Lenovo Y400 Owners lounge

Has anyone here had internet connectivity issues with the Y400? I have lost my connection randomly on a number of occasions using multiple connections both wired and wireless.

 

Hey, sorry to bother you i'm from Australia and i wanted to buy the Y400 using mail fording services. i know in the US you have to pay TAX how much TAX do you have to pay on top on the $749 cost?

 

Hello everyone, I bought the Y400 two weeks ago to use it for school. I have only used the laptop about 5 times so far but I have noticed a battery issue: my laptop would not charge to 100% and will stay at 99%. Out of the 5 charges, I only managed to get it fully charged ONCE! Is this normal? And this is also my first laptop so I have no experience with it please help!

 

depends on what state your mail forwarding company is located. you can usually see it just before checking out your order.

just a warning though, lenovo doesn't deliver to mail forwarders, it had to be an actual home and a signature is needed. also their site will know your ip address. they only allow orders from us ip's.

an alternative would be ordering from amazon, ebay, or other sites that accept international orders. happy hunting! :thumbsup:

 

whats the cap in ram for the ideapad y400? i want to add an 8 gb kingston, but i haven found any info of the cap of the ram, does anyone know that?

 

16gb is the cap for max memory

 

Hey everyone, I'm planning on getting the Y400 in a few months or so, and still having second thoughts.
I've read some reviews, and said that the Touchpad has problems whether it's jumping here and there, or won't move around etc..

Either way, the touchpad isn't my main concern, since I'll be using a mouse. My main concern is how is it's performance? Can it handle games like Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012 or GTA IV? Does it become really hot at times? I'm currently a student and will be heading to College in 2 years, so I need to decide on this laptop and if it will last for at least for another 2-3 years.

I am currently viewing this laptop from Lenovo's Canadian site, and I personally think $749 CAD is a really neat price. Also I am not going for the UltraBay option and if it comes with the standard ODD the better.

I don't really mind the battery life because most of the time I'm near to a power outlet.
[edit] I'm also curious if the 1TB HDD is split into 2 drives or just 1.

Thanks everyone!:hi2:

 

I have a Y500 but the two machines are identical in all respects except for the size difference and the Y500 has 1080p and a num pad.

If the configuration says that it has a DVD or Blu-ray drive then that will be occupying the Ultrabay.

The 1TB 5400RPM HDD is one drive. There is only one hard drive bay in the laptop but you can also add an SSD via the mSATA slot and another HDD via the Ultrabay (requires purchase of proprietary caddy on Lenovo.com).

 

Has anyone here installed a fresh copy of windows 7/8 when they got their y400? There is so much crap that seems to be preloaded that i dont want, also replacing the primary HDD with an SSD. Im just wondering if anyone has done this and if they ran into any sort of issues with like the webcam not working or USBs not working.

 

Tomorrow I will receive my machine (Y400) and I am planning to do all those things: replaced the hdd with an 512 ssd + add an mSATA 240 Mushkin drive, 16GB memory and last, reinstall everything in this system. So, probably in another 2 days, I will give you guys a full feedback on this system. Because even I had so many questions and I wanted to see so many things, but there are so little information about it and I know how it feels to want do get something but having doubts.

And yes, I live in Canada as well and took the opportunity in getting this machine for $750 + tax which I believe is a great deal (I bought separately the extra GPU 650m to add the SLi option). Please keep watching this post and I will update you guys accordingly. Cheers!

 

Oh man, I may be PMing you a few question. dont think ill really run into any issues but just in case, its good to know someone else whose basicly doing the same thing.

 

Ah I see, that's nice.
Also if per se I ordered the one that would come with the 16GB SSD (1TB 5400RPM + 16GB SSD), would the SSD be the bootdrive, or no?

 

No. The SSD is much too small for an OS installation to fit in. It would be used only to cache certain startup files and frequently-used applications. It is not configurable and invisible to the user in Windows Explorer. It works the same way as hybrid drives such as the Seagate Momentus XT.

Personally I would not recommend this option as it is not cheap and you could get a dedicated 120GB-128GB mSATA SSD for the same price and use it just for the OS and games/applications. The hybrid drive setup will never be as fast as a real SSD.

 

If i just create a bootable installation USB, i should be able to put windows on again and use the Product key correct? aslong as it still registers on the same MOBO since its an OEM version?

