Lenovo Y400 Owners lounge

I tried to decide to but either Y400 or Y500. but I am not clear about the usb 3.0 port and max ram and also msata option.

According to the Y400 and Y500 spec sheets, does Y400 really has 2 USB 2.0 and ONE USB 3.0 port?
And Y500 has TWO USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0 port?
Is it a typo in the Y400 and/or Y500 spec sheets?

Also according to the spec sheet, Y400 has max 8GB RAM and Y500 max 16GB RAM, is it true?
I remember I read somewhere someone has Y400 with 16GB RAM (bought on his own).

Only have 1 USB 3.0 port and/or cannot go to 16GB RAM will be deal breaker for me.

If I order the NON-MSATA version of Y400 or Y500, can I add the msata later on (i.e. do they have the same motherboard with the msata slot)?

Any insights will be appreciated.

 

y400 has 1 usb 3.0, not sure about y500. y400 can go up to 16gb of ram, but with only 2 slots (same as y500). You can put your own msata into the machine. It's probably better to save money buying a nonmsata version, and just buy a larger one to put in and install the OS on, or buy a regular SSD.

 

Here are all the facts hkch. The Y400 and Y500 are identical with the exception of (1-6):

1.) Weight
2.) Size
3.) Screen Size/Resolution
4.) The Y500 has a NumPad, the Y400 does not.
5.) The Y500 has 2X USB 3.0 ports and 1X USB 2.0 port. The Y400 has 2X USB 2.0 ports and 1X USB 3.0 port
6.) The Y500 has a brushed aluminum finish on its lid. The Y400 has a carbon fiber inspired aluminum finish on its lid

Extra Information:

7.) Both machines can accept aftermarket mSATA SSDs as well as standard 2.5" SSDs and HDDs.
8.) Both machines have 2X RAM slots which accept up to 8GB of RAM each for a total of 16GB of RAM

 

Is it possible to get a disk with the OS installation only? I partitioned with the OS and apps on on partition, and the other one is all my stuff... I don't want to remove everything everytime I want to reinstall the OS.

 

I apologize if this has been asked in this thread or forum, but I could not find the answer via search...

I was wondering if the Y400 is compatible as a hackintosh with Mountain Lion?

 

Just to add to Kukri, owning the Y500 I can tell you even though it has two USB 3.0 (left) I have yet to fit two devices in both slots at the same time since the ports are WAY too close together.So unless you are stripping the casing from your USB drives, using USB devices with really slim casing, or using USB male to female adapters (again, with slim housing) then It's basically like having 1 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0.

 

One way to solve this is to just use a USB 3.0 hub, with the added benefit of giving you more ports. Since the 5Gbit/s bandwidth is shared amongst all the system USB ports, you're not losing any speed by running several USB 3.0 devices off of one hub, except if you have several powered devices plugged in, in which case a single USB port might not provide enough juice.

 

The USB ports arent that close. I have 3 devices plugged in at all times with 3 USB cords. As octiceps mentioned, it'd be worth it to get a US hub. I'm definitely going to invest in one, because 3 USB ports just isn't enough for using an external keyboard and mouse all the time, lol.

 

Help please!

I apologize for putting this in this forum. Has anyone made a backup of their system when they first got it? I made a backup for mine but it is corrupt. I do not need it now but would like to have one for if I sell the laptop later.

If necessary, I can pay you to ship me some disc or whatever.

I had the model with just the 1tb Seagate HDD without the SSD.
750m Single
I7-3630QM
8GB

 

Just call Lenovo and ask for backup disks, you are better that way. They shouldn't be that expensive + free delivery.

 

Here in China the i5 vs i7 price difference is more than 100$++, so can anyone confirm major performance boost with the i7?
If not I'm seriously considering buying the i5, my budget is abit tight

 

Yeah that was my first plan of attack until they said $59. Figured I would try an alternate route!

