Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 Review

by Jerry Jackson

The name ThinkPad has been synonymous with business for years and remains one of the single most popular notebook brands for corporate road warriors. But what about average consumers? This is where Lenovo's all new IdeaPad line of notebooks comes to the rescue. The 15-inch IdeaPad Y510 offers innovative design, solid technical specs and impressive built-in speakers that make other laptops look like cheap toys.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 (starting at $814.99 MSRP) is available with a range of Core 2 Duo processors (from the Intel T2330 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo up to the T8100 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo). There is only one 15.4" screen offering, a 1280x800 WXGA glossy display.

Our review unit of the IdeaPad Y510 has the following specifications:

• Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
• Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5450 (1.66GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
• 15.4" WXGA VibrantView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
• 2GB DDR2 System Memory (supports up to 4GB)
• Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• Optical drive: Dual Layer CD/DVD Recordable
• 1.3 megapixel integrated camera
• Sound: 4 speakers and 1 sub-woofer (Dolby Home Theater)
• Modem, 10/100 Ethernet, Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG or 4965AGN
• 6-cell battery
• Weight: 6.4 lb. including battery (2.90 kg)
• Dimensions: 14.3" x 10.2" x 1.1"-1.4" (362mm x260mm x 29.2 -36.2mm)
• Warranty: 1 year system and 1 year battery
• Price as configured: $949

Build and Design

The IdeaPad Y510 is visually unique from the previous notebooks released by Lenovo. Sure, the basic laptop structure remains the same, but the angled hinge design, seamless glossy display, LED-backlit media buttons, and complete lack of a red pointing stick/touchpoint tell you this isn't a ThinkPad we're looking at here.

(view large image)

Let's face it, Lenovo has a lot of brand loyalty to contend with when it comes to the IdeaPad line. ThinkPad lovers expect extreme build quality and conservative styling, and ThinkPad haters want a laptop with a more innovative design and fun features ... but that still maintains the solid durability we expect from ThinkPads.

In that respect, I think it's safe to say Lenovo engineers did a good job with the Y510. Unlike virtually every other notebook manufacturer that is imitating the laptop designs from HP, Lenovo chose a matte black chassis design that in "some" ways pays respect to the ThinkPad line. The innovation in the display lid design comes from the angled hinge and the textured weave pattern in the lid plastics. In fact, when you first touch the lid on the Y510 it's easy to think you're touching rough fabric rather than plastic.

(view large image)

The Y510 lid does not have a latch to hold it closed, but the hinge mechanism works well and firmly holds the lid in place. There is almost no flex to the screen. The entire chassis feels exceptionally solid durable with no flex or creaks to the plastics. Weighing in at almost six and a half pounds the Y510 does feel a little thicker and heavier than most current-generation 15-inch consumer notebooks, but the chassis does pack a few interesting surprises inside.

Performance and Benchmarks

The Y510 has plenty of performance for a full range of multimedia entertainment needs thanks to the range of Core 2 Duo processors that are available. Even the entry-level 1.6GHz T2330 packs enough punch for most average consumers who need a general use laptop. The integrated Intel X3100 graphics provide enough graphics horsepower for video playback needs, but this system is only capable of playing games with very basic minimum requirements.

Additionally, the 250GB hard drive in the Y510 is more storage than most consumers are likely to need in a laptop. Sure, if you download tons of music, movies, and TV shows then you'll quickly fill the 250GB hard drive in a few months ... but that's what external hard drives are for.

With the basics out of the way, let's jump into the performance benchmarks.

wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, the advantage of this program is that it is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, thereby giving more accurate benchmarking measurements than Super Pi. (Lower numbers mean better performance.)

