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Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB Notebook Review

Too expensive. Lenovo's 15.6-inch all-rounder scores with good equipment, a decent portion of computing power, and gaming suitability. The battery life can only be called mediocre. Furthermore, Lenovo demands an exorbitant price of 999 Euros (~$1058) for the laptop.

For the original German review, see here.

With Lenovo's IdeaPad 510-15IKB, we are looking at an identically built sister model of the recently tested IdeaPad 510-15ISK. Differences are found in terms of configuration. Our present review sample comes with a Kaby Lake processor and offers an SSD-HDD combination. The DVD has been omitted in favor of a second storage device. Laptops, such as Acer's Aspire E5-575GMedion's Akoya P6670HP's Pavilion 15Asus' VivoBook X556, count as its rivals.

Since both IdeaPad 510 models are identical, we will not go in-depth about casing, connectivity, input devices or speakers. The corresponding information can be found in the review of the IdeaPad 510-15ISK.

Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE (Ideapad 510 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-7500U 2 x 2.7 - 3.5 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1202 MHz, Memory: 900 MHz, DDR3, ForceWare 375.63, Optimus
Memory
12 GB 
, DDR4-2400, dual-channel, one memory bank (filled), 4 GB soldered
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, BOE HF NV156FHM-N42, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Kaby Lake-U Premium PCH
Storage
Liteonit CV3-DE256, 256 GB 
, + Toshiba MQ02ABF100 (1 TB, 5400 rpm), 1100 GB free
Soundcard
Conexant CX20751/2 @ Intel Kaby Lake-U/Y - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combo audio, Card Reader: SD, TPM 2.0
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Realtek 8821AE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 22.9 x 379 x 260 ( = 0.9 x 14.92 x 10.24 in)
Battery
30 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, MS Office 365 (trial), McAfee LiveSafe (trial), 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.2 kg ( = 77.6 oz / 4.85 pounds), Power Supply: 209 g ( = 7.37 oz / 0.46 pounds)
Price
999 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
 
59 MB/s
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
 
57.3 MB/s -3%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
 
52.6 MB/s -11%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
 
22.2 MB/s -62%
Medion Akoya P6670
 
21.8 MB/s -63%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
 
16.7 MB/s -72%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
 
16.7 MB/s -72%
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
 
16.5 MB/s -72%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
 
85.3 MB/s +243%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
 
80.9 MB/s +225%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
 
33.2 MB/s +33%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
 
27.7 MB/s +11%
Medion Akoya P6670
 
27.3 MB/s +10%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
 
26.3 MB/s +6%
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
 
26 MB/s +4%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
 
24.9 MB/s

Wi-Fi

The installed Wi-Fi chip by Realtek is surprisingly slow. The transmission rates that we measured in ideal conditions (no other Wi-Fi devices in the immediate vicinity, short distance between laptop and server PC) did not turn out very well. The chip supports the fast ac standard in addition to the 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi standards.

Networking
iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
317 MBit/s +356%
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
276 MBit/s +297%
Medion Akoya P6670
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
267 MBit/s +284%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter (Seb)
263 MBit/s +278%
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
Realtek RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC
96 MBit/s +38%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Realtek 8821AE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
69.5 MBit/s
iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
334 MBit/s +600%
Medion Akoya P6670
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
301 MBit/s +531%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
293 MBit/s +514%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter (Seb)
262 MBit/s +449%
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
Realtek RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC
99 MBit/s +108%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Realtek 8821AE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
47.7 MBit/s

Display

Pixel grid
Pixel grid

The matte, 15.6-inch screen in the IdeaPad has a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The contrast of 1265:1 is very good. The screen could offer a higher brightness (264.9 cd/m²). The panel exhibits PWM flickering at a frequency of 50 Hz in minimum brightness (10 percent). This can cause headaches and/or eye problems even in insensitive users.

