Y500 gt750m SLI addon card - PSA

Do not attempt to order these. Lenovo updated the info on the website but did not update the part number. if you order a 0c22235 Y500 - Removable Ultrabay SLI Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce GT750M GDDR5 2GB | Lenovo | (US) you WILL get a gt650m. I already got my 650m, hooray, it won't work in my 750m laptop. They don't know what is going on, I had a 1 hour conference call with support and sales. They are saying the 750m addon card is not yet available which is the cause of the mix up. Seems sketch considering SLI 750m machines are already in the wild.

Beware. I'll let you guys know if and when I get my order sorted out, but for right now I'm just sending in for a refund.

 

Heed this guys warning! i just got mine today and noticed the box was labeled GN36 while the GT750 page is labled GN35. Part number on the box was 0c22235, same as the part number on the GT750 ultrabay page and the europe lenovo site with the GN36 card. Im definitly calling sales now for a refund and will wait for the real thing to arrive...

 

Good god Lenovo, can't you get anything right with this machine?!? You're making "the #1 PC maker in the world" look bad!

Thanks a lot for this heads-up. I was just about to get one of these but now I'm gonna put it off until they get it right. First they falsely advertise the Y500 as having Optimus and WiDi, then pull a switch-and-bait regarding a matte screen listed on the website, and now this. What the heck are they even doing?

 

Well, that part about the model numbers is not entirely true. GN35 is the model number for the Y400 Ultrabay GPU while GN36 is for the Y500. They are slightly different dimensions and are not compatible with each other. This typo was on the website back when they were selling the GT 650M as well but the part numbers for the Y400 and Y500 Ultrabays were different.

When you received yours, did you check whether the box said GT 650M or GT 750M on the bottom left? That would be a clear indication of receiving the wrong product. For example, here are pictures of my GT 650M box.

 

octiceps is right, check for gt650m in that green square or 750m. i would love to see a report of a 750m. mine said 650m even though i have a record of specifically ordering 750m on the web site. i have already sent it back for a refund

 

Same problem here, After 3 calls to Lenovo, I got 3 different answers. The first time I called, I was told that they are aware that people ordered the 750m and received the 650m instead. She said that Lenovo was going to address the problem by sending out the gt750's out this week to everyone that received the wrong card. That I should just hang on to the card I have now, and that when I receive my 750m, to simply return the 650m. I asked if there was anyway to track or confirm, and she said there was not at this time. I kind of accepted her answer at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn't sit right, so I called back.

The second time I called, the CSR told me she was going to connect my call with the sales department. After waiting on the phone forever, the CSR said that sales said that the 750 was out of stock and it appeared it would be for a long time, but that the 650m I received should work fine alongside my 750. So the CSR connected me to Technical Assistance because the Sales rep, told her that my problem might be driver related. I know this is not the case. Even if I could get both cards to work, the 750 would match the clock speed of the 650 and not vice versa. Long story, short...the Tech, understood my problem, and told the CSR that I just flat out got the wrong card. The CSR offered to set up a return, but I had to leave the house that minute, so she gave me her direct line number and said we could set it up later.

Since I got 2 different answers the first time, I decided to call a third just to see wth the would come up with this time. This time I decided to call sales, I didn't tell explain my problem, I just told them I wanted to purchase the 750sli add on. He put me on hold, and came back and told me they were in stock. That's when I told him my problem, and he put me on hold again and said he was going to speak to his manager. When he returned, he gave me the same story the first lady gave me.
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At this point I don't really know what to do. One of the main reasons, I bought the y500 was for the ultrabay graphics. I'm outside of my 21 day window, so I feel like I'm kind of stuck with this thing. Not sure if I should trust them and wait for them to send out the correct card like I was told twice, if i should cancel my order and order another one from the sales department if they are willing to confirm that I would be receiving the right one, or if I should just return it, and give up. Any suggestions? Think they will get their stuff together and be able to provide me with the correct part?d

 

^^^If you still want to keep the laptop I think the only thing you can do is wait it out until they have the 750M Ultrabay available and ready to ship. I'm in the same boat and that's what I'm doing. Apparently they've got a bunch of monkeys running the whole show...