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 (Core 2 Duo T5450 @ 1.66GHz)	50.184s
HP Pavilion dv6700t (Core 2 Duo T5450 @ 1.66GHz)	50.480s
Dell Inspiron 1525 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)	43.569s
Dell XPS M1530 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.485s
Portable One SXS37 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)	41.908s
Sony VAIO NR (Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.5GHz)	58.233s
Toshiba Tecra A9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	38.343s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)	40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz)	76.240s
Zepto 6024W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)	42.385s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.705s
Alienware M5750 (Core 2 Duo T7600 @ 2.33GHz)	38.327s
Hewlett Packard DV6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)	38.720s
Samsung Q70 (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2.0GHz)	42.218s
Acer Travelmate 8204WLMi (Core Duo T2500 @ 2.0GHz)	42.947s
Samsung X60plus (Core 2 Duo T7200 @ 2.0GHz)	44.922s
Zepto Znote 6224W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2.0GHz)	45.788s
Samsung Q35 (Core 2 Duo T5600 @ 1.83GHz)	46.274s

3DMark06 comparison results for graphics performance (higher scores mean better performance):

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 (1.66GHz Intel T5450, Intel X3100)	543 3DMarks
HP Pavilion dv6700t (1.66GHz Intel T5450, Nvidia 8400M GS 256MB)	1,556 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)	545 3DMarks
Sony VAIO NR (1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, Intel X3100)	504 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB)	4,332 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT)	2,905 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,408 3DMarks
Samsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU)	1,069 3DMarks
Asus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB)	2,344 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB	2,183 3DMarks
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66GHz Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB)	2,144 3DMarks
Samsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB)	1,831 3DMarks
Asus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB)	1,819 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	827 3DMarks

PCMark05 measures overall notebook performance (higher scores mean better performance):

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 (1.66GHz Intel T5450, Intel X3100)	3,749 PCMarks
HP Pavilion dv6700t (1.66GHz Intel T5450, Nvidia 8400M GS 256MB)	3,386 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)	4,149 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB)	5,412 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT)	4,616 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)	4,591 PCMarks
Sony VAIO NR (1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, Intel X3100)	3,283 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo 3000 V200 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	3,987 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB)	4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	4,234 PCMarks
Fujitsu N6410 (1.66GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400)	3,487 PCMarks
Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60, Nvidia Go 7800GTX)	5,597 PCMarks
Sony VAIO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)	3,637 PCMarks
Asus V6J (1.86GHz Core Duo T2400, Nvidia Go 7400)	3,646 PCMarks

HDTune results:

(view large image)

Screen

The 15.4" WXGA glossy screen on the Y510 isn't ideal for HD video, but it does offer sharp contrast, excellent color, and very even backlighting. On the plus side the 15.4" 1280x800 pixel display on the Y510 doesn't suffer from "graininess" and both the straight-on and horizontal viewing angles were good. Unfortunately both vertical viewing angles were only average or sub par. The screen itself didn't suffer from ripples or stuck pixels.

(view large image)	(view large image)
(view large image)	(view large image)

The single most significant problem with the display on the IdeaPad Y510 is the glossy protective layer over the glossy screen. The glossy top layer is not unlike what we've seen on tablet notebooks, but unlike tablet notebooks the screen on the Y510 isn't a touchscreen. While most notebooks with glossy screens only have minor issues with reflections, the screen on the Y510 is so reflective it's like looking into a mirror.

When viewing the display your eyes naturally shift focus between what is being displayed on the screen and what is being reflected in the glossy surface of the screen. Since these images are on a slightly different focal plane you can easily develop eye strain and headaches from looking at this screen. This is the first notebook I have ever reviewed that actually gave me a severe headache after less than two hours of use.

Below are a few sample images to illustrate the screen reflections on the IdeaPad Y510:

Screen off. (view large image)

Screen at max brightness. (view large image)

The reflections on the screen aren't noticeable at all in a dark room, but most people don't use their notebooks in the dark unless they're just watching movies. If you aren't sensitive to reflections then the screen is beautiful when viewed from straight ahead.

