New Y460 and Y560 Ideapads

Yea I'd like to see some more precise numbers on the light and medium usage temps, those are the most important to me.

 

Lenovo has a St. Patricks Day sale going on right now. You can save 15% on ALL Y Series laptops (including the y460) by entering USPSTPATRICKSDAY during checkout.

Too bad the Y560 isn't available yet or I would pull the trigger now!

 

Agreed....

 

I want to love this laptop. I want to say "it looks decent and the specs are killer and the price is unbeatable" but it is hard to...

Personally I think it is hideous, but maybe that is just me. I also don't like the info on how hot it runs and how hot the previous model ran.

It has it all... The 14" perfect size screen. The switchable graphics with the descrete being almost top of the range! It decent weight and has little nice things like filters over fans to keep them from clogging to fast. To top it off, it is awesomely cheap. It is in the same league as the Vaio CW, but the CW looks 100x better (my preferences), but the lenovo just has so much better guts!

 

Still the CPU hitting over 100 degrees may induce throttling. I wonder how much of a difference some added A5 or other fresh paste would reduce the temps.

And frankly, a laptop cooler should not make a 15 degree difference in temps. Every other cooler test I've seen has had only a few degrees of difference. To me that says there is something wrong with the exhaust fan not blowing out enough or turning on enough.

 

Hm, thought it could last longer with the IntelHD than about 2 hours...

But it seems quite hot this device.

Wonder if the new Acer have a better design and runs cooler, also the the N82.

Great review, but hasn't lost a word about the display quality.

Anways, i don't think this device will be released in Germany or Europe.

 

Yeah in that review the dude has set the processor to max performance & ati on. While I'm surfing/office docs or just doing some light work I set the plan to minimum cpu performance. Difference is about 10 to 15 C (45 to 55~60) on my current laptop (t7300 & 8600m gt).

If I get this, while surfing I'll set the cpu to min and have the ati off; based on the anandtech i5 review that says the i5 & Core2Duo have similar temperatures and battery usage, I'm sure its gonna be ~50 if not cooler because of the switched off ati, dual heat pipe. Also will make the battery last much longer, although now it looks like the 4hr mentioned before is actually the max possible.

SSJ why do you think its not gonna be sold in the .eu?

unbelievable; $891.65 for the high end y460 (Excl. tax and shipping)

I agree in that review it looks both cheap and ugly. That's a major thing making me reconsider and wait for similar specs to come to the market. Maybe the MBP refresh will be similar?

If you look close at the images in review, the cpu is being throttled Also (from the images) the fan is not one of the high end one's sony has been researching that have much more blades and blow more air.

This laptop seems the best cus its the first with i5/ati switchable combo while not compromising for stuff like eSATA/ExpressCard (Future USB 3.0 speed)/HDMI in a 14". I dont _have_ to buy till May so I'll just hold, but if there isn't anything like it by then I guess a hands on will decide.

 

I wish there were alternate cooling solutions for some of these laptops. Two heatpipes and a radiator/fan should be good- I can't understand why it isn't working well other than poor application of paste and poor fan management. I don't have Win7 yet so I don't know whether there is a program to take manual control over fan speed, but yet another wishful thought to get this otherwise nice machine under some control.

Edit- anyone with experience running speedfan on any lenovo laptops?
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

 

wow $891 for this laptop seems like a really good deal. i just dont need a new one right now and wanted to see reviews of all the other laptops coming out right now. decisions.

 

maybe this is a dumb question, as i have little experience with it, but could one undervolt the cpu/gpu and have a hope of reducing temps? or does undervolting invite problems?



.

 

:O with that discount!! im shooting for it before the 17th! this will be in my hands at the end of the month!! im saving 300$ with that discount


also curious about speedfan with lenovo laptops...

 

according to that review from the link in this thread the y460 got really warm but that was after full load and 12 hours so thats kinda worse case. im curious how warm this laptop really gets but by the time that lenovo ships any that stpattys day deal will be off.
EDIT: 1 hour battery life on high performance and little over 2 hours on normal use. kinda low...no way two hours is on intel graphics right?

 

yes with intel graphics you should be looking at atleased 5 hours... 2 hours while gaming on the ati graphics...


and okay so it get alittle warm...relax its a 14" with some seriously powerful components ill just see if i cant have someone code me a fan program so i can blast it when i need to... thats what fans are for... even if it gets too warm with the fans on high ill get a cooling pad... nothing will change my mind about buying this laptop...

im kinda happy it doesnt look all flashy...less attention on my end...

people will look at it and be like is a lenovo...or im hopeing...

 

Oh wow. . $865 for the top end one (with coupon).. may not be able to resist.