 

I said for the Y500 they're way too close, not the Y400. Have a look:

 

Hello everyone,
I have a lenovo Y400 with 1tb mechanical hard drive, 8gb of memory, the 2.4ghz i7, and sli gt 650m's. I added the ultra-bay gt 650m after I ordered the laptop since at the time I could not buy it pre-installed.

There seems to be some confusion on the necessity of a 170w power supply for the Y400 to power a second 650m located in the ultra-bay. I have found mixed answers from the Lenovo sales and technical staff about needing the 170 watt power supply adapter or sticking with the stock 120w power supply. I ordered a 170w power supply earlier this week and got it just yesterday. So today I am here to share my results on my findings.



Above are the two power supplies. The 120w on the left and the 170w on the right. Which is a little bit bigger in size. While using the new power supply I have found little to no performance difference using the two power supplies. So for the test I am going to remove my battery and run the laptop solely off of the power supply brick. The program for the performance test I'm using is 3D Mark 11. I will be running the computer at maximum performance with the display at 100% Brightness and all options using as much power as possible.

Below is the 120w Power Supply Result:


Below this line is the 170w Power Supply Result:


The scores do fluctuate and end up being in the 3690 - 3725 range on both Power Supplies. Which in this case suggests that it does not matter which Power Supply is used for the Y400 in gt650m SLI.

 

Yeah, it is a known fact that the system with dual 650M will work perfectly with the 120w adapter. I went through this about 2 months back, you can also game on your system with the same power supply without any issues (I did that over 4-5 hours continuously and nothing happened). The problem may come out if you overclock those 2 suckers (when you play with the voltage on the overclock). It is a rare case when 1 card draws 45W from your power adapter, but in this case of Y400 (knowing that the screen resolution is not that high), you will not run both the cards at 100%. Overall, it is good you got the 170w just in case in time the 120w will fail on you.

 

I want to warn everyone of an issue at Lenovo, I'm sure its posted here somewhere so if I'm repeating I'm sorry. I ordered a Y400 gt750, then ordered a Y400 OC22230 graphics card which I thought was the gt750 graphics bay. A week after getting the laptop they sent out the graphics card for a gt650. That won't work in your gt750. I informed them of web sites vague description they have yet to correct it. New gt750 bay won't be available there until July sometime.

 

Greetings, I've owned my Y400 since November and I just ran into the keyboard issue where it just randomly cuts out and types random characters. Has anyone figured out a solution to this problem? Or has Lenovo said anything?

Thanks!

 

I had an issue like that a couple of months ago, it's most likely a software problem. I restored to a previous point in that evening and the problem got solved. Mind you, I had downloaded some files from dubious sources.

 

lol ya I don't understand why they name them like that, why not call them what they are!? So confusing...

 

I am looking at either getting the Y400 or the Asus G46VW. I realize that the Y400 is a bit cheaper (with a slightly better config), but am leaning towards the Asus so far. My concerns with the Y400 (in comparison to the Asus G46VW) are build quality and battery life. Here's what I am thinking so far...

I'm a Mac user, but only recently (about 3 years now) and I like to still keep up with the Windows side (personally and for work). I have plenty of experience with Win7, but next to none with Win8. So the laptop would be used for mostly Windows 8 testing, personal use, and light gaming.

Asus G46VW

+ Build quality & design

+ Available at Best Buy (This gives me the option to finance, which I don't have to do but having the option is nice since I already have their card. Plus the points are also a nice bonus).

= Performance is going to be really similar. I know I can eventually SLI the Y400 and even upgrade to the i7 for $40 more, but for my use I would probably not SLI ever, but the i7 upgrade is something to consider.

- Price. Even at $799 (Clearance price does not appear to be available at mine, at least online. Story may change when I scan it in store), that's still more than what I would pay Lenovo for an i7 750M.

Lenovo Y400

+ Cheaper. I get an EPP discount through my employer which makes a slightly higher config Y400 about $60 cheaper than the Asus from BB. Also there are the outlet units to consider.

