Ideapad u330 - New owners :-)

I had the same issue. Disabled the Lenovo connection from starting up, and all is well again.

 

I have registered here specially to share my experience with u330
i have had it for almost 2 weeks so the new gadget excitement is gone:
Ordered on Aug31, got in on Oct~2th - OK
get very hot using the ATI GFX running simple D3d/OpenGl apps like Counter Strike, 3dMark 2006 or WoW Client in window mode... - Bad
I mean it gets so hot on the upper left corner that i burns my leg thorugh jeans if on my lap, very very hot, however the Intel card is much cooler runnig.
Another thing is battery life- on super saver mode just browsing the net i get 2h58min claimed by the power manager, battery is full, brightness is 1/10scale (very dim) and using the intel card - that is pretty short considering what was advertised.
Now, the LED screen im very disapointed with - the color looks so washed out its not even funny, very bright indeed but the contrast is not there, my 3 yeard old viesonic 17"wide from the low shelf looks better than this laptop- im even more let down. Also there is a horizontal "smuge" (for the lack of better word) when the screen is displaying black or dark images that is on the inside of the screen, its about 3-4mm thick right on the center of the screen going horizontally from left to right almost end to end.
Keybord: the function key is in the place of left CTRL key - OMG what !?!?! this really bothers me because i love using all the win CTRL shortcuts like ctrl+a ctrl+c ctl+v etc etc very very often, it really bugs me and some say "you will get used to it" but i dont like it. Other that that my keybord is one of the best laptop keybord i even typed on, very precise with positive input and well spaced keys.
The Lid of the screen is rather loose, and the laptop is new. That is not a good sign since hinge will wear out and become just floppy, It "flops" about an inch to 1.5inch from the close position very freely - that is very bad.
And now the sad story: considering all those short comings - i was gonna keep it, but just yesterday windows vista started to completely act up and made up my mind to not try the vista ever again (i bought vista ultimate x64 when they came out for my Q6600 desktop year ago). I get the "WisAvCtrl" error and program closed. What is does it puts the wireless card in the "shut off" position even though my slide is on the "on" side and the wifi LED's are blinking. Basically you cant connect to anything over wifi and i googled that error/program and there is 0 results for solution . I uninstalled all the Lenovo Apps that were causing more problems that anything including ReadyConnect 4. Also the GPU stopped switching between Intel/Ati one, and no i dont have 3d apps running when doing so, just vista home screen, sometimes firefox running, it goes black then comes back but never switches to the other GPU.
So im calling Lenovo later today for RMA and im gonna look for something else.
I think everybody had high hopes for it but the wait time and defects made it another downer... go Lenovo.... not >>
sorry for the wall of text
i would be happy to explain things in details if there are any questions regarding to what i wrote here
Marek

 

I'm with you on the washed out color. I've been fiddling with the color temp, brightness, contrast frequently trying to find a comfortable setting. It especially bothers me with very light colors/whites; makes my eyes hurt after a couple of hours of using. Very dark/black colors I find myself tilting the angle of the screen to view pictures more clearly. The only game I have (TF2) also looks quite washed out with the discrete graphics. Any one have any recommendations for settings to alleviate this issue? I know this is a person-to-person preference issue, but maybe someone has some good advice...

Haven't noticed any "smudge" under the plastic layer but I do believe there are some dust specs under there (reminds me of my launch PSP). I have to get my eyes right up to the screen to notice them, but they're there.

 

My screen looks washed out as well...

 

I love my screen

 

Im jumped boat and went for the x200 two days ago. Sorry to hear you guys having so many problems with your u330s

 

I posted a question about the washed out screen on the Lenovo Support Forum for anyone who is interested. I guess we will see what Lenovo has to say about this (maybe).

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board?board.id=ideaPad

 

There's a $300 off coupon.. I got my SR with 4gb RAM, p8600, and the rest of the specs matching the U330 for 1099. Little more expensive, and no switchable graphics... but that's ok for me.

 

no it isnt required. if you use the onekey it has an option to restore factory partition which is stated in the user guide (manual) to be a system mirrior image file that resides on the lenovo partition in the onekey recovery folder

i would use the backup disc creation anyways after youve tweaked your system to where u want it. factory partition comes w/ tons of bloatware. it was anoying cleaning all that crap off.

 

I canceled my order yesterday because too many delays and problems,
Instead I bought the new macbook 13-inch with the help of my aunt xD, She put the difference =D.

