Y500 Owners and Questions Thread

FurMark is a very stressful but not extreme in my experience. My old ASUS G73Jh actually had higher temperatures and power consumption playing Battlefield 3 than it did while running FurMark maxed out.

To test power consumption you would need to get a Kill a Watt, which is basically a power meter that plugs into the wall. You then plug your laptop into the Kill a Watt and get the reading on its display. I find it very useful to have around the house and its <$20 on Amazon.

 

Can a Lenovo Y500 owner tell me for the laptop microphone sound recording what is the maximum sample rate (192kHz, 96kHz, 48kHz, etc)?

Thanks.

-Steve

 

Can a Lenovo Y500 owner tell me for the laptop microphone sound recording what is the maximum sample rate (192kHz, 96kHz, 48kHz, etc)?

Thanks.

-Steve

 

Seems like the tutorial is at the 1st post, page 1. I can't download any links from there right now though. Probably because I'm a new member/low post count. Hence why I ask for the files here. Someone is bound to be to share these files here.

On a different topic: SLI seems to work okay with a 120W adapter. I'm playing Sniper Elite Zombie Army on Max (super-sampling off) and it's playable for the most part. No batttery drain or anything like that. I wonder if there's a performance increase while using a 170W adapter instead. Need to test that. later.

 

Hi guys, how long did Lenovo take in delivering your laptops? Was the estimated ship date accurate? Thanks.

 

My friend ordered his around Christmas and it came in under a week. I ordered mine from Newegg with free shipping, and it came in 1 day. Took me completely by surprise

 

Lenovo asia delivery is a major failure, i ordered my care pack to extend warranty since 2 months ago and am still waiting.

 

Don't know how many times this has been asked, but nobody is going to share the files here when you can easily download them yourself. Just right-click on the link and "Save link as..." or whatever it is in your browser. You don't even need to be a Tech Inferno Forum member, let alone make a single post, to download the attachments.

 

Hey guys. New to this forum. I finally decided to bite and buy the y500. I just ordered it from costco and should be here sometime this week. Its the i7 version with sli 650m, 1tb hdd +16gb ssd cache, and 16 gb of ram. I had ordered it from amazon.com friday night, but cancelled it shortly there after. For some reason Ive been fighting in my head to buy this or not.

Portability is a huge thing for me (plugged in of course) since Im always on the move. I have a decent desktop at home (amd phenomII x4 810 (2.6ghz), 8gb ram, and a radeon 6870) so I was afraid that I would actually be downgrading by buying this. Im hoping I at least get equal results with this y500. What do you all think?

Anyone test it yet with the new Tomb Raider? Im playing it on my desktop on high-Ultra in 1080p and getting around 30 frames. I also get around 40fps or so from Far Cry 3 on high-ultra in 1080p and around 50 fps on high-ultra in 1080p on a 64 player server in BF3.

Heres to hoping I didnt just waste $1200 on a machine that isnt as capable as my non portable rig, or on a machine that wont be able to play games in the next year or so. Just help me out here guys, Im debating if I should cancel this order too. But to be honest I dont see myself getting a better deal on another gaming laptop without spending at least 2k. Please help put my fears to rest and let me know that this laptop is actually very capable of matching my current performance. Im thinking the i7 will def. beat out the amd I currently have, but the radeon I currently have beats out the dual sli 650m Maybe im wrong, since I really dont know much at all about computer hardware, and really dont understand benchmark numbers ect ect haha.

Thanks!

 

hey is anyone else having issues paring their phones with their comptuers? I am attempting to tether my phone via bluetooth, but i go to connect and the window freezes up and have to kill it via task manager- any ideas or suggestions?

 

Keep the laptop. I don't see what there is to be afraid of since you're not gonna find a better gaming notebook for the price. Personally, I would've saved some money by going with 8GB RAM and doing without the 16GB SSD cache since I can always buy more RAM and a real mSATA SSD for cheaper.

As far as performance is concerned, the i7-3630QM will absolutely obliterate your Phenom II X4 810. I'm surprised you didn't notice it bottlenecking your 6870 in CPU-heavy games like Far Cry 3 and Battlefield 3 64-player multiplayer. You'll see an increase in frame rate just from that CPU upgrade alone.

