Y500 Owners and Questions Thread

Yeah that video is a lie! I actually snapped one of the tabs holding the bottom to the ultra bay section taking it off. I was expecting to hear a loud CRACK any moment while prying the bottom off.

 

I think i may have snapped a tab as well that holds the bottom to the ultrabay. If i turn over the laptop you can see where the vent is and in the middle with the sliding tab the cover is slightly raised which i dont believe was how it was before i opened up the laptop. If i press down on the cover it goes down and makes a sound i think its some part of the plastic rubbing on another piece of plastic or its the foam in there thats keeping it slightly raised i really dont know.

Its a little annoying though im really OCD about things especially my tech cause i want it to be in pristine condition xD

Oh and i definitely snapped a tab or two off the optical driver when i was trying to remove it from the bay the plastic piece just ripped off and the drive stayed put >.<

 

Is there anybody who got the Y500 from Germany?
It's a lot cheaper, and they got the SLI version. Lenovo stated they won't import it to the Netherlands.
I can get it through a colleague who lives in Germany, but I'm afraid about getting a ed up QWERTZ keyboard with other strange letters on it.
Lenovo didn't state anything on the keyboard sadly.

 

Try OCing the 650M or try low settings for the game. The 650M is ranked 62 on notebook GPUs on notebook check so it should be able to handle FIFA well on medium and low settings.

 

They probably took it off because they're going to put the Ultrabays on their site soon.

 

Who all is having touchpad problems? Ours was working fine then now it jumps all over the place when trying to select something. Have played with the sensitivity settings as well as turning off the win8 gesture stuff. No help. Is there a better driver or is this a hardware issue where only a mouse or a t650 will correct the problem? Suks big time.

 

Might be a driver issue. Try microsoft for any win8 updated drivers.

 

Nada. No updates except for win7 on Lenovo Chinese site.

 

Mine was acting up again last night so I ended up just reinstalling the drivers from D drive and have not had an issue since. Give that a shot and I'll report back if it does it again...

 

If I keep my Y500 I definitely will try to OC the 650m, hopefully it will bring the game up to 60 fps at 1080p.

 

I uninstalled the touchpad drivers then reinstalled. It's working fine for now - I'll also provide an update whether the issue comes back or not.

 

Bad news, after a couple hours the issue came back and now the touchpad is unusable again. Nothing but web surfing the whole time. I did not install any programs or drivers during that time. I'm starting to think I have a defective unit since it doesn't seem that many Y500 owners are experiencing this issue.

 

You need to go into the Device Manager in Control Panel and uninstall the touchpad completely. Reboot, and Windows will say it's repairing itself (something along those lines) and then the touchpad will function normally.

 

Yes they are. Multiple reports of this problem. I have it in 2 y500's. In another thread somone deleted through device manager and let windows reinstall win drivers and says it works OK now. I may try that. Or silicone my logitech t650 pad to the right side and say to heck with lenovo trackpad.

 

So this installed generic win8 drivers and not a re-install of lenovo drivers?

 

I'm not sure, but I do know that solution fixed the problem for me.

 

I had already tried that numerous times - uninstalling through device manager - and it will work for an hour or 2 after reboot then the issue will return. Completely unusable trackpad.

I have called Lenovo, got a return label, and shipping it back tomorrow. I'm done with the Y500. It's too bad, great budget gaming laptop.

 

This is NOT what happened when I tried this. My mouse even became unstable and it did not fix the trackpad. I got no such "repairing itself" message but did go tell it manually to repair - and got in further trouble.

 

So I tried this and it fixed my touchpad, but a day later, now my keyboard isn't working properly. I type a letter and it will spam letters and numbers. Then it'll freeze up for 5mins and then start working again for a few seconds before going all weird again.

 

Are there any buyers from Germany here?
I've been looking at the SLI model these last days, but Lenovo doesn't have any plans on releasing it in the Netherlands.
Germany however already has the Y500 SLI model up on the web, and it's the same price as the 'normal' version in the Netherlands.

