User Interface, A/V Quality, Thermal Design, Battery Life
User Interface
The ThinkPad W540 features a Chiclet-style keyboard which is nearly identical to that of the T440s. That also, by extension, means that it is excellent—one of the better keyboards we’ve had the pleasure to use on a laptop, in fact (though which is truly the very best is a highly subjective matter). The smooth-surfaced, backlit keys are tightly-affixed, feature good travel and feedback, and a reasonable actuation force which isn’t too demanding on the user. They’re also relatively quiet, which is nice for a business environment. Finally, seeing as we’re dealing with a 15.6-inch form factor, there’s the ever-useful number pad to the right of the keyboard.
We’ve said quite enough about this generation of ThinkPad touchpads most likely, but to summarize: while they’re accurate for pointing and comfortably large, the full-depression pad surface not only requires more energy to physically “click” than a conventional set of buttons, but it also results in pointer movement upon some clicks which just plain drives us mad. We would love to have a set of physical buttons back, or at the very least, a clickpad that functions a bit more conventionally.
In fact, Lenovo has partially rectified this problem already at the time of publication. A minor update to the W540 we reviewed is now available in the W541, which still doesn't have dedicated touchpad buttons, but it does have dedicated Trackpoint buttons (which can electively be used with the touchpad in lieu of the full click operation).
One strange omission on this unit is that of any sort of indicator LEDs, such as those to show charging status, Caps Lock, and disk activity. This isn’t always a problem, but when you need indicator lights, you need indicator lights. Relying on the screen not only is suboptimal for sake of usability, but also, it provides no insight into what the disk is up to. Normally with a solid-state drive this isn’t too much of a problem, but it’s still a puzzling oversight.
A/V Quality
Although it’s possible to configure the ThinkPad W540 with a lower-end 1080p TN panel, our review unit arrived equipped with a 15.6-inch 3K (2880×1620) IPS display, which is advantageous not only due to the obviously higher resolution, but also thanks to the fact that it’s an IPS panel. Naturally, that yields far better viewing angles, and as an added bonus, the nicer panel also apparently features better brightness (Lenovo quotes 350 cd/m²) and color reproduction (which we found to be pleasant and vivid).
The panel finish is matte, though it does have a slight bit of a sheen to it—similar to that of many modern LCD televisions, which are really more of a semi-matte finish. The reflectivity of the W540’s panel sort of reminds us of the ThinkPad Yoga, which had a touchscreen with a semi-matte filter covering it. Coupled with the very good brightness, it’s enough to render the machine comfortable for outdoor use (especially in the shade), so that’s good enough for us.
The built-in color calibrator (optional) is a nice tool to have even if it likely cannot rival far pricier standalone professional tools: at the very least, you can calibrate the white point and gamma using it, and it requires absolutely zero expertise to do so.
The speakers are found at the bottom front of the notebook, where they fire downward onto the surface below. The result is a clear and relatively loud sound with a surprisingly full-bodied profile that sounds better than that of most business notebooks.
Thermal Design
The W540 can be configured with either an NVIDIA Quadro K1100M or K2100M, both with 2 GB of memory. Ours shipped with the K2100M, which inherently generates more heat due to a higher TGP (55W versus 45W). Of course, this is only a problem under load; the machine switches via Optimus as well to leverage the lower-powered Intel HD Graphics 4600 where a discrete GPU is not warranted.
What’s interesting is that the machine remains quiet throughout nearly all operation. During typical use, it’s practically inaudible, with the fan running at very low RPMs and with merely a faint whir at that. As load increases, the fan becomes audible, but it isn’t even really all that bothersome at its top-end speed during heavy stress.
Check out the temperatures under full system stress
What makes that less interesting is how hot it gets. The right side of the unit hardly changes temperature at all, but the left side heats up considerably, quickly to the point of discomfort—even on the top at the palm rest (which at one point during our testing was almost too hot to touch). The result is a sweaty, hot left hand (and leg) and a right hand/leg that feels perfectly normal. It’s terribly annoying even when sitting on a flat surface.
Our temperature readings corroborate these findings. Under CPU and GPU stress, internal temperatures (of the CPU and GPU respectively) eventually reach 88 °C and 71 °C. The CPU manages max Turbo frequencies still under these conditions, which is fortunate, as that’s a fairly high CPU reading—but it’s nothing compared to what happens under full stress. With both CPU and GPU receiving heavy loads, we measured up to 98 °C CPU and 88 °C–and predictably, throttling ensued. It’s unlikely that such situations will be encountered in everyday use, but these very real thermal limitations—and the uncomfortable surface temperatures that result from them—raise some questions about the thermal management of the W540.
Battery Life
Even with its more efficient chipset and large 99 Wh battery, the ThinkPad W540 isn’t going to score you a lot of runtime unplugged in most scenarios—at least, not with the 3K screen and Quadro K2100M that our configuration boasts. As always, all of our battery tests are run on medium brightness (approximately 200 cd/m²) and with all wireless radios on.
Battery Eater Pro Reader’s Test:
Here, the machine manages just 7:10 total, which is passable, but not great. To help put it in context, the T440s (which features a low-voltage chipset and integrated graphics only) equipped with its total of 6 cells of battery (3 internal + 3 external) still made off with 9:36, over two hours longer. Of course, these machines have totally different purposes—so again, viewing the W540 as more of a business-grade gaming machine is a fairer way of approaching the comparison.