259
cd/m²
258
cd/m²
258
cd/m²
263
cd/m²
291
cd/m²
270
cd/m²
251
cd/m²
275
cd/m²
256
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
BOE HF NV156FHM-N42 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 291 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 264.6 cd/m² Minimum: 5 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 291 cd/m²
Contrast: 1265:1 (Black: 0.23 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.78 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.49 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
64% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
40% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
44.08% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
42.66% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.58
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
TN LED, 1366x768, 15.60
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
TN, 1920x1080, 15.60
Medion Akoya P6670
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
TN LED, 1366x768, 15.60
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Display
-8%
-13%
-10%
-11%
-5%
-4%
-7%
Display P3 Coverage
42.66
39.26
-8%
37.06
-13%
38.57
-10%
38.14
-11%
40.35
-5%
41.1
-4%
39.82
-7%
sRGB Coverage
64.1
58.7
-8%
55.8
-13%
57.4
-10%
57.2
-11%
60.3
-6%
61.8
-4%
59.7
-7%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
44.08
40.59
-8%
38.29
-13%
39.89
-10%
39.43
-11%
41.71
-5%
42.46
-4%
41.16
-7%
Response Times
20%
30%
31%
20%
30%
29%
27%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
51 ?(18, 33)
40 ?(19, 21)
22%
27 ?(7, 20)
47%
39 ?(21, 18)
24%
42 ?(18, 24)
18%
41 ?(19, 22)
20%
36 ?(12, 24)
29%
43 ?(21, 22)
16%
Response Time Black / White *
38 ?(8, 30)
24 ?(9, 15)
37%
22 ?(11, 11)
42%
24 ?(19, 5)
37%
22 ?(6, 16)
42%
23 ?(10, 13)
39%
27 ?(8, 19)
29%
24 ?(8, 16)
37%
PWM Frequency
50 ?(10)
50 ?(90)
0%
50 ?(80)
0%
50
0%
Screen
-30%
-56%
-55%
-34%
-66%
-21%
-69%
Brightness middle
291
284
-2%
200
-31%
176
-40%
287
-1%
240
-18%
241
-17%
238
-18%
Brightness
265
276
4%
198
-25%
169
-36%
269
2%
228
-14%
240
-9%
221
-17%
Brightness Distribution
86
80
-7%
83
-3%
91
6%
74
-14%
89
3%
92
7%
84
-2%
Black Level *
0.23
0.33
-43%
0.28
-22%
0.47
-104%
0.65
-183%
0.49
-113%
0.5
-117%
0.49
-113%
Contrast
1265
861
-32%
714
-44%
374
-70%
442
-65%
490
-61%
482
-62%
486
-62%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.78
7.21
-51%
10.63
-122%
8.83
-85%
5.42
-13%
10.96
-129%
4.46
7%
11.19
-134%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
9.51
15.12
-59%
15.69
-65%
14.01
-47%
9.54
-0%
18.36
-93%
6.84
28%
19.6
-106%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.49
6.86
-97%
11.19
-221%
8.97
-157%
5.14
-47%
11.34
-225%
4.83
-38%
11.53
-230%
Gamma
2.58 85%
2.46 89%
1.78 124%
2.43 91%
2.48 89%
2.27 97%
2.49 88%
2.41 91%
CCT
6013 108%
6726 97%
11258 58%
10234 64%
6952 93%
12292 53%
7773 84%
13057 50%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
40
37
-7%
35
-12%
36.8
-8%
36
-10%
39
-2%
39
-2%
38
-5%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
64
58
-9%
56
-12%
57.3
-10%
57
-11%
60
-6%
62
-3%
60
-6%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-6% / -17%
-13% / -32%
-11% / -35%
-8% / -20%
-14% / -41%
1% / -11%
-16% / -44%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 50 Hz ≤ 10 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 50 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 50 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The screen presents a DeltaE 2000 color shift of 4.78 in delivery state. This is quite close to the target range (DeltaE less than 3). The panel does not exhibit a bluish tint.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
38 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 8 ms rise
↘ 30 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 95 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
51 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 18 ms rise
↘ 33 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 86 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Lenovo furnishes the IdeaPad with a viewing-angle stable IPS panel. Thus, the screen remains legible from every position. The laptop is outdoor suitable when the sun is not shining too brightly.

Performance

Lenovo delivers a 15.6-inch, gaming suitable all-rounder with the IdeaPad 510-15IKB. Our review sample costs around 1000 Euros (~$1059). Other configurations exist. Their prices start at 700 Euros (~$741). The identically built IdeaPad 510-15ISK expands the lineup even further.

