Anyone looking forwards to the ThinkPad yoga 14?

Here's the one I ordered, and it works perfectly.
Amazon.com: Transcend 256 GB SATA III 6Gb/s MTS400 42 mm M.2 SSD Solid State Drive TS256GMTS400: Computers & Accessories

 

Didn't record a video, it's a really simple process, just get the service manual from the Lenovo website.

 

btw, if we do it ourself it will be void the warranty from lenovo?

 

No, all parts involved in this process are CRU (customer replaceable units). No warranty loss here.

 

Just replaced the hard drive with an EVO 840 1TB. That was smaller than the original drive. Had to secure with double sided tape. Anyone else come across that when upgrading the hard drive?

 

Since I have gotten my Thinkpad Yoga, it has been beset with problem after problem.

The biggest problem is it is incredibly unstable. It just shuts off randomly when it is unplugged. It doesn't matter if I'm doing something CPU-intensive or not, whether the battery is at 30% or at 90%, whether I'm holding it or not, it just randomly turns off.

There are no error messages, no nothing. It just happens.

Now, my trackpad is also pretty buggy. When I first got this, it was very smooth, and I loved the gestures (although I don't love how I can't get rid of "natural scrolling" in Metro/Modern UI). Now, it's very choppy, buggy. Sometimes, it doesn't recognize my gestures at all. Sometimes, it recognizes them twice. Etc.,

 

Ok, after playing around a bit more, I do have two problems, one of which is probably my fault.

1 - After migrating my data and replacing the build in spinning HD with my Evo 840 1TB SSD, now when I boot up there is no Lenovo style BIOS screen. It goes straight to the Windows 8 logo, a spinning circle under it, and boots up (really fast, because of the SSD). This only worries me as it doesn't look like I can access the BIOS. Is there a possibility a certain partition didn't migrate over?

2 - The wireless card refuses to go over 30Mbps, despite a similar laptop I have with the exact same wireless card obtaining the full 110Mbps I pay for through RCN. Just updated the driver, no change. Any suggestions?

 

I had the same problem when I replaced the SSD in mine with a 7mm drive. Did not replace the mSATA that would have been easier. It looks like I tripped a security option in the BIOS. I ended up logging into windows then using advanced startup to boot into the BIOS. Once inside the BIOS, I removed the security and set boot options to always boot using diagnostic mode which will give the F1 for BIOS, and <enter> for advanced startup options such as using USB thumb drive or external USB CD-ROM.

One thought about getting into the case, having to remove the rubber feet was a little inconvenient as I was unsure the adhesive would still work afterwards. The screws are like most devices now and are easily stripped. If I didn't have the micro screw driver set that I bought years back I wouldn't have attempted it. Inside the case, the hard drive that is installed by manufacturing comes with a plastic mounting guard that can be "CAREFULLY" removed so as not to break the plastic inserts that go in place of the screws. I reused the plastic mounting brackets and that strange almost aluminum cover that went over the manufacturing drive. I was wondering if the cover was in place to either prevent magnetic interface with a rotating drive or as a thermal insulator because the connector lies over the bottom of the drive if you have the keyboard up.

Not sure about the wireless. I have never once hit 30Mbps on any laptop I have owned through WiFi.

 

Anyone know the latest word on upgraded configurations of the Yoga 14? I realize 8GB won't change (and I prefer to buy the drives separately), but an i7-4 or 5 would be nice. I'm ready to buy but now I'm in limbo!

Oh, and anyone know how long this will be a best buy/lenovo website exclusive? That's annoying.

 

For what it's worth, I use an 840 evo, UEFI, and Windows 8.1 on my t440s, and it shows the Lenovo screen (and lets me enter the BIOS), then the Windows logo. However, I suspect that's because I have secure boot disabled (I use quick rather than diagnostic mode though, as it actually is faster). Otherwise, I think you have to deal with a tiny time frame to hit the right key, or do it from Windows startup options like you did.

 

Just to sidetrack - do anyone have any news of the ThinkPad yoga 15

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14 and 15 in development? - Liliputing
Thanks

 

And just like that, I've solved both issues and now have a pretty much perfect laptop. In case anyone was experiencing the same issues:

1 - For the lack of a BIOS splash screen, I re-enabled Diagnostic boot mode in the BIOS. Not exactly the same, but closer to the original screens. Enough time for me to stop normal boot if needed.
2 - The Intel 7260 AC card has experienced issues with Windows 8.1 limiting speed, and the simple fix is to disable U-APSD support. Now I get my expected speed on WiFi.