Keyboard, Touchpad and Other Input Buttons

The full-sized keyboard on the Y510 has almost no flex. The only area of flex that we detected during our testing period was at the top edge of the keyboard near the F9 and F10 keys. Unless you are constantly using the F9 and F10 keys it is unlikely that you would ever notice any keyboard flex when typing. The keys have excellent cushion and response and were quiet during use. There are dedicated keys for home, end, page up, and page down. The f-keys also control a range of features (such as raising or lowering screen brightness) when they are pressed in combination with the function key.

Directly above the power button on the left side of the keyboard is a small button labeled "Novo" which provides one-touch access to the "Energy Cut Tool." This built-in power management application allows you to choose between three different preset power options (high, medium, and low) to control your battery usage and extend battery life when traveling.

(view large image)

The touchpad is nice and large and features a durable and responsive surface that is also covered in the same matte finish as the rest of the notebook chassis. The touchpad buttons have deep feedback and produce quiet, cushioned clicks. As mentioned previously, there's no ThinkPad pointing stick on this notebook, but since most consumers don't care about that Lenovo probably made the correct choice leaving it off the Y510.

(view large image)

The Y510 also features dedicated touch-sensitive media buttons above the keyboard and beneath the speakers. The media buttons make watching DVDs or listening to music files as easy as using a DVD or CD player. These media buttons have amber LED backlights that are always on but aren't annoyingly bright even in the dark.

(view large image)

(view large image)

Input and Output Ports

There is a reasonable selection of ports on the Y510 with just about every port the average consumer is likely to need (or want) on a 15-inch notebook. The complete list of ports includes:

• ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
• Three USB 2.0
• IEEE 1394 Firewire
• TV out (S-video)
• 6-in-1 digital media card reader
• Microphone in
• Headphone out
• RJ-11 (modem)
• RJ-45 (LAN/Ethernet)
• IR receiver
• VGA out

Let's take a quick tour around the port offerings of the Y510:

Front side: LED status lights, wireless on/off switch, 6-in-1 media card reader, and IR receiver.

(view large image)

Back side: Nothing here but hinge and a LED battery life indicator.

(view large image)

Left side: DC power jack, Ethernet, heat vent, VGA, two USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, and ExpressCard slot.

(view large image)

Right side: Headphone out, microphone in, USB 2.0 port, S-Video, optical drive, modem, and lock slot.

(view large image)

Although it's somewhat sad to see there are only three USB ports on the Y510 we were also sad to see the lack of a HDMI port. Since the Y510 is clearly designed to be a multimedia notebook we would like to see HDMI on this notebook to connect it to HDTVs with superior signal quality.

Audio

The built-in Dolby Home Theater stereo speakers located above and on both sides of the keyboard are quite impressive. To be fair, I'd have to say the built-in speakers on the Y510 are freaking amazing! While most built-in speakers fail to produce a full range of high, middle, and low frequencies, the four speakers on the Y510 have impressive clarity and loudness with excellent highs and midtones. The Y510 also features an integrated subwoofer located on the bottom of the notebook which delivers deep, satisfying bass.

(view large image)

There is, of course, a headphone jack located on the right side of the notebook for people who like to plug in earbuds or external speakers. However, with four built-in speakers and a subwoofer like these, why use external speakers?

Heat and Noise

The Y510 runs extremely quiet and in general pretty cool to the touch. The fan remained on most of the time when the notebook was plugged in and turned on frequently while the notebook was on battery power. Although there was minimal warmth coming from the top of the hard drive (left palm rest) the most significant heat came from the hard drive area on the underside of the Y510. That said, the heat coming from the hard drive was still less intense than what we've seen on many other 15-inch notebooks. In short, neither heat nor noise should be much of a problem with the Y510.

Below are images with the temperature readings listed in degrees Fahrenheit:

(view large image)

(view large image)

Battery

The Y510 is available with the standard 6-cell battery which delivers reasonable battery life. With the screen brightness set to about half, wireless on, and the "Novo" Energy Cut Tool set to the medium power setting, the Y510 powered down after 3 hours and 2 minutes. Clearly the 6-cell battery will provide enough power for most short-term travel situations and casual use. Considering that most consumers use 15-inch notebooks as desktop replacements, this level of battery life should be more than satisfactory.