 

I'm currently looking at purchasing the y400, It's only 720 which seems to be a great deal. If I want to sli, do I have to buy a model that comes with 2 gt650, or can I get the base model and down the road buy a second gt650, if I can buy one down the road is there anything else I would need to buy to make it work? Thanks

 

It is possible to purchase the second GPU later down the road. You would also need to purchase the IdeaPad 170W AC adapter to make it work. Both items are currently only sold on Lenovo.com.

 

I can't seem to find the gpu on lenovos site?

 

Type "GN36" into the search box. For the charger search "IdeaPad 170W AC adapter."

 

I just found it, thanks, although for the y400 wouldn't it be gn35? Secondly, and this should be my last question, is it foolish to buy a laptop now with haswell and next gen graphics expected to be out in June, I need this to last me around 2 years atleast, although I figure, if I eventually sli it that will somewhat increase its productive life.

 

My bad. GN36 is for the Y500 and GN35 is for the Y400. They are not interchangeable as the dimensions on GN36 are slightly larger.

If you're worried about Haswell and don't need a new laptop immediately then I might hold off, but I just sold my former laptop and needed a new one in a hurry so I bought a Y500. Next-gen graphics from Nvidia and AMD aren't going to arrive until next year. The 700M and 8000M cards coming out this year are all going to be rebadges or refreshes with slight performance improvements, not a brand new architecture.

 

Alright, Thanks, I think I'm going to roll with the y400.

 

Hello, everyone. I ordered my Y400 last Saturday and it was "Processing Order" until this morning. Right now it says on the Order Detail webpage that it is "In Production". Anyone knows how long it takes to ship after that?. Thanks!

 

I was also wondering about Haswelll but thought that they initially would cost a lot. I figured the chip that would be in a $700 laptop would not have an IGP that would match a 650m and I doubt a new GPU would be able to match a 650m SLI. My guess is that in 2 years the y400/y500 would be able to play the newest game at at least Medium with SLI, maybe higher.

 

Ok, so as I promised you guys, I am here typing now from my new Y400 with all the specifications in my sign.

I will start with the built quality: At first when you open it, you may feel a bit disappointed, but once you start using it for about few hours you fall in love with it. I cannot say its a beauty of a system, but I think if you get a good deal for this system, go for it, it's worth every penny.

Secondly, the GPU upgrade: I have bought separately the 650m spare and I can even use it with my 120W power adapter (the 170W adapter is on its way). Played few games with no issues. Installed the latest Nvidia driver 314.22 and everything runs on ultra smooth.

Now people are complaining about the cooling issue: That is not true. This system performs very well, cools very well and it can be used for a long time without issues whatsoever. Now, while I am typing I have both the GPU's inserted and they are running at approximately 37-38 degrees Celsius and the CPU in between 40-45 which is perfect. You can hardly hear the fans running in the system.

So my operating system (upgraded already to 8 pro media center) runs from my mSATA drive and everything else is saved on my 'large' 512 SSD.

If you need a small machine because you travel a lot and you require all the power you can get so that you can do whatever you want: photoshop, autocad, programming, any designing, gaming etc., this is the best you can get especially because you can have this system at a lower budget and the option for a secondary GPU.

How about the screen quality? I say, though its a lower resolution (And I use most of the time my alienware m18x r2), its amazing clear. No problems at all. If they spent an extra $25-$50 for the frame quality improvement, I would have said WOW!!! Yes, that's the only bad point, that the frame of the screen looks really cheap but it doesn't bother me at all.

Bottom line, I would buy this system again because when I travel in closer areas I would like something more portable and with power. So, go and get it only if you get a good deal, I guarantee you that you will not regret it, but an ssd or msata ssd drive is a must!

Please note: IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO REMOVE THE BOTTOM CASE FOR THE FIRST TIME; TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO NOT RUSH OPENING IT AS YOU MAY END UP BREAKING IT; OTHER THAN THAT, EVERYTHING ELSE IS EASY IF YOU KNOW HOW TO INSTALL AN OPERATING SYSTEM.

 

Nice review. I have to say that GT 650M SLI is overpowered for such a low-resolution display. I personally can't stand the crappy 768p screens on most laptops. I'm assuming you use an external monitor when at your desk?

Those temperatures are at idle and aren't as useful as load ones. What do you get when you fire up a game or benchmark? That would be a lot more informative for interested buyers.

Have you been able to successfully overclock on the 314.22 driver? I've read that 310.90 is the last overclockable one for this machine but I have not been able to test it out yet myself.