 

I also canceled my order and bought a new macbook (finally switching). I ordered online at the Apple store at 6 pm last night and got the shipping confirmation and tracking information at midnight.

 

I bought yesterday at 11pm. And I got the shipping confirmation and tracking information today!. It will arrive on October 20 =D..yayy!!

 

Hope you guys like your macbooks.

Personally I love my U330 and am very happy with my purchase.

 

The Macbook wins hands down in the design stye of the notebook itself, which isn't surprising. However I don't like the fact it is missing a memory card slot, switchable graphics, Nvidia card, lack of HDMI, and lack of an express card slot.

I love my U330 as well and have none of the problems that some others have been experiencing. Not to mention the price I got is around half of what the Macbook would cost me and the Macbook still would be lower spec'ed.

 

I agree. Mine has been great so far and I couldn't be happier with the build quality, price, and specs.

 

I looked at the new MAC spec and nothing to be excited about. And when I looked at the price I said to myself "What??... Why??... How???"

I too are getting frustrated with the delay in shipment but I can't find another laptop with similar features and price point. I also received a $50.00 credit due to the delay.

I do believe it will worth my wait and hopefully Lenovo should get all the kinks work out.

 

Glad to see some others who are happy with their U330. I thought I was the only one!

I planned on also buying a MB this year; wanted to give the Mac OS a try. But with the new lineup so seriously lacking, I wont be making that purchase. I am rather disappointed; it seems Apple is giving more and more credence to style and less to function.

 

To all of you having alleatory disconnection of the wireless network and/or no automatic re-connection with it when powering up or returning from hybernate or sleep... Uninstall ReadyComm... it is a crap software and keep interfering with the wireless connection. I can't understand how Lenovo bundles that crap into their machines. I'm still on Vista and now it connects autmatically and does not disconnect each minute as before.

 

Yup... on top of it Apple charge more for the new MAC.

Sadly, many people cares only of having the Apple logo on their laptop and willing to pay premium for it despite the new MAC is so lacking.

You can dual boot your U330 with Windows & MAC OS so no need to get a MAC to run its OS.

 

did you just totally uninstall readycomm? i disabled it from the start up just in case i want to try it again at a later date, but it keeps popping back up. im just hesitant to lose it in case i find myself needing it again later.

 

Dumped it all, uninstalled it completelly. Don't see anything it does that can't be done directly in Vista. My connection now is rock solid and gets back on as soon as it power return from sleep/hibernate... it baffles me why it is there.. Chinese stuff maybe...arghhh. Anyway as soon as someone come up with a solution for switching graphics I will go back to XP... hate Vista

 

does anyone know if theres a dedicated forum or forum section for the U330. just wondering where all the users are and if people are experiencing as many problems w/ the laptop (non-manufacturer issues).

ex. im dual booting XP PRO SP3 and Windows Server 2008 standard on my U330 right now. and getting the drivers for both are a *****.

anyone else experiencing SUPER slow speeds downloading the lenovo drivers from the website? im talking like 10kb or under.... after the first 10seconds of downloading.

 

Ok so I've had my u330 for about 2 weeks now so here's my mini review. keep in mind i have been using this laptop about 5-6 hours a day for 14 days straight.

PROS:

build
it feels nice and solid, i dont feel any flex at all unlike my old dells. the laptop is nice and light, feels lighter then the old and new macbooks. i dont have any of the other problems reported. it sits perfectly level and there is no bend in the chassis at all. the keyboard is not as good as some thinkpads i have used but better then the numerous dells i have had.

screen
the screen is glossy but it does not bother me at all. it looks fantastic, the lcd is very bright, so bright in fact that i have to keep it turned down. one great benefit to this is that the screen is very usable outdoors, even in bright sunlight.

battery life
i average about 4 hours battery life under normal use (browsing internet, ms office) with wifi and bluetooth on (i use a BT mouse) and screen set at 20-30%. its not the reported 5 hours,but it is enough for me for a day on campus. neverless, i am hoping for a 9-cell battery option in the future.

temperature
with the dedicated card can get warm, but not actually hot. it will still be tolerable on my lap but uncomfortable. on the integrated card i really dont notice much heat at all.

graphics
i always have it on integrated unless im playing games. i have played WOW and WAR on the dedicated card with max settings and the machine runs flawlessly.

misc
i love the veriface software, it is very cool and quick and is also convenient for encrypting files that you wanna keep from prying eyes. you can have multiple users assigned to your laptop and their face will automatically log them into their own account.