+ Ultra bay upgradability and comes with DVD drive. I believe the Asus does not come with a drive, and not sure if adding one is possible. This is not a huge deal for my since none of the other computers in my house have drives (iMac and MBA). However, I may be tempted to add a Blu-ray drive (if possible).

- Build quality & design

- Financing is probably an option, but would mean I would have to open another line of credit, so in this case I would probably pay for it straight up...

- Wait period. Not a huge deal and there is no hurry, but Asus gets the nod here as I could pick one up in an hour.

I would like to here some other opinions especially from Y400 owners as there may be some considerations I have missed. I may even just buy both and return the one I don't end up liking (I get 60 day returns at BB, but would have to check Lenovo return policy).

Thanks in advance.

 

@Jed

XoticPC and GentechPC now have the MSI GE40 codename "Dragon Eyes" in stock and available for customization and shipping.
It comes stock with the new i7 Quadcore Intel Haswell, Geforce Gtx 760m, HD+900p display, and only weighs 4.5lbs.

Buying G46 and y400 now with its older tech would be silly unless you can grab it for around $600-700 bucks and that's with the crappy low resolution display.

If you really want Asus or Lenovo then wait for a refresh. There's also the up and coming refresh and redesign M14x R3 and Clevo 13" in the coming weeks.

 

Thanks for the reply and info. The MSI GE40 looks nice, but more than I want to spend. It does not have to be either of the ones mentioned, but at the price range (under $800) all I could find was the Asus and the Lenovo. Also, I would not refer to the Lenovo as "old tech" as GPU is rather recent and the only thing "old" is Ivy Bridge which is not that big a deal. If it were still Sandy Bridge or older, then I could understand that...

If there are other options (or soon to be options) in the under $800 range for light gaming laptops, I would definitely be interested, thanks.

 

I think a Y400 is the best deal going right now, even with Haswell, since Haswell really isn't a big improvement, just another reason to shell out more cash than necessary. The Y400 with 650m, refurbed from lenovo, would cost you very little right now, and be awesome if you like to plug your lappy into an external monitor when you're not on the move. Otherwise, go with the y500.

 

USB Always on

Has anyone enabled this in the bios and actually tried it? Mine is not powering devices at all with the laptop off. Tried a few devices and different cables...not working.

 

May seem stupid to ask, but are you sure you are using the right USB input? Only one works as Always On.


Also wanted to post that I have had my Y400 for about 2 months now and its working great. I haven't had any issues. Although I will be bummed if a 750M ultrabay never hits the website, I am very happy with the system.

 

Yes using the yellow port

 

USB always on works for me.

 

The always on USB is now working. Its like I had to boot all the way into Windows and THEN shutdown for it to kick on. It wouldnt kick on by enabling it in bios, restarting. Very strange.

 

The lenovo y410 just got released and I was wondering if the upgraded HD+ plus display can be used on the y400.

 

yeah, i just saw that. it uses the 4 generation i7 and a bigger screen resolution. but the body looks the same as the y400. is the y410 an upgraded y400?

 

I think for the most part it is. I read that the Y510P is a little thinner than the Y500. Hopefully the ultrabay is the same size so a 750M card will work in both the 400 and 410P. But there is a premium for the gen 4 i7 as opposed to when they upgraded the 650M to 750M the price barely changed at all.

 

Saw that they disabled iGPU again in y510p, anyone know if it's disabled as well in y410p?

 

It should be, both still has the same SLI Ultrabay

 

So optimus is disabled to make way for SLI but why is Lenovo now claiming 5 hours of battery on the new y510/y410 when it was 3 hours on the y500/y400?

Where did they magically find 2 more hours of battery life when the intel gpu is disabled?

 

3 hours of battery life on a Lenovo Y400 / Y500 is real-world usage.
5 hours of battery life on a Lenovo Y410 / Y510 is a marketing claim.

It's pretty common to have inflated battery life claims from marketing. They usually say " Up to XXX hours on battery life", assuming that you're at minimum screen brightness, with all WiFi / Bluetooth radios off, with your computer at near-idle (e.g. typing a document in Microsoft Word).

