Lenovo ideapad y500

[Pillowite]

Hey guys, I'm new on here and I've been trying to get on a forum so that I could learn more about laptops and their hardware. I'm excited to be on these forums and learn from you guys. So, I'm sure that there are a lot of threads on the lenovo ideapad y500, but I have a few questions about it. I spent hours looking for a nice gaming laptop that I could get for under a grand and I found it

1) most common question: would the i5 or the i7 be a better grab if I want to game on it. I'm looking to play bf3, medal of honor warfighter, cod:bo2, and if bf4 comes out this fall. I know that the gpu is the limitation for gaming, but can someone explain which would be better and why? Please give me as much detail as possible, as I'm looking to learn from you wise owls. I5 3230m vs. i7 3630qm.

2) is the sli gt 650m equivalent to a single gtx 670m? If not, then what's it equivalent to? With both of the 650's in, would I get 4gddr5 vram? Also, does the laptop have a good ventilation system for the dual gpu's?

3) can someone explain to me the difference between GTX and GT for nvidia graphics cards on laptops & desktops?

4) some versions come with "integrated ssd". So, that means that if I didn't have an hdd, I could still use the laptop, right?

5) last question: how does this laptop hold up against an Asus g75vw, msi gt60, or alienware m18x?

 

[boydefecto]

Hey, I saw that no one has posted a reply to your post so I thought I would help.

1) I would go i7 if you can afford it, the i7 is not only quad core but offers a little better performance for the computer in general due to the model it is.

2)The sli 650m is technically a hair better than a single 670mx and better than the 670m. For the price of the laptop, your really getting something better. With sli you don't have double ram, you would think logically that you would but basically you are just getting more power but the memory does not change. Sort of like a twin turbo engine, you have the same psi pumping from both turbos but your car produces more horsepower. (if you know about car stuff that is)

I can attest for the ventilation for the laptop as I personally purchased the y500 with the i7 and 8gbs of ram. The system runs quiet and cool without gaming and when I play games (skyrim on max settings mostly) the system does not get much hotter or louder for that matter.

4) In regards to the integrated ssd, are you referring to the y500 models that have the ssd and a 500gb hard drive? If so, that is referring to the hybrid hard drives that have an 8gb cache setup on top of the normal hard drive. This provides slightly better performance in comparison to the normal hard drives.

5) IMO the laptop fairs well for the price. I am not really worried about having a cd rom drive by default as I barely use it and I decided to get an external anyways. The screen size is smaller than the others, but for me that is no big deal as I just hook it up to my 23inch monitor anyways. So basically, for the price I feel it is a good deal. Alienwares are way overpriced imo, and the msi is definitely nice but I question how much better it is for 400 plus dollars.

 

[Pillowite]

Thanks for responding and I learned a lot more about the lenovo and appreciate that you speak from experience, seeing as you own one. I spent 8-10 hours researching for the right laptop. I was going to go with an msi barebones but saw this lenovo. I recently upgraded to bf3 premium and want to play that a lot. How well does this laptop handle bf3 on, let's say high? I took this question to YouTube but that didn't help much because I didn't see fps recorded and everyone had a different fps.

Would I need a laptop cooler? Final question: If you could spend $200 more than you did on this lenovo laptop for a better gaming laptop, would you and what's the laptop? I'm going to have $200 extra (financial aid) and am wondering if there is something better out there.

 

[Pillowite]

Rephrase: I didn't see many people on YouTube show the fps, but the ones that did got very different times from each other on similar settings. How many fps do you get on skyrim when you play it on high. I know that playing bf3 online will subtract fps, but I'm still curious.

 

[boydefecto]

It depends on what features your requiring honestly. The $200 would probably get you a 7200 rpm hard drive and the lenovo only has a 5400rpm. It also does not come with a cd rom like i said and the screen is only 15.6 inch and not 17.3.

In terms of bf3, i personally have not played that game, but i feel other than the hard drive you should be able to play that game with minimal issues. It appears from the one video i looked at the fps stayed around 60 with is generally optimal with most games you will play.

If you have extra money, I would recommend getting the 500 gb ssd from samsung that is on sale for 280 free shipping. Otherwise try getting a hybrid Seagate drive for about 150 and comes in a 750 gb. I don't know how tech savy you are. You can get the alternate hard drive and then clone the existing hard drive to it and it will run like you never lost it, or just make backup disks for it and then install the new hdd and reinstall the os and just keep the backup for warranty purposes.

To answer your laptop cooler questions, I would say no you would not need one. THe bottom of the laptop is well vented and the sides vent well. If you use it on a desk of some sort then its completely unneeded. If you will have it in your lap (haha laptop) then just make sure the sides have proper ventilation and are not pressed against the side of a couch or something and they can breath and you will be fine.