 

haha not trying to change you mind raptor just trying convince myself and yeah i hope your right about the battery times and yes there is some power in this machine. also i do like the look of the laptop. anyone got good comparisions between the 5650 and the 335m in the asus n82? notebookcheck has the 335m benchmarked with a underpowered su7300

 

Lenovo doesn't automatically give you a laptop case when you buys a laptop, do they?

 

Man this looks good. I was gonna wait for new Apple Macbook Pros, but with these specs and the price I may just have to buy a high-end Y460. How's the battery life? And the heat? That's the thing I hate about my Macbook; it gets SO hot viewing flash video. But DX11 and gaming should be awesome.

Oh, and how's the resolution? My Macbook has 1200x800; will this 16:9 be annoying for me?

 

Based on my experience, switching from a 16:10 aspect ratio to a 16:9 aspect ratio can be a little annoying, especially going from 1280x800 to 1366x768. While 32 pixels of height doesn't sound like much of a loss, to some people, myself included, it feels like a lot.

Then again, if you spend a lot of time with video and playing games, 16:9 is what has taken the lead.

 

I wish they allowed configuration choices.

 

Same here.

I'm still waiting in info on the heat of this thing. IF it's not too hot, I'll order. I know the Asus N82 will never be as cheap as this current deal.

 

The heat seams to be the biggest problem with this model, in fact with all the y4xx series from Lenovo. I did some little research and found out the y450 has the same problems.

I hope we will see some more reviews soon of the y460 ( now with the big discount from Lenovo ) and draw a final conclusion regarding heat and battery issues. Until then it seems like the N82 from ASUS is a better choice, we just have to wait for it to be released

 

A friend of mine just got one of the Dell XPS Core i7s and they run really hot too. I'd bet hotter than the Y460 even.

 

At $900, all of a sudden the Y460 has become a serious option for me. The only thing holding me back from a purchase right now is the possibility of better battery life with an ASUS N82Jv or Acer 3820 at ~$1000.
I'm definitely going to want to look at some reviews in the next few days.

 

The problem with comparing the Y460 with the Asus N82Jv or Acer 3820T, both of which I have been looking at as well, is that the Y460 is already available and the others aren't. There is a fair chance that when those models become available they will cost more than the Y460 with the current discounts.

If it weren't for the potential heat issues, the decision would be easier.

 

Indeed, comparing an already available laptop to a laptop that might be available in the future is difficult.

Heat isn't an issue with the Y460 when it's not using the discrete GPU, is it? The thing that bothers me most is the battery life. Does anyone know the rating (mAh) for the battery?

If the Y460 didn't have heat/battery life issues, or (from what I know) the ASUS didn't have a better warranty/8-cell battery/NVIDIA Optimus and the Acer didn't have 1.8kg/6000mAh battery, the decision would be easy.

 

Well, that heat test on the Y460 was done by stress-testing the CPU and GPU for 12 hrs straight. If you plan on doing something along those lines with a laptop, then the Y460 is NOT for you (look at the G73JH being sold by GenTechPC.com).

If you're looking for a powerful CPU/GPU combination in a light, thin form factor and plan on playing a CPU-intensive game like BFBC2 for 4-6 hrs at a time tops, then this is your machine.

Even better, Lenovo is offering 15% off as a St Patricks Day sale.

 

I hate 1360x768. Buyers remorse even before I've got my Y460. Should I cancel it?

Envy 15, with it's brilliant full HD screen is looking like a serious contender now.

At 5.2 lbs and 1 inch thick with an ATI 5830 card, and a $300 off coupon, it ends up at 1250 before taxes.

But No switchable graphics...if only those idiots had put that in to extend battery life.

Don't any of these companies have any sense whatsoever?????? Idiots.

 

Well, if you want to pay $500 more for an HP Envy ($1400) that is similarly configured to the Lenovo Y460 ($900), with the exception that the Envy has a better GPU, then go for it.

If you want that gorgeous Full HD screen in the Envy, then you'll pay a total of $600 more for the Envy.

 

Hmm, I've read something about Envy 15 on notebookcheck and there should be models with WXGA and HD 4830 (not 5830) and the price 2000 Euro, which means over 2800 USD

 

It's available for $1250 before taxes, and is only $360 more (after $300 coupon), compared to the Lenovo Y460, which is $890 before taxes during the St. Patricks sale.

This is after upgrading to a 520m and getting an external DVD drive.

Better build quality, very little heat, much better GPU, Full HD screen and 7200 RPM HDD.

 

Well, if 360$ is "only" for you, go for it.

HD 4830 is not too much better than HD 5650, according to tests their perfomance is quite similar. In my opinion, Full HD and WXGA displays doesn't conform to the price difference (360$). Envy would be better as a workstation, but I can doubt about good battery life with 4830, unlike the Y460, which can do 5 hours with switchable graphics.

