Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) Notebook Review

For the original German review, see here.
Buyers who do not want to invest more than 250 Euros (~$310) on a new work device, should not have overly high expectations. Lenovo's B50-45 (MCD2GGE) is a basic office laptop with a DVD burner and low-resolution TN screen. Due to its weak CPU and graphics performance, it is only suitable for simple tasks. Of course, there are other rivels, even in the very low 250 Euro (~$310) price range that are based on other core components. One of the devices that we have selected for our comparison benchmarks is HP's 250 G3. It is available for approximately 270 Euros (~$335) and also features a rather slow Intel Celeron N2830 dual-core with integrated Bay Trail HD Graphics and a similar configuration as our review sample. The third model in the roundup is represented by another version of Lenovo's B50-45. Its AMD A6-6310 and Radeon R4 graphics provide a lot more CPU and GPU power than the review sample, but it is also considerably more expensive at 350 Euros (~$434).
Case & Connectivity
The casing is made entirely of black plastic, and left an edgy, rather futuristic and appealing impression on the tester. The matte surfaces are very sensitive to fingerprints. Not much force is needed to twist the base, producing quiet grinding and squeaking noises. The not very pressure resistant display can be opened with one hand, and is fairly solid. The gaps around the rim of the base are not evenly spaced. Otherwise, we did not notice any other manufacturing flaws. A large maintenance hatch is on the underside.
Lenovo installs the usual, standard interfaces, including a VGA out in its B50-45. There are no surprises. Two of the three USB ports support the USB 3.0 standard. Unfortunately, the ports are all concentrated in the front area where connected cables and USB sticks might prove interfering.
Windows 8.1 (64-bit) is preinstalled on the laptop, and a corresponding partition is available for system recovery. Lenovo does not include external recovery media.
Input Devices
The layout of the somewhat cheap-looking keyboard largely corresponds to the usual standard. Not much force is needed to press on a large surface area. The large keys in particular, produce suspicious noises. We would describe the keys' drop as medium, the pressure point as spongy in some areas, and the stroke as rather soft. The keyboard is unfortunately characterized by an inconsistent typing feel. The keys are even and lightly roughened, and the Num and Shift lock keys have a status LED. Annoying: the lettering for the second assignment keys F1 to F12 via Fn key, is once again far too small and low in contrast. The keyboard is still acceptable overall for occasional use, but prolific writers will soon want better quality.
We liked the lightly roughened touchpad better. Although it is not particularly large, and does not have touch-sensitive areas on the outer edges, it made an accurate impression and could also implement fast gestures. The keys convinced with an appropriate resistance, crisp pressure point, and good feedback.
Display
1366x768 pixels (16:9) represent the lowest resolution found in laptops nowadays. This results in a low pixel density and outmoded 100 ppi on 15.6 inches. Consequently, the image is pixilated, and the pixel grid is visible on close inspection. Apart from that, we did not have any problems with image sharpness. The maximum brightness of nearly 250 cd/m² is acceptable, especially for this price range, and the measured illumination of 93% is also very good.
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Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 238 cd/m²
Contrast: 553:1 (Black: 0.43 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 9.96 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.87
ΔE Greyscale 10.33 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
36% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
39.24% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
57.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
37.98% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.27
Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) Radeon R2 (Mullins/Beema/Carrizo-L), E1-6010, Seagate Momentus Thin 320 GB ST320LT012 | HP 250 G3 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545032A7E680 | Lenovo B50-45 Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | |
---|---|---|---|
Display | 9% | ||
Display P3 Coverage | 37.98 | 41.53 9% | |
sRGB Coverage | 57.1 | 62.4 9% | |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 39.24 | 42.92 9% | |
Screen | -14% | -8% | |
Brightness middle | 238 | 225 -5% | 192 -19% |
Brightness | 230 | 206 -10% | 191 -17% |
Brightness Distribution | 93 | 87 -6% | 86 -8% |
Black Level * | 0.43 | 0.67 -56% | 0.37 14% |
Contrast | 553 | 336 -39% | 519 -6% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 9.96 | 10.64 -7% | 11.03 -11% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 10.33 | 10.61 -3% | 11.59 -12% |
Gamma | 2.27 97% | 1.99 111% | 2.3 96% |
CCT | 12201 53% | 11338 57% | 13897 47% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 36 | 40 11% | |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -3% /
-8% | -8% /
-8% |
* ... smaller is better
Although the black level is a decent 0.43 cd/m², it only results in a mediocre contrast of 553:1 due to the rather average brightness. We cannot speak of an inaccurate color reproduction in view of DeltaE rates of 10, and the very low AdobeRGB color space coverage of just 36%. It looked better after calibration. As expected, the budget TN screen's viewing angle stability has to be called terrible. The user will either have to be tolerant, or frequently readjust their seating position or that of the display's.
