Refreshing a Winner
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Y500 was one of our favorite gaming notebooks. What made it irresistible to gamers and value hunters was its combination of high-end specifications, its innovative Ultrabay feature, relative portability and attractive price tag.
However, since the launch of Intel’s new fourth generation Core processors in June, the gaming notebook space has been seen lots of new players of late, especially in the 13 to 15-inch space. Some standout contenders include Razer’s sexy new Blade and Aftershock’s slightly smaller but excellent XG13. Thanks to faster and more efficient processors (both and CPU and GPU), slim and truly portable gaming notebooks are no longer the stuff of dreams.
The IdeaPad Y510p, successor to the IdeaPad Y500, features upgraded internals.
To combat the slew of new gaming notebooks, Lenovo has recently refreshed the IdeaPad Y500 and the new model has been appropriately christened the IdeaPad Y510p. How does this new model perform? And is this still the ultimate gaming notebook for value hunters? Read on to find out.
Hardware
What is a refresh without updated internals? The IdeaPad Y510p is appropriately outfitted with Intel’s new fourth generation Core processor, specifically the high-end quad-core Core i7-4700MQ (2.4GHz, 6MB L3 cache). This is paired with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB mechanical HDD. The lack of a flash drive is disappointing, but not entirely unexpected given that the original IdeaPad Y500 was all about offering bang for buck.
Graphics-processing duties are handled by NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 750M, which is at heart a rebadged GeForce GTX 650M. Both share the same core configurations - 384 CUDA cores, 32 texture mapping units and 16 render output units. However, the GeForce GTX 750M boasts higher clock speeds and GPU Boost 2.0 technology.
Despite using a TN panel, the IdeaPad Y510p's 15.6-inch display offers pretty decent viewing angles.
GPU Boost 2.0 was debuted with the launch of the fearsome GeForce GTX Titan, and features added GPU temperature monitoring to determine how much to boost the GPU’s clock speeds. According to NVIDIA this allowed the card to be boosted to higher clock speeds more reliably, resulting in better overall performance. This, along with the already higher clock speeds, should see the GeForce GTX 750M easily outperform the GeForce GTX 650M, but the difference in performance won't be by leaps and bounds.
As for its screen, the IdeaPad Y510p gets the same 15.6-inch Full-HD (1080p) display as its predecessor. Despite being a TN panel and its glossy finishing, we found viewing angles to be quite decent, although at full brightness, images can appear washed out.
Design & Features
The IdeaPad Y510p is solidly built, but we have some complaints about the keyboard and trackpad. The "Enter" and right "Shift" key ought to be bigger and the clickable trackpad, though large, is mushy to use.
While the IdeaPad Y510p received upgraded internals, the chassis itself is completely identical to the model it replaces. And that means an all-black design with a chassis constructed mostly out of plastic and given some aluminum garnishing - the notebook lid and interior keyboard panel feature dark brushed aluminum. Overall build quality is decent and we could spot no major fitting or flexing issues. That said, with "value" brands like MSI and Acer catching up in terms of notebook build quality, Lenovo has to do better than just "decent" to stay ahead of the game.
In terms of dimensions and weight, the IdeaPad Y510p comes in at 35mm thick and weighs 2.69kg. With its 15-inch display, the IdeaPad Y510p is not the most portable or featherweight notebook, but considering its specifications and features, we think it is a fair overall compromise. The best way to describe the IdeaPad Y510p would be that it is not so heavy and bulky as to be impossible to carry around, but it is definitely not something you want to be carrying around in your bag for extended periods of time.
The keyboard features red backlights, which is cool. They are quite tactile and are nice to use, but the "Enter" and right "Shift" keys should really be larger.
Flipping the lid open, we were greeted by the familiar sight of the keyboard with red accents. The keyboard also features a full number pad, which can be useful to some users. However, the inclusion of the number pad seems to have come at the cost of reducing the size of certain keys. For example, we found the "enter" and right "shift" keys to be smaller than we were used to and thus requiring us to adapt.
The clickable trackpad is large and accurate to use, but suffers from excessive travel. In addition, it also feels feels a bit flimsy and mushy to use. These problems were also present in the IdeaPad Y500.
To the left we find two USB 3.0 ports, a HDMI output, Ethernet jack and VGA output.