CONS:

speakers
i know this is a laptop and that i shouldnt expect much but seriously, the sound coming from the u330 is tiny. it reminds me of how bad the speakers were on my original iphone. i can barely hear anything if there is any background noise, i have turned the volume up all the way without much success. this is one area where the dells i have had have all been superior. i was really disapointed, especially with considering the touted dolby sound system.

software
i THINK most of these are vista issues and not necessarily a u330 issue, but my biggest complaint has been various hiccups in the operating system. keep in mind that i am new to vista so if any of you guys have any recommendations please let me know.
1. firefox does not seem to like me. i dont have any problem with my xp machines, but firefox likes to freeze on me on the u330. i wont be able to close it when it does, even going into task manager and ending the process will not close firefox for me. the only solution seems to be a reboot. because of that, i am forced to use chrome instead.
also, the lenovo only ships with a trial of msoffice, i seem to recall receiving full versions whenever i bought other computers.
2. i am having trouble connecting to the internet at times. this seems like it may be a problem with the lenovo software so i will unistall it and see how that works.
3. every now and then it takes forever to shutdown my laptop. sometimes it may take up to 5 minutes. i know that vista sets aside 20 seconds to close programs, but this is something else. it takes forever to even get to to the login screen, and once there, it will spend a few minutes saying "logging off", then a few more minutes saying "shutting down" before finally turning off. i dont know what is causing this. it seems to happen randomly. and i havent been able to recreate this problem on demand. the only thing i can think of is that i disabled a few start up programs that was recommended in the software section of the forums in order to speed things up a bit. when its not having these problems it works great, but when it slows like this it is very frustrating. i have not messed with the registry at all, does anyone have any advice? this is probably my number one complaint but again, i suspect that this is a vista issue.


SUMMARY:
this is a great computer, even more so considering all that you get for it. i have compared other laptops in this class, including the vaio sr, dell xps and macbooks, and simply cannot find one i like more, even for several hundred dollars more. centrino2, ddr3, dual graphics...all of this for $1000 simply cannot be beat. i would probably even pick this laptop over the competitors if the price was the same. the build quality is excellent, and the machine looks very nice! it is very sexy and modern, but at the same time not too flashy. i have owned 3 various dells and 1 fujitsu lifebook, plus i have used my gf's powerbook and macbook extensively and i can honestly say that this is the best laptop i have ever owned and used. this is my first lenovo but it wont be my last. i will be getting my gf either the u330 or the u110. my main complaints have been with the software/vista, but i believe those are easily remedied (if you have suggestions please let me know!)

 

I thought of dual-booting Mac OS on one of my machines, but at some point I would like to own one of the "Designed by Apple in California" modern art pieces. The appeal is definitely there, but there have been too many compromises made. I know I wont bite until HDMI is implemented.

 

Yeah, this happened to me also, last week sometime. I was getting 4-5k after leaving it running for quite a while; 7+ hours estimated to download the ~70 mb sound card drivers. I gave it up. There are a lot of drivers on the D drive, note sure if the one you're looking for is there.. wait, I suppose you must have formatted that already..

 

actually, i didnt. i kept the original lenovo partition and that other small 14gb partition (not exactly sure whats on it, im assuming bios driver files?)

are there really exe driver files on the lenovo partition that are usable? i think i tried looking in there n didnt find nething at a quick glance. guess i should double check again...

 

Actually before I decided getting a Lenovo I was considering a MAC. But I feel like I was being ripped off paying premium for a piece of machine just for the build quality, a stabled OS and then nothing else.

I once like Apple a lot. I was a MAC fan back in college.

Apple is excellent in manufacturing, in build quality. But they need to give customers up to date features. Sadly they can get away doing this now - squeezing an obscene profit margin without costing them to constantly adding new features. It's liken to paying a premium buying a barebone BMW. If you want all the goodies and gadgets be prepared to pay mucho dineros for it.

Take Iphone for example, it is not a new idea original from Apple. Others have the idea long time ago. They couldn't make the phone because they know they could not sell enough of it. They don't have the clout, the image like Apple.

Apple can sell tons of Iphones even at a premium price point. They can do it because Apple is the BMW of the computing world. But then BMW faces stiff competition so it has to constantly improving their product offerings to lure new customers and stay ahead of the curve.

The new MAC is a big disappointment to say the least.