Now the only question is:
Do all German laptops get delivered with a QWERTZ keyboard? Or is there a change I might get my hands on a QWERTY?

I'm not really keen on ending up with a QWERTZ keyboard, while I can swap the Y/Z keys, it won't be so easy for a few other differences.

 

Is it possible to detach keys and put them somewhere else on the keyboard?

 

I assume it should be. But only for the keys which are the same size of course.

 

Can anyone confirm this please?

 

I'm sorry if my post was a bit too ambiguous. Here's what I did to solve the problem, this may help:

First, I went into Device Manager and right clicked the Lenovo pointing device:



I clicked uninstall, and made sure to check the box that said "Delete driver":



The system then restarted and I got a message similar to this (sorry for the abysmal quality, I couldn't find any other pic of it on the web):



I then logged in and the touchpad functioned normally, at least for my Y500.

The keys are removable, however they are harder to remove versus e.g. a Thinkpad as the chiclet keys on the Y500 are slightly recessed into the keyboard.

 

please help me out, i have placed an order for Y500 on 12th dec ,and since then lenovo has changed it's shipping and delivery date twice.
now according to the order status i will get it on 28th dec...but main problem is i am going abroad on 2nd jan 13 ... is there is any way out of this problem or any suggestion through which lenovo won't extend it further..? i am from san deigo,ca

 

Guys, any good side-by-side compare of y500 (dual card) and y580?

 

I'm desperately looking for an ideapad y500 with SLI that can be delivered in belgium or germany. www.lenovoshop.com/de keeps delaying it and I need it as soon as possible, do any of you know some alternatives?

 

I just got a new y500 today, and the internet speeds are ridiculously slow. I can't even watch a 4 minute youtube video set to 360p without it pausing 10 seconds into it, and images load very slow on other sites as well. Before this I was using a 4 year old laptop that only had 1 gb of RAM and a horrible processor etc, and it still loaded videos/images faster than this. Is anyone else having this problem/or know how to fix it? It's very disappointing.

 

You know loading a video from youtube has almost nothing to do with your ram nor processor..
Check your internet. Do a ping test.

 

i actually lol'd

call your ISP

 

Sorry, I don't know much about this kind of stuff. I did a test with ping-test.net and this is what I got:
Download 0.96 mb/s
Upload: 3 mb/s
Large Packet: 47ms
Small Packet: 40ms
Average: 43ms

Edit: Ran the same ping test on the old laptop and got roughly the same thing, except the download speed was drastically higher at 12.02 mb/s. On the old laptop it took 10 minutes to download a 980mb file, and I'm getting an estimate of 3-4 hours to download the same file on the y500.

 

Hey guys thought I would post my thoughts and issues with my laptop.
The overall build and quality feel I really like. And the backlit keyboard is awesome looking. I got the 1080p screen and it looks great. The wireless is fast. Can run Farcry 3 on medium (if not higher)!

Issues.
1. It is noticeable that it is a a 5200 rpm hdd
2. Right hinge makes clicking sound when opening up as if something is stuck in the hinge.
3. No options for fan speed and laptop runs at like 70C + underload and 50C at idle. This is on a cooling pad that had a fan. Without the cooling pad it gets too hot to keep on my lap.
4. The mouse is ed. Keeps going nuts and becoming unusable. Seems to be related to time the unit has been on and how hot the unit is.
5. Intermittent issues, keyboard didnt work after sleep, after full power cycle booted to black screen, 1"x1" messed up display after sleep. Mosts of these have only happened once.
6. The intel storage tech software version that comes preloaded has a memory leak.
7. The extra HDD cady is $189 What. The. .

I contacted support and I am going to send this back and get a new unit.

I have been messing with the DSDT tables trying to increase the fan speed with no luck. Anyone know how to do this or have a solution to increase fan speed.

