New Y460 and Y560 Ideapads

If you are gaming then yes.(Without cooler) Normal operation it stays nice and cool.

That I don't know. If you don't need the space and have some extra $$$ laying around, replacing the hard drive with a traditional SSD is a great improvement.

 

So just to make sure I have this clear, this laptop (y460) gets hotter on the surface areas under heavy load than other laptops with similar configurations and similar loads..

 

I would have to assume so. I have not heard any other similar spec laptops getting as hot as the y460.(The chassis) The bottom is hottest part and the exhaust vent. The rest if it gets warm, not hot.

 

does anyone know where i could find the y460 with this design:
http://www.tgdaily.com/sites/default/files/stock/article_images/lenovo/lenovoy560.jpg

 

Have you guys noticed there's some static when you listen music via earphones played from itunes? Is this a driver issue or hardware? At first I thought it was my podcast but i can hear it even with my other mp3 files.

 

Just joined the Y560 crew.

Before it arrives, I was wondering if someone could answer whether the screen problems are present on ALL the Y560 laptops manufactured?

I ordered the 06463EU. Thank you.

 

Realtek 2.52 HD driver updates to 6.0.1.6194. Version originally installed (June 2010 y460 is 6.01.6096)
DONT UPDATE TO THIS VERSION. Causes y60 built in JBL speakers not to work.

 

Bump bump

 

Not all of them have problems or least not everyone can see the problem. A recent BIOS update has helped the problem, but has not completely fixed it.

 

Oh, I hope they don't at least.

As for the BIOS update, I heard it introduced even worse issues for the screen. Have you experienced them? And do you believe Lenovo will fix the issues soon or do we just have to live with them?

 

I have a y460 so I haven't had the problems that some y560's have had. Here is a big thread on the Lenovo forum about it: http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-Y-U-B-and-Z-series/Widespread-Y560-Display-Problem/td-p/238949 As far as Lenovo fixing the issue, I doubt it. Most screens on laptops come from other manufacturing companies.( I don't know the names of them, I'm sure others do.) Lenovo can only do so much to try and fix these issues through updates.

 

Ah, that stinks. I'd have opted for the Y460 too but they didn't have them for Canada.

I've read almost all of that thread before. I suppose I'll have to live with it. Thanks for the info AboutThreeFitty.

 

I updated to 2.52 and i dont get any sound from speakers or optical out? earphone works fine...
it was working fine on 2.51, so im going to go back to 2.51

 

Yep, just found out about this as well. Glad you also confirmed the bug Im seeing now. Will edit my post, sorry for that.
Im now back to version 6.0.1.6096, 4/23/2010.

The one on the 2.51 package causes my mp4 files to stuter on the panasonic hdmi connection.

 

Re installation of the original drivers fixed my issue. However, I just make sure to enable the hdmi system device in device manager so I can have my audio come out of my hdmi connection.

I no longer have itunes skipping (percieved as static)

 

Has anyone with the dedicated graphics 560 had issues when updating their ATI drivers?

I went to update mine the other night and my computer crapped out. Blue screened and then rebooted; said I had no driver installed when it came back. Tried downloading the full Catalyst package with the driver, no dice, didn't install properly. Eventually had to use system restore to get everything back.

I just wanna overclock my GPU a little for gaming is all...

 

hey guys i'm seeing max temps of 90 degrees on the gpu. is this temp still safe? i'm playing mass effect which i hear is very cpu and gpu intensive. any input is appreciated.

thanks

 

It'll shutdown before it fries itself but I wouldn't call 90C safe. Is it the 5650 or 5730? The maximum I can get is 80C and 70C to 75C with most games. Do you have other games temps. to compare it to?

 

i have the y460 with the 5650. i ran furmark and hit 90 degrees. but when running mass effect 1 i was seeing temps of 80. i will try other games soon and report back.

 

just played 15 minutes of bf2 and still max gpu temp is 90 degrees. cores 1 and 2 were around 78 degrees. also realized the fan only went up to 85%. does anyone have their fans going up to 100% full out?

 

I'm maxing out at 80C with overclocking with furmark. Your CPU temps. sound spot on though. Max fan speed was only 73%.

[

 

I use my y460 plugged it most of the time. Is it best to have the battery off to lengthen its life?