 

not to be an ***... but read the forum and thread topic. Lenovo / IBM & Ideapad U330 New Owners.

macs ****ing suck & have no business in these posts, now get outa here!

*ps. oh wait i guss i am being an ***. oh well




Anyways....


to add to my initial thoughts, (owner of 3 days). laptop is great, im reporting battery life of average 3 hours on low brightness (not minimum setting), wifi on, bt off, browsing web, streaming video/music, heavy web use, and word. < on integrated gpu

 

I understand somes of the points you're making with the MB. And while I respect them I don't necessarily agree with all of them. First the points I agree with : yes, the iphone is overpriced and there are better phones out there. Without the user replaceable battery and the fact that the battery lasts for less than day on average and the exorbitant exclusive to cellular providers that lock you into long term contracts this product is over hyped and simply not worth it.. at least not at the price that its being sold at. IMO.

But about the new Mac that just came out, I'm looking at the specs of the machine and it has none of the defects that the u330 has from at least 8-10 expert reviews I've read so far. Firstly, it's not uneven (please don't deny the fact that the u330 has a flaw in the man. process and is now being rectified according to Mark_lenovo). Looking at the Mac it's been precision machined and none of the reviewers has anything but praise as far as the rigidity, build quality and attention to detail is concerned.

Next the heat issue ; the u330 heats up when u connect it via the adapter and turn on the discrete graphics. Oh lets not forget that some ppl get less than TWO hours of battery in that case. the MB uses nvidia 9400M which gives ~2400 marks in the 3dmark06 whereas the ati 3470 just manages ~1950. So as far as gaming is concerned SPECS. wise the MB is better. the MB gives more than 3 hours of battery life with the 9400M so really there's no point in arguing the advantage of discrete and integrated grahics atleast not with the u330...yet. It might improve in the future but I'm gonna look at what I have right now and not what can/should/would/could be.

Next the CPU is the same in both. 2ghz/3mb L2 cache. The RAM is more in the u330. the HDD is more in the u330. (Both are user upgradeable in the MB-WAY easier to upgrade in the MB due to the recent changes so Im not to bummed. I'll just wait till theHDD and ram become more cheap and I'll upgrade when the need arises. All this upgradeable freedom is new to this model (especially the HDD ) in the MB. The LED screen is frameless in the u330 and the MB both are glossy and shud perform about the same (however, users have reported the u330 being washed out).

No hdmi port on the MB is a big one isn't it. But I plan on buying a mini dvi adapter to dvi and then using a dvi - hdmi cable which i have lying around so that will be useful shud i need to connect it to my hdtv.

I know the u330 is cheaper but YOU are spending $1000 on it. I mean if you have sometihng that tilts and runs hot and has clicking issues and gives u 2 hrs. on discrete graphics which perform less than the 9400 M wouldn't you just spend another 200-250 to get something that has NONE of the minuses described above.

Sure the u330 has veriface, hdmi, anti shock hdd protection, dolby digital sound(not really noticeable) and is 250 bucks cheaper with a bigger RAM and HDD but at the end of the day it's also piece of mind that matters. To me as it stand the u330 is an unfinished product ( i hope ) and that there are a lot of rough edges. The MB is expensive yet refined and has a lot less man. defects and more quality to it. Unevenness and flaws in the u330's man. process really killed for me.

I know I will get a lot of angry replies but Ive tried to be as fair and impartial here as possible. This is after all, a u330 owners thread and I repsect that but I think you should speak up if you're gonna say something u feel is right as opposed to just reading (which is the easier thing to do nonetheless. ) I could have just read, read and read some more; instead I decided to share.

To each their own.

 

It seems to be an unfinished product. The P7350 does not downclock the cores (only shuts one off) and is not recognized by RMclock. I might buy a P9500 for the comp and undervolt it.

Money was not one of my concerns when I decided not to buy a new MB. The simple answer is that it will not do what I want it to, and thus I will not be buying one.

And I do completely agree with you on the issues Lenovo is having- even if the users on NBR are a bunch of whiners, Lenovo should not have overlooked such obvious issues (tilting, thermal management, etc.) and pushed the release.

That said, I am satisfied with my purchase and will buy from Lenovo in the future.

 

As was said earlier, this is the U330 owner's thread, not the macbook thread. Be happy with your purchase and move on.

On a different note, my Zeroshock III case came and fits my U330 perfectly. Its a great case if anyone is looking for one.

