Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 Series
Processor: Intel Core i7 3630QM, Intel Core i7 3632QMGraphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M SLI
Display: 15.60 inch
Weight: 2.9kg, 2.93kg
Price: 1099, 1100 euro
Average of 28 scores (from 45 reviews)
Lenovo IdeaPad Y500
Specifications
Notebook: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500Processor: Intel Core i7 3630QM
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M SLI 2x 2048 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.93kg
Price: 1099 euro
Links: Lenovo homepage
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Reviews
Surprise candidate. Lenovo again ventures into the highly competitive gaming sector with the IdeaPad Y500. The UltraBay technology enables the 15-incher to be equipped with an optical drive, a second GPU, an auxiliary fan or another hard disk. A thrilling concept that lets the laptop stand out from the competition. We exhaustively tested the SLI alternative.
Source: PC Perspective Archive.org version
There are some other problems, such as the awful touchpad, the penchant for fingerprint retention, and that uncomfortable plastic ridge at the bottom of the palm rest. But taken alongside the fantastic keyboard, sturdy build quality, and fast CPU (and considering the fact that many people won’t even be using the touchpad if they intend to play games primarily), many of these items are merely questions of priority and preference rather than deal-breaking oversights.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/21/2013
Source: PC Perspective Archive.org version
There are some other problems, such as the awful touchpad, the penchant for fingerprint retention, and that uncomfortable plastic ridge at the bottom of the palm rest. But taken alongside the fantastic keyboard, sturdy build quality, and fast CPU (and considering the fact that many people won’t even be using the touchpad if they intend to play games primarily), many of these items are merely questions of priority and preference rather than deal-breaking oversights.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/21/2013
Source: Notebookreview.com Archive.org version
While the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 may not be the best budget-gaming notebook, it's still a great notebook. The utlrabay allows users to customize the device to meet their needs, while the comfortable keyboard and sleek metallic design ensure that the device is a pleasure to use. With 1 TB of memory and a beautiful glossy 15.6" display the notebook is great for watching media. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is best suited for users who want all around productivity with the ability to play games on the side.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/15/2013
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80% performance: 70% features: 80% mobility: 90% workmanship: 90%
Source: Notebookreview.com Archive.org version
While the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 may not be the best budget-gaming notebook, it's still a great notebook. The utlrabay allows users to customize the device to meet their needs, while the comfortable keyboard and sleek metallic design ensure that the device is a pleasure to use. With 1 TB of memory and a beautiful glossy 15.6" display the notebook is great for watching media. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is best suited for users who want all around productivity with the ability to play games on the side.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/15/2013
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80% performance: 70% features: 80% mobility: 90% workmanship: 90%
Source: Wired Magazine Archive.org version
That may be a small complaint in the grand scheme of things. Overall the Y500 is a winner, and even the 2 hours, 24 minutes of battery life isn’t awful, considering how it is likely to be used. Even the price is surprisingly reasonable: At $1,250 it’s half the price of the Razer r2 and roughly in line with most Windows 8 ultrabooks. All told, the Y500 is a real — and welcome — alternative in an era where everyone else is racing to be the thinnest and lightest, forgetting about performance.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 05/14/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Wired Magazine Archive.org version
That may be a small complaint in the grand scheme of things. Overall the Y500 is a winner, and even the 2 hours, 24 minutes of battery life isn’t awful, considering how it is likely to be used. Even the price is surprisingly reasonable: At $1,250 it’s half the price of the Razer r2 and roughly in line with most Windows 8 ultrabooks. All told, the Y500 is a real — and welcome — alternative in an era where everyone else is racing to be the thinnest and lightest, forgetting about performance.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 05/14/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: IT Reviews Archive.org version
Lenovo may not be a name that perks up the ears of gamers the way that MSI or Alienware might, but it has a well-deserved reputation for quality, and the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is bringing that same reputation to gaming. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a solid choice for a gaming laptop, offering decent gaming performance and portability, with a modular upgrade system that lets you add and swap extras easily.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/02/2013
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: IT Reviews Archive.org version
