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Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15IKB (Core i5-7200U, Radeon 530, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, FHD) Laptop Review

Leftovers. Lenovo has introduced the IdeaPad 330-15IKB, a 15.6-inch office laptop that it equips with a dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, a nimble SSD and 8 GB of DDR4 RAM running in dual-channel mode. The device is not free from weaknesses though, particularly its disappointing TN display, its comparatively small battery along with its outdated CPU and GPU. Read on to find out how the IdeaPad 330-15IKB compares against other 15.6-inch business laptops.

The IdeaPad 330-15 models are among some of Lenovo's bread-and-butter laptops. Correspondingly, the company offers the device in countless configurations with hardware combinations from AMD, Intel and Nvidia.

Our review unit has an Intel Core i5-7200U processor and an AMD Radeon 530 GPU, which are both now rather outdated. The laptop is known to us too. We have already reviewed several sister models, including the IdeaPad 330-15IGM and the IdeaPad 330-15ARR.

We have chosen to compare the IdeaPad 330-15IKB against other comparably priced 15.6-inch laptops. Our comparison devices include the Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G, Acer TravelMate P2510, ASUS VivoBook 15 X542UF, HP 15-da0405ng, and the HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng.

Our review unit shares many of its features with its sister models. Hence, we shall not cover the case, connectivity, input devices, display or speakers in depth in this review. Please see our IdeaPad 330-15ARR review for our thoughts on these areas.

Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE (IdeaPad 330 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-7200U 2 x 2.5 - 3.1 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon 530 - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 891 MHz, Memory: 1000 MHz, GDDR5, 64-bit connection, Adrenalin 19.2.3 (25.20.15025.1002), Enduro
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2133, dual-channel, one SODIMM slot, 4 GB soldered
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, BOE CQ NT156FHM-N41, TN LED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Kaby Lake-U iHDCP 2.2 Premium PCH
Storage
Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN, 256 GB 
, 207 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC230 @ Intel Sunrise Point-LP PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combined headphone and microphone jack, Card Reader: SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC, TPM 2.0
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 22.9 x 378 x 260 ( = 0.9 x 14.88 x 10.24 in)
Battery
30 Wh, 4030 mAh Lithium-Ion, 7.6 V
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, McAfee LiveSafe trial, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.2 kg ( = 77.6 oz / 4.85 pounds), Power Supply: 211 g ( = 7.44 oz / 0.47 pounds)
Price
699 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Size Comparison

380 mm / 15 inch 251 mm / 9.88 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 2.3 kg5.07 lbs379.5 mm / 14.9 inch 254 mm / 10 inch 22.1 mm / 0.87 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs378 mm / 14.9 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 22.9 mm / 0.902 inch 2.2 kg4.85 lbs379 mm / 14.9 inch 250 mm / 9.84 inch 20.8 mm / 0.819 inch 2 kg4.45 lbs376 mm / 14.8 inch 246 mm / 9.69 inch 22.5 mm / 0.886 inch 1.8 kg3.9 lbs370.5 mm / 14.6 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 18.9 mm / 0.744 inch 2.2 kg4.85 lbs361.6 mm / 14.2 inch 245.6 mm / 9.67 inch 17.9 mm / 0.705 inch 1.9 kg4.08 lbs361 mm / 14.2 inch 245 mm / 9.65 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 1.9 kg4.25 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Our review unit has no DVD drive, which in itself is not an unusual thing in 2019. However, there is a dummy in the drive bay, so you could retrofit a DVD drive if necessary. Lenovo also sells a SATA adapter should you wish to add additional storage.