Processor

The IdeaPad sports a brand new Intel Core i7-7500U (Kaby Lake) dual-core processor. It is a frugal ULV CPU (TDP: 15 watts). Kaby Lake hardly differs from the Skylake processor. Intel has primarily optimized it. The processor clocks at a base speed of 2.7 GHz, which can be boosted up to 3.5 GHz (both cores). The CPU only achieved full speed in the single thread tests that we performed. The speed throttled to 2.9 to 3 GHz just after a few seconds in multithread applications.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5687
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
11211
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
5687
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
148 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
338 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
64.2 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
148 Points
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
145 Points -2%
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
Intel Core i7-6500U
131 Points -11%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
129 Points -13%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
Intel Core i5-6200U
117 Points -21%
Medion Akoya P6670
Intel Core i5-6200U
117 Points -21%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
Intel Core i5-6200U
109 Points -26%
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
AMD A10-9600P
75 Points -49%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
AMD A10-8700P
74 Points -50%
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
363 Points +7%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
338 Points
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
331 Points -2%
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
Intel Core i7-6500U
312 Points -8%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
Intel Core i5-6200U
293 Points -13%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
Intel Core i5-6200U
293 Points -13%
Medion Akoya P6670
Intel Core i5-6200U
291 Points -14%
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
AMD A10-9600P
215 Points -36%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
AMD A10-8700P
195 Points -42%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
3706 Points +5%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
3526 Points
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
Intel Core i5-6200U
3013 Points -15%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
2888 Points -18%
Medion Akoya P6670
Intel Core i5-6200U
2854 Points -19%
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
AMD A10-9600P
2039 Points -42%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
AMD A10-8700P
1944 Points -45%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
7835 Points +3%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
7635 Points
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
6370 Points -17%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
Intel Core i5-6200U
6182 Points -19%
Medion Akoya P6670
Intel Core i5-6200U
6059 Points -21%
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
AMD A10-9600P
5445 Points -29%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
AMD A10-8700P
4550 Points -40%
Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
4291 Points
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
3626 Points -15%
Medion Akoya P6670
Intel Core i5-6200U
3507 Points -18%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
8237 Points
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
6760 Points -18%
Medion Akoya P6670
Intel Core i5-6200U
6502 Points -21%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
248.2 Points +1%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Intel Core i7-7500U
244.6 Points
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Intel Core i5-7200U
220.8 Points -10%
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
Intel Core i7-6500U
212.3 Points -13%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
Intel Core i5-6200U
197.4 Points -19%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
Intel Core i5-6200U
196.3 Points -20%
Medion Akoya P6670
Intel Core i5-6200U
191.9 Points -22%
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
AMD A10-9600P
127.6 Points -48%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
AMD A10-8700P
109.9 Points -55%

System Performance

The system runs smoothly; we did not encounter any problems. The PCMark benchmark scores are very good. It is not possible to increase the system performance since Lenovo has already exhausted all possibilities.

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3778 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Liteonit CV3-DE256
3778 Points
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
GeForce 920MX, 6500U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPCX-24UE4T0
3497 Points -7%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
GeForce 940MX, 6200U, SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256G32MND
3483 Points -8%
Medion Akoya P6670
GeForce 940MX, 6200U, Phison S11-128G
3396 Points -10%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
GeForce 940MX, 6200U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
3294 Points -13%
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3162 Points -16%
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
Radeon R8 M445DX, A10-9600P
2904 Points -23%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
Radeon R6 M340DX, A10-8700P, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024
2485 Points -34%

Storage Devices

The system storage is a solid state drive by Lite On. It is a 2.5-inch model with a total capacity of 256 GB. Only roughly 190 GB of that can be used. The Windows installation and recovery partition reserves the remaining storage capacity. The SSD's transfer rates are good. The IdeaPad additionally sports a conventional 2.5-inch hard drive (5400 RPM).

Both drives can be replaced without problems. The SSD is in a drive slot that can be accessed from the outside. The optical drive bay harbors the HDD rather than a DVD burner. The tray can be pulled out after releasing a screw on the laptop's underside.

SSD ...
SSD ...
... and HDD are easy to replace.
... and HDD are easy to replace.
Liteonit CV3-DE256
Sequential Read: 469.2 MB/s
Sequential Write: 431.5 MB/s
512K Read: 338.3 MB/s
512K Write: 297.9 MB/s
4K Read: 28.68 MB/s
4K Write: 66.8 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 364.7 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 245.9 MB/s
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
Liteonit CV3-DE256
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPCX-24UE4T0
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Medion Akoya P6670
Phison S11-128G
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
 
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256G32MND
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
-93%
-89%
-93%
-25%
-29%
-6%
-91%
Read Seq
469.2
84.5
-82%
115.9
-75%
95.3
-80%
441.8
-6%
503
7%
434.9
-7%
96.3
-79%
Write Seq
431.5
69.9
-84%
113.3
-74%
85.6
-80%
398
-8%
316.6
-27%
318.3
-26%
95.9
-78%
Read 512
338.3
28.87
-91%
39.02
-88%
29.32
-91%
295.5
-13%
261.9
-23%
311.8
-8%
36.46
-89%
Write 512
297.9
28.08
-91%
55.6
-81%
25.93
-91%
75.5
-75%
281.2
-6%
319.2
7%
42.75
-86%
Read 4k
28.68
0.326
-99%
0.44
-98%
0.366
-99%
31.19
9%
17.04
-41%
18.23
-36%
0.451
-98%
Write 4k
66.8
0.595
-99%
1.188
-98%
0.726
-99%
60
-10%
46.55
-30%
85.4
28%
0.895
-99%
Read 4k QD32
364.7
0.602
-100%
1.125
-100%
0.647
-100%
258
-29%
125
-66%
323.8
-11%
0.847
-100%
Write 4k QD32
245.9
0.612
-100%
1.245
-99%
0.722
-100%
85.7
-65%
131.4
-47%
253
3%
0.892
-100%