To the right are the headphones and microphone jacks, a USB 2.0 port and the Ultrabay where users can fit either a DVD combo drive or a graphics module for added graphics performance.
The notebook features decent of I/O connectivity. On the left, users can find VGA and HDMI video outputs as well as an Ethernet jack and two USB 3.0 ports. On the right, there is the Ultrabay, headphones and microphone jacks, and an "always on" USB 2.0 port that can be used for charging devices even if the notebook is powered down.
Audio has always been problematic for notebooks but the IdeaPad Y510p, with its JBL-branded speakers and in-built subwoofer, performed admirably in this respect. It sounded surprisingly direct and powerful, while vocals are pleasant and smooth.
The Ultrabay can accommodate a DVD combo drive or an add-on graphics module for SLI goodness.
The "Ultrabay" has got to be the IdeaPad Y510p’s key and defining feature. Although notebooks with swappable optical drives are not new, the earlier IdeaPad Y500 took this to new heights when it offered an add-on graphics module, thereby increasing the notebook’s graphics crunching prowess, turning the IdeaPad Y500 from a mainstream multimedia notebook into a serious gaming notebook.
The IdeaPad Y510p is no different and users can improve its graphics capabilities with an add-on graphics module, thereby enabling GeForce GTX 750M in SLI. In theory, the combined 768 CUDA cores of two GeForce GTX 750M GPUs in SLI should give it enough performance to challenge notebooks outfitted with the more powerful GeForce GTX 760M and 765M. We'll find out if that holds true on the next page.
Test Setup
To test the IdeaPad Y510p, we will be putting it through our slightly revised benchmarks. We have removed older benchmarks such as PCMark 7, 3DMark 11 and Far Cry 2 and have added in a new game in the form of Tomb Raider. You can see the full list below. New also to our evaluation of gaming notebooks is a temperature test, where we take readings from three spots on the notebook and also from GPU-Z. As for comparison, we will be pitting the IdeaPad Y510p closely against the model it replaces - the IdeaPad Y500 - and also comparable gaming notebooks such as the MSI GE40 Dragon Eyes, Aftershock XG13 and Razer Blade.
This is the full list of benchmarks used:
- PCMark 8
- 3DMark 2013
- Crysis 2
- Tomb Raider
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PCMark 8
PCMark 8 is the latest benchmarking utility from Futuremark and was designed to measure the performance of Windows 8 systems. We will be testing the system using four different scenarios, Home, Creative, Work and Storage, which simulates different workloads that a user might subject the system to.
Thanks to the IdeaPad Y510p’s upgraded internals, it expectedly performed marginally better than the model it replaces, the IdeaPad Y500. Scores on the “Home” and “Creative” scenarios were about 8% better while Storage” saw the biggest improvement of 25%. Comparing to the current crop of portable gaming notebooks, we found the IdeaPad Y510p’s scores to be competitive. Obviously, its lack of flash storage meant that its scores on the “Storage” scenario was not as good as the models that were equipped with flash storage, such as the Aftershock XG13 and Razer Blade.
3DMark 2013
3DMark 2013 is the latest graphics benchmarking utility from FutureMark and we will be gauging the systems’ performance using the Cloud Gate and the more intensive Fire Strike benchmark.
Despite the GeForce GTX 750M being essentially a rebadged GeForce GTX 650M with higher clock speeds and GPU Boost 2.0 technology, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p scored significantly better than the older IdeaPad Y500. Against the other gaming notebooks which were mostly equipped with the GeForce GTX 765M and GTX 760M, the IdeaPad Y510p was outscored on the “Cloud Gate” scenario by around 17%, but managed to come out tops on the more demanding “Fire Storm” scenario possibly due to its larger combined 4GB of framebuffer.
Crysis 2 & Tomb Raider
With its dual GeForce GTX 750M GPUs and combined 768 CUDA cores (the same as the GeForce GTX 765M and 760M) the IdeaPad Y510p came out tops in Crysis 2. On both “Very High” and “Ultra” settings, it was about 9% faster than the next fastest notebooks. Clearly, the latest NVIDIA SLI drivers are well optimized for Crysis 2.