 

Wow Lenovo really f***ed up badly here. I don't get how a big company like Lenovo can get away with such false advertisement like that. I mean if you were to go into a store like Best Buy, and you bought a laptop that said it was a 15.6 inch display, but when you went home you opened it and it was a 17 inch display, they wouldn't be like "o sorry my bad guys, our mistake". That just wouldn't happen lol. Now that kind of was a bad analogy, but you get my point.

 

Are the 650m cards working with the 750m systems?

 

No they do not work together.. that'd be like using a rectangle to fit a triangle... At least that's what a Lenovo tech told me

 

the sales people told me to call back today on tuesday as a senior manager would be available. ill try calling them and explaining. i never got your story about sitting tight and as a result my card is already in the mail for a refund

 

Don't blame you man. I would send that back in a heartbeat. Totally unacceptable. Wonder who, or what, is running operations and supply chain at Lenovo? LOL

 

I just wanted to check the status on the add-on card / GPU. Is this for everyone? Nobody has actually got yet the "Y500 - Removable Ultrabay SLI Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce GT750M GDDR5 2GB" ordered separately?

I was thinking on ordering both for Y400 & Y500 and swapping the GPU inside. I think the card may be the same. Any input is highly appreciated. Thank you.

 

Hello all!

I have a Y400 with 750m and want to get an additional 750m ultrabay. Im trying to make sure I understand this correctly. Is it correct that the GN36 shown on the website is currently for the 650m not the 750m?

Thank you!

 

We all wait for the additional GPU, unfortunately Lenovo only has the 650M at the moment. It will take a bit longer, so enjoy your single card for the moment (I have been waiting for it for almost 2 months to be released).

I spoke to several Lenovo reps and I was told that they had a discussion last Friday about this issue with Y400 / Y500 and they are focusing on it (Knowing that at the moment on the website it show the add-on bay is available for the Y500, but it looks like people are still getting the old GPU - 650M; it does not surprise me at all). If they are really working on it, expected to be available in the next 2 weeks also, according to my estimate. Lets keep our fingers crossed...

 

So what is the consensus on what power supply to get with the second card (when it comes out)? I know they have the 170w on the site but someone else posted about using a smaller 240w Dell with a converter for the connector (and I think it was slightly cheaper).

 

Yeah it was kh90123 who bought the 240W Dell power brick with a conversion cable. He modded his Y500 cooling system as well as overvolted the GT 750M SLI and increased the power limits on the i7 so the 170W adapter wasn't providing enough juice for him. If you aren't gonna be that extreme 170W should be fine, but if the 240W is cheaper you might as well get that.

 

Yeah fortunately I have been buying/selling hundreds of things per year since 16 so my patience level is beyond measure. Don't mind waiting at all. Still an awesome laptop.

How did you get a custom matte screen?

 

I must say, I'm really kind of surprised no one takes issue with the fact that another power supply is required. I wasn't aware of that until I read the manual of the wrong card they sent me. Furthermore the website says the estimated ship date for the 170w charger is 4+ weeks. I think that is absurd.

 

Don't worry the card probably still won't be available in 4 weeks

 

A friend of mine works in the field and he managed to get me a matte screen. Lenovo sent me a defective system with a bad screen and luckily I had where to produce one; though after discussing with them over they chat line, they have given me discount on that.

 

Wait- I am confused.. Is it just the screen itself? W/o the frame? I thought if you replace it the camera will no longer work

 

Who told you that? The camera has nothing to do with the screen. The screen cables are totally separated then the camera ones... Ofcourse you can change the screen, is just that you have to dismantle the entire system to reach to the screen (in the lower area of the frame, it has 2 screws; one on each side. You have to remove everything from the board to reach to those 2 screws, Then you can easily, slowly, with a prying tool remove the frame).

 

Is it really that big of a difference?

Also, Juliant you'll enjoy this since you've seen I am a Lenovo advocate.. My Lenovo broke and I had to send it in for repairs.

 

I have no idea what you are trying to say about enjoying, but I feel sorry to hear that your system run into problems... Knowing that you hardly got your system they should actually send you a new one... I bet you do not have it for more than 1 1/2 months. You could argue with them...

As per the screen, no it is not a big difference; it will just help if you are in a room with a lot of windows or somewhere outside as the reflection is not there on the matte screen. Am I recommending changing your screen if you have a working one? No, not at all... Not worth spending any penny on this machine unless you are forced too.

 

I was being sarcastic !
I Recieved it in early May so not even a month.

