Lenovo Y50 Owners and Information Thread

Guys, how come I get the "couldn't load flash" error on Chrome such as when I open facebook videos? Firefox also lags when scrolling and when loading pages....

 

Okay I'll give this a try I'll order the thermal paste you suggested in the morning. If I run into any problems I'll be sure to post here while doing it. I'll also need to look up how to clean and repaste it properly hopefully this fixes the problem.

 

Do tell us the result. I've posted previously that my cpu temp jumped 10C after 2 weeks of use and wondering if it's the thermal paste that is the issue.

 

Yes, and I have several laptops in the room, only Y50 with Realtek has problems with the WiFi. It loses signal all the time.

 

Have you guys tried to install a clean Windows 7 or 8.1 on your Lenovo? I'm thinking of trying, just because I read somewhere that a fresh install could solve this issue... BUT, the more I read about other vendors with the same intel adapter, my hopes are fading. How could it be a driver issue when I tried 6 different drivers?

 

I got Y50 without Windows so, I have clean install on it. Sadly the issue still remains.

 

Ok thanks for that update, then I will NOT reinstall windows I guess I will buy a new adapter because I think (close to knowing) that you can switch the wireless network adapter pretty easily! The question is which adapter should I get?

 

Replacement of the wifi-bluetooth card: 10 minutes ca: Tear Down Lenovo Ideapad Y50-70: How to update RAM, Hard Disk and LCD - YouTube
So I think a qualcomm card would do the trick!

 

The wifi card must be whitelisted from Lenovo(hence included in the BIOS) otherwise it won't be recognized by the system. Judging by some posts in this thread buying the same card as other Lenovo Y50 system doesn't seem to work either, i.e. an Intel 7260 card might not work in your laptop despite the fact that my Y50 came with that card.

 

Can't we modify the BIOS and add the network card in the whitelist? Sort of the same way as modifying the bios on your graphic card for higher voltage etc..?

 

So, modify system BIOS, modify graphics card BIOS, replace screen, replace wifi card, replace hard disk....
Why do we bought this laptop at first place

 

1) I did not have many problems with scaling. I set the resolution to 4k, because there is a huge difference in sharpness when you downgrade it to 1080p. However, I have enabled "Let me choose same scaling level on all my displays" and set sizing options to 300%. It works perfectly for most applications. For some applications I have to uncheck "high dpi scaling" options and change settings a bit. But it is manageable and one time thing.

2) I think battery life is a bit less in 4k. I have used the FHD version and it lasted a bit longer. But in either case, battery on this laptop is not marvelous anyways

3) I did not have any problems with flickering.

4) Yellows are not accurate. You can make them a bit better using custom settings, there is another thread for yellow calibration on nbr. I think even with bad yellow reproduction, this display looks glorious.

 

Yes but it's basically hacking and its not a simple thing to do. A few pages back someone posted a link to another forum where they requested a bios mod for that very same reason. I think someone from that forum actually did the mod but not sure if it was successful, besides, as far as I know it wasn't a universal mod but just for that particular laptop.

 

Cos it looks cool

Seriously though, I've only had minor issues with mine and I'm very satisfied with its overall performance.

 

Please tell me one alternative laptop.
Same budget and same specs.

 

i'm not complaining, don't get me wrong. Just this pop up in my mind, because we all want perfect system.

 

For me the computer is perfect. I got the most expensive edition with 512gb ssd aswell, and a screen that works fine for me.The only disappointing thing is wifi card. I don't experience any drops in connection as far as windows 8.1 can see, but the speed is not stable, ranging from 3mbps to 30mbps (while another computer get 40mbps sometimes). Flashing the bios is of course a dangerous thing to do, I guess if everything really goes wrong you end with a bricked/not usable Y50? That's worse than a bad wifi connection.

 

So how could someone know which wifi card he could put in his laptop? I use a wifi stick atm and I`m really thinking about changing my realtek card with another one. I love the y50 in all other aspects, although i might change my sshd for a ssd someday.