Anyway, hope those with the laptop are as happy as I am. Happy to answer any more questions.

 

It just came out, so I'm sure it's still under warranty. Have you tried contacting customer support?

 

I quite frankly do not know how to navigate IBM's Electronic Service Call website. I don't even know *how* to submit a report for this issue, since I don't really know what is malfunctioning. I only know the symptoms.

I've been trying to look up information online, but the information is scarce, Lenovo and LenovoForums' twitter accounts are extremely unhelpful, etc.,

 

Perhaps Bestbuy & their Geeksquad could help? I'd take it in to them and see what they have to say..

 

Hmm, since I ordered it from Best Buy, I can just do an exchange. I don't know what is exactly wrong with it, but based on the few other reports from people who own the laptop, it definitely appears not to be a widespread issue, so I probably just have a dud.

 

I've been gaming on this thing a bit, and the bottom really does heat up. Just thought it was worth mentioning.

 

Additional Broadwell configurations coming soon for the Thinkpad Yoga 14 (also, potentially bringing back the dedicated mouse/trackpoint click buttons ).

 

that was good news. this currently thinkpad yoga 14 is already using nvidia maxwell chip right?

 

I'm looking for a good sleeve or bag for this laptop. What is everyone else using?

 

While I'd like to think otherwise, I wouldn't get hopes up for "soon". That article's just reposting data from the service manual (which had already been linked in this thread) that showed mainboard part numbers for Broadwell CPUs. Doesn't say anything about release date. Earliest estimate for general Broadwell availability is February.

 

There are some highly rated sleeves on Amazon. Two examples:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FGKEMMQ/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HNKZHGC/

 

I use an amazon basics sleeve and it works quite nicely, although it lacks a handle or pockets for papers. Very well padded. I don't know about the thinkpad yoga 14, but my t440s (with 6-cell) fits quite well in the amazon 14" case.

 

I'm not sure if I should wait for other configuration options or just get the current one.

How is the real world performance of i5-4210U? Can I have 20 tabs in my browser, 5 Word documents, Adobe Lightroom and Spotify all open at the same time and use them without a hiccup?

 

I don't know about the 4210U, but I will say that the 4300U works totally fine for a similar workload in my case - Spotify, lots of word docs and browser tabs, plus VMs (no lightroom though). I have an SSD in this machine, and it's not slow in the least.

Edit: I have a Thinkpad t440s.

 

Can anyone confirm the size of the ssd for the m.2 slot? meaning, will a ssd longer than 42mm fit?

Also, would like to know what are you guys using (brand/model of sleeve or other) to carry around the yoga 14.

thx

 

I love this laptop, especially after installing an SSD. My only two gripes: No sensor to turn on the keyboard backlight. I have to manually turn it on all the time. Also, I can always hear the fan. It seems like it's always running at too high RPM, even at complete idle.

 

Has anyone noticed issues with the screen being too heavy? I played with one recently at best buy and it seemed like a little wobble and I would get the screen to move just from its own weight. Could be that it was a sample computer and maybe the hinges were starting to go.

 

i bought a TPY 14 a few days ago. yes the screen is heavy, but thats because of the touchscreen. the hinges are very sturdy and will not give away anytime soon. the touchscreen does come useful in windows 8 sometimes, but since im a college student i prefer no touchscreen and like 0.5lbs lighter and cheaper.

aside from some minor issues, i am very happy with this laptop.

 

Thanks for the reply. Considering the size/weight of the y2p and y3p I would say the weight is not from the touch screen. Even the x1 carbon touch is much thinner and light screen.

 

Im dying for this to come out in Canada.

 

I know these two are in completely different leagues, but how does the graphics performance of this stack up against the Y40?

 

The Y40 has a Radeon M275, which is a step above the Yoga's 840M. A step above the Y40 is the Y50 with it's 860M. $1500 and less gaming laptops have the 860M. Newer, $1500+ laptops (cheapest is Asus ROG G751) have the 970M, which is a another step up.

Check out this comparison I prepared for you
notebookcheck comparison

 

Spot on! Thanks

 

Best Buy has the Yoga 14 on sale for $1,000. I would sacrifice a little less gpu performance over the Y40, but for that you get:

1. MUCH better display. Y40 display is weak.
2. Better battery life
3. Does not run as hot

The Yoga 14 seems the better buy as far as price range.