For a high-powered machine like a Lenovo Y410 / Y510, the improvements to battery life going from Ivy Bridge --> Haswell will be nearly negligible, since CPU power draw is a much smaller proportion of overall system power draw (due to discrete GPU and large screens) compared to something like a small 11.6" or 13.3" ultrabook with a low-res screen.

 

I apologize if someone already brought this up, but it appears that the Y410P might actually be lighter... I believe Lenovo has some typos on their site. For example, the first pic below shows that Lenovo lists both the Y400 and Y410 as 5.5lbs even though the 410P is thinner. When you go into the "Learn More" of the Y400 and select the "Tech Specs" tab it now shows the dimension incorrectly (actually the Y410P dimensions) and a weight of 4.85lbs which would make more sense for the Y410P weight. The weight difference and the screen make a huge difference for me and will actually prompt me to re-order.

 

i think i might just get the y410 because it comes with the 900p screen and sli will be available for it later on. thank god i waited.

 

Lucky bastage, I'm a few days over the 21 day return policy, I was going to return this Y400 and order the Y410P until I found my order date was a little too long ago, grrrrr

 

I would call and ask. I have zero experience with Lenovo, but had a similar experience with Apple and was able to return even though I was past the return period.

 

doesn't the new nvidia 700 series graphics cards uses less power? same goes for the haswell processors. maybe that's where they squeezed out the extra 2 hours,

 

Any recommendations on a second AC adapter? I know that there is the 170W power adapter from lenovo. But its a bit pricey. I want to be able to use SLI in the future so looking for a 170W+ adapter.

 

Favor?

Could someone please go in their bios and tell me what it says for Windows License at the bios homescreen?

I reinstalled Windows 8 but not sure if it is the same version that came with the laptop.

Thanks!

 

win8 std mlt

 

Hey you all,

So I am going to be entering an architecture program and I will be needing a laptop to run heavy rendering programs like autoCAD, Revit, Photoshop, etc.

I have been reading these reviews on the Y-series of Lenovo and researching and it seems like the perfect match. However I have noticed on Lenovos faceboom about terrible customer service and laptop failures. As well as them not delivering thier laptops on time.

Does anyone have any suggestions or comments that could help?

 

I know it's not the answer to the question but I wanted to mention this.
Nvidia geforce 6xxm and 7xxm gpu's are pretty slow at heavy professional rendering programs like CS6 and CAD. If it's really heavy it might be worth looking at professional gpu's like nvidia quadro's or amd firepro. AMD radeon cards also do a great job. Geforce cards are perfect for gaming, but not CAD.

 

Thanks for your reply. I figured that this would be ideal since it is what our school specifically requested. How are the Intel HD 4000 graphics? I assume since they are not a dedicted graphics card, they aren't as good?

 

Anyone know if the y400 supports SDHC or SDXC cards?

 

What did your school request? The y400?

The intel hd4000 is very slow. It's not really suitable for CAD nor gaming.

 

Hey Guys!

So I ordered a Y400, but just noticed the Y410p. Any MAJOR difference between the two? Thanks!

 

Hi guys. I'm going to be purchasing a refurbished Y400/Y500 pretty soon off the Lenovo Outlet. I've been reading a ton on them. I'm pretty sure its what I've been searching for. I have a couple of questions, if someone could answer please.

1: In the single 650m versions, does the card come in the ultrabay slot, or is it built in and does it come with a DVD/Blu-Ray drive in the ultrabay?

2: Is it possible to buy a 750m for the ultrabay for either model? I looked around a little and all I could find was the 650m.

3: (Kind of having to do with #1), if, further down the road I want to SLI the 650's, do I simply buy a second 650m ultrabay card, and plug it in? Or is there a special insert that has dual cards, or how does that work?

4: I'm wanting to be able to play Arma 3/DayZ. How does the single 650M run these games? All I can find are the SLI versions.

Thank you very much,
NateWW

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