* Lenovo Y730 and Y530 current and future owners lounge *

Having received my Y730 two weeks ago and there not being much hands on user info out there on these notebooks I have started this thread to attract current and future owners.

Post specs, issues and questions, rant and rave about the notebook, benchmarks, solutions, pictures......


Link to the Y730 drivers page http://consumersupport.lenovo.com/en/DriversDownloads/drivers_list.aspx?CategoryID=18
Link to Y530 drivers page http://consumersupport.lenovo.com/en/DriversDownloads/drivers_list.aspx?CategoryID=13

 

I don't own a Y730 or Y530, but I'm curious how are the speakers on these units?

 

I'm not really impressed with the speakers but then I have been spoiled by desktop speakers for so many years. I have been able to improve the sound with the realtek manager. Maybe someone else can compare them to other laptops they have used.

 

how does the 3650 stand in gaming?
I've wanted Y730 since they were announced but all the stats seem so-so.

The lower end ones seem kinda tempting tho.

 

Has anyone else had a problem with their keyboard? My first Y730 (40532BU) had a faulty keyboard and a DVD drive that wouldn't open. I finally convinced Lenovo to let me exchange that one for a new one and the new one also has a faulty keyboard! What I mean by that is that it will randomly miss keys as I type. It's like if I don't hit the keys just right, then it doesn't register. I use a ThinkPad at work and it's just fine, so I don't think it's my typing. I've seen a thread on the Lenovo forums that some people had this problem with the Y530. I'm surprised I haven't seen more about it. Was I really just that unlucky to get 2 in a row with the problem? That leads to my next question... since the laptop is basically unusable in it's current form, anyone have experiences with sending their laptop in for service? Did it go ok?

 

Wow this must be the problem stalling my laptop. New ESD 11/24 which is a 10 week delay...

 

I also find it missing some keystrokes but then I don't type on the laptop like I do at the desktop. I will give myself some time to get used to the keyboard and if I still have problems inquire about a replacement keyboard.

The 3650 seems to handle gaming rather well but don't expect to run the newest games on the highest settings. Guess I need to do some testing at the can you run it website..

I bought a 160gb 7200rpm hard drive for the second slot. Runs great, hot swappable and can even be used as an external hard drive. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136278 Runs cool and quiet..

I bought a wireless router for my network and it seems to run fine. Doesn't show much speed but then I'm still new to the wireless networking and maybe I'm missing some setting. Has never dropped the wireless network connection. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122235 It works.

A cordless mouse.. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TKHBDK Little small but a great mouse !!

And I needed a bag to protect the new laptop. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BH3IWY I wanted something that looked more like a case but could be used as a backpack. The Y730 just barely fits but it fits and plenty of space for other items and was priced at $39.99 when I ordered it at Amazon. I was going to post the deal in the deals section but the price jumped back up quickly.

 

Well someone on the Lenovo boards posted about their Y710 having something close to the same issue and it went away after the keyboard was 'broken in'.

Sheeeeeesh 11/24 ? I can't even imagine what the problem is anymore. Only thing I can guess is they are trying to fill retail orders before Christmas and we get the shaft. I really don't know where mine was shipped from. It just shows it shipping from Greensboro, NC and here in a couple days. Maybe they ship in bulk from China then distribute them from various States.

 

I think I saw that thread on the Y710 also. I'm going to give it some time but it's definitely unusual. My wife typed a few sentences on it to make sure I wasn't crazy - about every 4th or 5th letter was missing. Really hard to enter passwords . I've noticed on mine that if I hit the bottom half of the key (especially near the corners), it most likely won't register. If I hit the top half it will. This applies to all keys. And I'm depressing the key all the way down, so it's not a half press or anything.

Are the delayed orders the orange version, maybe? I can't imagine why some are getting delayed so bad. Mine shipped from Whitsett, NC... just outside of Greensboro. I'm just outside of Raleigh, so my shipping has been speedy.

 

Nah mine is the Blue 40532GU. I'm going to just wait it out because they gave me a good compensation plus school is already over so the laptop which i planned to use this semester will get good use next semester [hopefully] Still mad that i have to wait this long...