Graphics Card

The laptop is furnished with a dedicated, mid-range GPU in the form of the GeForce 940MX. It supports DirectX 12 and achieves speeds of up to 1202 MHz. According to the spec sheet, the GPU's maximum speed is 1242 MHz. However, the model installed in the IdeaPad never achieves this rate. Lenovo has likely lowered the maximum slightly ex-factory. The GPU can fall back on 2048 MB of DDR3 video memory. The performance of both the GeForce 940M and GeForce 940MX is virtually identical due to the only marginal speed difference. The used driver version and installed processor have a greater impact here. The 3DMark benchmark scores are within a normal range for this graphics card.

3DMark 11 Performance
2535 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, Intel Core i5-7200U
4251 Points +75%
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
AMD Radeon R8 M445DX, AMD A10-9600P
3775 Points +55%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
AMD Radeon R6 M340DX, AMD A10-8700P
2681 Points +10%
Medion Akoya P6670
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-6200U
2516 Points +3%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-7500U
2436 Points
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-6200U
2343 Points -4%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-6200U
2273 Points -7%
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX, Intel Core i7-6500U
1835 Points -25%

Gaming Performance

Being an all-rounder, the IdeaPad naturally has to be able to render games smoothly. The laptop's hardware is strong enough for this. Many games can be played using the HD resolution (1366x768 pixels) and low to medium quality settings. Games that are now a few years old or do not have any exorbitant hardware requirements allow for more. We would name "FIFA 17" as an example here. Performance-driven hits like "Deus Ex: Mankind" and "Mafia 3" are not playable.

low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 85.9 48.6 39.1 13.5
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 37.7 24.6 13.6 10
GTA V (2015) 63.2 56.9 13.6 5.7
FIFA 17 (2016) 94.8 77.6 38 36.8
Battlefield 1 (2016) 48.2 27.3 13.5 12.1
Farming Simulator 17 (2016) 129.1 81.3 35.4 23.9
Titanfall 2 (2016) 57.9 39 15.5 14.4

Emissions and Energy

System Noise

The IdeaPad annoys its user with a permanently active fan. Although it spins at low speeds while idle, it is always audible. Launching an application prompts the fan to speed up for a moment. Surprisingly, the fan does not increase its speed excessively during full load. We measured a noise level of 37.1 dB(A) in the stress test - a very good rate. However, it whistles subtly then. Lenovo should urgently rework the fan management.

Noise Level

Idle
32.6 / 32.6 / 32.6 dB(A)
Load
35.3 / 37.1 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 31.6 dB(A)

Temperature

Ideapad in the stress test.
IdeaPad in the stress test.

The IdeaPad performed our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run for at least one hour) differently in AC and battery mode. The CPU's speed fluctuated in battery mode (400 MHz/2.7 GHz). The GPU (135 MHz/600 to 700 MHz) switched between fast and slow. The processor clocked stably at 2.7 GHz in AC mode. The graphics unit's clock speed varied between 950 and 1100 MHz. The laptop did not get excessively hot. The temperatures were all well below forty degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on all measuring points.