Thanks for the info about the screen

 

So should we just keep calling them every day until they decide they have them? We know they have cards because they are shopping them with sli pre built units :/

 

I'm going to call them today

 

Any results on your call or again disappointment?!

 

Just received a Y500 650M gpu addon card.

If anyone interested shoot me a message. Can list on eBay for you or sell directly here. Still in the plastic wrapped taped completely unopened. Bought it by accident.

$200 USPS Priority Mail. Can ship immediately as I am at the office everyday for USPS pickup.

PM me.

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Why not return it?

Anyways, I don't know why they still have the GPU ultrabay on their website. When I called customer service last thurs in regards to receiving the wrong card, the rep told me that it'd be a long while until the correct card, 750m, would be available to buy.

 

I bought 3 of the 650m cards, when i bought the first I was told by the rep it "should be the right one" and i returned and they sent me another one and said it was a "factory error" and ordering a new one would be the correct one for SURE.

Well after getting the 3rd one, I was about to return this laptop just because of principal. I mean after this many people had problems they can't update their website correctly. I called tech support 2 days ago and the guy "researched" for 30 minutes just to find out the website is correct and I should order the 750m card right away.

This kind of mistake is HP quality. I'm a Lenovo dealer and their Idea division compared to their Think division is NIGHT and DAY.

 

Same thing with the dvd drive. Every time my ship date comes up I call to confirm that's is being shipped, they say yes and it never does, always gets pushed back. Talked to them and they said it would be 2 months, I told them that bull, I would have to wait a total of 3 months after I revived my computer. Told them that if I didn't get a definitive answer I was going to just return everything. They said they would get back to me today.

 

Lol, now I'm f****** pissed, just received a email, your order has been canceled. Someone's getting another ear full.

 

WOW, JUST WOW. I think lenovo is just a piece of . So with the conversation I just had they said the ultra bay dvd drive Y500 Removable DVD Burner DB36 | Lenovo | (US) is no longer going to be available, being that its discontinued. So answer me this, how is it that you guys can push out units with dvd drives but not offer them on a single order bases. Complete bull. She even admitted to that the company is have problems because their advertising things that aren't even available and no longer sale. I told her that its false advertising to advertise this laptop with the ultra bay option and not even have a option being its the only reason why I brought it in the first place. In the end, she told me to check with 3 party companys that sale the computer to see if they have the drive and yes I know, I could just go buy a usb dvd drive but that means its just one more thing I have to lug around.

 

Man this is incredible. Who knows when they'll suddenly decide to scrap their other Ultrabay accessories too? Don't know if Lenovo even realizes the damage it's doing to its brand and reputation with the whole fiasco surrounding this laptop.

 

Now the big question is, do I wait for it to be in stock or get my money back. The agent told me that she would need to get a mangers approval for the return being that its past the 21 day mark, I told her bull, its false advertisement and I would get my money back regardless.

 

I sure hope they come out with a Y400 750M ultrabay. I returned the 650M system I had because the 750M came out during my return period. But if they don't make the 750M UB I would have been better off with the 650M SLI system. For the DVD and HD ultrabays, it seems so strange. I mean its just a piece of plastic with a COTS drive, right?

I hope the rumors of a Y410p having an SLI option, maybe then they will sell the 750M ultrabay on the site. One thing is for sure, over at Lenovo the right hand has no idea what the left hand is doing. So you can't trust anything a sales person says.

 

When I keep reading the forum here, I get so frustrated. When I was reading this thread, I went immediately on Lenovo chat and 'fired' the sales rep. I felt sorry for her in the end... I really hate this unprofessionalism, the Lenovo system works... All that she had to say is that our Lenovo team are working on this but we do not know when it will be released. Bull!!!

 

I'll trade someone a dvd drive for a 750m

 

I think im going to wait. If its true and either fry's or Lenovo (I dough Lenovo will) is offering the new y510p with a blu ray ultra bay drive option with the order, then ill just return my y500 and order it from fry's. $1300 is pretty steep but I figure that if indeed Lenovo is getting with times and offering a blu ray ultra bay drive, it will probably will be more then the dvd drive which is $69.99, im guessing maybe $20-30 more. I placed another order for the dvd drive just to see and all I get is "Your order is currently being verified. Please check back for order status updates". My guess is their sales department is closed and ill probably get an email tomorrow, and if I get the same thing then ill wait for confirmation from fry's with the blu ray option. If all else fails Im returning my y500 indefinite and probably get a msi system.