 

i've read there is a film/filter thing on the screen and that it looks best at a bit of a distance?

... concur?

 

My Y730 finally shipped 9 weeks after i ordered it...What a bunch of headaches.

 

sounds like lenovo

 

going to give Y530 as a gift. Ordered on the 12th november and arrived in a weeks time. The laptop is sturdy, has better speakers than my s96s for sure. The screen is bright, awesome battery life and i like the touch sensitive media buttons.

 

My Y730 doesn't have a filter or film over it but I guess a clear window and I think that is part of the mirror effect but as long as you don't have light behind you it's bright and clear! I guess it's something like the HP's infinity view.

Happy to hear your laptop shipped Adroitness!

Satdog ..... bite us.. lol J/K Glad yours shipped so quick and hopefully they are getting the order and shipping issues fixed.

 

Just got my laptop today. So much crap software on this thing, so which one have yall uninstalled? I don't need norton at least, the office trial, and those games.

 

WOW Is the CD drive suppose to be loud? Mine is extremely loud. Louder than my desktop's drives or my HP's drive. Louder than my Dell's exhaust fan too on my desktop...This thing means business when it starts up.

 

The CD drive on mine is pretty loud too - but maybe not as loud as you're describing. I think this is a good example why the IdeaPad is cheaper than the ThinkPad. That CD drive is visibly cheaper than the CD drive in my ThinkPad (work machine).

How is your keyboard? I think that's been my biggest problem. (When I tpe it cmes out lik tis.)

 

i uninstalled norton, the game thing and office.

Yeah my dvd drive is loud also. I bought a logitech mouse and when installing the drivers off the cd it was so loud I expected the laptop to hover above the desk. But I noticed not all cds / dvds make that much noise. Also makes some grinding noise on start-up.

 

My keyboard seems to type well. But i haven't had a chance to type a paper or anything, but when using it for AIM chat i haven't had a problem yet. Yeah i was exaggerating on the sound of the CD a little, but it's still definitely louder than the CD drive on my hp laptop.

Is there a place to check if all my software is up to date. Like the bios or video drive, ..etc?

 

http://consumersupport.lenovo.com/lenovo/Drivers/list.aspx?CategoryID=878

I've updated my sound and video drivers.

 

I downloaded Avast anti virus, and it found the Win32:Vapsup-CB [virus or adware] with the OneKey backup application. Anyone else had this problem?

 

anyone mind posting real pics of the Y730??

 

I use Avast and it found nothing. Maybe try an online scanner.

http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html

http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

From what I have read it seems to be a false positive.

here is Avast's instructions on how to ignore it and a couple web sites you can upload the file to for them to check.

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=6747a77882dc75d8a2ee3a08a491739e&board=2;action=display;threadid=7779

 

How big are yalls C and D drive? The D drive suppose to be the backup up drive but it has 29.5GB free out of 30.5. Is that normal? I tried creating the recovery disk but it says i don't have an image source. Am i suppose to create one and put in in the D drive? or is there suppose to be one already in there?

 

Not sure, I didn't bother I don't like the way it's partitioned either with most space on C and hardly any on D. I bought a second hard drive for the other slot.

 

I have used the one key recovery and it reset the computer back like it was when I first turned it on. That recovery is on a hidden partition.

Just playing around with it I think I see what you are asking. Looks like you need to create one then you can burn it to dvd. I tried but it wants 60gb of space and there is only 28gb on D. That would be quite a few dvds also!

lol it says 96 cds or 14 dvds..

 

wow you already managed to get 60 gb of stuff on your computer? Impressive. Yeah i was asking about the D drive because that drive is smaller and i thought that it would be the backup partition, but it seems like it's hardly used. [29gb free out of 30]

 

bump to keep the lounge alive for owners and prospective buyers. cuz it really is a good system despite my initial problem.

 

I agree. This is the best laptop for the price after coupon. The 15% coupon really moisten the deal. If i didn't have the 2 months delay i would be screaming to the world that Lenovo rocks, but then the delay made me sour. I'll only recommend the system if someone is displeased with the one they have.

