Thinkpads Forum

After researching the W530 I'm left wondering if the Ivy Bridge based Thinkpads will suffer from the same CPU whine that has plagued the last few generations of Intel chipsets? Well, that, and what in the world they were thinking when they destroyed a perfectly good keyboard, but that's another discussion entirely. I have a W520 that I love, but the CPU whine while on battery is maddening! I disable deeper sleep when I can, but there are times that I can't give up the battery life. I guess I'm particularly sensitive to higher frequency noise and it simply drives me crazy! If the problem is solved with Ivy Bridge and I can convince myself that, as far as annoyances go, CPU whine > chiclet keys, I may try to sell the 520 and get a 530. I wish I could find a W530 in a brick & mortar store to actually see this new keyboard design. Having never seen a W520 in a store I'm not holding my breath .

Anyone have any familiarity with other machines on this platform?

Oh, and first post . Long time reader!

welcome to the forum!

CPUs have whined for decades.   my 13-year-old 770Z and 14-year-old 600 both whine under the right circumstances thanks to now having SSDs and not being drowned out by the loud mechanical HDDs.   even the 770's LCD has a high-pitched noise to it if not on full brightness.

contrary to internet lore, this is neither a new phenomenon nor one that will be going away anytime soon.   if "whine" is your most important criteria in an upgrade then i'd recommend basing your upgrade decision on other criteria.