 

Hey, I was wondering if anyone is having problems with the keyboard? I'd press a key and then it'd start spamming random letters and numbers. If I stop typing then it would just freeze up for a few minutes. Smashing the keys actually unfreezes it, but I don't think I should keep smashing it. Does anyone else have this problem? and is there a way to fix it?

 

That's strange. Maybe something is killing your down speeds. I can't tell what the cause might be. Could be the drivers for WiFi, or maybe a faulty receiver, hell it could even be something in your Router.

 

not on mine

 

How do you rate the mobility of the y500? I'm not talking about battery life. Is it bulky, thick and heavy? Or is it rather slim and not a big difference between normal non-gaming laptops?
Do you really notice it's a gaming laptop when you carry it around? Or could it be a somewhat multimedia laptop if you don't know the specs?

 

The biggest thing to note is that you will not be playing any high demand games like Far Cry 3 while running off the battery. It locks the gpu to 135MHz and makes it unusable with games. You can play movies or maybe Angry Birds but nothing demanding. As far as portability, it is no iPad but I've been playing Far Cry 3 and Need for Speed Most Wanted non-stop at the airport terminal with it sitting on my lap.

 

Thank you for your reply but it's not the battery life or the performance on the battery that concerns me.

I'm afraid it will be not slim enough for me, and too bulky. How slim is it compared to other laptops that are not made for gaming?

 

How is the laptops screen in terms of glare?

 

Hi everyone. I'll share my experience with the Y500 in the hopes that some others will benefit. I'm an experienced IT Professional and obsessive tweaker/enthusiast. Much of this info is already available, but it's scattered. I'll bring it together here and hopefully help a few people out. I'll cover downloading an official Windows 8 disc image for free (legally, of course) and installing a clean copy of Windows 8 on the Y500. I'll link the latest stable drivers, including the ones missing from the English driver site and the official Windows 7 drivers for those who want to roll back to Windows 7. Please note, if you want to install Windows 7 on the Y500 you will need a valid product key, as far as I am aware. Sadly, you can't use the one on the sticker from your old laptop; those are bound to that particular machine by the OEM license agreement.

The first thing I do with every retail computer I buy is wipe or replace the hard drive. I don't burn recovery disks or save the recovery partition. I can't imagine a circumstance where I would ever want to use them. A "from-scratch" install from Microsoft media with the latest stable drivers is the only way to go for a tight, fast system. The Y500 is no different; we just need to jump through a few hoops.

Firstly, burn the OEM OneKey recovery discs and/or make an image of the hard drive as it is now so you can make them later. I know I just said that they're crap, but as a last resort to get your PC working in a pinch... you should still have them or the ability to make them, as a precaution. I work without a net... don't be me.

Now let's get you a squeaky clean, official Microsoft install disc for Windows 8. Go here: Windows 8 Product Key Only Upgrade. Click the blue "Install Windows 8" button. Download and run the small setup file it offers. After a UAC prompt, you will be presented with a purpleish box and asked to provide a product key. Use either the generic key I provide below OR use a freely available "key finder" program (Google it!) to find your own current Windows 8 key. It makes no difference, one way is just much faster! The generic key is public knowledge and you are not violating any rules by using it here. It will only work to get us a disc image and you cannot actually activate Windows 8 with it. As you will soon see, you will not need a key at all to activate Windows 8 on the Y500. Your "key" is your computer; the BIOS takes care of activation for you. This is why the Windows sticker on the bottom has no key. I just blew your mind! Kaboooom.

The totally safe, completely legal generic key to use is XKY4K-2NRWR-8F6P2-448RF-CRYQH. For the super-paranoid among us, I'll wait while you go extract your current key.

Once you enter a key you will have a choice to start installing or make an install disc. Choose to create the install disc and burn it to DVD or use the Windows 7 USB Tool to install Windows 8 from a USB drive instead. Make sure to use the yellow USB 2.0 port or you will run into trouble when Windows setup can't find any hard drives to install to. Also, pay no mind to the name of the Windows "7" USB Tool... it will create a bootable USB stick from all Windows disc images, not just Windows 7.