There are very few benchmarks available for the GT 650M SLI. The only ones I know of are the ones on Notebookcheck.net. As far as games are concerned, the 6870 and GT 650M SLI tested out nearly identically except in the few instances where SLI did not work. I don't have 100% faith in the accuracy of other people's benchmark scores but my gut instinct tells me that this is probably true. In any event, I believe you'll be getting at least equal gaming performance, if not better, since your previous CPU was holding back your 6870. Plus, the Kepler chips run really cool and are good overclockers so that is another way to get free performance out of the 650M.

Hope I answered your questions satisfactorily.

 

Really? I hope so. Im just having such a tough time deciding because i cannot find anything that can compare the sli 650m to the desktop 6870. Thanks for your response. Man im at a serious crossroad!

 

Ah no.... If it were that easy I wouldn't have asked. At the very least this method doesn't work for me. It only downloads like a few kilobytes of whatever it was downloading. Any zip files/rar files are corrupted, and they're all the same file sizes using this method. Just clicking on the links just states that I need permission or whatever. Using Firefox by the way. So to recap: your way does NOT work for me.

 

This is the only place I know that has a comparison. You can filter it so that you are only comparing the 6870 and GT 650M SLI. Like I said before, they're about even. The 6870 wins some by a little, the 650M SLI wins others by a little. We don't know the test setups they had so it's hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison.

Since it sounds like you've already placed your order, your best bet be to benchmark both machines yourself after you receive the laptop. That would probably convince you more than anything we say here. It's not a life-or-death decision you know.

 

My bad. Apologies for the attitude and bad advice. This works for the files in another thread on Tech Inferno because they are public downloads. However, these ones are inaccessible unless you have at least 5 posts. So get busy everyone, and whoever gets to that mark first be sure to post the files on here for us Y500 owners. :thumbsup:

 

Hello Y500 user,

I'm just wondering if we can plug other peripherals in the Mini PCI express other than the one that Lenovo announced (eg. SLI mode, Fan Bay, Hdd caddy etc)
Because i would like to plug in a Firewire port for my recording interface.
Any help would be great! thanks

 

Those components you listed such as GPU, fan, hard drive, all plug into a proprietary slot called the Ultrabay, not mPCIe. The Ultrabay is initially occupied by your optical drive if you bought a model with an included DVD/Blu-ray drive. As far as I know, the Y500 comes with two mPCIe slots and one of them is for the WiFi card while the other one is wired as an mSATA slot for SSD's. I don't think it would be possible to do what you are asking because the laptop does not come with an ExpressCard slot. Since FireWire is obsolete you would need to use USB 3.0.

 

Hi everyone!

I'm very close to buying this laptop, but after reading the touchpad and keyboard issues, I'm having second thoughts. From what I can gather, the touchpad was fixed after they switched to Synaptics, but is there anyway to make sure the model I buy uses Synaptics?

I'm thinking about getting the $899.99 one from Newegg. Has anyone else bought their laptop from Newegg and can check whether it uses the synaptics touchpad or not? Or whether the keyboard has issues?

Thank you! This thread has been very helpful

 

Hey guys, I am going to be buying the Ideapad y500 (59359557) Model. It has the dual NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M SLI. Im sorry if this was already asked. I want to put in a 256 GB Sata III SSD to use as the main boot drive and then use the included 5400 HDD as my storage drive. Can I do all of this while keeping the SLI configuration or will there not be room?

Also what would be better?

256 Sata III SSD + 1TB 5400 HDD or 256 m-Sata III + 1TB 5400 HDD

What are the pros and cons for these two setups??? Thanks in advance.

 

Using an mSATA SSD will allow you to keep SLI and the 1 TB HDD as a storage drive. That would be the best way to go. No point in paying for SLI only to put a hard drive in the Ultrabay. I recommend the Crucial m4 256GB mSATA SSD.

 

That's what I figured but I just wanted to be sure. Thank you for the concise and informative answer, makes it really easy. Ill be sure to check out your recommendation.

 

You're welcome. If you're set on getting an mSATA SSD, the choice is easy right now. No need to even read any reviews since the Crucial m4 is pretty much the universal recommendation. Cheap, fast, and a proven track record of reliability. It's what most people here have reported getting.

 

Just checked it out. Pretty much seems like the perfect solution. Reliability is most important for me. Thanks again.