I played skyrim for like 5 hrs straight in a recliner and it did not get hot at all, i just made sure my vents were not buried in the recliner and could breathe.

I will try and get bf3 and see if I could do a test with it and get back to you, but I would say the game would handle fine other than the hard drive holding you back(not by much for a 200 dollar more laptop).

 

[rohbshop]

i'm looking to buy this too, well the i7 version. I'm very close to pulling the trigger. some issues i've read is the touchpad feeling loose and screws up sometimes. something about when/if it runs hot the keyboard can pause out and type being different. another thing i read is SLI is only running when its plugged in. oh and apparently there is a specific driver you have to use that works with SLI, and its not the most updated one. I also read something about some games not running well with SLI.

If anyone can address those that would be great.

Here are some questions i have;

1) Should i buy it from Amazon or Newegg? they're the same price on both. both with free shipping. is there a better place to buy than the other that i'm missing? like return policy or something? i did notice that Newegg offers a 12 month no interest plan where as i don't think Amazon does.

2) I've read about a lot of people buying the one without the SSD and putting one in themselves. Is there something wrong with the one that comes with SSD?

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad...VM0_B00ATANVLQ

3) I'm afraid to buy because of SLI. I'm not computer savy and SLI seems like a complicated thing especially if i have to try and figure out problems with the computer. Do you think it will be a issue? The chance of it overheating scares me too, including game compatibility issues because it has SLI.

4) Almost forgot but i've never had a computer that didn't have a disc drive. So what happens if there are windows issues and i have to reboot from disc?

5) Is the extended warranty worth it?(2yr/$120 newegg, 3yr/$170 Amazon)

 

[Pillowite]

3) well the only gimmick with sli is the micro stuttering. I don't know how this works or happens, but I know it causes frame rate drops, here and there in a sporatic amount. I think its that both gpus take turns rendering a frame and they may not be synced. Something like that

4) you would need to buy the disk drive for it and I'm not sure how much that costs.

Also, I've heard a lot of good things about new egg. I would choose them over Amazon and I also heard that amazon has a restocking fee, but I'm not sure if that includes repairs or replacements.

I went to notebook check.net and the gt 650m sli can play bf3 at high settings (@1080p I think, but I'm not sure) with 55.5fps. That's pretty good. I have a asus n53sv right now and can play bf3 on low at 35fps. So, it'll be an epic upgrade for me.

Also, I've heard many different things, but does it come with x2 sodimm slots 16gb Max or x4 sodimm slots 16gb ram Max?

 

[boydefecto]

i'm looking to buy this too, well the i7 version. I'm very close to pulling the trigger. some issues i've read is the touchpad feeling loose and screws up sometimes. something about when/if it runs hot the keyboard can pause out and type being different. another thing i read is SLI is only running when its plugged in. oh and apparently there is a specific driver you have to use that works with SLI, and its not the most updated one. I also read something about some games not running well with SLI.

If anyone can address those that would be great.

Here are some questions i have;

1) Should i buy it from Amazon or Newegg? they're the same price on both. both with free shipping. is there a better place to buy than the other that i'm missing? like return policy or something? i did notice that Newegg offers a 12 month no interest plan where as i don't think Amazon does.

2) I've read about a lot of people buying the one without the SSD and putting one in themselves. Is there something wrong with the one that comes with SSD?

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad...VM0_B00ATANVLQ

3) I'm afraid to buy because of SLI. I'm not computer savy and SLI seems like a complicated thing especially if i have to try and figure out problems with the computer. Do you think it will be a issue? The chance of it overheating scares me too, including game compatibility issues because it has SLI.

4) Almost forgot but i've never had a computer that didn't have a disc drive. So what happens if there are windows issues and i have to reboot from disc?

5) Is the extended warranty worth it?(2yr/$120 newegg, 3yr/$170 Amazon)

To answer your questions, I bought mine from bestbuy honestly, since i used to work there. With the cd rom drive, i bought an external from bestbuy and it was all usb powered so no need for a power outlet for it and it was 40 bucks.

In terms of your touchpad questions, there are mentions of issues with it, i dont find the touchpad any more annoying then with any other laptop i have used, i would recommend a mouse for it anyways, i couldnt see gaming with a touchpad, it would be almost impossible to do effectively.

I can attest to the SLI not overheating at all. Take a moment to look at pictures of the lenovo laptop. There are 2 vents on the side and then a HUGE vent on the bottom that works well. As long as your not covering up the vents with a blanket or something you will notice a very cool laptop.

With your ssd question, i would recommend it. My only issue is have 160 gbs of music and growing so where it stands for me now, I would need a 500gb ssd which is costly, once i get my home server up and running that may no longer be an issue.