One other item of note regarding the battery is that the 6-cell battery fit snug inside the notebook and firmly locks into place. I thought this was worth mentioning since more and more consumer notebooks from other companies seem to have loose batteries. It's nice to see that Lenovo cares about the "fit and finish" on these IdeaPads.

Conclusion

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 is a solid notebook with some innovative features that deserves close consideration. Lenovo has taken a giant leap from their popular ThinkPad line of business notebooks in an attempt to attract general consumer laptop shoppers. The IdeaPad Y510 isn't just a cheap ThinkPad in a pretty plastic shell, it's a unique notebook that has a lot to offer consumers who need a reasonably priced desktop replacement with good multimedia features.

Sure, we would have liked to see an HDMI port and dedicated graphics option (here in the US) for a can't-miss multimedia package. But the lack of these features is hardly a deal breaker for most consumers. In fact, the only "serious" negative issue with the new Y510 is the overly reflective glossy screen. It's one thing to have a glossy screen, but it's something else when the display is so reflective that it might as well be a mirror.

In the end, if you can live with the reflections on the screen (and the fact this isn't a ThinkPad) then the IdeaPad Y510 is one of the best 15-inch consumer notebooks currently available.

Pros

• Excellent built-in speakers
• Solid construction
• Attractive design
• Nice one-touch power management

Cons

• Overly glossy/reflective display
• A little heavy compared to competition

 

Why should it be like Thinkpad?

It is a good laptop as it is.

And this comes with dsicrete graphics at least in my area , mine came with T7500 and NV8600GT with 512mb of Vram.

So the tested configuration is weak and slow does not mean all Ideapad Y510s are slow.

And compare the price between Thinkpad T series (of similar configuration) and this one, you will see how cheap and nicely built this is.

I just wish it were smaller.

 

I think this is a pretty innovative product and really love to see 13.3 inch version of it soon.

 

I think Lenovo really hit the nail on the head. This is a great first attempt at a regular consumer notebook. Especially with the attractive design and keeping the build quality up to par with the Thinkpad. I wouldn't mind having one.

 

More like third times a charm

 

Here in the US Lenovo isn't giving us a version of the Y510 with dedicated graphics (at least not yet). I modified the review to clarify.

And I certainly don't think the Y510 is "slow." Even without dedicated graphics our test configuration was more than fast enough for the majority of applications most people are likely to use on a regular basis. Just because it doesn't have the graphics horsepower needed to play Crysis doesn't mean it's "slow."

I agree the Y510 has excellent build quality. I just wish the screen wasn't so reflective and it was a little lighter.

 

Great review as always I surprised Lenovo has terrific speaker system and overall it's decent performer 15.4" notebook. Another drawback would be its thickness I think.

 

how much did you paid for it?

 

It's in the review ... $949 as configured, but with current rebates I've seen this configuration on sale for even less.

 

i was asking lappyforphotoshop...

 

I hope other notebook makers follow Lenovo and add great speakers and a subwoofer as well. I also would like to see a 13.3 inch IdeaPad or maybe a 14 inch. What about the Veri-face it's not in the review?

 

talk about reflection. i can see you on the screen

 

there is a 14" version, just that it's not in the ideapad family. it came out around october last year and features pretty much the same thing except it's silver (not black with the fancy lid design), and doesn't have the frameless screen. it still came with veriface, and everything else listed here, except maybe the touch sensitive media controls. I think it's called the Y410.

 

I wish Lenovo makes their systems all fully customizable like hp and dell does. Plus it's driving my nuts that hardly any OEMs offer an option for 64 bit vista. HP is one of the only big ones. When one looks at the Thinkpads, they are all customizable to some degree, why is it different with the consumer branded Lenovo computers?? I just love options/the power of choice.

