Lenovo Y470 and Y570 Official Owners Thread

Anybody know how often the outlet adds new inventory? I was going to order the refurbished y470 Friday with the i7 and its currently out of stock.

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The outlet updates constantly, since stock is based on refurbs and returns. Pricing though appears to have no common logic or consistency.

 

Hey guys, are there any guides to install the mSATA? Would you guys say that having a 2.5 SSD is better than a mSATA SSD?

 

Y470 - remove the tiny cover, not the big one. Insert mSata until it fits snug at the connection and a screw hole aligns properly. Secure it with a screw (mine didn't come with it, so I had to get it elsewhere).

Then you need to go to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Storage -> Disk Management to assign a letter to the drive and it will become usable. If you plan to reinstall OS on that device, you can use some software to create a copy of an Operating system, which was already installed on your harddrive. Alternatively you can format both drives and do a clean installation on the SSD.

Most mSata SSDs are Sata II, so they have slower speeds in comparison to Sata III 2.5" SSDs. There really aren't too many mSata drives to choose from. If you are using SSD just for a faster boot time and loading some programs, I find a little difference between them.

 

I'm not sure why people buy sata3s anyways because I have never seen a laptop with a sata3 controller.

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There are actually plenty of laptops that support Sata III with 6 GB/S transfer rates. I know that Clevo laptops do, not really sure about Y470/Y570, never looked into that.

 

surprisingly there's now a Y470p (ala Y460p) with Radeon GPU option.

comes with the "new" Radeon HD 7690M:

$450 Coupon - Lenovo IdeaPad Y470p 08552LU Core i7-2670QM, 8GB RAM, Radeon HD 7690


which is a rebranded 6770M with 100 Mhz more memory speed. benchies shows a slight tad faster than GT 550M but I bet it'll come down to the game you're playing vs any drastic differences.

AMD Radeon HD 7690M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

there's a few Y570 i7-2630QM in stock at Lenovo Outlet for cheap but man those are probably those overheated/throttled units heh...

 

Still no refurbished y470 i7 refurbished unit. I'm not good at waiting and might pick up y460p instead. Anybody familiar with the y460p.

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May I ask is it the same for the y570?

Which brand of mSata would you guys recommend?

oh is there a limit as to how big the mSata can be?

 

I think it's different for Y570 and you need to take the bigger cover off, but it's also an easy upgrade.

You can read about my experience so far here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ideapad-essential/639815-adata-xm13-shopping-msata-ssd.html I've only used it for a couple of days, so far it's great. Can't guarantee it won't die in a year though You can find most of the available options here http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...age/541361-msata-1-8-sata-ssds-available.html thanks to Nando, although it's a pretty old thread. NVELO Dataplex SSD Caching Software Review - Seven mSATA SSDs Prove An Amazing Concept - The SSD Review here is a comprehensive review of several options which convinced me to buy ADATA.

I haven't seen one bigger than 120GB, although it's possible there are some. The drive is tiny though, much smaller than 2.5 inch SSDs, so there might be some limitations with size currently.

 

Thanks I'm just reading the technical manual. When I open it up it says I have to remove the wireless LAN/WAN? Does this mean I wont be able to use WiFi? Also the manual says that its a PCIE Mini card? Does this mean I need a converter or something?

 

My Y470 is almost a month old already but I haven’t spent much time tinkering with it and have yet to update my drivers. I have downloaded the latest drivers from Lenovo’s consumer support but I haven’t installed them. Also, I have yet to back up my system using the one key recovery key. Too busy with grad school work and being a family man at the moment.

Sorry for being noob-ish but please indulge me on a few questions:

In creating a recovery disc, do I need to back up the current system (regularly updated) or the default factory settings? Or both?

Do I still need to download the latest Onboard Graphics Driver (2011-11-24, 642MB) if I already have the latest Intel Onboard Graphics Driver (2011-11-24,84.7MB) and nVidia Display Driver (2011-11-24, 158MB)? Also, is the nVidia Display driver the same as the one in Verde drivers?