The built-in dummy is even designed in principle for adding an additional 2.5-inch drive. However, Lenovo did not include the necessary adapter and mounting frame with our review unit.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Average of class Office
  (8 - 196.8, n=50, last 2 years)
55.6 MB/s +102%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
39 MB/s +42%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
36.2 MB/s +32%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
35.2 MB/s +28%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
35.2 MB/s +28%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
34.3 MB/s +25%
HP 15-da0405ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
33.7 MB/s +23%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
33.5 MB/s +22%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
32.6 MB/s +19%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
27.5 MB/s
Medion Akoya S6625
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
18.1 MB/s -34%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Average of class Office
  (26.4 - 173.2, n=44, last 2 years)
65.2 MB/s +117%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
37.56 MB/s +25%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
37.2 MB/s +24%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
36 MB/s +20%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
36 MB/s +20%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
31.1 MB/s +3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
30.1 MB/s
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
24.2 MB/s -20%
Medion Akoya S6625
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
22.8 MB/s -24%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Office
  (280 - 1332, n=6, last 2 years)
810 MBit/s +146%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
620 MBit/s +88%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
329 (269min - 370max) MBit/s
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
327 (266min - 337max) MBit/s -1%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
325 MBit/s -1%
HP 15-da0405ng
Realtek 8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
323 MBit/s -2%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
289 (232min - 343max) MBit/s -12%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
269 MBit/s -18%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
234 MBit/s -29%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Qualcomm/Atheros QCA6174
219 MBit/s -33%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
67 MBit/s -80%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Office
  (348 - 1690, n=6, last 2 years)
852 MBit/s +191%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
513 MBit/s +75%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Qualcomm/Atheros QCA6174
424 MBit/s +45%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
338 MBit/s +15%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
331 MBit/s +13%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
302 (245min - 313max) MBit/s +3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
293 (188min - 312max) MBit/s
HP 15-da0405ng
Realtek 8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
285 MBit/s -3%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
280 MBit/s -4%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
265 (239min - 288max) MBit/s -10%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
161 MBit/s -45%
020406080100120140160180200220240260280300320340360Tooltip
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø292 (188-312)
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø265 (239-288)
Medion Akoya S6625 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø302 (245-313)
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø329 (269-370)
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø289 (232-343)
Medion Akoya S6625 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø327 (266-337)

Display

Sub-pixel array
Sub-pixel array

The 330-15IKB has a matte, 15.6-inch display that operates natively at 1920x1080. Our review unit achieved an average maximum brightness of 217.1 cd/m² and 464:1 contrast ratio, which is well below the 300 cd/m² brightness and 1,000:1 contrast ratio that we expect from most modern laptops. The main problem here is that Lenovo has equipped our review unit with a TN panel, which tend to be darker and less vibrant than their IPS or OLED counterparts. TN panels almost always have poor viewing angles too.

Unfortunately, the device also uses pulse-width modulation (PWM) to regulate display brightness, which can cause eye strain and headaches for some people. The screen flickers at 200 Hz at 90% brightness and below, which is low enough to cause issues for those who are PWM sensitive.

Lenovo equips the IdeaPad 330-15IKB with the same display as it did with our IdeaPad 330-15ARR review unit. Please keep in mind that no two panels are the same even if they are the same model. This is a normal phenomenon though, which explains why the two IdeaPad 330 models achieved slightly different results in our tests.