Lenovo may not be a name that perks up the ears of gamers the way that MSI or Alienware might, but it has a well-deserved reputation for quality, and the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is bringing that same reputation to gaming. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a solid choice for a gaming laptop, offering decent gaming performance and portability, with a modular upgrade system that lets you add and swap extras easily.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/02/2013
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Computer Shopper Archive.org version
Whether you're dreaming of blazing frame rates or blinding bling, any affordable gaming laptop requires you to make sacrifices. Wedge-shaped and well-rounded, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is an affordable gaming laptop that boasts excellent build quality, a unique and versatile optical drive/second graphics adapter bay, and the ability to pull double duty as a content-creation rig.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/30/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC Mag Archive.org version
There's a lot to love about the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500, from the sleek design and aggressive looks, to the easy customization offered by the UltraBay modular upgrade system. While it does falter in a couple spots—most notably in battery life and general performance—it still does well in gaming. The Editors' Choice MSI GX60 1AC-021US had similar spotty performance, but ultimately had better gaming performance and battery life, so it will remain our top pick. However, for the gamer on a budget, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is worth considering, if only for the ease of upgrading and optimization.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 04/30/2013
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Computer Shopper Archive.org version
Whether you're dreaming of blazing frame rates or blinding bling, any affordable gaming laptop requires you to make sacrifices. Wedge-shaped and well-rounded, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is an affordable gaming laptop that boasts excellent build quality, a unique and versatile optical drive/second graphics adapter bay, and the ability to pull double duty as a content-creation rig.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/30/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC Mag Archive.org version
There's a lot to love about the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500, from the sleek design and aggressive looks, to the easy customization offered by the UltraBay modular upgrade system. While it does falter in a couple spots—most notably in battery life and general performance—it still does well in gaming. The Editors' Choice MSI GX60 1AC-021US had similar spotty performance, but ultimately had better gaming performance and battery life, so it will remain our top pick. However, for the gamer on a budget, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is worth considering, if only for the ease of upgrading and optimization.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 04/30/2013
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Tech Advisor Archive.org version
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a great choice as a gaming laptop that's lighter and cheaper than your typical desktop-replacement monstrosity. Despite a few minor drawbacks, overall it's a great machine that offers excellent performance and specs for the price.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Tech Advisor Archive.org version
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a great choice as a gaming laptop that's lighter and cheaper than your typical desktop-replacement monstrosity. Despite a few minor drawbacks, overall it's a great machine that offers excellent performance and specs for the price.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC World Archive.org version
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a great choice as a gaming laptop that’s lighter and cheaper than your typical desktop-replacement monstrosity. Despite a few minor drawbacks, overall it’s a great machine that offers excellent performance and specs for the price.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 04/18/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC World Archive.org version
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a great choice as a gaming laptop that’s lighter and cheaper than your typical desktop-replacement monstrosity. Despite a few minor drawbacks, overall it’s a great machine that offers excellent performance and specs for the price.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 04/18/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Gadgetmix Archive.org version
Even battery life is darned impressive for such a capable hunk of metal – and at 3kg it’s hefty – 91 minutes of flat-out use is rare amongst such a strong performer. Quite simply for $1250 there’s no more capable machine around. Yes there are high-enders that will beat the Y500 into submission, but nothing for less than $1800.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/16/2013
Source: Gadgetmix Archive.org version
Even battery life is darned impressive for such a capable hunk of metal – and at 3kg it’s hefty – 91 minutes of flat-out use is rare amongst such a strong performer. Quite simply for $1250 there’s no more capable machine around. Yes there are high-enders that will beat the Y500 into submission, but nothing for less than $1800.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/16/2013
Source: Gadgetmix Archive.org version