 

Very good laptop, solid, reasonably priced, a bit heavy, but...

Just wondering, how is attractive design a huge plus for this laptop? I mean, it looks great, nothing ugly like some fujitsu and asus laptops (not that all fujitsu/asus laptops look bad, some look amazing) but I've seen way better in Compaq Presarios and Dell Inspirons, honestly =P

 

Thanks for the review Jerry. The reflection really is off the scale with this screen, it's the first thing you notice. The price of these Lenovo IdeaPad machines are pretty darn good, though if I'm looking at an R61 for under $1,000 and this though I'd go with the R61 -- but that's me. It's odd they're not offering any type of dedicated graphics for the U.S. configs.

 

Am i the only one who VASTLY prefers the black/orange colour motif over the current silver/blue or black/blue style practically all other notebook makers are using?

Honestly, i cant stand glowing blue LED's anymore... Just as bad as beige/green style from the early 90's.

 

Veri-face was pretty gimmicky in my opinion. It worked OK during my several tests but it adds a rather lengthy delay to the login process while the Veri-face software scans your face and determines if you are authorized for access.

It's just faster to type in an old-fashioned password.

I also wonder if Veri-face will get confused by changes in facial hair ... but I wasn't going to delay the review for another month while I grew a beard.

 

About time someone reviewed an IdeaPad!

That said, I'm throughly impressed with the Y510. It does look a bit "chunkier" than when I first remembered seeing it, but I still like the styling of it, though. The amber LEDs are very nice, much better than all the blue LEDs we've been seeing lately. Why, then, did they still have to use blue LEDs for the front status lights?

If they could just throw in some dedicated graphics and a higher resolution screen, then I'd be sold on the Y510. But considering that an 8600M-GT version is already available in Taiwan (as lappyforphotoshop has pointed out), I could easily see dedicated-gpu Y510s appearing in the US in the near future.

Marketing the IdeaPad against the well-established HP Pavilions, Dell Inspirons, etc. will be Lenovo's biggest challenge, however.

 

It looks really cool, but like R61 its kind of bulky.
Hopefully they will take a lesson from Dell and Inspiron 1520 and 1525 and the next model will be slimmer.

 

An attractive consumer Laptop. I thought about it but went for a ThinkPad R61 finally because R61 provides
1. Higher resolution LCD (WXGA+)
2. Much Faster CPU (2.4G T8300)
3. Faster HD (7200rpm 160G)
4. Member purchase page entry + Coupon, making performance blasting R61 even cheaper!

Though IdeaPad is a consumer laptop, if IdeaPad can provide these options, it definitely will be a wow...

 

Well there's a deal breaker. I was seriously considering this one for a while, too...

I just pictured a little notebook vibrating off the edge of a solid surface upon encountering a particularly demanding part of a movie. It's entirely subjective, but there's no way I'd consider anything in such a tiny package "satisfying."

It's always good to see more options available. I'm really impressed with the seamless screen.

 

Yeah, I know about it, but am really looking for a 13.3 inch. That and prefer black (although at the right I wouldn't be to picky about the colors LOL). Thanks anyway.

@JerryJ: I didn't think much of the Veri-face either, but I figured that should at least be mentioned in the review though.

 

That screen finish is ridiculous. I can understand the desire to present "wet"-looking screens and saturated colors, but it looks like you can use that as a very expensive mirror.

 

It isn't bad if lights are behind the screen, actually.

 

What doesn't fit the equation between Lenovo X300 and Y510 is the battery backup time.

1) Both the laptops are using 6 cell battery
2) Y510 is using spinning hard disk
3) Bigger screen
4) More power hungry T-series C2D
5) Costs $1500 cheaper

and yet backup time is NEARLY EQUAL!!

Something is awfully wrong with X300.