Lastly, do I need to do a clean install of the OS before I begin updating my drivers? I notice that during the GUI boot screen, there’s always a half-second lag/jitter whenever the animated Windows logo shows up. Does this mean something’s wrong with my OS or just in need of a drivers update?

Thanks in advance guys and gurus!

 

You don't actually remove anything. They are talking about WWAN slot, which can be used for 3G networks and other things. You still get to keep a wireless card for Wifi and LAN connections. The PCIE Mini port is the one you use to install mSata SSD, no converter needed. Just make sure it's mSata and not 1.8" or 2.5" SSD.

 

Hi All,
Just got my y470 delivered today...
Just had 2 questions :
1.) The performance tester shows the graphics at 4.6
What may be the reason for this??
2.) What all present games can I play on it??Checked into nvidia online,it said the card doesnt have SLI ,so can I still play games that require it??

A list of games playable will be highly appreciated.

Cheerio

 

is the mSATA using a SATA3 Controller ?

 

Any Source engine game will run fine.

on my Y570 I've been playing:


Portal 2 - High
Dead Island - Med
Skyrim - Med
Dungeon Defenders - High
Alice: Madness Returns - Med
Just Cause 2 - Med
GTA IV: Episodes of Liberty City - Med
Guild Wars - High


Most games can run at Med-High.

 

@ ekokinex...thanks...

But what about the windows index.Its showing 4.6 for graphic.Do I need to change something??

And have you tried games like mw3,bf3 or arkham city..??

Thanks in advance..

Cheerio

 

I like everything about my one day old 470 but the display. Contrast is awful for viewing movies, unless in a perfect angle. A lot of gray in places due to weak viewing angles. Games and web not as impacted, but Blu ray tests have not been good.

The color, resolution and sound are great, but contrast drags the good attributes down for movies, since a lot more dark color and black in movies.

I might be sending my 470 back, but will test more after work.

 

So I've tried to overclock my Y470 and so far I have really good results. I'm using Nvidia System Tools. The temperatures are staying below 70C for GPU and so far I've seen a 18% improvement over stock performance. Going from GT 550M video card: P4697 3DMarks to GT 550M video card: P5539 3DMarks in 3dMark Vantage. I used a notebook cooler, and the highest temperature during the test was 66C for GPU and 79C for CPU. The last clocks I used were 902/1010/1804. It looks like I can overclock it even further, just wondering how far can you take it.

Update: Incremented to 912/1020/1824. Ran 3dMark06 without notebook cooler. Temps got to 69C on GPU and 82C on CPU. Result 10922 Marks vs 9411 Marks on stock or 16% improvement.

Update2: Incremented to 922/1030/1848. Driver crashed. Ran 3dMark11 on stock settings, no increase in temperatures without the notebook cooler. Got 1169 score.

Update3: Reverting to previous 912/1020/1824 and running again. I think there are some artifacts showing up during graphics tests, but unsure. Driver stayed stable though and completed the test. 1411 score or 20% improvement. Temperatures below 70C for GPU and 82C for CPU without notebook cooler.

So far all of the temperatures are within operating limits. I think I will stick with 900/1100/1800 and try to have some game sessions with it to see how hot and stable this overclock will be.

 

I'm not sure what can bump it up.

Graphics: 5.7
Gaming Graphics: 6.7

The 550M and 555M should be very close. How much RAM is in your laptop?

I have all those games on my XBOX 360. I haven't tried any of them on the laptop.

 

Just bought the MyDigitalSSD 64GB mSATA SSD from Amazon =) waiting for it to be delivered. Cost $120 with postage to my door in Sydney. Will post my benchmarks from CrystalDisk when I get it and play around with it.

 

I'm interested in how much time it saves upon bootup using a msata and also the impact on your windows index score.

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My boot times are 15 seconds with ADATA XM13 mSata SSD. Here is my WEI:

Spoiler

 

Hey guys long time no see! Been pretty busy. Anyways update on my external enclosure journey.