Battery Eater Pro Classic Test:
For an idea of what would be closer to maximal load, the Classic Test lasted for just 1:11 on our W540. Considering the 99 Wh battery, that’s a pretty weak result—but again, it’s what you’re signing up for with a 3K screen, quad-core 35 W TDP CPU, and hefty discrete Quadro GPU.
It’s also worth mentioning as a footnote that, logically speaking, one ought to be able to expect considerably better runtimes with a “standard” 1080p screen. The option exists, and if battery life means more to you than screen density and quality, it’s an easy choice in our opinion.
We wrap up this section with our comparisons for context:
I’m little surprised this
I’m little surprised this review is coming out today. Lenovo doesn’t even sell this Laptop any longer on their Website. The model has been replaced with the W541 and W550.
I’d really love to see a review of current generation (2015) ThinkPads like the: Yoga 12 (2nd Edition); T450/T450s; X1 Carbon (2015; or even the W550.
Thanks.
There might be newer ones,
There might be newer ones, but we still see it for sale a lot.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1025232-REG/lenovo_20bg0014us_w540_i7_4800mq_8gb_256_ssd_windows_7p_windows.html/BI/19995/KBID/13279
The TSX instructions on this
The TSX instructions on this SKU, are they part of the errata? And what of any Xeon options, should someone want to do server/other related build testing with this workstation. Certainly the newest SKUs need to be reviewed.
Damn, does that look
Damn, does that look nice.
Sometimes when I’m not browsing PCPER on my super basic, refurbished Latitude, I daydream about getting a high powered modern Thinkpad and 3D printing a lid for it where the ThinkPad logo is the right side up.
Yeah sorry for the lateness
Yeah sorry for the lateness of this one guys. There were some uncontrollable factors in play that delayed it beyond the usual — but I had already begun working on it so it made sense to finish it up anyway. After all, the revised model (W541) mostly features revised input devices… primarily touchpad, which I mentioned in the article. So it is still relevant regardless. I don't believe we will see a W550 for several months yet to come still.
I’m not sure we’ll see a true
I’m not sure we’ll see a true W550 before the fourth quarter, if not 2016. The last roadmap I saw indicated the W541 available through early next year and no sign of a full W550… The W550s, while a nice machine, isn’t really a replacement for the W540/W541… The W550s is really just a T550 with a low end Quadro and with the same unfortunate 16GB RAM limit of the T series. 🙁
We have these at work and
We have these at work and it’s a solid machine. Packs a LOT of punch for our engineers looking for more processing power that they can take to the office or take home. Looking forward to the W550. However the trackpads on the newer Lenovos SUCKS. Do they even test these things? The X1 Carbon, X240, and W540 all have horrendous track pads. I don’t understand. Or maybe I’m just a bit spoiled using a Macbook Pro as my work machine.
no, you’re right, Lenovo did
no, you’re right, Lenovo did a serious deisgn mistake with the W540 and that era touchpads. They’re reinstating the buttons in a new design with W541 and newer machines.
I always liked using the
I always liked using the little eraser vs the trackpad. Move the mouse, type, hands never leave the keyboard.
My W540 has an i7 4900 MQ.
My W540 has an i7 4900 MQ. I’ve been using it for several months and I like it a lot. Its only down side is the trackpad. Not very user friendly but regardless of this, I prefer to use an external trackball or space mouse, depending on the work.
This computer is spectacular when it comes to rendering, video editing and CAD.
Removing the optical drive and replacing it with a second HDD is an excellent option.
I understand the W541 has minor hardware upgrades, apart from the trackpad, where the two physical buttons have been reintroduced.
The W550 has an ultra low voltage broadwell-gen CPU for better battery life. It has a smaller chassis and cannot be configured with a second HDD.
Never ever spend your money
Never ever spend your money on this crap laptop from Lenovo. I had 4 Lenovo laptop before and I own W530 which I used for daily work involving high end cloud server , virtual multiple on my machine with 4 Dim and 32 GB RAM. I spend around near to 2K to by this new version of laptop since my W530 was already 3 year old and out of depot warranty. The biggest blunder I did in my life was not to open this W540 for 45 Days since I was very busy in my work , But when I opened it initially I said woow that is cool. But when I started operating it mouse pad SUCKS , Yes Big time SUCKS , I am clicking Minimize button of my application and It is closing application , When I Move my mouse it behave quite quirky. On top of this machine is getting overheated to 105 F. When I dialed tech support ,It will take 10 days. Now after spending 2K on this laptop if you get such CRAP Product , You will throw in your garbage , But unfortunately I am not that rich to do it , nor I can return this CRAP. I was getting MAC PRO at same price and I choose this CRAP product. I regret not opening my laptop. I will never buy LENOVO Product from now , this is my last ONE.
Agree with the poster above.
Agree with the poster above. This laptop (W540) is a complete piece of shit. Do not waste your money. Buy an HP, Dell, or Apple. This is one of the most poorly made products I have ever owned.
I had several Lenovo laptops
I had several Lenovo laptops (over time), and have always found them to be reliable. Due to the good experience with Lenovo, I opted to purchase the W540 when the time came. A decision which I cannot fully express how bad that was. If nothing else, good comes from this, don’t waste your money on the W540 even used. It’s not worth it even if you are paid to take it.
Do I understand that this
Do I understand that this laptop only has 8 GB of memory?
I find that surprising, given the other specs and this laptop’s intended performance.