 

Well, in theory the compatible cards are listed under "Parts list" in the hardware maintenance manual:
http://download.lenovo.com/consumer/mobiles_pub/lenovo_y40_50_series_hmm.pdf
However I have no idea if you can buy those cards from anywhere or they must be Lenovo products so to speak(with their FRU numbers). Also there is something I assume it's a version(V2) maybe the Intel 7260 that didn't work was not that version, I don't know.

The screenshot below is taken from the manual from the link above:

 

Interessting thanks for that list. I can find the two first Intel cards, 3160 and 7260 from norwegian web shops. I'll check if intel 3160 is worth the 30$ or 16euros.
What types of cards are the three other cards?

 

Same budget + cost of replacement screen + SSD cost if your version didn't come with it + Network card cost.

 

I got the last network card on that list...don't even consider buying that one (Realtek). =) It is single band and not very good for playing online games (poor connection stability). That's why i want to change it.

 

I assume Realtek 8723BE, CyberTan/Broadcom BCM43142, the third no idea maybe Liteon/Atheros.

 

Maybe a USB dongle for wifi then?! If none of the internal cards work it could be a solution

 

Well, my 7260 work fine I think, so far I have no complains..

 

1) I have scaling issues with some programs. For example, the login screen for Battle.net to play WoW it's so tiny I can't even see my login ID.
Once I'm logged in and playing, the text for chatting or messages is tiny, as well as the mouse cursor.
If I change the game settings to play under 1920X1080 then the screen size is playable in a small window in the middle of the laptop screen.
I had similar issues with the flash player on Youtube using Firefox, but I changed to Chrome and the player works fine now (I don't like IE).

2) I haven't used it unplugged.

3) I haven't seen any so far.

4) On first impression is good, but then I played The Simpsons movie and the characters look ugly.
I have tried a couple of color profiles in the forum but none has worked for me. There are several around so I'll keep trying.

 

Strange! I have 45% signal strength and crap speed, my friend has a 2 year old asus laptop and he has 85% signal strength. The info is taken from the old dlink 6555 we are using now. We have bought a new linksys router but are still waiting for it to show up in the mail. could you check your signal strength maybe on different devices from the same spot? Now I'm 1 floor above the router, and so is my friend, sitting next to me.

 

Okay so I opened my laptop to try and see about the repasting issue and I took some pictures of it. I've only had this laptop for like 2-3 weeks so I"m wondering is it supposed to look like that see pics below. And one more thing just to make sure I clean the parts that has the gray looking stuff on it right? Sorry for sounding like a complete newb. For some reason I can't attach the 2nd picture of the motherboard.

 

Thank you for you reply. I just have one more question though; I am a little confused on the scaling. Are you saying you are having issues even when you set the screen's resolution to 1080p?

Thanks

------------------

On a side note, I contacted a representative from my local MicroCenter and he said that it is possible to replace the touchscreen with an IPS display, although he didn't say wether or not it would remove the touchscreen functionality... I will be going tonight to get more information.

 

As far as my experience go with thermal paste (the grey stuff) this looks ok. It's ment to be there, so if you removed it, you should buy some thermal paste and have a look at youtube how and how much paste you should use. My guess is that your computer will be warmer now than before you removed it.

 

Yeah, clean off the heatsink and the processors. Just use a paper towel to get the majority of it off and then something that won't leave behind dust to get anything else. Put a small bit of paste on the processors and put the heatsink on.

 

It was me who got the bios mod with whitelist removed and replaced wlan with 7260. I'm happy to answer questions regarding but I take no responsibility for your actions.

 

I just checked the lenovo website. They removed the Y50 touch and replaced it with the Y70 Touch (17.3" Model).

Edit: I contacted a lenovo representative. She said that it is currently out of stock and has the possibility of having its specs upgraded... Quite the mystery.

 

Y70 Touch has been out and on the Lenovo website for weeks. All models of the Y50 Touch are just out of stock.

 

If the replacement IPS panel has digitizer, you will still have your touch functionality. Otherwise you get simple non-touch FHD version. If you will actually get replacement IPS touch panel, please share the model here. Some guys would be happy to know what exactly should they look for.