Originally I bought some piece of junk USB 3 which didnt work. Newegg was great and didnt even hassle me with returning it then I got this baby Newegg.com - COOLMAX HD-250BK-U3 Aluminum 2.5" Black USB 3.0 External Enclosure
Only $18 with USB 3.0 on a 2.5"

I'm posting this because I could not find anywhere USB 3.0 speeds on a 5400RPM HD!

To test this I moved my 12gb Steam folder (which has a lot of files etc) to to my 5400rpm HD and I was getting 50mbs (took about 2 1/2 minutes total) which is good enough for me! Hope this helps someone. I might also test a 7200 RPM HD, and If im feeling up to it ill test my SSD.

 

Hey guys, I have a question about shipping times of their y570's, how has everyones shipping experience been with prebuilt laptops? I've seen some really bad stuff about their shipping and CS. Can anyone shed some light?

 

Hi everyone! I've read through the entire thread (took me a couple of days, but yes, I read all 248 pages :GEEK: ). I have an y570 i7 w/ 64gb ssd (complete specs below), and noticed that quite a few people said the machine should boot faster and have better WEI scores when it has an SSD. I'm wondering if I have to do something to improve my laptop's performance? I get 40-50s boots, and below is my WEI. I know that I shouldn't be too concerned about the WEI, but it just seems that my y570 isn't performing as it should. I don't know much about computers btw, I just based my observations on the advice I read in other posts.

Processor 7.5
RAM 7.6
Graphics 6.7
Gaming graphics 6.7
primary hard disk 5.9

PS. don't know how to turn the sig on, so here's my laptop specs
Ideapad Y570 i7 2720QM, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 1GB nVidia GT 555M, 64GB SSD, 750GB HD

 

I bought my y570 Jan 12, est shipping date Feb 3. I got the shipping confirmation Jan 18, and received my order Jan 23 (free 3 business day shipping).

 

Thanks man,

I wanted to ask the time between "in process" and "shipping" are those the only statuses? I've been "in process" for 3-4 days is this normal for you guys?

 

some of the guys here had problems (delays) during the in-process times, but I haven't read of anyone who's been having any delays lately. maybe since the flooding in thailand is now over, HDs are easier to come by = faster processing times?

 

I think 3-4 days processing is quite normal, though there have been a few who had theirs processed faster.

 

What kind of SSD is it? Can you run CrystalDiskMark test to check the speed?

 

Cool, Thanks. I've been sent an estimated date of 2/1/2012. Hopefully that stays true.

 

I got the y570 with the built-in SSD. I'll try the CrystalDiskMark now.

 

Click the Start Button and then click the "Programs" folder.
Next, click the "Accessories" and then the "System Information" or "System Tools" folder.
Open the "System Information" file.
Within the System Information window, click the + symbol next to Components.
Click the "+" next to "Storage" and click on "Drives" or "Disks", in the right side of the window you should be able to locate complete information about the hard disk drive including the size of the hard drive and model number or the serial number.

For example, in the "Disks" it says ST9500420AS for my HDD model number. A quick search points to ST9500420AS Momentus 7200.4 SATA 3Gb/s 500-GB Hard Drive | Seagate. Since I bought my mSata, I don't need to look it up.

I have a question myself, how did you manage to get Windows Aero Score to detect your Nvidia card instead of integrated one, or does it do that by itself?

 

hey guys im getting the y570 tomorrow and another question i have is about the battery. am i suppose to charge it overnight or hav it at 100% and take the plug off until it is at like 5% or something. im really noob about the battery part and i dont want to screw it up.

 

here's my crystaldiskmark results. My nVidia switch was on during WEI, I guess that's why I had a higher score.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : Crystal Dew World
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

Sequential Read : 37.432 MB/s
Sequential Write : 46.397 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 20.778 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 22.531 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.396 MB/s [ 96.6 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.786 MB/s [ 191.9 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.929 MB/s [ 226.7 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.821 MB/s [ 200.5 IOPS]

Test : 1000 MB [D: 11.2% (3.3/29.3 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2012/01/29 16:49:17
OS : Windows 7 Home Premium Edition SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)

PS. I have no idea what these numbers mean, haha. anyone care to interpret them for me?

