Product Listing

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p - One Good Turn Deserves Another

By Kenny Yeo - 12 Dec 2013
Launch SRP: S$2099

Performance Benchmarking

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 

Test Notebooks Compared
  Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 Aftershock XG13 Razer Blade 14-inch (2013) MSI GE40 2OC Dragon Eyes
  Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 Aftershock XG13 Razer Blade 14-inch (2013) MSI GE40 2OC Dragon Eyes
Processor and Chipset
  • Intel Core i7-4700MQ (2.4GHz)
  • Intel HM87
  • Ivy Bridge Intel Core i7-3630QM (2.4 GHz)
  • HM77
  • Intel Core i7-4700MQ 2.4GHz
  • Intel HM87 chipset
  • Intel Core i7-4702HQ Quad-core Processor with Hyper Threading (2.2GHz base / 3.2GHz turbo)
  • Mobile Intel PCHM 8 series chipset, HM87
  • Intel Core i7-4702MQ 2.2GHz
  • Intel HM87
Operating System
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 8 64-bit
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 8 (64-bit)
  • Windows 8
System Memory
  • 8GB DDR3 (Up to 16GB)
  • 8GB RAM
  • 8GB DDR3L (Up to 16GB)
  • 8GB DDR3L 1600MHz
  • 8GB DDR3
Video & Display
  • 15.6-inch FHD LED display
  • 1920 x 1080 pixels
  • Dual NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB GDDR5 via Ultrabay
  • 15.6-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 display
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT650M 2GB (option for SLI configuration with interchangeable drive bay)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M 2GB GDDR5
  • 13.3-inch Full-HD IPS display
  • 14-inch
  • Native Resolution: 1600 x 900
  • Integrated Intel HD4600 Graphics / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (2GB GDDR5 VRAM, Optimus Technology)
  • 14-inch, 1600 x 900 display
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M 2GB GDDR5
Storage
  • 1TB HDD + 24GB SSD (optional)
  • 1TB HDD (5400 rpm)
  • 256GB SSD
  • 128GB / 256GB / 512GB SATA III SSD
  • 128GB SSD + 750GB HDD (Super RAID)
Connectivity
  • Wireless 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Ethernet
  • RJ-45 Ethernet
  • 802.11 bg/bgn WiFi
  • 10/100/1000M Ethernet
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Bluetooth
  • Wireless 802.11 b/g/n
  • Killer Wireless-N 1202 (802.11a/b/g/n + Bluetooth v4.0)
  • Wireless 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 4.0
Audio
  • JBL-designed speakers
  • 2.1 speakers (with built-in subwoofer)
  • 1 x Headphone jack
  • 1 x Microphone jack
  • Built-in Onkyo speakers (2 x 2W)
  • 1 x headphones jack
  • 1 x microphones jack
  • Dolby Home Theater v4
  • Stereo speakers (Sound Blaster Cinema)
I/O Ports
  • 2 x USB 3.0 ports
  • 1 x USB 2.0 port
  • 6-in-1 card reader
  • HDMI out
  • VGA out
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x VGA
  • 2 x USB 3.0 ports
  • 1 x USB 2.0 port
  • 1 x 6-in-1 card reader (SD, SD-Pro, MMC, MS, MS-Pro, XD)
  • 3 x USB 3.0 ports
  • 1 x USB 2.0 port
  • 9-in-1 memory card reader
  • 1 x Ethernet jack
  • 1 x HDMI output
  • 1 x VGA output
  • 3 x USB 3.0 ports, Array microphone, 3.5mm microphone/headphone combo port, HDMI 1.4a audio and video output
  • 2 x USB 3.0 ports
  • 1 x USB 2.0 port
  • 1 x Ethernet
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x VGA
  • 1 x SD card reader
Battery Type
  • 6-cell battery
  • 6-cell
  • 6 cells, 62.16Wh
  • Built-in 70Wh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery
  • 6-cell Lithium ion
Dimensions
  • 386.84 x 258.82 x 35.81 mm
  • 387 x 259 x 15.5 - 36 mm
  • 330 x 227 x 31.9mm
  • 345 x 235 x 16.8mm
  • 339 x 239.4 x 22 mm
Weight
  • 2.69kg
  • 2.7kg
  • 2kg
  • 1.88kg
  • 1.9kg
Optical Drive
  • DVD-RW
  • None
Miscellaneous
  • Built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam
  • Razer Synapse 2.0 Enabled
  • Backlit anti-ghosting keyboard
  • 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)

 

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.

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7.5
  • Design 7.5
  • Features 8
  • Performance 7.5
  • Value 8
  • Mobility 7
The Good
Good performance via Ultrabay
Generous amount of RAM
Attractively priced
Above average audio performance
The Bad
SLI performance can be erratic
No flash storage
Mushy trackpad
Compromised keyboard
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