 

Thanks for the sale tip. The yoga 14 is perhaps the best do-it-all laptop at $1K (+SSD). I love the thinkpad build quality and styling. My only problem is that the windows metro/touchscreen app ecosystem is unsatisfactory, weakening the value of a touchscreen.

If Lenovo is listening, here's what they need to do in January:
- End the Best Buy/Lenovo.com exclusivity.
- A 256GB SSD + 1 TB option that is $100-150 more (not something outrageous like $200+ more like most manufactures do).
- A 256GB SSD only option (same price or +$50)
Let me dream:
- Digitizer + pen model (High quality pen only!)
- 850M or 860M model

 

Also keep checking out the Barnes & Noble discounts on Lenovo's site ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/765412-tp-yoga-12-14-yoga-pro-2-3-a-2.html).
Its back up to 1050 now but was at 880 for the last few weeks. After Christmas they are suppose to have the full range of options similar to what you can get on a Thinkpad Yoga but guessing its highly unlikely they will offer a more powerful GPU.

 

the 1080p IPS display has very good color gamut and viewing angles, they need a MATTE screen option (with or without the touchscreen) for this laptop. the glossy touchscreen display is a mirror and very distracting when trying to do work in an environment with overhead lights or a window.

 

I haven't taken mine apart, but every internal pic I've seen of it says only a 42mm M.2 drive will fit. This is the standard M.2 size for a caching SSD, so is not surprising.

There are 128 and 256 GB SSDs in this size. I haven't been impressed by their specs though. About 450 MB/s sequential read, 150 MB/s sequential write is not all that bad. As are 30-50 MB/s 4k random read/write speeds. But the 4k speeds do not increase with queue depth.

The 4k read/writes are where SSDs get the vast majority of their speedup compared to HDDs, and increased performance with queue depth plays a big role in that. A HDD can barely hit 1 MB/s at 4k r/w with a queue depth of 32 (that is, 32 read/write operations pending). A good SSD can hit 300 MB/s. That's hundreds of times faster than a HDD, which is why SSDs feel so damn fast.

So when working with small files, the best M.2 SSD you can put in the TP Yoga 14 will probably be about 3-5x slower than a good SSD. It'll "only" be a few dozen times faster than a HDD, instead of hundreds of times faster.

I came from a laptop with a SSD. The cached HDD is intolerable IMHO. About the only time it's better than a regular HDD is when you're booting. You should expect to have to upgrade this to a full SSD if you're used to a SSD. The SSD cache is not "good enough."

I've also run into various problems with the ExpressCache app which manages the 16 GB cache SSD. There seems to be some conflict between it and certain programs (TeraCopy for one) which causes read/writes to hang/fail. Plus it steals 1.5GB of RAM to use as a disk cache. It's supposed to give it up if another program needs the RAM, but I'm encountering disk thrashing as if it's holding onto that 1.5GB.

If you get this laptop, I would highly, highly recommend installing a large capacity 42mm M.2 SSD as a system drive, or removing the 16GB SSD and replacing the HDD with a 2.5" SSD..

My other gripe is that because it's also designed to work as a tablet, the accelerometer/gravity sensor can flip the screen into portrait mode when you move the laptop around. This in itself is not bad. But when it does this, any open windows you have which are wider than 1080 pixels get resized to 1080 pixels wide (max screen width in portrait mode). When it flips back to landscape mode, those windows stay resized to 1080 pixels wide. I'm finding myself having to resize all my windows every time I pick up the laptop to move it. I've given up on some windows (I've resigned myself to reading my gmail in a Chrome browser just 1080 pixels wide).

Otherwise, it's a great laptop. Great screen, keyboard, trackpad. Solid metal exterior with a flat matte finish which somehow does not pick up fingerprints. Very thin and lightweight considering the screen can flip back to go into tablet mode.

I seriously doubt they will offer a more powerful GPU. The bottom of the laptop gets very hot while gaming. The top remains cool, but the bottom is hot enough that after about 15 min gaming I can feel the heat through the bottom of a 3/4" wood table.

The panel is a AUO B140HAN01.3. This and the earlier versions is probably the best 14" panel on the market right now. Great viewing angles and reviews consistently put it at 90%+ coverage of sRGB color space.

The gloss is distracting. My glossy Sony screen has a much better anti-reflective coating (actually that screen is about the best glossy screen I've ever used - the anti-reflective coating is so good most of the time you can't even see a reflection). There are various aftermarket films you can put on top of the screen to give it a matte finish without disrupting the touchscreen capability (supposedly).