217
cd/m²
214
cd/m²
234
cd/m²
215
cd/m²
232
cd/m²
225
cd/m²
201
cd/m²
199
cd/m²
217
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
BOE CQ NT156FHM-N41 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 234 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 217.1 cd/m² Minimum: 4.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 241 cd/m²
Contrast: 464:1 (Black: 0.5 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.23 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 11.78 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
60% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
38% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.26% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
60% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
39.93% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.55
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP 15-da0405ng
TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Display
-2%
-9%
6%
-9%
-1%
-8%
-6%
-1%
Display P3 Coverage
39.93
39.21
-2%
36.36
-9%
42.27
6%
36.27
-9%
40.1
0%
36.7
-8%
37.47
-6%
39.52
-1%
sRGB Coverage
60
59.1
-1%
54.7
-9%
63.5
6%
54.6
-9%
59
-2%
55
-8%
56.4
-6%
59.4
-1%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
41.26
40.51
-2%
37.57
-9%
43.69
6%
37.47
-9%
41.43
0%
37.91
-8%
38.71
-6%
40.83
-1%
Response Times
1%
-37%
4070%
-83%
153%
-67%
1109%
4794%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
41 ?(22, 19)
40 ?(22, 18)
2%
38.8 ?(20, 18.8)
5%
40 ?(23, 17)
2%
45 ?(21, 24)
-10%
43 ?(23, 20)
-5%
40 ?(18, 22)
2%
41 ?(22, 19)
-0%
41 ?(22, 19)
-0%
Response Time Black / White *
11 ?(7, 6)
11 ?(7, 4)
-0%
19.6 ?(15.6, 4)
-78%
32 ?(13, 10)
-191%
28 ?(16, 12)
-155%
30 ?(16, 14)
-173%
26 ?(16, 10)
-136%
19 ?(14, 5)
-73%
13 ?(8, 5)
-18%
PWM Frequency
200 ?(90)
200 ?(90)
0%
25000 ?(10)
12400%
1471 ?(90)
636%
7000 ?(90)
3400%
29000 ?(90)
14400%
Screen
-16%
-7%
49%
14%
38%
33%
22%
-4%
Brightness middle
232
222
-4%
252.2
9%
259
12%
240
3%
284
22%
186
-20%
230
-1%
176
-24%
Brightness
217
200
-8%
251
16%
230
6%
237
9%
254
17%
180
-17%
221
2%
164
-24%
Brightness Distribution
85
87
2%
84
-1%
82
-4%
90
6%
80
-6%
88
4%
91
7%
69
-19%
Black Level *
0.5
0.57
-14%
0.54
-8%
0.19
62%
0.42
16%
0.29
42%
0.15
70%
0.45
10%
0.31
38%
Contrast
464
389
-16%
467
1%
1363
194%
571
23%
979
111%
1240
167%
511
10%
568
22%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
10.23
14.07
-38%
12.36
-21%
3.13
69%
7.43
27%
4.22
59%
5.94
42%
3.6
65%
11.4
-11%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
17.22
23.62
-37%
24.75
-44%
7.81
55%
12.42
28%
9.29
46%
10.81
37%
5.59
68%
19.76
-15%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
11.78
15.89
-35%
12.2
-4%
1.42
88%
6.26
47%
1.17
90%
4.44
62%
3.13
73%
12.75
-8%
Gamma
2.55 86%
2.59 85%
1.83 120%
2.36 93%
2.96 74%
2.39 92%
2.81 78%
2.45 90%
2.59 85%
CCT
13383 49%
23883 27%
13028 50%
6391 102%
6661 98%
6360 102%
6272 104%
7244 90%
14899 44%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
38
37
-3%
34.6
-9%
40
5%
35
-8%
38
0%
35
-8%
36
-5%
38
0%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
60
57
-5%
54.5
-9%
63
5%
54
-10%
59
-2%
55
-8%
56
-7%
59
-2%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
2.94
4.43
3.09
6.07
2.99
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-6% / -10%
-18% / -11%
1375% / 795%
-26% / -3%
63% / 52%
-14% / 11%
375% / 221%
1596% / 896%

* ... smaller is better

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN – Colour Saturation
CalMAN – Colour Saturation

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
11 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7 ms rise
↘ 6 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 24 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
41 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 22 ms rise
↘ 19 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. » 59 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

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 200 Hz ≤ 90 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 200 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 90 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 200 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

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.

Performance

The IdeaPad 330-15IKB is powerful enough for most office and Internet-based applications. The dedicated GPU is also powerful enough for some light gaming, of which few business laptops are capable. Our review unit currently retails for around 630 Euros (~$714), for reference. There are numerous other configurations available too.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
LatencyMon
 

Processor

The Core i5-7200U is a dual-core processor from Intel’s Kaby Lake generation. The CPU provides more than enough performance for office and Internet-based applications. The Core i5-7200U is an ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processor with a 15 W thermal design power (TDP) that operates at a 2.5 GHz base clock speed. The CPU can also utilise Intel Turbo Boost to increase its clock speeds to 3.1 GHz across both cores when required.