 

yes the lenovo energy management utility suggests setting the check-box to limit the charge level at 80% of capacity to increase battery life. you can take out battery completely and run on power line, altho this is basically like having a desktop since you don't even get the "UPS" like functionality out of yer laptop battery.

my own experience correlates to reviews posted: i set limit at 80% charge, via lenovo energy management, per lenovo recommendation, i get 4.5 hours internet time, and a little over 3 hours hd playback

the interesting option would be to run your battery at 100% charge, take the hit on battery lifespan , and just buy another battery for 80 bux.
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...84D2848E9&filter=IdeaPad Y Series Batteries_1

if 100% charge gets you the expected 20% battery life improvement, this might actually be worth it.

if i get a chance i will try 100% charge on my laptop and try and get back with some numbers for us


btw i found review i have not seen before:
Lenovo Y460 Review

and finally if you want to see how we stack up against the envy 14 and other similar laptops check this out. the benchmark setups get a bit wonky for gaming but it;s still interesting..

HP Envy 14 - Benchmark Test Results

 

So I am assuming I am doing something wrong here and hope you guys can help...

My success rate when plugging in my laptop via the HDMI cable to my 20" Optiquest monitor on my desk is hit or miss. It was working fine until I went out of town this weekend and I shut everything down. I came home, turned it back on and now I can't get my laptop to display on my big monitor.

What the hell am I doing wrong? Assuming I should just need to plug in the cable, hit "windows button"+p, select projector only and should be good to go, right? It knows what kind of monitor in the ATI Catalyst and well as straight from the desktop and won't work even when I try to select the monitor as a primary, a projector, whatever....

Do I need to reinstall drivers or is my procedure just whacked for finsing the monitor?

ATI doesn't seem to be real useful in explaining the steps, anyone have any tips for me on settings, procedures, etc?

Thanks as always!

 

Well, just uninstalled and re-installed all of my video drivers, didn't seem to help...

Then, for the hell of it, I swapped out the cable, didn't work, but then I unplugged the monitor from power completely, plugged the power cable back in and it switched over. Weird because I tried this multiple times before with the old cable, so at this point I think it's the cable, very strange indeed.

 

What settings do you have for energy management and wireless for you to get 4.5 hours with 80% battery? Thanks for the tips and links!

 

Y560 Owners:

What SSDs have you swapped the original HD for? I'm looking in to it. The interface for us is SATAII?



EDIT:

Also, how DO I properly update my graphics driver? Anyone done this?

 

Is the only way to get drivers compatible with the switchable graphics through the lenovo site? According to the dates on the site, those have not been updated for literally half a year, which is unacceptable for a video card driver. Is there any other source of switchable graphics compatible drivers that can fix some of the issues that the current ATI drivers have?

 

For my Y460, it would be:
Energy Star mode, using Intel video
Brightness at 50%, LCD screen refresh at 40hz
BT off, wireless on
Using Intel's wireless driver, not the Lenovo one. It made a measurable difference.
Wireless transmit power at lowest setting
That should get you to four hours on the 80% charge if all you're doing is surfing basic websites (no flash, quicktime, etc.) If you turn wireless completely off, you can get into the six-hour region doing word, excel, powerpoint, visual studio, etc.

You must start with the Lenovo drivers, yes. You can then upgrade the ATI driver past that point, with a bit of tom-foolery. First, configure your power button to do a power-off (not a suspend, not a hibernate.) Once you've configured that, you can then download and install this package: https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/920...mobile/10-7_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc.exe

That's the ATI mobility drivers link for the Catalyst 10.7 64-bit Vista / Win7 drivers. Turn on your ATI card, and start the install. As the install progresses, your screen will black out and not come back. Wait for the disk light to settle down (a minute or maybe two) and then hit the power button to let it gracefully shut down. When you power up, you'll have new ATI drivers that are still switchable

Performance in newer games (like Just Cause 2, Mafia II, etc) will be measurably better.

 

sweet thanks for the guide to do this. i'll definately upgrade this tonight and see how it goes. thanks!

 

New Y460 owner checking in here. So far I'm impressed and it's just what I expected. I have two questions for the initiated:

1) When sitting on my lap or on a table right in front of me, I hear a faint, but noticeable, intermittent swooshing sound. Is that the hard drive? I'm used to hard drives clicking, so this swooshing sound is unfamiliar to me. Not a big deal and if it's the HD the sound will go away when I put an SSD in it.

2) Is it possible to use the HDMI output when using the Intel graphics? So far I can only get the HDMI output to work when the ATI chip is fired up.

Thanks for the help,

grant-

 

HDMI output is limited to the ATI card only last I recall. However, I've never really tried to force the issue, so maybe you can fidget with it? Dunno.

As for your 'swooshing' sound, I'd liken your description to that of the fan or of the DVDRW drive. When I put my laptop on the coffee table and connect it to the TV for some gaming (via the HDMI output), I prop up the back side on a book or something so that the lower intake can breathe correctly. This keeps the fan at much lower speeds, which keeps the whole unit MUCH cooler.

Dunno if that's your deal or not; typically hard drives "tick" rather than "swoosh".