 

LOL so true. I have my reasons for not shouting out Lenovo as well. little things that turned big in the customer service dept. if not for that, I, too, would recommend Lenovo to people beyond just a suggestion if they dislike dell/hp. It is also a very unique system with the vga IN as well as out. I was using it as a display for my desktop cuz my desktop lcd is 14 inches lol. now if I could only find a cable to play my psp with the screen I would be set.

 

I used it the other day to confirm that a neighbors monitor was dead. I hooked the monitor to the laptop and no video. Flipped the switch and hooked the computer to the laptop and it was working fine.

Things I'm looking at for the laptop now. A remote that stores and charges from the express card slot and maybe a tv tuner for the express card slot. I have looked at a few but not sure they will work correctly with lenovo.

 

I had a bit of a scare last week and thought I was going to have to deal with customer service.

I opened the laptop up and noticed this line at the bottom of the screen. Thought is was just dust but it didn't wipe away so lightly rubbed it with my fingernail and it was a scratch! I closed it and opened it and found that the strip with the media touch buttons was sticking up just a hair and making the screen was hitting.

Well I took a soft cloth and rubbed the scratch and it came off and no sign of it being there! I took my thumb and went along the strip to push it down firm and no problems since. So it must have been plastic off the strip on the screen.

 

based on the instructions it seems there is an oem expresscard remote but i doubt well be getting that in the states. maybe a mogo x54 mouse that doubles as a media remote.

EDIT: the tuner ALSO looks to be an oem option just not here. I wonder if anotherone can be sourced like maybe an HP one for the mini pci slot

 

Hi Everyone,

I have been reading the thread and saw posts about the keyboard being an issue. Is the keyboard and issue on the y730 or y530? I am concerned because I ordered the y530 as a Christmas gift and I do not want it to be faulty.

Thanks!

Kelly

 

I had a problem with the 730. I sent it in for repair and the replacement keyboard seems to be working fine so far. I think I may have heard of similar problems with the 530 but I'll let those owners chime in on that. I wonder if they actually use the same keyboard? The numeric keypad/gamepad on the 730 is a separate piece from the main keyboard, so it may be possible. I'm sure you'll be alright, I was probably unlucky.

Nice gift, btw!!

 

Not sure if anyone else has done it yet, but I updated my bios with the "large volume" fix. No problems - nice and quiet on startup now! Updating the bios is very easy also. (There's definitely been some improvements in that area since the last time I updated a bios.)

 

Hello,

I purchase a Lenovo Y530 from Best Buy in October. I use the notebook for work since I work some days in an office and other days at home, it makes it very convenient to not have sync between desktops, I have all my work information, websites, passwords, etc all saved (with a backup copy on a external harddrive). Everyone that has seen my Lenovo thinks it looks great, everyone is impressed with the weave on the outside and the texture.

I haven't had any issues with the laptop itself other then it runs hot. I do have another laptop for gaming.. and HP DV9700 it also runs hot but that is expected as it has a high end video card (ok at least high end for a laptop ). The keyboard functions properly... I would have to say there was a 'breakin in' period where I felt I hit a key and it didn't register. I do not have this issue anymore though.

The display is great, the sound is great too, better then my HP DV9700. I find the Lenovo to be really classy, reliable and carefree usage. Only gripe I have is that I'm unable to find the BIOS for it, as the Lenovo website is a little confusing. When I first purchased it I was able to find them but now I'm not. As a performance geek I don't need to update the BIOS but I wouldn't mind doing so if they are available.

I don't think you can go wrong with buying the Y530, unless you get a 'bad one' otherwise if you're not unlucky it's a respectable everyday usage type laptop.

 

i'm a big lenovo/ibm fan, since i've had a thinkpad t42 for 4 years and it just won't give up. but it's time to upgrade anyway, and i'm thinking about getting an IdeaPad Y730.

do they suck? do they rule? what have been your experiences with them? and how do they compare to other laptops in the same range?

any help and/or advice will be greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

I can't compare it to any recent notebooks since my last was a dell about 10 years ago. (I'm mostly a desktop user)

But I feel it's a solidly built notebook and looks very good.

I like the removable hard drive caddy. I installed a second hard drive and it can be used as an external hard drive using the included usb cable.