 

So I got a Yoga 14 a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to keep it, so replacing the HDD for a SSD (or upgrading the cache SSD) isn't really an option for now. I'm trying to figure out if this laptop will work for me despite the 8GB RAM limit. In the process, I've come up with a lot of info which may be useful for other owners so I'm posting here. There's a Yoga 14 Owner's thread here which shows up on Google, but I get a blank page when I click on it. This thread seems to be the next-best one.

The main problem I had was the system boots up with 2.8GB of RAM used, quickly climbing to over 3GB (with no apps running) after it's been used for a while. I tend to leave a 4GB virtual machine running in the background, and there simply wasn't enough RAM left over to do this plus run my other apps.

After a lot of trial and error (uninstalling nearly everything and disabling nearly every service), I nailed down ExpressCache as the culprit. In addition to caching the HDD using the 16GB SSD, it also caches disk access in up to 1.5 GB of RAM. Uninstalling it reduced the system's memory footprint to just 1.4 GB after booting.

Following the instructions in this thread, I played around with disabling ExpressCache and different partitioning schemes for the 16GB SSD. I've also linked Lenovo's ExpressCache download for Windows 8/8.1.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/705681-howto-configure-large-32gb-ssd-work-expresscache.html
ExpressCache Software for Windows 8.1 (64-bit), 8 (64-bit), 7 (64-bit) - ThinkCentre, Notebook - Lenovo Support (US)

If you're curious, here are the CrystalDiskMark speeds I recorded for the 16GB cache SSD:
1000 MB
Seq: 257.1 MB/s read, 52.33 MB/s write
512k: 196.6 MB/s read, 24.66 MB/s write
4k: 17.43 MB/s read, 3.867 MB/s write
4kQ32: 0.968 MB/s read, 2.668 MB/s write

So fast sequential reads, slow sequential writes compared to the HDD. But much faster 4k reads and writes than a HDD. Slower all-around than a large SSD.

Unfortunately, it turns out that ExpressCache REALLY helps. Without it, my boot time went from about 15 seconds to 40 seconds. Programs took a lot longer to start. My VM took forever to start. And the laptop became unusable if I exceeded 8GB and it began swapping.

Right now I'm experimenting with the cache SSD split into two partitions - 6GB for a pagefile, 8.9 GB for caching. I did this by uninstalling ExpressCache, following the instructions in the above link to create a 6GB partition, leaving the rest of the SSD empty, the reinstalling ExpressCache. The ExpressCache installer automatically detected the empty space and began using it as cache. I then manually created a pagefile on the 6GB partition, and disabled the pagefile on the HDD. (Windows key + E, right-click This PC -> Properties, Advanced System Settings, Advanced -> Performance -> Settings, Advanced -> Virtual memory -> Change)

This seems to be working well. I'm now able to leave a 4GB VM running, without performance grinding to a halt the moment the computer runs out of RAM and starts swapping. Boot time is back down to 15 seconds, just like it was when using the entire SSD as cache. (Also, reinstalling ExpressCache seems to have fixed the problem of it immediately and permanently gobbling up 1.5GB of RAM. It now starts off using only ~400MB, and its memory use fluctuates. Maybe this is an updated version with bug fixes.)

I still highly recommend getting a SSD for this laptop. But if you're forced to use the HDD, it's possible to improve performance by reconfiguring it so it'll swap to the SSD instead of the HDD.

 

Received my TPY 14 on Tuesday.Was loving it.
Last night when using it.The laptop just shut off was using battery at 83% ,when Trying to turn on I got only lenovo with circles then black screen. On second try windows can not boot error.Then picked repair option, repair failed.
Then reset.
After rest windows opened but was real buggy.
Started full reset 2 hours ago PC at 51% of reset process.
Had nothing installed but chrome and QuickBooks.
Looks like this one is going back .Will call when reset is done and see what Lenovo will do.
Hope the next one I get is better.
Anyone else haveing problems like this.
Thanks

 

Looks like others are having similar problem like mine.
All's up after full reset.
Performed hardware scan in Lenovo Solution center, all passed.

.
Re: Thinkpad S3 Yoga 14 - Random shut offs when no... - Lenovo Community

 

The new demo unit at BB had issues too and was pulled within a few days. Freezing, resets, shutdowns in laptop mode and, weird colors and freezing sometimes when pivoting the display in tablet mode. This was a new Y14 out of box. They gave up on it and took off display.