 

finally solved my gpu temp problem! i was using 3 year old arctic silver 5. didnt know these had a shelf life, but i switched to some other thermal paste and now it never breaks 80 degrees when overclocked to 700/900. very very impressed.

 

I can put my ear up to the computer and hear the fan, so I'm pretty sure it's not the fan. And the sound seems roughly correlated to the hard drive motion indicator; I'll keep investigating.

Does anybody else hear this sound? I really don't want to have to return this computer, and the sounds isn't really a big deal, but if it's not normal I want to get it replaced.

g-

 

Figured out how to update graphics drivers for those of us with the dedicated graphics cards:

Clicky

 

does anyone off hand know the maximum tilt angle of the y460?

 

That method doesn't get the newest Catalyst Control Center, which can jack with your abiltity to adjust 3D settings in older games. I mentioned a much more appropriate way to do this a few posts above, and it works 100% of the time.

 

Thanks for the link and instructions AlbuquerqueFX. However, my screen did not permanently go black, so I didn't have to do a "blind" restart like you said. Will any of the ATI mobility drivers work with the laptop and still preserve the switchable graphics, or are those a specific driver for switchable graphics?

 

ATI doesn't allow you to download their mobility drivers directly from their website -- they make you download a wrapper that evaluates your machine and makes the decision whether you can have it or not.

The Y460 (and I assume the Y560) do NOT pass whatever test their wrapper performs, and so it denies your ability to download. The link I provided earlier is the direct akamai source for the driver that the wrapper would otherwise use. You can adjust the numbers and verbage in the link to download older or newer versions of x86 or x64 drivers

 

Your method detailed how to do it on Y460s with switchable graphics. If you read back a page or two, I had been trying to figure out how to update my drivers on my Y560 with dedicated graphics. So far, my method has worked fine for me. The wrapper downloaded the drivers just fine for me.

 

The wrapper downloads the link I provided -- and my way doesn't involve going into device manager, right-click, update driver, browse, find the INF, deal with missing catalyst control center, etc. Running the executable I directly linked and clicking Next -> I agree -> Next -> Finish seems far more intuitive for someone who doesn't really want to bother with all of that.

However, it's entirely your option and right to do it the harder way

 

Question about the 06334GU version of the Y460 (the version with the 460M).

It says it has a 15.6" screen but the Y460 is a 14" right? Which is it?

 

Good catch. I think Lenovo needs to hire more competent people. Yes the y460 would be 14.0 inch while the y560 are 15.6 inch.

 

new drivers for GPU are up on the lenovo website

Lenovo Ideapad Support & downloads - Drivers & Downloads

 

Okay, I just bought the y560 yesterday, and so far I have experienced a crash dump blue screen of death. Has anyone encountered that? I also didn't like the bloatware it came with, I was tempted to clean install but didn't cuz it might screw it up. Got a giant mouse cursor once so far. Also, has anyone noticed that the fan sometimes goes high and low? Kinda weird... And what is with the dancing pixel everyone is mentioning? I didn't see nothing...

Oh and you can play sc2 on high no problem.

 

What setting are you using yours at? I have mine at High Performance all the time so the fan is constantly spinning at the fastest, I think.. Plus I have it sitting on a CM Notepal U2 so I'm not too worried. So I can't really tell with the U2 plugged in from the 2 fans blowing underneath it.

Speaking of bloatware, I recently had to reinstall due to a windblows problem on tuesday night. First time doing the onekey recovery, pretty sweet to have that second partition ready at all times for a reinstall. I just uninstall all the bloatware except for like; split screen, onekey, slidenav and energy management. everything else is gone.

 

I'm using mine at Balanced, but I guess I will try High Performance and see how it goes. I always keep track of the memory usage, right now its going between 29-40%. Trying to lower it a bit somehow... I hated smiledock it's so annoying, and slow down the laptop when it loads. Anyways, I can't seem to find switchable graphics anywhere on mine, I read the manual and it tells me to go to some BIOS utility at startup screen but there's none. I'm not sure what kind of updates I need cuz some might be useful, while some just crap out your laptop. (ex. I tried updating ATI to 10.8 and it crashed me and give me a blue screen, then everything ran so slow I have to use onekey)

Come to think of it, the fan is not as worse as that of GX640. I am very impressed about the speakers tho, very clear and loud.

 

Thanks, downloading amd update now. Not sure what version of catalyst but assuming its 10.7

Confused on intel as there's 2 and one Nvdia.

 

its 10.7

the intel one is only for laptop that does not have discrete graphics.

some y560 has nvidia graphics card

 

Thanks. Unfortunately, it appears to be gone now, and I was going to be able to get it for $789 with student discount. Maybe it was supposed to be a Y560 with 460m? At least there's the $849 deal for the Y460...