We could only test the outdoor usability on a gloomy, cloudy day due to the weather conditions. Everything could always be recognized no matter where the laptop was placed in this situation.
Performance
Processor
AMD's E-6010 Beema SoC introduced in April 2014, operates with a fixed clock of 2x 1.35 GHz, and does not have an increased per-MHz performance compared with the previous generation. The low TDP of 10 Watts predestines it for use in small laptops. We had to scroll to the very bottom of our benchmark chart of current office laptops to find the multi-core test score of Cinebench R11. Even the weak Intel Celeron N2815 in Lenovo's B50-30 has a lead of approximately 20%. The performance looks the same when only one core is loaded. Thus, the E-6010 belongs to the slowest of all computer units presently available. For example, the Celeron N2830 (2x 2.2 - 2.5 GHz; TDP: 7.5 Watts) in HP's 250 G3 achieved a 34% to 67% higher score.
Update 11/20/2014: Rerunning the Cinebench tests on the device displayed higher scores when the battery was removed. The Cinebench R11.5 single-rendering score climbed from 0.32 to 0.34 points (+6%), the multi-rendering score from 0.52 to 0.65 points (+25%), and the R15 multi-CPU from 39 to 49 points (+26%). Thus, the installed AMD E1-6010 APU can close in on Intel's N2815 or N2830. The reason for this cut in CPU performance when the battery is inserted is likely either a software or hardware problem linked with the device's voltage supply.
System Performance
Above all, there was little joy in terms of system performance. The reason that the very low PCMark 8 scores are 13% to 51% higher than those of HP's 250 G3, is that the Radeon R2 graphics is still considerably faster than the Bay Trail GPU. Subjectively, the system sometimes only ran very sluggishly and was already overburdened with simple multitasking. Programs started slowly after initial opening, but they could be retrieved relatively fast when they were stored in the cache. Even the hard drive performance suffers under the slow CPU as will be seen in the next paragraph. Our Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) copes quite well with common office software so that nothing stands in the way of using it as a portable typewriter - except for the mediocre keyboard. The browsing speed does not immediately trigger the flight reflex either.
PCMark 8 | |
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
HP 250 G3 | |
Lenovo B50-45 | |
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
HP 250 G3 | |
Lenovo B50-45 |
PCMark 7 Score | 1264 points | |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 1383 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 1966 points | |
Help |
Storage Devices
HD Tune sees the average transfer rates of the just 320 GB small hard drive, which should be enough for office purposes in any case, but places it in the last position when all current office laptops are considered in the comparison. It was hard for us to believe that the Seagate Momentus Thin 320 (5400 rpm) was to blame. Therefore, we focused on the assessed CPU load, which is likely to be the fly in the ointment. The access time of 18.8 ms is at the lowest end of the performance scale as well. Hard drive accessing also adversely affected HP's 250 G3 excessively, and it thus presented an equally poor impression - but the review sample is even worse.
HD Tune Transfer Rate Average - Transfer Rate Average (sort by value) | |
Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
HP 250 G3 |
HD Tune CPU Utilization - CPU Usage (sort by value) | |
Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
HP 250 G3 |
* ... smaller is better
Graphics Card
AMD has been trying to distinguish itself from Intel's counterparts with the rather stronger graphics units in its APUs or SoCs for years. The integrated, DirectX 11.2 compatible AMD Radeon R2 with 128 GCN Shader units is no exception here, and it has a 100% edge on the Bay Trail Graphics in HP's 250 G3 in 3DMark 11. The GPU and CPU have to share the single-channel memory. This, and the low clock rates of 266 to 350 MHz, result in a very low speed. The performance first starts to get interesting with the Radeon R4 in the other, more expensive Lenovo B50-45, which is 72% higher than that of the R2.