 

When I am at my desk I am using the alienware m18xR2 that has an 18.4 screen at 1080p. Basically I just got this machine about 3 hours back and so far I have successfully installed the memory and the drives in + I have reinstalled the operating system with all the things I need (without the Lenovo crap stuff). For backup I use Acronis, so that backup button is of no use to me...

It does make a difference when everything stays cool at idle. As for benchmarking didn't get a time to do anything yet and overclocking I do not think there is a need at all. I basically didn't want to go for the 15.6" screen, otherwise I would have just got the clevo / sager p9150 and beats those two on all sides (Y400 & Y500)... I played few games just to see how it performs and I was surprised to see how smooth run while monitoring the temperature with aida64 and haven't seen anything going above 63 degrees. In SLi mode probably high 50ish.

Basically I was very disappointed by the alienware m14xr2 (Which I gifted to a friend) because while I was doing any kind of work in time the system was getting hotter and hotter and did everything possible to have it as cool as it can gets (I added even copper thermal pads on the sink to have a better cooling). This system is by far cooler and cheaper. If they were sticking to a better screen quality they would have sold those systems like hot bread.

 

Great review. Dual SSDs...Nice! Looking to go with an SSD myself. I am not sure if I want to go with something like a 256GB mSATA and have the 1 TB drive there for storage. But since its going to be primarily for games (I have a MB Air for general use) I would want to have the games on the SSD as well to get the benefit. I am thinking of saving up for the 512 GB SDD 2.5" to replace the 1TB drive and keeping it as a backup I can just pop in if anything happens.

 

Id love to see your vantage scores with overclock and non-overclock juliant as well as 3dmark11 in SLI. I know there has been some other postings with benchies but not to many with the y400 and SLI.

 

Looking at some SSD options. It looks like mSATA SSDs are a bit more expensive than 2.5" drives. So I am wondering if 256GB is enough for the main/only drive or should I wait until the 500/512GB come down in price?

 

I will definitely post as soon as I get in few days my 170W adapter. Unfortunately I am not taking a risk with the current 120W adapter (I do not want to fry it ).

 

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/6295482 with 120W adapter which is useless

 

Looks right to me. Doubt you're gonna get any higher with the 170W charger because 3DMark 11 will not cause you to exceed the limits of the 120W. I've measured power consumption using a Kill-a-watt and my system did not exceed 110W at any time during 3DMark 11. This was with screen brightness and keyboad backlight both at maximum. Yours should be even lower since you're running SSD's and a lower-resolution screen.

In fact, 120W should be enough even for games in SLI, since no games will peg both the CPU and GPU at 100% for sustained periods of time. 3DMark 11 is no different because the graphics tests primarily load the GPU, physics test primarily loads the CPU, and combined test loads both but neither at maximum. But if you're doing an extreme stress test such as running Prime95 and FurMark fullscreen simultaneously you most certainly will exceed 120W since on my system this caused the CPU and both GPU's to all exceed TDP.

I'm not trying to say that one should not spend the money to get the 170W adapter, I'm just saying that it is technically possible to game with the 120W. But then you have no leeway and we all know that it reduces the longevity of a charger to consistently run it at or close to maximum output.

Also, nice physics score. I have gotten very close to 7600 but never past it. I reckon you're using ThrottleStop to ensure that the CPU is always running at it's highest available Turbo Boost multiplier?

 

No, everything as default, no overclocking no meddling with anything except latest driver from NVidia. I still believe this system can do more than that, I felt that it holds back because of not enough power (current).

 

Nope based on what I've seen you're not really getting lower than you should be. My scores with the 170W adapter are nearly identical everywhere except graphics. You Graphics Score is a little on the low side because I'm seeing ~3600 +/- 50 at stock. But with 3DMark there can be a some deviation between tests and stuff running in the background can also have an effect. For example turning on desktop gadgets and opening 5 tabs in Chrome will consistently decrease my Graphics Score by 100 points. Also, running in "stretched" rather than "centered" mode will automatically increase my Graphics Score by 100 or more. If I had to venture a guess you were probably running in centured as that is the default.

If your power supply were inadequate it would throttle components and cause a large dip in performance somewhere but I'm not seeing that here. 120W will probably hold you back if you decide to overclock but like I said before it's not limiting you at stock clocks in 3DMark 11.