 

Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a Y500. I know Lenovo has good reputation for their business line up, but what about their reliability for the ideapads? Because of the awesome specs, I would want it to last at least two years. (my toshiba is falling apart after one).

I also know there was a trackpad issue, but I think that's fixed now. Are there any other issues? How do you guys like yours after a few months of owning it?

Thanks!

 

Just so everyone knows, the Y500 is also available at Costco's website for $1,100. I just places my order It comes with:
16GB ram
1 TB HDD with 16 GB SSD
Nvidia 650 SLI

On top of that, they bump the warranty an extra year longer and there's a 90 day return policy. Just letting everyone know since I have yet to see anyone mention this and it may be helpful to anyone still in the market for one.

 

That is a great price considering the upgrades! Too bad Costco.com charges sales tax like everyone else. I just received my Y500 and am super stoked.

I got mine for $959 off Lenovo.com but that was after ordering the Ultrabay GPU and 170W AC adapter separately. I don't need more than 8GB RAM and I plan on getting a Crucial m4 mSATA SSD anyway. Plus I like having the DVD drive and 120W adapter just in case I need it. But the 2-year warranty on the Costco model is really nice.

 

Guys I need a favor from all the Y500 owners still checking this thread. Can you plug your laptop into a gigabit capable router or switch and let me know if your ethernet adapter connects at 1000mbps? When you're done, post something in the thread I started here http://forum.notebookreview.com/ide...li-gigabit-ethernet-only-running-100mbps.html

I'm having trouble with mine and just want to see if I'm an isolated case or not before calling Lenovo for support. I'm run my own business and this is a crucial time for me so I can't afford to send my laptop out to Lenovo even for a few days, if you could help me I would be very grateful and definitely send you +1 rep.

 

Just got my laptop! Loving it so far.

Despite feeling cheap to touch, the trackpad works fine (the cursor is fairly accurate). The keyboard works great too.

What I was wondering... Is there any way to do a clean install of Windows 8 without a disc drive? Someone mentioned the instructions in this page: Methodology to create Recovery Media and reload a Lenovo Think system with Microsoft Windows 8 preload

But it sounds like that would just install the recovery partition again with all the bloatware, or maybe it doesn't? Has anyone tried it and can confirm that is a clean install?

Thanks!

 

Mine just arrived yesterday but I have yet to use it since I am waiting for the 170W adapter. The clickpad does have some flex at the bottom buttons but I was surprised how solid the keyboard feels. No flex at all while typing normally.

Overall, I'd say the build quality feels above average but definitely not on a premium notebook level. I wish the bottom half were made of some stronger plastic or metal because it feels pretty flimsy. And the whole display assembly could be stronger too. The bezel feels cheap and I can flex the aluminum cover pretty easily with my fingers just by pressing on it.

The only way to do a clean install of Windows 8 without an ODD is to get a hold of W8 installation media, either on a DVD or ISO downloaded from Microsoft, and put the files onto a flash drive using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. Any other method is going to bring back the Lenovo bloatware.

 

I see, that's tricky. I think the only way to get an ISO from Microsoft is buying it. I'll figure something out, I found the product key using Belarc Advisor, so all I need is an ISO for Windows 8 and an USB... I think.

Thanks a lot!

 

Just so you know, the key pulled by any keyfinder utility such as Belarc is the the one in the Windows Registry. This is a factory OEM key used for mass installation and is not the actual Windows 8 key stored in the laptop's BIOS, so you might have trouble if you try to manually activate using it. However, when you reinstall W8 it automatically pulls the BIOS key so it shouldn't be a problem. You will run into a problem if you try to install Windows 8 Pro though because it will keep pulling the BIOS key licensed for Core and reinstall that instead of letting you upgrade unless you perform this workaround.

 

So, I've been trying to reformat and install Windows 8 via USB. I made a bootable usb stick with Windows 8 in it (using the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool), but I can't find an option to change the boot priority in the BIOS. I tried changing it through the Windows 8 settings (it worked for another user in this thread), the laptop restarts and gives me an error:

"System doesn't have any USB boot option. Please select other boot option in Boot Manager Menu."