Now you have yourself a clean Windows 8 install disc or USB stick! Pat yourself on the back and start installing! I won't go over clearing out the old partitions and the details of installing Windows 8. If you can't do that alone, you shouldn't be attempting this anyway. Suffice it to say it's the least interactive setup process in Windows history. Sit back, relax and your computer will do all the work. As I mentioned, you will not be asked for a product key. The installer will use the SLIC information embedded in your computer's BIOS to install and activate the same Windows 8 edition that came with the computer.

***As a note for TechNet/MSDN subscribers: I was able to easily upgrade a freshly installed Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro using one of my TechNet Subscription product keys. Just open Control Panel > System and select the "Get more features..." link, enter your TechNet or MSDN key and the upgrade to Pro will commence!

Last, but not least we need to install drivers. This is where Lenovo often fails us in terms of support. On the English site some items may be outdated, others may be missing outright. The Y500 is yet another example. Luckily, I was able to find all the latest stable drivers on the Lenovo China support site, including a fix for the broken brightness controls. That brightness fix is conspicuously absent from the English language support site, as are some other drivers and a few other Lenovo apps you may want to reinstall. They also have a full set of official Windows 7 drivers for our computer over there. We English talkers aren't cool enough for those either, apparently!

Below you'll find links to the Chinese Y500 driver download page I've been referencing. Since it's all written in Chinese I'll also mirror the full set of 64-bit Windows 7 and Windows 8 drivers in a public DropBox folder to make it easier for everyone. I'm mirroring 64 bit ONLY. Don't install a 32 bit copy of Windows on a Y500; it makes no sense.

Official Lenovo China Y500 Driver Download Page

Lenovo Y500 Windows 7 Drivers & Apps (64-bit) *Mirrored from Chinese support site on Dec 29, 2012

Lenovo Y500 Windows 8 Drivers & Apps(64-bit) *Mirrored from Chinese support site on Dec 29, 2012


I will try to update the mirrored drivers each time they update them on the official site. I make no promises that the drivers in my mirrored folders will always be the latest drivers, but I will do my best to keep it current. If you want to be 100% sure you are getting the latest official driver, use the link I provided for the Chinese site and poke around until you find what you're looking for. It's pretty straightforward even if you don't read Chinese. You could also try something like Google translator to get a better idea of what's written there.

After upgrading to 16GB of G.SKILL 1333MHz RAM and swapping the 5400RPM hard drive for a Kingston HyperX 3K SSD, I was able to achieve a Windows Experience Rating of 7.0. The bottle neck was the SSD! I'm telling you this thing is fast, cool and QUIET. Compared to my Y570, which had the EXACT same upgrades, it's practically silent, even under heavy loads. I may go to 1600MHz RAM, but honestly, I'm not too worried about it. I'm gaming and running decently provisioned virtual machines at the same time with no glitching and almost no fan noise. Temps are reasonable and proper. Save up, wait for a good sale, get a SandForce (or better) based SSD and never look back! The difference will blow you away, especially on this machine. I would expect mSATA equipped Y500's with the Rapid Storage caching enabled to perform similarly, keeping in mind the bit of noise and heat that the mechanical HDD will still produce over an SSD-only setup. Grab a generic 9.5mm hard drive caddy to slide in the ultrabay ($10-$15 at Amazon) and you can have 2 SSD's! Don't spend $190 on Lenovo's caddy, even if it does come with a hard drive. Way overpriced either way. You can have a generic caddy and a 120GB SSD for that.