 

[boydefecto]

3) well the only gimmick with sli is the micro stuttering. I don't know how this works or happens, but I know it causes frame rate drops, here and there in a sporatic amount. I think its that both gpus take turns rendering a frame and they may not be synced. Something like that

4) you would need to buy the disk drive for it and I'm not sure how much that costs.

Also, I've heard a lot of good things about new egg. I would choose them over Amazon and I also heard that amazon has a restocking fee, but I'm not sure if that includes repairs or replacements.

I went to notebook check.net and the gt 650m sli can play bf3 at high settings (@1080p I think, but I'm not sure) with 55.5fps. That's pretty good. I have a asus n53sv right now and can play bf3 on low at 35fps. So, it'll be an epic upgrade for me.

Also, I've heard many different things, but does it come with x2 sodimm slots 16gb Max or x4 sodimm slots 16gb ram Max?

Notebook check is awesome for a reference point. It is 2x slots with 16gb max. Honestly though it would probably be a bit of a waste to upgrade to the full 16gb, it terms of gaming you would probably not even notice a jump in fps, maybe 1-5 frames, 5 being max.

If you want a good performance boost, the ssd option is going to be your better investment.

 

[rohbshop]

Thanks for the advice guys. I went ahead and bought it through Amazon, only because i had some rewards points to use on something that i forgot about. I just really hope i don't get a bad one. I was really back and forth on the extended warranty but in the end decided not to. My thinking was if it works for a full year under the Lenovo standard warranty its unlikely not to go bad the few following years, at least i hope. oh and i ended up getting the ssd version.

 

[rohbshop]

I just got the Y500, thought i'd give a first impressions.

Ordered from Amazon, it came packaged in a Amazon big box and in it was the Lenovo box. Only mentioned that because i've read of people only receiving the Lenovo box where its not more protected. Everything looked clean with no cosmetic issues so far.

There is a lot of bloatware. I'm afraid to delete some of it since i'm not sure if its something that needs to be there. I guess i just have to keep on it anything that is Lenovo like the webcam programs and stuff? anyone else get this and what pre installed programs did you delete or keep? Do i need that pdf program? MS office? how long do those trials last?

Most annoying things to me so far is the tracking pad. I don't get how tracking pad technology has gone backwards. My old Toshiba was so much easier to use using the 2 buttons at the base, but this ramp thing is just dumb. i realized i can't keep my thumb at the base of the pad to click with my index finger tracking or it will freeze or mess up sometimes. if i keep my thumb off then the cursor moves pretty well. it did ship with the synaptics one.

How do i get rid of my screensaver kicking on? this thing pops up after 5 secs of being inactive. i've checked around but can't seem to find an option for it.

The driver listed on my computer is 9.18.13.600 and when i do a auto update it says that is the most current one. Is this the one i'm supposed to have that works best with SLI? and do i have to turn SLI on when i game, or does it automatically kick on? i know i read it only comes on when you have it plugged in, but i'm wondering if i have to turn it on.

Is there anything else you recommend i should or need to do before jumping into gaming? oh and is there a way to make the text bigger for general surfing without changing the resolution?

I'll give another update once i get gaming with it. thx.

 

[kbp]

Do not delete programs......Uninstall them.

 

[Pillowite]

So, where can i buy another gt 650m for this laptop? I have $850 and id like to buy the second gpu later. Where would i purchase it from?

 

[Rio Rebel]

The reason people replace the ssd is because Lenovo is using it as a caching drive (Intel SRT). I just switched the 32gb mSATA in my Lenovo y580 with a 256gb Crucial SSD, and there is a very significant performance difference. It's not because there's something wrong with the other drive, it's because a larger SSD with the operating system installed on it makes a big difference.

 

[rohbshop]

okay its still early but wanted to share the problems i've been having, or really the one real annoying issue. when i've been playing XCom the screen tends to black out like its about to crash randomly but always seems to catch itself and get back to running normally. it doesn't happen frequently enough for it to be a game breaker but enough to be annoying. if i was playing something where every second mattered and not turn based i would be a lot more frustrated. i read about this problem with others before i purchased it, just sort of sucks its something i have to deal with. i'm assuming its driver issue.

otherwise i love it. everything looks so clear and detailed, and no choppiness. i also didn't know the backlit display has 2 levels of brightness which is pretty cool since i like to game caved up. also Win8 isn't so bad anymore now that i know where things have moved to, but at first it was extremely frustrating.

 

[Pillowite]

Well, kind of irrelevant but since I started this topic id like yo say that I found a great deal on an Alienware m17x r4 for $850 locally with a warranty. Im upgrading the gpu to a amd 7790m or a gtx 680m soon.

Hope you're enjoying the sli on your lenovo. I can do sli too but the gtx 680m's are expensive