Considering its impressive showing on Crysis 2, the IdeaPad Y510p’s performance on Tomb Raider can only be described as slightly disappointing. On both “Normal” and “High” settings, it was outperformed by notebooks equipped with the newer GeForce GTX 765M. This goes to show that SLI performance can be erratic and is highly dependent on driver optimizations. In this case, for a newer game like Tomb Raider, clearly there is room for improvement.
Temperature
In our temperature test, we let the notebooks run Tomb Raider for 30 minutes so that they get sufficiently warm and then take a couple of readings. We measured the temperature using an infrared thermometer at the palm rests area and also the top two corners of the notebooks - the areas that typically get the warmest. We also recorded the temperature of the GPU using GPU-Z.
According to GPU-Z, the IdeaPad Y510p’s GeForce GTX 750M reached a maximum temperature of 72 degrees Celsius, which is decent. Readings from the infrared thermometer are amongst the lowest of the trio and suggests that the chassis is well insulated from heat and is able to vent heat well.
Battery Life & Power Consumption
The IdeaPad Y510p has the same removable 72Wh battery as the model it replaces, but it has a slightly shorter battery life, coming in at 138 minutes, 20 minutes less than the IdeaPad Y500. The reason for this can be attributed to its CPU and GPU, both of which have marginally higher rated TDPs. This means that power consumption comes in at 31.3W, which is the second highest amongst the notebooks here - only the Alienware has higher power consumption.
Portability Index
Our Portability Index factors in battery life, weight and volume so you can see which notebook is the most worthwhile to carry around. Given the average battery life, slightly high power consumption figures as well as its relative bulk, the IdeaPad Y510p did pretty poorly in our Portability Index, scoring just 0.245. Comparatively, this is significantly lower than notebooks such as the MSI GE40 and Razer Blade, but not actually that far off when compared to 17-inch notebooks such as the MSI GS70 Stealth and Razer Blade Pro. The latter two did better, but only because they were designed to be slim from the get-go and have a thickness of only around 22mm.
Still Good Value?
We loved the original IdeaPad Y500 for its innovative Ultrabay feature and its attractive price so much that we gave it our "Best Value" and "Innovative" awards. So how does its successor fare?
Compared to the IdeaPad Y500, the new IdeaPad Y510p offers appreciably better performance but at the cost of shorter battery life. As the old saying goes "you cannot have your cake and eat it", so we guess the tradeoff is reasonable. However, given that this is a refreshed model, we would have liked Lenovo to have made improvements to its design and chassis. As we have mentioned, the IdeaPad Y500 suffered from a mushy clickable trackpad and we would have liked this to be rectified.
The IdeaPad Y500 was reviewed back in April this year, and since then, quite lot has changed in the computing landscape - Intel released its new fourth generation Core processors and NVIDIA also introduced its new GTX 700 series mobile GPUs. Their combined strengths have had a tremendous effect on the notebook market as we are seeing slimmer, sexier notebooks that offer more performance and have longer-lasting battery lives.
Now, there is no shortage of portable and capable gaming notebooks, as evidenced by the MSI GE40, the new 14-inch Razer Blade, and the XG13 from local notebook customization specialists Aftershock. On a whole, we would have to concede that the latter three are better suited for gamers and enthusiasts, given their all-round better specifications and features such as Killer network connectivity.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p still represents good value for money. But if a 15-inch display is not your priority, there are other great buys to be had.
Although the IdeaPad Y510p did perform admirably on Crysis 2, If we were given a choice, we would still opt for a notebook with a single GPU as opposed to one with an SLI configuration. Experience tells us that SLI performance can be finicky and erratic; furthermore, it also generates more heat and consumes more power. That said, overall performance is definitely good, though the lack of a flash drive hampered its scores on PCMark 8 and driver optimizations is crucial for performance on games.
At S$2099 (this includes the add-on graphics module), the IdeaPad Y510p continues to represent good value for money, even if it costs a bit more than the outgoing IdeaPad Y500 (S$1999). However, Lenovo should note that the competition has since caught up and it is no longer the outright steal that it once was. The MSI GE40 and Aftershock XG13 both provide equal, if not better performance, and are priced competitively at S$2099 and S$2240 respectively. Hence, if a 15-inch Full-HD display and swappable drive bay is not amongst your priorities, then there are other great alternatives out there.
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