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value) | |
Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
HP 250 G3 | |
Lenovo B50-45 |
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 2425 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 1178 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 421 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 14703 points | |
Help |
Gaming Performance
There is not much to write when virtually nothing is possible. As can be seen in the example benchmarks in the chart below, the review sample even struggled with isometric oldies, such as StarCraft II or Diablo III - even at minimum, mostly unsightly settings. The only thing left to say is the much disliked (and sarcastic) note: Diablo II, Solitaire, and Minesweeper will run smoothly. On the other hand, if like the other B50-45, an R4 Graphics was under the hood, it would even be possible to still play the fairly up-to-date and graphically sophisticated Tomb Raider from 2013 almost lag-free - when all setting controls are set at the minimum. Our attempts to bench FIFA 15 were also sobering. The sound stuttered massively, the intro sequence with stadium and spectators were rendered with guesstimated 5 fps. We gave up.
Tomb Raider | |
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value) | |
Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
HP 250 G3 | |
Lenovo B50-45 | |
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value) | |
Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
HP 250 G3 | |
Lenovo B50-45 |
low | med. | high | ultra | |
---|---|---|---|---|
World of Warcraft (2005) | 30.6 | 27.8 | 7 | |
StarCraft 2 (2010) | 27.1 | 12.4 | ||
Anno 2070 (2011) | 25.2 | 11.9 | ||
Diablo III (2012) | 22.5 | |||
Tomb Raider (2013) | 17.1 | 9.8 | ||
BioShock Infinite (2013) | 16.9 | 9.6 | ||
GRID: Autosport (2014) | 12.5 |
Emissions
System Noise
There is usually no need for loud fans where there is no power, as is the case here. When under load, the review sample could simply not be discerned from normal background noises.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 32.2 / 32.2 / 32.2 dB(A) |
HDD |
| 32.3 dB(A) |
DVD |
| 35.8 / dB(A) |
Load |
| 32.3 / 32.6 dB(A) |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Temperature
The same is true for the surface temperatures that reached a harmless maximum of 40 °C (~104 °F) during load. Two surprises: HP's 250 G3 with very identical hardware conditions reached 45 °C (~113 °F) on the underside's center in our test, whereas the strongest device in the test stayed even cooler than the review sample though it was almost imperceptible.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.6 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.2 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.2 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (33.6 °C / 92.5 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (-6 °C / -10.8 F).
Speakers
The stereo speakers under the display were not at all convincing. Although the maximum volume is sufficient, the sound is suppressed, mid-heavy and muddy especially in the low frequency ranges. There is no bass, dynamics or surround. The user will not be tormented by fluctuating volumes, but light distortions might evolve in a high volume, depending on the music.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
No matter what load state, the B50-45 belongs to the most energy-efficient office laptops in every category that we have tested in the past twelve months. It does particularly well in high load, matching to its low performance. Unfortunately, the laptop consumes 0.1 Watt when shut down, which is simply unnecessary nowadays.
Off / Standby | ![]() ![]() |
Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
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Key:
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Battery Runtime
We can only recommend Lenovo's B50-45 in the tested MCD2GGE version to patient natures, for whom every Euro counts when buying a laptop. Undoubtedly the very low price is offset by a still acceptable total bundle, though its appeal suffers under the weak, barely multitasking capable performance, which leads to sluggish operation. We noticed the pleasingly bright screen and good usable touchpad favorably. The virtually non-existent noise, the low power consumption, and cool operation have to be noted on the pro side. Users can safely forget gaming intentions, although some older games can run in minimum settings.
Battery Runtime - WiFi (sort by value) | |
Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
HP 250 G3 | |
Lenovo B50-45 |
Verdict
We can only recommend Lenovo's B50-45 in the tested MCD2GGE version to patient natures, for whom every Euro counts when buying a laptop. The doubtlessly very low price is offset by a still acceptable total bundle though its appeal suffers under the weak, barely multitasking capable performance, which leads to sluggish operation. We noticed the pleasingly bright screen and well feasible touchpad favorably. The factually non-existent noise, the low power consumption, and cool operation have to be noted on the pro side. Users can safely forget gaming intentions, although some older tracks can be run in minimum settings.