 

I could see the extra cash being justified for the screen and build quality and the HD 5830, but the lack of switchable graphics in the Envy 15 is a big turnoff. I'd buy one if it wasn't for that.

Does anyone here have a Y460 or know someone who does?

 

It's a 5830, with very low temps and easily overclocked all over the forum, hitting 10,000 on 3D Marks 06. Substantial difference.

But like lackofcheese says, and I said in my first post, the lack of switchable graphics is a big turnoff.

And the resolutions and heat are a big turnoff in the Y460.

I hate buying notebooks

 

Totally agree. I can't believe they decided to use the chipset that doesn't allow for switchable graphics. If the Envy had switchable graphics, I'd have been all over that months ago.

 

Good catch: I didn't realize the Envy has no internal optical drive.

Where do you find the $300 coupon? I don't see it on the HP USA website.

Without it, at $1550 total cost, the ASUS G73JH is a much better value proposition.

As for the the Y460 overheating, I don't think it'll be as bad as that review made it out to be (where they stressed the CPU and GPU for 12 consecutive hours).

 

It is a really stupid move. Envy gives 3 hours battery life currently with an i5 540m.

With switchable graphics it would give at least 8.

It would have killed all the competition.

 

If ASUS made a 14 inch brother to its G73JH, I'd get it in a heartbeat.

Then again, it'd probably have the footprint of a 15.6 inch laptop (with its cooling vents and all) lol.

 

NBK845721

It works only if you select a Full HD display.

G73 is just not an option, because the maximum I am pushing things is to 5.2 lbs. I guess most people in this thread need a fairly portable notebook.

Otherwise, I would have been all over the G73. Not one thing that I don't like about it.

 

Agreed. I too would've considered the Envy for that.

But that's why I also view that Y460 foreign review and battery life indications as a little suspect. With an i5-520m and switchable graphics, the Y460 should have a much better battery life than 2 hrs.

Thank you.

Hmmmm, I may have to cancel that Y460 order lol.....

I read in an earlier review of the Envy 15 (from maybe 6 mos to a year ago?) that it had some build problems, iffy touchpad, etc.

Has that all changed for the better?

Is the Envy 15's Ultra Brightview screen any different from the Antiglare screen? Both are Full HD and only $25 different in price.

 

Everything has been fixed from what I've read in the owners thread.

The 2nd gen guys are really really happy with it.

One is glossy, the other is matte.

 

I suppose that if I ordered this laptop I would have to succumb to using it on an actual desk...

 

That's why they are called notebooks now

 

Is the Brightview the glossy screen?

Which screen do you prefer: brightview or antiglare?

Thank you Rockunited. You've really opened my eyes. That $300 coupon changes everything for me....

 

Brightview is glossy. I prefer glossy.

If you really want to thank me, I can give you an address to ship the Envy as a gift

Matte is a bit dull, but no reflections, and very good for outside use.
Glossy is much brighter and reflective. 90% of consumer laptops today ship glossy. Business laptops are normally matte.

 

Lol! How about my heartfelt thanks!

May I ask why you like the glossy over the matte? I thought matte allows outside use. Is there something about the glossy screen that makes it better than the matte?

Thanks again for your help.

 

Thank you again for your help rockunited.

Tough choices for us all. Like you said earlier, I too hate choosing notebooks.

So what was it that led you to pick the Y460 over the Envy 15?

For me, it was I was unaware that they fixed the Envy 15 1st gen problems and that they also offered a $300 coupon (again thank you).

 

No problem, banker. Enjoy the envy.

Only thing holding me back is the extra $370, and the lack of switchable graphics.

In fact, it's mainly the money.

 

Thanks but haven't fully decided to jump off the Y460 ship yet! It seems like the Y460 offers so much at such a good price (<$1000).

 

I hadn't realised the difficulties involved. I built a desktop before, and I did a lot of research on every component I bought, but being able to pick and choose everything separately made things so much easier than this.

Even the VAIO Z (price aside) has a big turnoff in that it has the 330M GPU, which is weaker.

 

Yup, it is much tougher. Specially when you have to fight your instincts that tell you to get value for your money.

The Envy 15 is just about perfect. It combines portability, performance, style, build, a great screen, and a decent price tag (with the coupon).

I am getting more and more tempted by it. Should I splurge the extra $370?

I had originally started off with the UL30VT-X1 @ $800, so I would be $570 over my initial estimate.

This has been a frustrating experience. I went from the UL30VT to UL30JT to the Acer 3820TG to N82 to Y460 and now I am at the Envy. Bloody hell!