 

I do agreed that Lenovo should have done a much better job with U330 build quality.

Havoc, how easy is it for you to put in the P9500 onto the U330? Wouldn't it void your warranty?

I am interested in switching out the CPU also but if it is too difficult and void the warranty then I'll pass.

can you explain to me why we can't undervolt P7350 with RMclock? I thought I read here someone made it work. No?

 

The warranty terms state that if the failure of the notebook is a result of the upgraded/changed hardware, then Lenovo is not responsible for the damage.

It would probably require tearing the notebook apart, but that doesnt worry me. If you have not done it before I would strongly advise against doing the swap yourself. You could contract a Lenovo Depot upgrade service, its normally for enterprise customers but I'm sure they would do it for a nominal fee.

RMclock would not recognize the P7350, so I have given up on undervolting for now.

 

so i am trying to uninstall readycom but i am having problems with it. i am using vista's uninstall program and can only get it to go through the beginning of the process before it stops and tells me that i dont have permission to stop some weird service running on the machine (sorry i dont recall what it was called). how did you get it to uninstall? i have tried this several times but it has failed to work each time. and of course, now my wireless wont work because i only managed to partially uninstall readycom.

 

I assume you are confident that it won't cause any problems switching out the P7350.

Please let us know how it goes if indeed you decide to do it. When are you planning on making the upgrade? Soon or not sure. ^_^

If there are failures after the switch how will Lenovo know it is due to the change in hw? Or you mean they will simply blame the failures on the upgrade?

 

I dont think it will cause any problems. I will be upgrading either to an Intel X-25M, a BluRay burner, or a P9500 within the next month.

Yes, you are correct in saying Lenovo will blame failures on upgraded hardware. For example, if the computer overheats and fails for any reason, Lenovo would likely blame the P9500 even if it were a GPU failure.

 

those upgrades shouldnt cause any problems at all

the p9500 is good in the way it still has the tdp of 25w instead of the t9500 being 35w, which would def hurt battery life and heat

 

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Sorry to hear that but mine went through without a hitch and I used the normal vista control panel function to do it like you. Where did you block it to start up when booting? Did you try to unblock it and then run the remove procedure? My wireless connection has been rocksolid since I uninstalled Readycomm... totally crap software, still amazed how (and why?) Lenovo uses it... Let me know when you try...

Good Luck, Cheers

Speed

 

Unfortunately, U330 is no longer best deal on 13" laptops. There is a new player in town. Search for HP dv3510nr on BestBuy site.

 

Is there any particular reason you felt the need to post this information in a thread that is for owners of the U330?

The price is set at $1200 for that HP, which is a good ~$350 more than what I got my U330 at.

 

??????????????

 

Hey, does the U330 have an LED backlit screen? I could probably find the answer elsewhere, but I figure its easier just to post here and ask.

 

It has an LED but has another layer of some sort that some do not like.

 

yes it has LED and the screen is actually quite nice. I like it more than the x200 im using now, but then again, i like glossy more that matte - the colors seem more vibrant, etc

 

I am still waiting for U330, I placed my order on 9/25 and my first date was 10/9 then 10/16 and now it is 10/23 to have it shipped. I have feeling that lenovo didnt quite plan out this one.

I would like to know how the weight of the U330 is, is it a noticable difference or is it still a bit on the heavy side?

 

It's a light laptop, not sure what else is to be said about it. For a noticeable difference to even apply, would be for you to specify what you're wanting to compare to the U330.

I'd keep on waiting if I was you, as it shouldn't be much longer. Not to mention I bet they have fixed whatever issues during the manufacturing process were contributing to the bent chassis problem.

I still believe more people have U330's without any issues, it's just that those who have problems are going to be more vocal.

 

Thanks for the insight Kaikou. My only concern about the weight is that I would be taking it on my commute to my college, and I dont want something to be holding me down. As for the issues with all the U330's (bent chassis, keyboard, weak sound, etc) I would hope that lenovo finds a way to remedy these problems in its production.

 

The weight is not bad at all. My U330 is only marginally heavier than my M1330, but the construction is much sturdier and I am more comfortable with the U330 being jostled a bit during transport.

 

I read on Lenovo forum that they already identified what caused the bent chassis and have a fix for it already.

Yeah, I am waiting for my U330 too. It's been delayed twice.

 

Did you ask for monetary compensation due to the delay?

Most of us received $50.00 credit towards our purchase.