Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 Review and Specifications

Rating 4.3 Price Rs. 67462

For an affordable gaming device the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 offers a suitable level of performance. With a 2.4 GHz Intel i7-3630QM processor and 16GB of RAM, the notebook tackles basic word processing and web functions with extreme ease. More demanding Office tasks such as complicated excel tables also prove to be no problem for the device. The ample RAM allows the machine to multi-task numerous programs with no noticeable slowdown or performance drop. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 was even able to run multiple programs in background while running high-end games.

Equipped with an NVidia GT 650M the Lenovo IdeaPad can perform graphically intensive functions such as play games or 1080p video editing with consistent performance. The NVidia GT 650M should prove more than adequate for most current games on the market, though users may not be able to run some demanding games at high detail settings.

Lenovo Ideapad Y500  image

  

Our review unit included a second SLI-enabled NVidia GT 650M GPU. Having multiple GPUs connected through SLI does help to increase performance, but the performance gains are regulated to how well the software (or program) is coded to take advantage of the second GPU. While there was a noticeable boost in performance with games that were coded to take advantage of SLI, it’s important to understand that a vast majority of games (and programs) are not designed to take advantage of this feature.

The 1TB HDD with 16GB mSATA SSD cache will ensure that users have all the space needed to store a vast array of games and media, but they may have to concede on performance. While it’s nice that the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 at least offers a hybrid drive so that the OS can be stored on a SSD cache, the slow data retrievals on the 5400 RPM HDD is one of the more notable bottlenecks for the machine’s performance. Users will notice the slower data retrieval, especially in-game with things like longer load times as a result. As an affordable gaming notebook the lack of an SSD is understandable, but its absence is noticed.

Performance and Benchmarks

Our Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 review unit includes the following configuration:

• Windows 8 (64-bit)
• 15.6-inch LED-backlit TFT Color, Vibrant View Full HD Display (1920 x 1080)
• 2.4GHz i7-3630QM processor
• Dual NVidia GT 650M graphics (2GB GDDR5 for each)
• 16GB DDR3 RAM
• 1TB HHD (5400 RPM) + 16GB mSATA SSD
• Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230, 2×2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
• Dimensions: 15.2″ x 10.2 “x 1.4″ (dimensions vary depending on configuration)
• Weight: Starting at 5.95-lbs (weight varying depending on configuration)
• 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery (72Wh)
• Price: $1,250 (at time review was written)

Lenovo Ideapad Y500 Video