Even battery life is darned impressive for such a capable hunk of metal – and at 3kg it’s hefty – 91 minutes of flat-out use is rare amongst such a strong performer. Quite simply for $1250 there’s no more capable machine around. Yes there are high-enders that will beat the Y500 into submission, but nothing for less than $1800.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/16/2013
Source: Gadgetmix Archive.org version
Even battery life is darned impressive for such a capable hunk of metal – and at 3kg it’s hefty – 91 minutes of flat-out use is rare amongst such a strong performer. Quite simply for $1250 there’s no more capable machine around. Yes there are high-enders that will beat the Y500 into submission, but nothing for less than $1800.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/16/2013
Source: Digital Trends Archive.org version
Lenovo’s Y500 has its flaws. There’s no beauty to it and no standout feature worth getting excited over. Portability, today’s mandatory measure of cool and hip, is a serious shortcoming. And then there’s the backlight bleed. Yet there’s no denying the value this laptop provides. For $1,250, you can have a system with a great keyboard, powerful processor, and amazing graphics.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/26/2013
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Digital Trends Archive.org version
Lenovo’s Y500 has its flaws. There’s no beauty to it and no standout feature worth getting excited over. Portability, today’s mandatory measure of cool and hip, is a serious shortcoming. And then there’s the backlight bleed. Yet there’s no denying the value this laptop provides. For $1,250, you can have a system with a great keyboard, powerful processor, and amazing graphics.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/26/2013
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Techreview Source Archive.org version
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a powerhouse 15-inch laptop with a 1080p display, a comfortable backlit keyboard and an affordable price. It does suffer from below average-battery life and it does get quite hot, but overall it's a fantastic laptop for the money.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 03/22/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Comp Reviews Archive.org version
Lenovo's IdeaPad Y500 is a surprising offering from the company that offers some outstanding gaming performance that is very reasonably priced. By combine two GeForce GT 650M graphics processors with a high resolution display, fast Core i7 processor and lots of memory, it should have no problem tackling any of today's modern games. There are a few notable issues with the system though.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 03/22/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Techreview Source Archive.org version
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a powerhouse 15-inch laptop with a 1080p display, a comfortable backlit keyboard and an affordable price. It does suffer from below average-battery life and it does get quite hot, but overall it's a fantastic laptop for the money.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 03/22/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Comp Reviews Archive.org version
Lenovo's IdeaPad Y500 is a surprising offering from the company that offers some outstanding gaming performance that is very reasonably priced. By combine two GeForce GT 650M graphics processors with a high resolution display, fast Core i7 processor and lots of memory, it should have no problem tackling any of today's modern games. There are a few notable issues with the system though.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 03/22/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: CNet Archive.org version
The current version of the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a laptop that's hard not to like. For those looking for something more than a feature-light ultrabook, the gamer-friendly Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is close to brilliant, and several configurations are currently available at a deep discount -- but I can't believe it doesn't have a touch screen.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/21/2013
Rating: Total score: 82% performance: 90% mobility: 70%
Source: CNet Archive.org version
The current version of the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is a laptop that's hard not to like. For those looking for something more than a feature-light ultrabook, the gamer-friendly Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is close to brilliant, and several configurations are currently available at a deep discount -- but I can't believe it doesn't have a touch screen.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/21/2013
Rating: Total score: 82% performance: 90% mobility: 70%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebookjournal DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/15/2013
Rating: performance: 80% features: 70% display: 70% mobility: 50% workmanship: 80% ergonomy: 40%
Source: Notebookjournal DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/15/2013
Rating: performance: 80% features: 70% display: 70% mobility: 50% workmanship: 80% ergonomy: 40%
Source: Chip.de DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 01/19/2013
Rating: Total score: 82% price: 68% performance: 100% features: 100% display: 89% mobility: 63% ergonomy: 63%
Source: Chip.de DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 01/19/2013
Rating: Total score: 82% price: 68% performance: 100% features: 100% display: 89% mobility: 63% ergonomy: 63%
Source: HardwareLuxx DE→EN Archive.org version
Positive: upscale mainstream device; convincing in many aspects
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/17/2013
Source: HardwareLuxx DE→EN Archive.org version
