Review Update Lenovo G505s-20255 Notebook

The combination of a reflective-type screen and a fairly weak backlight makes using the laptop outdoors only possible under certain conditions. While content becomes virtually illegible in direct sunlight, it is principally possible to work with the laptop in the shade. Nevertheless, visible and distracting reflections are always present in this case too.

Like many other TN screens, the display proves to be very viewing angle dependent. The user should look at the screen as straight as possible, particularly on the vertical plane. The image either fades or dims significantly when the viewing angle is changed even by only a few degrees. Higher-quality IPS screens, such as in Acer's Aspire V5-573G, have clear advantages, but they are only rarely found in low-priced laptops.

Since we tested the A10-5750M for the first time a while ago, its principle performance is quite familiar. The APU can compete with the Core i3-3110M from the big competitor Intel when the available Turbo Core headroom is maxed out optimally, which is a completely sufficient level for many applications.

Regrettably, Lenovo's G505s is very remote from such regions. We only ascertained a low score of 0.49 (single) and 1.27 points (multi-threading) in Cinebench R11.5, which did not improve even after several runs and trying different energy-saving modes. Extreme clock fluctuations are responsible for this low performance. Single cores repeatedly nosedive to an idle level of 900 MHz while the maximum possible 3.5 GHz is practically never reached. That essentially makes the A10-5750M even slower than a low-end CPU, such as the Celeron 1017U and only marginally beats the weaker A6-5350M.

We encountered an anomaly as we searched for this behavior's reason. The described problems abruptly disappeared in battery mode and the performance climbed to the expected level (Cinebench R11.5: 0.88/2.04 points). We presume that it is only a software bug that will hopefully be resolved with a BIOS update.

The question whether the buyer wants an affordable hard drive with high capacity or a smaller and faster SSD arises when choosing a storage device. There is however a third alternative that an increasing number of manufacturers fall back on: a hybrid hard drive that fuses the advantages of both technologies.

Lenovo opted for a 1000 GB Seagate Laptop SSHD (2.5 inches, 9.5 millimeter height) that additionally has 8 GB of integrated flash memory (MLC-NAND). Frequently used files are stored automatically on this mini SSD in order to increase the access speed.

However, it is difficult to illustrate the resulting advantages with typical programs like HD Tune. The drive needs a certain "learning-period" and that is not possible when running the benchmark for the first time. Consequently, the average transfer rate of 85 MB/s approximately correlates to that of a conventional HDD with comparable specs. The same is true for the access time of 18.0 MB/s. Rates below 0.1 milliseconds would be possible with a full-fledged SSD.

Seen on their own, both the Radeon HD 8650G (384 Shaders, VLIW4, 533 - 720 MHz) and the Radeon HD 8570M (384 Shaders, GCN, 650 - 700 MHZ) are located in the lower midrange. It is the Crossfire array that makes them strong. However, it is usually an exception to the rule when this functions as desired. We could only ascertain a significant performance increase in 3DMark 11 with 1827 points. Other benchmarks virtually did not show any differences and sometimes even a performance loss was noticed compared with sole use of the processor graphics. It is unfortunately not possible to enable only the Radeon HD 8570M, but it would be a bit slower than the 8650G due to its narrow 64-bit interface anyway.

Like in the 3DMark tests, the dual-graphics solution rarely managed a measurable advantage in games. Often the increase only equaled a few percentage points or even reversed into the negative, like for example in Battlefield 3. Micro-stuttering is also an issue that should not be neglected in a multi-GPU setup.

In connection with the limited CPU performance, this all leads to a not very compelling 3D performance. About half of the tested games did not achieve a smooth frame rate of at least 30 fps even in minimum settings - at least not in AC-mode. The performance improved drastically in battery mode (in low, CPU-limited resolutions) because the processor managed its specified clock rate. This is naturally not really a viable solution, but it shows that the Richland APU, and consequently Lenovo's G505s, would be capable of much more under ideal conditions.

The casing heated up to just over 20 °C (68 °F) during little load and when idling. We however ascertained temperatures of up to 37 °C (98.6 °F) in the vent's area. Nevertheless, it should be possible to use the laptop on the thighs without major restrictions.

It is not advisable to use the device on the lap when the hardware is heavily loaded. Particularly the casing's left heated up tremendously and easily surpassed 45 °C (113 °F). Since the wrist rest can also get quite warm after a while, longer gaming sessions without an external keyboard will prove disagreeable.

We replaced our stress test with Anno 2070 because the program FurMark that we normally use did not want to work with the Crossfire array. Together with the CPU tool Prime95, it pushed the A10-APU to a temperature of an uncritical 76 °C (168.8 °F) (HD 8570M could not be read out). However, the processor's clock dropped to below 1.2 GHz at the same time. This will likely be related to the aforementioned software/BIOS issue and not thermal throttling. In return, the Radeon HD 8650G stably maintained its maximum Turbo of 720 MHz and thus continued to supply the full performance.

The notebook could have been so much more: Lenovo's G505s-20255 cannot keep the promise it makes on paper in practice. Particularly aggravating is the CPU's obvious faulty clock management, which leads to performance losses of up to 50 percent. The A10-5750M's existing potential that is actually to pit itself against Intel's Core i3 series is unnecessarily wasted. We can only hope that Lenovo can resolve this problem via a BIOS update - we will naturally keep our readers informed.

That is unfortunately not the laptop's only drawback. The manufacturer's decision to install a dedicated Radeon HD 8570M besides the processor-integrated graphics encompasses more disadvantages than advantages. The slightly higher performance in single games opposes additional costs, increased power consumption and other issues, such as micro stuttering. Had Lenovo omitted the second GPU and halved the working memory by 8 GB, the saved money could have been invested in a larger battery or a better screen.

Disregarding these two points, the G505s offers solid qualities; though they are also found in other laptops from this price range. Casing or input devices could be improved in detail, but they are suitable for everyday use without restrictions. This, however, ultimately does not change anything about the fact that contenders, such as Acer's Aspire V5-573G, might be the better choice for many users.