Max. Load
 38.3 °C
101 F
35.3 °C
96 F
24.9 °C
77 F
 
 37.4 °C
99 F
35.2 °C
95 F
23.9 °C
75 F
 
 34.6 °C
94 F
28.6 °C
83 F
23.8 °C
75 F
 
Maximum: 38.3 °C = 101 F
Average: 31.3 °C = 88 F
24 °C
75 F
34.6 °C
94 F
34.6 °C
94 F
23.9 °C
75 F
29.1 °C
84 F
36 °C
97 F
22.7 °C
73 F
26.4 °C
80 F
32.3 °C
90 F
Maximum: 36 °C = 97 F
Average: 29.3 °C = 85 F
Power Supply (max.)  38.3 °C = 101 F | Room Temperature 20.9 °C = 70 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.3 °C / 88 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.3 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.2 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34.6 °C / 94.3 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-5.8 °C / -10.5 F).
Temperature development upper side (load)
Temperature development upper side (load)
Temperature development underside (load)
Temperature development underside (load)
Temperature development upper side (idle)
Temperature development upper side (idle)
Temperature development underside (idle)
Temperature development underside (idle)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs204332.8432542.135.342.13143.232.443.24043.432.143.45043.43343.46343.53343.58045.929.645.910046.828.646.812547.426.947.416049.325.749.32005126.45125055.123.555.131561.323.861.340062.12262.150066.721.566.763071.621.471.680071.720.871.7100069.219.969.2125069.319.269.3160069.21969.2200069.218.769.2250072.518.672.5315073.518.473.5400075.118.575.1500068.718.368.7630062.818.362.8800064.818.364.8100006218.2621250061.41861.41600059.118.159.1SPL82.531.682.5N54.31.754.3median 64.8median 19.2median 64.8Delta5.32.75.335.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GEApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (74 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 13% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.1% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 34% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 58% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 22% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 73% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram in comparison (checkboxes above can be turned on/off!)

Power Consumption

The IdeaPad does not exhibit any irregularities in terms of power consumption. We measured a maximum idle power consumption of 9.5 watts. The rate climbed to 48 watts during the stress test. This rate would be higher if the IdeaPad utilized the CPU and GPU Turbo. The power supply has a nominal output of 65 watts.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.28 / 0.43 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3.9 / 7.4 / 9.5 Watt
Load midlight 41 / 48 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

Our practical Wi-Fi test simulates the load needed for opening websites. The "Balanced" profile is active, the laptop's energy-saving features are disabled, and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². The IdeaPad achieves a runtime of 4:35 hours - not a convincing time. We expect a minimum runtime of 5 to 6 hours from a ULV laptop. The battery's low capacity of just 30 Wh is responsible for this.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 38)
4h 35min
Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing
Acer Aspire E5-575G-549D
i5-7200U, GeForce GTX 950M, 62 Wh
451 min +64%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
6200U, GeForce 940MX, 38 Wh
408 min +48%
Lenovo Ideapad 310-15ISK
6500U, GeForce 920MX, 31 Wh
332 min +21%
Medion Akoya P6670
6200U, GeForce 940MX, 44 Wh
280 min +2%
Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE
i7-7500U, GeForce 940MX, 30 Wh
275 min
HP Pavilion 15-aw004ng W8Y60EA
A10-9600P, Radeon R8 M445DX, 41 Wh
260 min -5%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
6200U, GeForce 940MX, 30 Wh
225 min -18%
Lenovo Ideapad 500-15ACZ
A10-8700P, Radeon R6 M340DX, 32 Wh
183 min -33%

Pros

+ matte IPS screen
+ Full HD resolution
+ SSD + HDD
+ Low temperatures
+ maintenance hatch

Cons

- fan management
- no Type-C USB
- one memory bank only
- mediocre battery life
- slow WiFi module

Verdict

In review: Lenovo Ideapad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE. Test model courtesy of Campuspoint.de
In review: Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE. Test model courtesy of Campuspoint.de

Lenovo's 15.6-inch all-rounder has enough computing power for all common application fields. The installed GeForce graphics unit renders games smoothly. The laptop only heats up moderately even during load. A swift SSD ensures a fast-running system. A 1 TB, 2.5-inch hard drive supplements it. Both storage devices are easy to replace since they can be accessed from the outside. The casing does not have to be opened for this. The installed keyboard makes a decent impression. The viewing-angle stable IPS panel has very good contrast, but it could be brighter.

With the IdeaPad 510-15IKB, Lenovo delivers a well-equipped all-rounder that exhibits shortcomings despite a price of just below 1000 Euros (~$1059).

The IdeaPad only has a low-capacity battery (30 Wh) onboard. Consequently, the laptop also only provides a mediocre battery life. The fan management should be reworked so it is quieter in idle mode. Beyond that, we expect a Type-C USB port in 2016.

Lenovo IdeaPad 510-15IKB 80SV0087GE - 11/15/2016 v5.1(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
81 / 98 → 83%
Keyboard
79%
Pointing Device
92%
Connectivity
43 / 81 → 53%
Weight
62 / 20-67 → 89%
Battery
79%
Display
86%
Games Performance
63 / 85 → 74%
Application Performance
89 / 92 → 96%
Temperature
94%
Noise
88 / 95 → 93%
Audio
64%
Camera
58 / 85 → 68%
Average
75%
81%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

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Sascha Mölck, 2016-11-17 (Update: 2018-05-15)