I also like the d-sub video which can be used to input or output the video signal. With a flip of a switch next to the port you can use the notebook as a monitor or plug in an external as a second monitor.

There has been some complaints about the keyboard sometimes not catching all the keystrokes but I think maybe once it get broken in it gets better. There is some keyboard flex but that doesn't bother me.

Sound is fine but coming from a desktop I have been spoiled.

The Halo lighting is a fluff piece but looks nice. A feature that could be made more useful by maybe having it flash for incoming IM messages, chats, calls, emails etc.

Runs my games fine and seems to run cool enough and everything else works great.

My biggest complaint is the GLOSSY screen. It is useless outdoors but indoors and low light or total dark it has a beautiful picture.

Other notebooks I had considered were the dell studio 17 and HP Dv7t but the whole nvidia video card thing kind of scared me off. Maybe unjustified but that and I got a good deal being able to combine a coupon and discount. Another laptop I would have considered but came out after I ordered the Y730 is the HP HDX 18t. The HDX 18t would have been about $250 more but it's a nice notebook!

It's tough saying which notebook is better than the another without hands on experience with all of the them but the Y730 is a fine notebook.

Worst thing was it took about two months to receive the laptop.

 

sorry to bump an old thread, but i need some advice, even though no one seems to care about these ideapads.

i've decided on the ideapad y730, but should i get the dark blue model or the orange?
this isn't just a color question, of course.

for about the same price, the orange comes with a faster processor (2.40ghz vs 2.26ghz) but less RAM (3gb vs 4gb).
the resolution is also better on the orange: 1920x1200 on the orange vs. 1440x900.

what do you think? would the orange resolution be overkill? also, colorwise, the orange is kinda ugly. thanks for your help.

 

Lenovo IdeaPad Y730 - 40532BU (Dark Blue) From: $1,299.00*
Sale price: $1,099.00*

That one is cheaper than the cheapest orange and not much difference in build.

I don't think .14 ghz would be that much a difference in speed to notice. The big question would be the resolution and what you would be comfortable with.

there is a coupon for ideapads good through 4/30 10% off.

(From fatwallet)

# 10% Off IdeaPad Y430, Y530, Y730, Y710, Y650 & U330 Notebooks • w/ Coupon USPIDEART • (excludes Y530 40516HU) exp 4/30/09

( i can't seem to get the coupon to work but then lenovo's website has always been buggy at best)

 

Well I just ordered my 2nd Y530 (for a friend who saw mine and loved it), they are awesome machines. Here are a couple of reviews from other threads:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=352806

http://hothardware.com/Articles/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Y530-Notebook/?page=1

 

thanks for the input (and the coupon)

any other thoughts on the Y730 or Y line in general are greatly appreciated.

 

FYI,

There is a typo on the lenovo site.....

if you order the y530 EU model (top of the line), it comes with the 9500G video card, 512mb ram.....YAY for a free unexpected upgrade ...confirmed on two machines already !!!!

 

edit: i think you mean the 9500M, right? the nvidia?

sweet, i was actually wishing the y530 came with the 512 graphics card... that seals it then, i'm getting the y530. i was going to get the y730, but a 17" screen is just not practical...

if you guys know of any other reviews of the y530, post em!

 

yep, it comes with the Nvidia 9500M G 512 mb, that is only the model Y530 - 40516EU
It is a great machine, my only gripe is that it is all black in color, and no brushed aluminum look for the palmrest area. All of the ones manufactured after Feb seem to be coming in black... lenovo's lack of detail....

I had the same debate as you had, but this just make me feel better about my purchase... no regrets here!!(untill now at least)

 

well, i got the Y530 - 40515 EU model. i'll post up impressions and pictures when i get it... i hope it rules.

anyone else have one? happy with it or not?

 

I have had mine for two weeks and it has been great. all black in color, right?

and the video card ended-up being what i told you, correct?

enjoy

 

Congrats on the purchase ! I'm sure you will like it.

I guess the biggest problem with laptops and computers are there are very tiny differences in each manufacturers, models, workmanship and configurations that it can be hard to decide.