And just like the BIOS, my only boot options are:

"Windows Boot Manager
EFI Network 0 for IPv4
EFI Network 0 for IPv6"

No USB option, and I already tried disabling the Secure Boot option in the BIOS... I've searched everywhere and I'm out of ideas... Help?

Thanks in advance.

 

You should be able to hit F12 while booting to select alternative boot options. If your USB does not show up, make sure you have USB Legacy options enabled in BIOS. OR you may not have formatted your USB properly and it is not bootable.

OH Yea, don't boot UEFI use Legacy.

 

i bought my y500 in january and issue with the track started after like 15days.This elan pointing device is sad. I have downloaded latest synaptics 16.3.8.8. I downloaded this 109mb zip folder from the synaptics site but when i try to install this ,it fails.
plz can u tell the which version of synaptics pointer driver i should install and where to download from(the latest i suppose) ,and how to install and activate this.

 

Not interested in SLI and only getting it with single gt 650m with optical dvd drive. Do I get optimus and intel hd 4000 if I dont get SLI?

2nd question, where is the exhaust vent located? Rear left or right?

Thanks

 

Unfortunately, no. It's been set that way. The vent is on the left, or both sides with second graphic card.

 

So how do right handed mouse users play comfortably if hot air is being blown out the right side?

 

I was worried about that too as my hp blows really hot air, however this laptop doesnt blow much air and its not even that hot, personally I like putting my hand right next to it because its warm and nice

 

I just wanted to share this ,

I ordered a y500 laptop on lenovo website with free shipping ( normal one) it took 18 days for ship, ( lenovo changed my shippment date 2 times, first time 7 days and then it extended until 18) then it took 4 days for arriving ( China-USA). The service was good. Kinda weird but nice.

Overall I liked very much the laptop. Totally worth the wait .

 

hey guys,

went to remove my micro SD dummy chip, some reason the spring did not want to eject it, and now it is pretty stuck- any ideas on how to remove this bad boy before I have to open up the back of the machine?

Thanks

 

Since you already said you're not getting SLI it won't be a problem. The system fan is on the left side where the keyboard is. There is only a fan on the right side if you put a second GPU in the Ulltrabay.

And to answer your other question, Optimus and WiDi are not available because the Intel iGPU is disabled at the hardware level due to a frame buffer issue.

 

Any benchmarks with fps on the sli 650m in the y500 for games like tomb raider and crysis 3? Worried bout the future with this laptop before i buy it

 

Also does anyone have a link for either the newest or the best drivers for the sli650m?

And, say I wanted to downgrade from windows 8 to windows 7, is that possible? Or does it mess the machine up? Would you recommend it? How easy is it to do? Thanks!

 

Sorry to keep posting. I just ordered (not cancelling this time!) the y500. Does this get hot when gaming? I have a lapdesk(no cooling fans) for when im in bed, this shouldnt be an issue right? Thanks

 

the palm rest gets a little warm after a couple of minutes playing a heavy game and stays at a consistent temp all through out, around 40C i think. regardless, the actual temperature of the cpu and gpu's are in safe levels after hours and hours of gaming. i guess the heat could be minimize by using a cooling pad or disabling cpu turbo boost.

you'll be glad you didn't cancel your order.:thumbsup:

 

I see you have a 7200 rpm drive. Is it a big difference for gaming? I may get one if so. What should i look for when purchasing? How hard is it to clone? Thanks!

 

i really can't tell coz i didn't have the 5400rpm before. this is a stock hdd from lenovo.

i don't think rpm's have significant effect on gameplay. maybe on loading times but that's it. i read somewhere online that loading times between a hdd and ssd only differs around 4 to 9 seconds which varies per game. how much less if you compare by hdd rpm's.

 

Guy on ebay cancelled my order this morning

 

Why Ebay? Just call Lenovo and barter with them over the phone. I got the specs in my sig for $959 before taxes, and that was after having to order the 170W adapter and Ultrabay GPU separately.

 

Very good price. I would lover to get those configs from amazon (tax free, free shipping)

I just ordered mine off Amazon.

$889 out the door with no tax. Can't wait until I get it

Intel Core i5-3230M Processor (2.6 GHz)
6 GB DDR3 RAM
1 TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
15.6-Inch Screen, NVIDIA Dual SLI GT650M


So less specs than yours, but I couldn't pass up the price