 

So I decided to return my y500 based on the fiasco I had with the dvd drive and it seems that lenovo is focusing its resources on the new y line up. I'll probably wait to hear about some things about the new y510p and more importantly the ultra bay line up and support, knowing that original 650 owner had to wait some time for ultra bay support. It good to see that their supporting the blu ray drive now but because there is no info on their website and I don't trust their sales support if my life depended on it. If all else fails ill probably just save some money for a couple of months and get the new MSI GT60 2OD series laptop running either the gtx 770/780 gpu.

 

In case no one noticed...Lenovo updated its website and............

1. When you search for gn36 you get no product results
2. When you search for gn35 you get the listing for both the Y500 ultrabay (stating 750m) and the y400 ultrabay (vague description). These are the exact same listings as before the page update...
3. When you look at the Y400 and Y500 product page on the 'Features' tab They have added the last line 'Availability of ultrabay options will vary' under the 'Ultrabay' section....

Looks like we are STILL getting screwed.

All I know is they better come out with a 750m SLI ultrabay for my Y400. If you look at my signature you see the infamous C90s. The worlds 'first' gpu upgradeable laptop. We were promised GPU upgrades. Over a year later we didnt get upgrades, just options. History repeating itself with the whole user upgradeable gpu things. I have waited all these years for another laptop to come along with unique gaming features. It has been since 2008 with my C90S. Here I go and make the jump and BOOM same crap different day.

Unbelievable!

WHATS GOING ON!?

 

Guys,

Please make sure to write a review for your Y400 and Y500 clearly stating your 'concerns' about the lack of ultrabay 750m.

 

Same here I returned my 650m y400 because I was in the return window for the 750m, expecting to be able to get an ultrabay. I hope the ultraby on the y410p is the same size, I think then the y400 will still get one. If the size us different then I could see them only offering it for the y410p. But still for the price even with the single 750m its pretty powerful.

 

So today I decided to return my y500 do to the fact that it seems that Lenovo has dropped support of their ultra bay options for the y 400/500. Its funny that when I called them to let them know I wanted a refund based on the fact that they lied about having any ultra bay option or support for these to models, the agent tell me he need approval from his manger I said ok, about 5 minutes later he comes back on and says, "well if we can find you a ultra bay dvd drive are you willing to keep your unit", umm let me think about that for a sec..... F*** NO. You guys have been stringing me along for the past month and a half, telling me im going to have to wait another 2 months and only now when I want to return it you actually want to try, yeah right. I think what Lenovo is doing is putting everything into the new y 410p/510p ultra bay support being that they have the 750m gpu and a new blu ray option. Only time will tell if they will support the ultra bay and offer single orders for ultra bay items. I have yet to confirm with Fry's but from the description on their page for the y510p with 16gb of ram, 750m sli configuration FRYS.com | Lenovo. It says "BluRay Ultrabay bundle included" which i'm guessing they are including the drive as well. I will call tomorrow to confirm.

 

So it looks like he Y500 750M ultrabay is no longer on the site. The Y400 is still there. Hopefully they are going to take then both down and put up new listings for Y500/510p and Y400/410P ultrabays with the 750M card.

 

I wish they would clear this up. I've talked to a couple of reps and none of them knew if they are going to come out with a 750m ultrabay for the Y500 or if the one for the Y510P will be compatible since it is a thinner laptop. Didn't have the cash at the time for sli and will feel like a sucker for buying a laptop that does not work as advertised. At least they took down the 750m ultrabay for sale on their site.

 

No kidding. Any they never even had an dual GPU option for the Y400. My plan had always been to wait and get the UltraBay later. Someone has to know the plan, I wonder why its so hard to get concrete information. Even if a rep said that the ultrabay would work on both the Y500 and Y510p you can't even believe them.

 

So I called fry's today and they did confirm the this model FRYS.com | Lenovo comes with the blu ray ultra bay, the guy knew what he was talking about because I asked him what it was to make sure. Unfortunately their are sold out, yesterday they had them in stock. I'll wait till they get then in stock and order one. So lenovo this is your last change, if all goes well ill keep it, if not MSI here I come.