Positive: upscale mainstream device; convincing in many aspects
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/17/2013
Source: Benchmark.pl PL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/22/2013
Rating: Total score: 81% performance: 70% display: 90% mobility: 73% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 90%
Source: Benchmark.pl PL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/22/2013
Rating: Total score: 81% performance: 70% display: 90% mobility: 73% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 90%
Source: Laptopkalauz HU→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/09/2013
Rating: display: 100% mobility: 80% workmanship: 100% emissions: 80%
Source: Laptopkalauz HU→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/09/2013
Rating: display: 100% mobility: 80% workmanship: 100% emissions: 80%
Source: Laptopkalauz HU→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Extremely strong hardware; elegant and powerful design. Negative: No optical drive; touchpad.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/19/2013
Source: Laptopkalauz HU→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Extremely strong hardware; elegant and powerful design. Negative: No optical drive; touchpad.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/19/2013
Source: Notebook.cz CZ→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Good emission; decent graphics performance; full HD display; superior sound. Negative: Touchpad; bad mobility; no new graphics card drivers.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/23/2013
Source: Notebook.cz CZ→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Good emission; decent graphics performance; full HD display; superior sound. Negative: Touchpad; bad mobility; no new graphics card drivers.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/23/2013
Source: PC Store BU→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Very good performance; excellent keyboard and touchpad; fullHD display; good sound system; excellent cooling system. Negative: Not very attractive; high reflectivity of the display; noisy.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/27/2012
Source: PC Store BU→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Very good performance; excellent keyboard and touchpad; fullHD display; good sound system; excellent cooling system. Negative: Not very attractive; high reflectivity of the display; noisy.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/27/2012
Lenovo IdeaPad Y500-59346619
Specifications
Notebook: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500-59346619Processor: Intel Core i7 3632QM
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M SLI
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.9kg
Price: 1100 euro
Links: Lenovo homepage
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: Think Digit Archive.org version
The performance bit between the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 and the HP ENVY dv6 is almost the same, and so is the market price (approx. Rs 66,000) of these two machines. But, while they are the closest in terms of competition, we believe that the two cater to fairly different user demographics. The IdeaPad Y500 is meant more for the user who is the power user and will use the machine for a considerable amount of gaming or fairly intensive designing work that requires a Full HD display. The dv6, on the other hand, is meant for someone who wants to do the balancing act – tiptoe between office and a spot of gaming every once in a while. But, for all the advantages of a better graphics card and a Full HD display, the Y500 does lose out with a couple of niggles with the way it is put together.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 04/24/2013
Rating: Total score: 90% price: 80% performance: 80% features: 80% workmanship: 70%
Comment
Lenovo: Lenovo ("Le" from English legend, novo (Latin) for new) was founded in 1984 as a Chinese computer trading company. As of 2004, the company was the largest laptop manufacturer in China and, after acquiring IBM's PC division in 2005, the fourth largest in the world. In addition to desktops and notebooks, the company manufactures monitors, projectors, servers, etc, and specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, enterprise solutions and related services.
In 2016, the company ranked first in the world in computer sales. It still held it in 2023 with about 23% global market share. Important product lines are Thinkpad, Legion and Ideapad.
In 2011, it acquired a majority stake in Medion AG, a European computer hardware manufacturer. In 2014, Motorola Mobility was purchased, which gave Lenovo a boost in the smartphone market.
Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M SLI: High-end SLI-setup of two GeForce GTX 650M, based on the Kepler-architecture and manufactured in 28nm.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.
3630QM: An Ivy Bridge-based quad-core processor clocked at 2.4 GHz with Turbo Boost support up to 3.4 GHz. Offers an integrated HD Graphics 4000 GPU and a dual channel DDR3 memory controller.
3632QM: An Ivy Bridge-based quad-core processor clocked at 2.2 GHz with Turbo Boost support up to 3.2 GHz. Offers an integrated HD Graphics 4000 GPU and a dual channel DDR3 memory controller. The speciality of the i7-3632QM is the low TDP of 35 Watt compared to 45 Watt of the other Ivy Bridge quad core CPUs (e.g. 3610QM).
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
2.9 kg:
With this weight, a laptop is rather heavier than average. Devices in this range shine more with screen size and performance than with mobility.
2.93 kg:
77.93%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.