 

I could have sworn it said Y50 the last time I checked. I must be mistaken.

Edit:

For anyone who has the UHD model, is your track pad noise when you put your finger on it, like a tapping noise?

 

So your 7260 works fine? That card came with the PC, but it's giving me nothing but bad signal and speed. Have you made a fresh install of windows or any other software on your PC to make it work? What drivers are you currently using?

 

are you sure you have 7260 installed? I've previously had the atheros card and it was attrocious; i've now switched it for 7260 and both signal quality and throughput are significantly better.

 

Yes, absolutely sure. What drivers are you using?

 

latest intel ones from intel's site. another thing to check is if both antenna connections are properly connected. I've had an issues before where one becomes loose and my connection kept dropping packets.

 

hmm... would it be too much to hope for that when they say "upgraded specs" they are actually waiting for friday's Nvidia event to announce that they are putting in a 960m into a refresh... a y51, or something like that?

 

Whitelisted bios, installed 7260,removed all realtek drivers for wlan/bt, reboot, installed latest Intel. Works perfectly at 866,7 mbps and gives good distance. My laptop came with realtek *insert your favorite bad word*.

 

I sure hope they upgrade both the 1080p and the 4K screens. I can't believe how badly they reamed by porfessional reviewers and regular retails buyers, like here in this forum, for the bad quality of both screens. In fact, I've read a bunch of comments that basically said someone would have bought a Y50 if it weren't for the bad screens and then went out and bought a competing product. I know they're trying to hit a certain price point, but they're losing sales over those bad screens.

 

Definitely agree on the 1080p - among the worst screens ever put in a > $500 laptop. A very strange decision to use such a horrible display for a laptop marketed as a gaming laptop. Very questionable.

As far as 4k - mixed on that. The 4k display is generally regarded as excellent, with the only exception being the yellow accuracy. If the yellow accuracy doesn't bother you, I think it's among the best displays out there. I view the 1080p screen as much more of a deal breaker for many than the 4k. I've always thought the 48Hz was way blown out of proportion, and 99% of those would not even notice the refresh difference.

I doubt any specs are being upgraded - probably what the rep meant was that they may be getting in more of the higher end Y50 Touch, as they've only had the base version for quite some time.

 

I first buy the Y50 1080p Touch and it's got scratches, scuff marks, sticky residue, and weird markings on it. So I return that and buy the Y50 4K... I discover a very loud and annoying ticking sound that was emitting from this version. So I return that one and buy another one. This one had cracks on the back and I had to return a laptop for the 3rd time in 5 days. I don't even think I'm going to bother getting another. -_-

 

Kind of a dumb question but i didn't find a solution in the internet. I somehow disabled these icons which pop up in the right corner if you use any hotkeys. I mean the hotkeys still work, but somehow the button for onekeyrecovery right next to the power button doesn't work. I can only open it if i search for the programme. Anybody may have an idea what i have disabled or deleted?

 

If I leave the resolution at 4K, and then enter WoW, the fonts are tiny.
If I change the resolution of the game to let's say 1920x1080, the game is shown in a small window in the middle of the screen.

If I change the resolution of the lap to 1920x1080 and then enter WoW, the fonts are OK.

I'm not sure how other games behave if the laptop screen resolution is left at 4K.
I hope game manufacturers would adapt their games properly to this resolution, although it may take some time unless 4K becomes more frequent in monitors.

 

Ok in the weekend I will open the laptop to check the network card. I hope it's not properly connected!

 

The whole 48Hz has been blown out of proportion IMO. I run an external Dell UP2414Q @30Hz with no issues at all. I do video editing, 3D animation/rendering and it looks gorgeous even on the built-in panel. I bought the 4K Y50 because I'm on a 3 year upgrade cycle at this point and I'm very happy with my purchase.

 

So I put my Y50 in my bag and walked home, and when I got there I realized I hadn't put it in hibernate. Now it's making a crackling sound. It's not the speakers, and it seems to happen more under load. Could it be my hard drive (I don't have the SSD)? Should I be worried? I seem to remember my old desktop from the late 90's making this sound, too.