AT FIRST look, Lenovos IdeaPad Y500 doesnt seem like something special. This thick, heavy (6.2 pounds), 15.6-inch laptop is cased in a very plain, durable chassis with a brushed-aluminum cowl. It sports a sleek look, however encompasses a tendency to draw in fingerprints.
Lenovo Idea pad Y500 Good Gaming Machine
Nothing obvious about the Y500 hints that it is a rather powerful — yet surprisingly affordable — gaming-oriented laptop with a third-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and not one but two Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics cards under the hood. Our review model - configured with a 1TB hard drive, a 16GB SSD boot drive, a glossy full HD display, and a full-size backlit keyboard with ten-key numberpad - starts at around $1100. That makes it a bit more expensive than Lenovo’s $800 base model, but it still has a great price fora gaming laptop.
On the performance front, the Y500 handled itself well, though it can’t quite hold its own with the more gaming-intensive models. It received a score of 70 out of 100 on our WorldBench 8 benchmark tests, which puts it well above most mainstream laptops, but still below behemoths such as the $3785 Origin EON17-SLX (which scored 115 out of 100). Still, the Y500 is one of the better laptops weve tested, and its graphics performance is comparable to that of the EON17-SLX. In our Dirt Showdown graphics test, the Y500 turned in a frame rate of 116.1 frames per second, while the Origin EON17-SLX managed 139.5 fps. In other words: If youre a gamer, this is a viable (and much more affordable) alternative to an Origin desktop replacement.
The Y500 offers sturdily built, comfortable components. The full-size keyboard has Chiclet-style, red-rimmed keys set against a shiny black background. The keyboard is extremely comfortable to type on, with great tactile feedback and nice, evenly spaced keys. The red backlight gives it a pop of color, though I have one minor complaint as a gamer: The keys are so evenly spaced (and the numberpad is right next to the keyboard) that a multicolor backlight would be helpful. Its hard to distinguish where keys are, quickly, with an all-red keyboard.
The Y500s touchpad is large and easy to use, but most owners wont care. This is a gaming machine, which means youre most likely going to use an external mouse with it. The touchpad was a tad jumpy and oversensitive, in my opinion, but you can disable it with a quick function keystroke.
Great-Looking Display, but No Touch?
The Y500s screen is one of its biggest assets — even though when you tap it (and you will; this is Windows 8, after all), youll discover that its not a touchscreen. But the screen itself looks great: Its big, bright, and crisp; colors look accurate; and off-axis viewing angles are pretty good. It has a full HD resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, and high-motion content looks excellent in playback. But its still not a touchscreen. Of course, this isnt quite as big of a deal for its intended audience because its a gaming machine, and touchscreens arent the gamers instrument of choice. But since the Y500 runs Windows 8, it’s a bit frustrating to realize that you can’t take advantage of all of the awesome swipe gestures that Windows 8 has to offer. That said, its important to remember that the uber-pricey Origin EON17-SLX doesn’t have a touchscreen either.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a great choice as a gaming laptop thats lighter and less expensive than a typical desktop-replacement monstrosity. Though it has a few minor drawbacks, overall the Y500 is a great machine that offers fine performance and specs for the price.