 

its a TOSHIBA THNSNB064GMCJ 64GB SSD SATA.

 

Your numbers don't reflect SSD speeds, it looks like 5400 RPM hard drive speed. Perhaps it's the rapid drive fault. Are you sure you selected the SSD during crystaldiskmark test or you just have a single combined drive? I see a 29.3GB partition with 3.3GB of data on it, not sure what that is. I did a fresh Windows install and separated the drives, didn't like the partitions that Lenovo comes with by default and additional programs that I didn't really need. The only software I kept was boot optimizing, one-key theatre and energy management.

Here are mine:


The numbers represent the rate at which the disk is able to access different types of data.

 

I'm pretty sure I selected the SSD for the test, but it general, my laptop just doesn't seem to be working like the other laptops with SSDs here. Do I have to update a driver or something? I haven't updated anything other than the windows updates, though i did get rid of some of the bloatware. My system seems to be different though, I haven't seen anyone else here with an i7 2720QM.

 

I have no idea what's wrong with this, haha. Is it possible that the rapid drive isn't recognizing the SSD and just using the HD? this is the first time that I've bought a laptop, so I'm just starting to learn how to make it work properly.

 

Got with 2670QM, 8gb, 500gb 7200 rpm, 550m and Bluray with three year on-site & accident insurance for $1,048 total cost. Will replace my three year old desktop (becoming arcade machine).


Build: Build is clean and no apparent defects, but does not seem as tough as my work T400.

Speed: Fantastic for a device this size. GTA 4 and Saints Row 3 play great

Heat: Very good heat displacement and the device is only near hot at the exhaust point when playing games like GTA 4 (where it should be).

Noise: Fairly quiet except when running heavy tasks, but never sounds like a hovercraft that some laptops do.

Sound: Best laptop speakers I have heard (amazing). In fact, using the comparison of laptop speakers is an insult to the Y470.

Wifi range: Better than expected and very fast throughput rates (some posts suggested weak wifi, but not seeing it and my router is upstairs from the laptop during tests).

Connectivity: Great for a 14" laptop.

Bloat: There is not much bloat on the Y470, so I am not compelled like I was with some previous laptops to uninstall or modify MSCONFIG. Dell and HP are the opposite. Not seeing what other folks have been talking about, since the Y470 seem far leaner than other OEMs.

Keyboard: Very nice and robust keyboard with good key action.

Battery life: About four hours as other folks for general use. IMO, it is NUTS that Lenovo does not offer a bigger cell extended battery option for purchase. There is not even an aftermarket option.

Display: I have saved this for last, since IMO is the only real negative, but a big one. I also have a Rev 1 M11X and a T400 (from work). The Y470 display mainly looks fine when browsing or playing games, but is IMO below average due to contrast for movies. Due to contrast graying out in spots, the only good angle for movie watching is staight on and even that is not very good.

I am still deciding on returning the Y470 or not, due to the display. It is pretty bad when the M11X display looks better, which it does. Ditto for the T400- looks better too. I went to Staples today just to compare to other displays from Dell, HP and Toshiba. Even the blown up 15.6" displays with 1366X768 looked better than the Y470, due to the Y470's awful contrast. I think "awful" is a fair description.

In summary, everything about this laptop rocks, but the display (which is kind of important). Perhaps I unlucked out and got one of the worse OEM panels they put in a Y470, since I disagree that the Y470 panel is not bad.

The display resolution is fine and the colors are very good, but when blacks and darker shades dominate, THAT is where the Y470 display shows below average weakness. Using the device to play movies is a big part of the purchase (using the laptop display & Bluray). Added: I appreciate the Y470 has an LCD panel, but so does the M11X and T400. They both have much darker grays for "blacks" and okay viewing angles. Not so for the Y470.

Is there any way to calibrate the display contrast, besides the built-in windows options? They only adjust brightness, color and gamma. I want to keep this laptop, since everything else rocks.

