Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p Gaming Laptop Review
Lenovo is renowned for making long lasting laptops that are consistent with their performance for being the one of the top technology companies out currently. The Y510p is angled towards audiences who are looking for a powerful yet cost efficient machine for gaming and other technically demanding software uses such as high definition video editing and more. The reason Lenovo stands out as a company is that they offer the best reliability in their machines and have some of the most innovative designs and technology. I can guarantee you won't go wrong with a Lenovo machine, be it the high powered IdeaPad Series for high powered performance or the business savvy ThinkPad Series which won multiple awards for being the best business laptops with their award winning ergonomic keyboards and military-spec tested hardware.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p Gaming Laptop will be reviewed on the following criteria: Design, Performance, Battery Life, Graphics Processor, Audio, Display and Heat.
Design: This is a gorgeous laptop. The sleek exterior is reminiscent of a supercar's hood. The front of this laptop features a brushed aluminum lid with a light horizontal striping pattern. The sides of the front subtly slant to finish the sleek look. Also upon raising the lid the red tinted keys provide a red glow that beautifully contrasts the dark design of the main frame. Although this is a hefty laptop, weighing 5.9 pounds, it feels like a feather compared to other 15.6 inch high performance laptops such as Alienware and M-Tech.
Performance: The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p delivers excellent performance for everyday performance and still boasts enough power to compete with expensive gaming computers. This laptop features an Intel Core i7-4702MQ quad-core processor and a 1 Terabyte 5400-rpm Hard Disk Drive with a 24 Gigabyte Solid State Drive. It also has 16 Gigabytes of RAM and comes with the NVIDIA GeForce GT750M graphics card. The i7 processor mean that this computer will be lighting fast and the user will be able to multi-task with ease. The GeForce GT750M graphics card allows for high graphics gaming and allows the user to do graphically demanding tasks such as video editing and game designing. Since this laptop comes with 1 Terabytes of memory + 24 Gigabyte Solid State Drive, you will never run out of room for your games, music, movies and other multi-media. With 16 Gigabytes of RAM, this computer will be able to do everything other computers do but a lot faster. The increased RAM shortens loading times in games, makes the computer boot up faster, makes loading applications faster, and increases multi-tasking capabilities.
Battery Life: Although most gaming laptops do not have a long battery expectancy, this Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p boasts up to three hours during an intensive gaming session and up to 5 hours doing normal tasks.
Graphics Processor: This computer uses the NVIDIA GeForce GT750M graphics card. The NVIDIA GeForce GT750M is a fast DirectX 11 graphics card around the middle class. Most games as of 2013 can be played fluently on high settings. The power consumption of the GeForce GT750M is around 35 – 40 Watts. This graphics card is best suited for notebooks 15 inches and bigger because of its power consumption. The recommended RAM for this graphics card is 8 Gigabytes. I have been able to play Dead Space 3, Battlefield 3 and GTA 4 on ultra-high video settings with no significant drop in frame rate. The graphics for these games are spectacular, by far looking better than their respective versions on mainstream consoles like the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Audio: This laptop has JBL Stereo Speakers with Dolby Digital V4 Audio. The speakers themselves are extremely powerful and loud enough to sufficiently fill a large apartment. They are louder than any other gaming laptop speakers by a longshot. The Dolby Digital V4 Audio enhances the audio experience with three different types of audio effects. These are Video, Music and Gaming. In video mode, dialogue and sound effects become clearer and less interference is heard. In music mode, tones become clearer with different instruments easily standing out and less interference is heard at higher volumes. With the gaming mode on, more emphasis is put on hearing the game world around you. Footsteps sound clearer, direction of sound is noticeable and sounds have more of a slight echo to them. The Y510p's speakers are definitely a very unique factor that sets it apart from most of the competition.
Display: As expected from a gaming laptop, the IdeaPad Y510p has a crisp and vivid LED backlit screen. The 1920px1080p full HD screen really makes colors pop out. Videos and games look especially vibrant and to their best. While watching the Dark Knight in HD I honestly felt as if I was watching the caped crusader through a glass window. Pictures look incredible as well.
Heat: This machine gets pretty hot while gaming. After playing GTA 4 for 20 minutes the touch pad registered 90 degrees, the left side of the keyboard where the hot air vent is registered 100 degrees, and the keyboard registered 97 degrees. Although this might seem very hot, this laptop fares very well against other laptops in its class. The MSI GE60 registered 126 degrees on the underside after playing the same game for 20 minutes and 104 degrees while just watching hulu videos. The IdeaPad Y510P is very cool when performing normal tasks such as web browsing, watching a movie, or Microsoft Office work. The keyboard registers a cool 82 degrees after typing this review for about 30 minutes.
Overall the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P is a great gaming laptop at an affordable price. Even though it is a hefty machine, weighing in at 5.9 pounds, it delivers performance to more than make up for its size. The heat sync performs very well while gaming, keeping this laptop at a manageable temperature and the ergonomic keyboard makes doing everything from battling online to typing an essay relaxing for your wrists and fingers. With an amazing display and great audio, matched up with the GT750M, calls for an incredible gaming machine at a price that cannot be beat. I would hands down recommend this computer to anyone looking to purchase a powerful gaming laptop under a budget.