To wrap this post up in a nice neat bow, I'll say this... As an IT guy I absolutely love Lenovo, but I can also handle whatever problems I encounter without a frustrating support call, or worse. This is why I have a hard time recommending them to anyone else. Even though they can build one hell of a machine at an an incredible price point (and the Y500 is the most solid example yet)... the support just isn't there when it comes to drivers and software. For instance, the IdeaPad Y570, a model that has been around for some time, is currently shipping with BIOS revision 2.10 and has been for a full year. The 2.10 BIOS fixes a problem with the processor turbo-boost that was causing the Y570 to overheat and under-perform. Amazingly, that critical BIOS patch is still not posted on Lenovo's English language support site. Last I looked, they had the 2.08 file available for download, but with with the read-me documents for the 2.06 file. The 2.10 BIOS is freely available on the Chinese support page, though, and has been for some time! I think that sums up Lenovo's commitment to updates quite nicely.

*Moderator: This post got longer than I expected, I'll understand if you decide to move it out to another area. I'm not an avid forum poster so I'm not 100% on what the situation calls for; I defer to your judgement.

 

Hi all,

Does anybody have WiDi up and running successfully on their Y500? And/or are your integrated graphics (Intel HD4000) enabled?

Have tried: Installing WiDi software (install aborts because HD 4000 is not present) and installing HD 4000 device driver (it won't, hardware not present), Lenovo premium hardware support has confirmed that WiDi is supposed to be standard on the machine. (Software support didn't know what WiDi is -- one guy thought it was a type of wireless keyboard)

The way I understand it, the Y500 should have both the HD4000 and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M present, with Optimus technology (which has replaced switchable graphics, at least according to the Nvidia white paper) in the 650M handling shifting back and forth between the two.

So I'm wondering, did Lenovo purposely not enable the integrated graphics for a reason, or is this an error that will eventually be corrected with a BIOS update?

I already have a request with post-sales for a return, but they haven't gotten back to me yet. FYI, there are several folks on the Lenovo support forums having the same problem.

Thanks!

Judy

 

Hi Judy,:hi2:
As you already know from the Lenovo forum, I don't have the Y500, only the Y470. I hope you get an answer from some other Y500 laptop user. However, I don't think there is much interest in WiDi for most of the NBR posters. I could be wrong.

I recently posted a question about WiDi in the NBR "Networking-Wireless" thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/net...estions-do-you-use-widi-wireless-display.html

It had over 440 views, and not one reply from anyone. I ended up posting my results, after I bought the Belkin adapter.

Maybe, some Y500 user will tell you if they see the Intel HD 4000 in their Device Manger, and if the WiDi was pre-installed by Lenovo.

I don't remember, do you have the Touch pad issue? I hope not.:smile:

Edit: Welcome To The NBR Forum! :yes:

 

the y500 looks big and solid (not cheap and plasticky), the thickness is in line with a dell inspiron 15r (an average one) but it's wider about 1 cm.

to me it's outside the portable category but not much bigger than standard budget laptops

 

Thanks, I can't wait to purchase this magnificent beast!

 

Me neither. Shame the SLI version is still stuck on the 27th on the German Lenovo site. You'd expect such a big company to atleast keep their site up to date.

 

They're really putting my patience to a test. I thought sli version would be available today because the normal one was available before the weekend.
If you google "y500 MBGJ2GE" you can find a lot of german sites that offer it too, some even cheaper! None of them have them in stock yet though. I don't know but maybe those sites ship straight to Belgium or the Netherlands, that would come in handy because then I can let it be delivered to my own house instead of my family's.

 

Hello guys, I´m about to buy y500 but I heard that they will add some anti-glare type of display in february.. Can someone confirm/deny that?

 

On the US site the description of the y500 now says full-hd anti-glare screen. So yes, at one point the y500 will be available with an anti-glare instead of glare wedge screen.

 

Yeah, I did the same a while back. Are there any 'retail' stores on there who have a store? The once I found only dealt in online sales.
Also I'm not sure, but Lenovo seems do be pretty slow with shipping. So I might get it from somewhere else, if that's faster. Either way, the SLI model will be mine!

Would there be any large differences? Anti glare usually has a better color reproduction I've heard?

 

Well.. I just dont like that stupid glare types, reflections are so annoying..