1/31 update:

Updated below. Tweaked settings via the Intel display options. Got the display set up to where it is good enough to keep. Happy, since the Y470 rocks

 

okay i got my Y570 i7 8GB 500 GB 5400 RPM w/ 555m graphics.
so far im liking it! the fan has been pretty quiet when installing/uninstalling programs. i tried the window rating system with the optimus on and i got a 6. something i forget lol. others were pretty high around 7ish.
i do get static when using earphones and did th open the Real audio and it decreased the static. you can still hear it but its okay. honestly the static doesnt bother me as much.
i hav still yet the play games on it so i dont know what th temps will be like.
keyboard is pretty solid. though i thought they would be bigger but it's all good. gotta get used to the enter and shift key on the right because i tend to hit one of the number pad keys.
bloatware not alot, some useless some good.
display, again it doesnt bother me but its very wobbly and it makes it seem very weak. in my opinion the colors seem great and i looked at it from an angle it looks okay but im not very picky so to others it might be different.
battery life is okay i guess, im used to just having it plugged it all th time so i have to adjust using all the battery life when surfing and watching movies. for games i put it on best battery mode so ill have it plugged in all th time.
i dont know about the speed for this one cus my old latop (intel core duo 2.3ghz with 4gb ram) is about th same speed as the i7 8gb. but i only didnt do any heavy things with it so that might change.
all in all great laptop wish i couldve got the 10% off so it wouldve been 800 but it came out as 900. shipping was fast for me ordred 1/24 came 1/30 and i live in CA

 

Is there any local stores that have a laptop with a comparable screen that is possible to see before buying? The only laptop I have seen close to this is the e420 but not sure how similar the two screens are. I am getting worried about the contrast of the screen and am having second thoughts.

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I think if you find any Idea laptop 14" model it will have a similar display.

Everything else is so good, I am hoping there is a way to improve the contrast of the display, via settings. I remember seeing calibration settings, but do not know what the OP used to calibrate. I think the answer may be buried in this giant thread.....

The combination of features, performance and full warranty on this laptop can not be touched for the price.

 

I plan to do the same when my SSD gets delivered I hope to get similar speeds to you too...sounds like you got it pretty sweet.

 

In regards to recalling a post about adjusting contrast: Found it!

Where do you adjust contrast in settings?

 

Right click on desktop screens, graphic properties, color management. It doesn't really fix contrast, just removes the bluish hue. I actually preferred 0.8 Gamma on blue.

 

Hi guys, posting a set of earlier (unanswered) question:

Do I need to do a clean install of the OS before I begin updating my drivers? I notice that during the GUI boot screen, there’s always a half-second lag/jitter whenever the animated Windows logo shows up. Does this mean something’s wrong with my OS or just in need of a drivers update?

In creating a recovery disc, do I need to back up the current system (regularly updated) or the default factory settings? Or both?

Do I still need to download the latest Onboard Graphics Driver (2011-11-24, 642MB) if I already have the latest Intel Onboard Graphics Driver (2011-11-24,84.7MB) and nVidia Display Driver (2011-11-24, 158MB)? Also, is the nVidia Display driver the same as the one in Verde drivers?

Thanks!

 

Yep, found that, but the OP mentions specific contrast parameters, so appears to be another method.

Update: Or maybe not...

I am beginning to think I just got a lower end panel, since no way others would not be hollering too. I am not that picky, but the panel starts to gray out with just ten degrees of angle and even looking straight on, there are some areas with issue (there is no angle on this display that provides uniform contrast). Looks great when lots of color, that are not dominated by darker shades and black and shallow angles.


In spite of this, all the good stuff makes me want to keep it. Just need to fix the contrast, since that is what is killing my impression of the display. No LCD panel has true blacks, but usually much darker grays to contrast and create the sense of black.

Update 2: I am a dumb a$$, since the Intel display adjustments are a simple right click and graphic tweak away. Was able to tweak to where I will keep the Y470. Not great, but good enough now

 

Pretty excited to get my Y570 tomorrow and hopefully I can get my SSD by friday morning! Fingers Crossed!!