 

My only frustration is with the IdeaPad is that the configurations available are far too limited. The Y510 has either T2330, T5450 or T5550 processor and doesn't have discrete graphics in any versions in the U.S. I would want both a faster processor (at least the new T8300) and at least 128mb dedicated video.

The Y710, on the other hand, comes with the T5450 (1.66GHz/2mb L2) or T9300 (2.5GHZ/6mb L2). It's one extreme to the other...no middle territory. Both of them do have the ATI Radeon 2600-series graphics, though. I'd consider the one with the T9300 except the Y710 is just too big for my needs.

Unless they introduce some other configs soon, it looks like I'll be getting a ThinkPad.

 

My mother just bought one of these today. I didn't get a chance to look at it as I just caught a passing glimpse of it on my way out the door. She said it was 600 dollars though, so that makes me think it is the lowest end model available.

I hated the glossy screen on her HP, but can tolerate the one on my G1s. I'll see how this ideapads fairs IMO. I had been egging her on into getting a T61, her budget was 1,100 dollars and that would have bought one hell of a nice T61.

 

Whats wrong with the X300? It's thin on features with a high price. Hehe, no pun intended.

 

I bought a Y510 a couple of months ago. $650 after rebates from Tiger Direct. I think other vendors have similar deals now, but not sure of that.

I like this laptop a lot but miss the trackpoint.

Have not noticed the screen glare issue at all, until I read this review!

Very solidly built and everthing works well.

Biggest dissapointment is the lack of the built-in bluetooth (implemented with a combo bluetooth and 56K modem daughter card) that is available on these models in Asia, but not in North America! And Lenovo has not responded on their support forums to my and other folks requests for the P/N or info about the daughter cards.

These models also have the connectors and open bay for a TV tuner card, but again that is only available in Asia. Not sure how much I want a TV tuner card, but that would be a neat option, if only Lenovo would make that available in this geography.

 

According to the review, "There are dedicated keys for home, end, page up, and page down." However, you have to use FN-key combinations for Home and End, which can be quite annoying to some users.

 

Too bad about the screen on this laptop. I bought this computer several months ago from Office Depot and really loved it. Well, except for the screen. The reviewer is absolutely correct when he says it's like a mirror. I couldn't get anything done it's so distracting. So I had to refund the computer. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat if Lenovo would tone down the "sheen" on the screen. Let's hope for the best.

 

Great Review and I think that it looks similar to Lenovo 3000 Y410 except for the screen size.

 

One cannot appreciate how truly fine this notebook is unless you've lived with it a while,using this Laptop every day now,its very well made especially considering the low price.

 

I might buy this laptop...partition the hd for ubuntu. I might buy the dell xps1530 instead. Don't know yet. Anyone who uses this computer regularly have anything to say about it? I want to get the 160gb-1.83ghz- A G N wifi card, nvedia graphics card, 2gb( then buy some kingston memory to upgrade to 4 gb total ) version of it. The ones I see on every website EXCEPT lenovo's store sells something different than what I said above. Either the process is slower, the wifi card is A B G, or the graphics card is an intel integrated one. I really don't need more space on my computer than 160gb either. Including the additional kingston memory, the price will be around 950-1000. This price doesn't include any rebates or anything like that, but I'm looking out for them. As a programmer, I need to look at the screen for long periods of time, will this glossy screen prohibit me form doing work?

Thanks in advance

 

New models have showed up with 8600M GTS, look here.

Edit: Maybe that's old news, oh well.

 

And looks like they've canned the glossy screen. All models now have the mention "AntiGlare". I've been closely following this laptop. The only missing pieces are newer CPUs (i.e. penryn) and bluetooth. Maybe after Montevina launch...