 

Following your posts and after reading other posts/forums about other lenovo laptop's I am thinking to replacing the m.2 ssd cache drive for a 128 or 256gb SSD.
I intend to keep the 1TB HDD for storage only and install windows on the new SSD. But I have a few doubts/questions:


1. I assume I have or will keep the cache drive(16gb or 32gb) on the new SSD. I understood that I just need to clone the cache drive to the new ssd. is this correct?
2. will I only gain more storage space as I intend to install windows on the ssd and leave the 1TB HDD just for storage, as mentioned above?
3. will speed increase?
4. will battery life increase?
5. is there any drawback?

Will be glad to get yours and/or other users thoughts on this..

Thx

 

I must say I am really looking forward to this laptop..
Unfortunately it's not available yet where I live, and so I've been searching the web for any info about European release date but have found none.
Do any of you have any clue about when it's going to get released in Europe?

 

Thanks Solandri. I didn't order my SSD because I won't be able to get it before my return date. So I decided to explore your recommendation to reconfigure the M.2 SSD. I took the first step and uninstalled ExpressCache and my RAM usage immediately changed from 48% to 20% after the restart. It feels snappier, and my computer still maintains the 15 second boot. I like it better w/o ExpressCache, but I am hoping the second step to partition the SSD will help even more.

 

The cache SSD's sole purpose is to speed up access to the HDD. This is rendered superfluous if you have the OS and program files installed on a SSD. So you can do without a small cache partition if you're just using the HDD for data.

I can think of a few obscure use cases where you would want to make a small cache partition on a 128-256 GB SSD. e.g. You install a lot of games on the HDD because they're too big to install on the SSD, and you want the speed boost of a SSD cache when playing them. But as long as you're keeping the OS + all programs on the SSD, data on the HDD, there's very little benefit to making a cache SSD partition.

You'll gain the extra space of the larger SSD.

Do be aware that best practices are to not fill up the SSD. Leave about 15%-25% of it empty to give the wear leveling and idle erase algorithms some room to work. (SSDs cannot change a 1 to a 0, they have to first erase the 1, then write the 0. If you're an electrical engineer, they're basically an EEPROM. Normally the erases happen while the SSD is idle, and the more empty space you have, the more data you can write to it without the drive stopping to have to erase.)

Yes. The 2242 M.2 SSDs (22mm x 42mm) benchmarks I've seen weren't that impressive compared to 80mm M.2 and 2.5" SSDs. Reads are nearly the same, writes about half the speed. But there seems to be no benefit from queued random read/writes which is where SSDs get a lot of their speed from..

However, compared to the benchmarks I got for the 16GB cache SSD, your 128/256 GB SSD should be 2x faster at sequential reads, 3x faster at sequential writes, 3x faster at 4k random reads, and 10x faster at 4k random writes. So yes you should see a hefty speed increase

No idea. If you keep oft-used data on the SSD (e.g. your Documents folder) and use the HDD only for little-used storage (e.g. movies and such), then you should be able to turn on the power save function to spin down the HDD after a few minutes of non-use. That would save about 0.8 Watts and should extend battery life. I get about 5-6 hours of use on the 56 Wh battery, so it's currently burning about 10 Watts in normal use. A 0.8 Watt savings on top of that should let you eek out about an extra half hour.

You wallet will be thinner? You might lose a screw while opening the bottom the laptop?

From what I gather, the 2242 M.2 slot is also used in other Thinkpads and some Lenovos, so you should be able to get more guidance on configuring things after the upgrade in other TP owners forums.

 

will weigh pros and cons and make a decision($$). Thank you for taking the time to reply and for the clear explanation.

Regs

 

Here's a weird issue I'm having. I'll be using the laptop, close the lid to put it to sleep, but the machine doesn't go to sleep. The ThinkPad LED remains constantly lit, and I can hear the fan spinning. Then I open the lid, the inside ThinkPad LED is off, and I don't hear the fan spinning anymore. Close the lid, same thing happens. Anyone experience this / know what the issue is?

 

Just phoned in a service request with Lenovo for a keyboard issue (return key does not register if you push it down from the left side). They're mailing me a replacement keyboard, and they sent me the following link for video instructions on how to replace it myself.

http://frusonfone.com/et.cfm?eid=1393

Seems like a very handy resource for anyone wanting to take apart the laptop.

I've also been having a problem with Bluetooth dying after a suspend. Wifi used to have the same problem, but installing the latest wifi driver from Lenovo's website fixed it. Alas installing the latest Bluetooth driver (which is actually older than the one that was already on the laptop - dunno how that happened) didn't help. It still dies if I suspend the laptop.

Is anyone else experiencing this?