I'm surprised that your Physics Score is so high even without ThrottleStop because my system throttled back the CPU by disabling Turbo Boost if it detected simultaneous CPU and GPU load. That meant it was running at 2.4 GHz instead of 3.2 GHz and I could not break 6500. ThrottleStop fixed it and my Physics Score jumped over 1000 points as a result.

 

What is the score with just the one GPU? I wanted to see just for comparison.

 

Can somebody with a Y400 with the 650M SLI please post their average FPS in games at max settings? I know how the 650M SLI array performs at 1080p on the Y500, but I'm curious to know how much better the frame rates are at max settings at 768p on the Y400.
Also, is the Y400's screen a typical crappy laptop 768p display, or is it actually decent? (pixelation, contrast, color reproduction, viewing angles)

 

on a sing GT650M im running League of Legends at max settings getting a steady 60fps, Starcraft i was on ultra and it never bogged down once (didnt have an fps counter) Also IMO the screen is crystal clear and the colors are actually extremely vivid. The viewing angles arent the best, but for me they're fine.

 

I just played Tomb Raider 2013 at ultra settings with no issues, no frame drops etc. etc. However, I did not check the fps. I played for near an hour without any issues...

 

Yeah well that's to be expected for GTX 680M SLI.

 

Is everything okay with you? This thread is for Y400. I played on Y400 with 650m SLi my dear friend. Even Hitman Absolution in high settings is very smooth. I am surprised of the performance this little machine gives...

 

He may have been joking given you have a machine in your sig with dual 680s.

Thanks for some real world gaming feedback. And this is still SLI with the 120W adapter? Would be cool to see some single 650m impressed especially compared to the SLI 65m configuration. I know its a lot to ask, maybe fire up Tomb Raider with the same settings and the single GPU and see the difference, maybe what settings you had to change to make it playable if needed?

 

Yes, everything runs smooth with the same 120W adapter. I am so surprised to notice that whatever I have done so far (install / remove parts / etc.) I have never had any failure on this machine ex. BSOD due to SLi or any driver issue, etc.

I had previously the alienware m14xR2 and played the same games about a week back (except Hitman). Even Need for Speed Most Wanted I played on both machines. Unfortunately on the alienware with the single 650m I had to run everything in medium to high in order to have everything running smooth. I do think if you want to have this machine running for atleast another 1-2 years with all games from high to maxed out, you will need the second GPU. Otherwise go with a custom clevo / sager which are much cheaper than the alienware and you have future proof for upgrading the GPU.

But for my need of travelling I needed something small and powerful (and it has a decent CPU as well). I got this machine including the upgrades for $1250 (and that's because of the taxes, otherwise would have been $1100) which is a decent price and I think it deserves it. Without the discount deal, its not worth even looking at it.

 

Just received mine yesterday and loving it so far. I removed the 1TB 5400 HD and replaced it with a 7200 and also did a fresh install of windows 7 (because windows 8 was crap) on the 120 msata ssd I also bought. What a great laptop. Plan on getting the second 650m soon. For the $780 i paid for the laptop, this is a beast. Finally something to replace my M11x R3.

 

No I'm fine. Are you OK? Seems like someone needs a sense of humor.

Your performance is good because of that 768p screen. 1080p will decrease your frame rates drastically. Tomb Raider and Hitman are both really demanding games. I can't stand awful 768p screens and I need the screen real estate for content work and productivity so 1080p was a no-brainer for me

 

Thinking about reinstalling Windows 8 on the internal 1TB drive. I figure if I have the Windows 8 install media, I don't really need a recovery partition. And I think stock Windows 8 I can make a recovery USB stick, right? So can the Windows 8 installer combine and format the partitions or do I need another program to do that?

 

Hey guys, I am trying to figure out why these are not avail in retail yet? Its quite perplexing. Also, can anyone tell me if the GPU RAM is GDD3 or GDDR5?

 

GDDR5. Be glad that they're not in retail yet that would only drive prices up.

 

Yeah and you are not going to find a 14" or really a 15" with these specs as this price. I would say the lack of optimus is the one thing that hurts it. But if you are looking for a pure gaming laptop (SLI!) on a budget I don't think there is any other that can beat it.

 

Im wondering whats the best product or anything to keep the bezel and screen clean. as well as maybe the keyboard
.

 

I think the best choice is a nice clean smooth cloth, put little water on it (but not too much water, just a little damped) and it will clean it so well. In time if you use anything may start making marks etc. etc.