 

The Y510 is my 1st notebook bought for the replacement of my desktop which my girlfrend's cats keep pissing on and ruining mobo, case etc. Now at least I can fold the Y510 up and put it in the closet which is the first plus . The Y510 and almost any notebook is not a replacement for a desktop. The screen is extremely sensitive to viewing angle which may be a good thing if you use it traveling and you don't want the person next to you to view what you have on the screen. In reply to Mats post i tried the link and yes this is news to me. There were very few configurations when I bought mine. These additional configurations tell me Lenovo has jumped the gun in release of the Y510 and these new configs and still not up to speed. It's all about market share not quality. Welcome to the world of computers. What did I expect! Do it right the first time please.

 

Cont... Anyone found a HMM yet? Anyone found spare battery yet? CPUID Wizard tells me my Y510 has a Lenovo - Speedy mobo, anybody know what a Speedy mobo is? Does Lenovo not understand that there is a segment that replaces CPU's, RAM, graphics etc, etc.... To me computers should be upgradable it's all about speed. My T2330 is obsolete. Have T7500 ($150) upgrade in closet can't wait 2.2Ghz, L2-4Mb, 800Mhz FSB, DDR2 800. Why build with a GM965 if you ain't gonna use it? I am quite please with the X3100 performance for viewing dvd not gaming. GM965 will support PCI Express x16, but what's on the Speedy mobo? Lenovo website support sucks . Veriface is hit and miss and way too slow. Customize your Y510 from Lenovo - not a chance. They just sell accessories. CPU cooling ok. 62C, Orthos, 1.25V core (performance mode), +/-17C ambient. Not for desert use.

 

Does having an "antiglare" screen mean that it won't have the reflective issues anymore?

 

T8100 TO T9500 are penryn I think and yes there are Y510 out there with T8100, T8300, T9300 and yes there are Y510 with bluetooth.
Dick Smith Electronics: http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4850341a000832ac2740c0a87f9c064e/Product/View/XC4460

Y510, T9300 with bluetooth $1,529 AUS = $1,447USD

 

I believe so.

 

It sucks that the penryn Ideapads are not yet available in the USA. Looks like there are more and much better config choices in Asia.

 

Is the new version with a matte finish available. are there other variants of 510 without the screen glare.

 

Does anyone know if the Y510 gets really hot under intense usage? Heat is a big concern for me.

 

The "Heat and Noise" section of our review is completed after stressing the test system with several rounds of PCMark and 3DMark to simulate heavy use/stress.

We cannot guarantee that your notebook will produce identical thermals, but our images with the temperature readings should give you a general idea of how hot this notebook gets.

 

Lenovo should really get the higher config y510 series to the states as well. I would have bought those models in a heartbeat.

 

I have this laptop two months and very pleased with it.
Great laptop for the price.It has Dolby home theater that I've never seen on other laptop with this price, Novo button (one key system recovery in case of damage) great display, excellent and responsive key buttons, media touch keys and great battery, very small heat on left side but fan works perfectly well and above all it's very quiet. I was planing to change Vista Home Edition with Win XP, but since had it installed and have checked already how well Vista works on my laptop, will never go back to XP. Vista is running so fast and smooth that I plan to install and change my Win XP desktop OS with Vista.
No doubt, I highly recommend this laptop to anyone.

 

Yes, that would work. Or even cheaper and just as safe: buy a small bottle of matte finish clear acrylic wash, brush it lightly on the screen, let dry. Of course, make sure it's totally dry before touching the screen, or closing the notebook.

 

Tigerdirect.com is selling a bunch of Ideapad Y510's for just $569.96 to $699.99. Specs for the cheapest one:

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 Laptop Computer - Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2370 1.73GHz, 802.11a/b/g Wireless, 2GB DDR2, 160GB HDD, DVDRW, 15.4" WXGA, Webcam, Windows Vista Home Premium

and for the most expensive one:

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 Laptop Computer - Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 2.0GHz, 802.11a/b/g WLAN, 3GB DDR2, 250GB HDD, DVDRW, 15.4" WXGA, Integrated Webcam, Windows Vista Home Premium

Tiger Direct is highly rated by a large number of consumers...so I'd trust 'em. See for yourself at resellerratings.com.