side of the laptop spectrum, with screens ranging from 15.6" to 17.3" in size. Most W series laptops offered high-end quad-core Intel Core processors with an integrated GPU as well as an Nvidia Quadro discrete GPU, utilizing Nvidia Optimus to switch between the two GPUs as required. Notable exceptions are the W500, which has ATI Mobility FireGL integrated workstation-class graphics, and the W550s, which is an Ultrabook-specification laptop with only a dual-core processor. The W series laptops offered independent software vendor certifications from various vendors such as Adobe Systems and Autodesk for computer-aided design and 3D modeling software.

Models

A list of laptops in the W series is given below. The list is arranged in chronological order.

W500

Released in 2008, W500 laptop was similar in design to the T61p it replaced. The all-black appearance was retained, as well as the TrackPoint in the middle of the keyboard. The W500 was appreciated for being equivalent in craftsmanship and stability to previous ThinkPads. Large metal hinges were used to hold the display in place, preventing a worn out or unsteady display. Other features on the laptop were a DisplayPort video output, three USB ports, a docking station connector, a maximum display resolution of, Intel Core 2 Duo processors and an ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 GPU.

W700

Released in October 2008, the W700 laptop was lauded for its performance and for a host of features that were industry-first at the time. It was the first laptop with an integrated color calibrator. In addition, a biometric fingerprint scanner was available on the palmrest. With a quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 processor and Nvidia Quadro FX 3700M workstation GPU available, the laptop was among the most powerful at the time. One point not in the laptop's favor was the low battery lifeapproximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The laptop featured up to a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 CPU, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, either an Nvidia Quadro FX 2700M or FX 3700M with up to 1GB video RAM, and a 16:10 TN LCD display with a resolution of or.

W700ds

The ThinkPad W700ds was nearly identical to the W700, with the addition of a secondary sliding screen with a resolution of. The W700ds laptop also offered additional storage space, with up to two 260GB hard disk drives.

W510

The W510, the logical successor of the ThinkPad W500 in a nearly identical 15" laptop frame, was released in January 2010.
The laptop's specifications are as follows:
  • Processor: up to 2.0GHz Intel Core i7-920XM Extreme
  • Memory: up to 32GB @ 1,333MT/s DDR3
  • Graphics:
  • * Intel 5 series integrated graphics
  • * Nvidia Quadro FX 880M
  • Dimensions:
  • Mass/Weight: Starting at with a 6-cell battery
The W510 laptop was summed up by Laptop Review as, "The W510 provides performance, reliability and mobility. It is Ultra responsive for graphics-intensive tasks so you can accomplish more on the go."

W701

The W701, the logical successor of the W700 17" laptop, was released with the W701ds and received positive reviews. Techradar.com has this to say about the W701: "the ThinkPad W700 – predecessor – was once the most powerful laptop we had seen, but the W701 has successfully stolen that crown."
Released in April 2010, the W701 and W701ds, offered the following specifications:
  • Processor: 2.0GHz Intel Core i7-920XM Extreme
  • Memory: Up to 16GB @ 1333MT/s DDR3
  • Graphics:
  • * Nvidia Quadro FX 3800M
  • * Nvidia Quadro FX 2800M
  • Dimensions:
  • Mass/Weight: Starting at

    W701ds

The Lenovo ThinkPad W701ds is the logical successor to the W700ds, and shares the same exterior physical design.
Gizmodo said, about the W701ds laptop, "Lenovo ThinkPad W701ds pairs beastly specs with an integrated secondary screen." The laptop also received favorable reviews from PCWorld, which called the laptop a "portable goliath that could replace desktop workstations, letting pros stay productive from anywhere". Gadgets Fan said about the W701ds, "Despite its massive size, Lenovo ThinkPad W701ds laptop is worth the purchase" and suggested that it was "almost comparable to a desktop workstation".

W520

The W520, the logical successor to the W510, was released in March 2011 and offered the following specifications in the best configuration:
  • Processor: up to 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-2960XM
  • Memory: up to 32GB DDR3-1333, in 4-core/8-thread models ; up to 16GB DDR3, in 2-core/4-thread models
  • Graphics:
  • * Intel HD Graphics 3000
  • * Nvidia Quadro 1000M
  • * Nvidia Quadro 2000M
  • Display: or LED-backlit TN LCD
  • Dimensions:
  • Mass/Weight:
According to LAPTOP Magazine, "the ThinkPad W520 offers blistering performance that should satisfy the most demanding users and businesses." On PCMark Vantage, the ThinkPad W520 scored 9909 points, 30% higher than the average score of desktop replacements. It also scored higher than the Dell Latitude E6420, which received a score of 7796.
;Processing and graphics:The 2011 W520 model includes up to a quad-core Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition socketed processor with Hyper-Threading technology. They are also equipped with Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0 for Windows 7.
;ISV certifications:The W520 includes ISV certifications for DSS CATIA, SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, Adobe, and Maya.

W530

Released in June, 2012, the W530 has a very similar exterior appearance to the prior W models. Being the last W model prior to the W540 redesign, it is the last W to feature the lid lock, keyboard light and wireless and HDD LED indicators, and the first W model to feature the controversial chiclet keyboard, which features 6 rows rather than 7 rows of keys and a more modern key shape. The W530 comes equipped with Ivy Bridge processors.
Notable changes/new features:
  • 3rd generation Intel Core processors
  • Intel HD 4000 and Nvidia Kepler-based Quadro graphics
  • * K1000M
  • * K2000M
  • Mini DisplayPort v1.2
  • New-style 6-row keyboard with optional backlight

    W540

Announced in 2013 and released in the US and Europe early 2014, the W540 featured a brand-new, slimmer design based on the new generations T540p. Slimmer than the prior W530, the new design received mixed reactions from traditional ThinkPad users. Critique was mainly aimed towards lower build quality and missing user interface indicators, together with a new style of touchpad where the traditional ThinkPad trackpoint functionality had been radically changed, and the controversial island style keyboard introduced in 2012 on other products, which many enthusiasts claimed abandoned the core tactile principles established by IBM over previous decades.
The new W series however featured newer hardware such as the option for a 3K 2880 x 1620 IPS display. Other new features included:
  • 4th generation Core i7 processors
  • Upgraded Quadro GPUs to K1100M and K2100M
  • Full size keyboard with numeric keypad
  • New touchpad/trackpoint integration
  • Changed UltraBay design
  • New rectangular connector for charger
  • Thinner profile
  • Lighter weight

    W541

The W541 is a ThinkPad W540 featuring the new-style keyboard but with a re-introduction of the classic ThinkPad touchpad design. The prior ThinkPad touchpad design featured in the W540 and other 4th-gen ThinkPads was abandoned.

W550s

Rather than being a successor of any previous W-series model, the W550s is a thinner Ultrabook variant of the W series; Likewise a latest P5xs series ThinkPad, the W550s was based in a T-series chassis. While a capable Ultrabook, when compared to the W541 and its predecessors, it offers less capability with only dual-core hyper-threaded Intel Broadwell processors vs. the true quad-core processors of other models and has only two RAM slots.

Discontinuation and successor

The ThinkPad W series was discontinued and replaced by ThinkPad P series, beginning with the P50s, P50 and P70 in 2016. The P70 re-introduced the 17-inch screen to the ThinkPad workstation line.