Our review unit initially operated at approximately 3.1 GHz in a Cinebench R15 multithread benchmark before clocking down to 2.9 to 3 GHz. By contrast, the CPU consistently ran at 3.1 GHz during the corresponding single-threaded benchmark. The IdeaPad 330-15IKB performed just as well on battery as it did on mains power.

CPU information during a Cinebench R15 Multi 64-bit benchmark
CPU information during a Cinebench R15 Multi 64-bit benchmark
CPU information during a Cinebench R15 Single 64-bit benchmark
CPU information during a Cinebench R15 Single 64-bit benchmark

We also subjected our review unit to a looped CB R15 Multi 64-bit benchmark to determine how well it performs under sustained load. We conducted our test for around 30 minutes on a continuous loop, in which the 330-15IKB initially scored 348 points. This then dropped to 288 points in the second benchmark run through before stabilising by the third benchmark at around 276 points, a score that it consistently achieved for the remainder of our loop. Overall, performance drops by around 20%, but this is only because the CPU has exhausted its Turbo.

04080120160200240280320360400440480520560600640680720Tooltip
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE Intel Core i5-7200U, Intel Core i5-7200U: Ø296 (289.25-316.16)
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø500 (432.57-532.94)
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø484 (479.58-505.2)
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Ryzen 5 2500U: Ø431 (417.88-605.96)
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø691 (675.34-730.25)
Medion Akoya S6625 Intel Core i7-8550U, Intel Core i7-8550U: Ø606 (557.1-626.5)
HP 15-da0405ng Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø519 (513.66-568.03)
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Ryzen 5 2500U: Ø428 (403.66-613.02)
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Ryzen 5 2500U: Ø306 (298.9-506.11)
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE AMD Ryzen 3 2200U, AMD Ryzen 3 2200U: Ø276 (269.16-348.76)
CPU clock speeds during a looped CB R15 benchmark
CPU clock speeds during a looped CB R15 benchmark

The 330-15IKB finished behind all but the AMD Ryzen 3 2200U-powered IdeaPad 330-15ARR of our comparison devices in our looped CB R15 benchmark. All our other comparison devices are powered by quad-core processors including the Ryzen 5 2500U version of the IdeaPad 330-15ARR, which throttled heavily in the same test. The Ryzen 5 2500U is not an underpowered quad-core CPU though, as demonstrated by the Acer Swift 3 SF315 and the HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng, which achieved consistently higher results than our review unit.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4959
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
11094
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
7731
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
120 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
316 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
44.45 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years)
215 Points +79%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U
170 Points +42%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
146 Points +22%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
144 Points +20%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
144 Points +20%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
142 Points +18%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
138 Points +15%
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (88 - 132, n=101)
126.3 Points +5%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
126 Points +5%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
124 Points +3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
120 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
AMD Ryzen 3 2200U
105 Points -12%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (160.8 - 2642, n=120, last 2 years)
1380 Points +337%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
730 Points +131%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U
627 Points +98%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
613 Points +94%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
606 (417.88min - 605.96max) Points +92%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
568 Points +80%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
533 (432.57min - 532.94max) Points +69%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
510 Points +61%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
505 Points +60%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
AMD Ryzen 3 2200U
348 Points +10%
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (268 - 337, n=101)
325 Points +3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
316 Points
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U
6509 Points +31%
Average of class Office
  (3465 - 9351, n=12, last 2 years)
6404 Points +29%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
5538 Points +12%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
5537 Points +12%
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (4787 - 5022, n=47)
4975 Points 0%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
4959 Points
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4449 Points -10%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Average of class Office
  (6611 - 40266, n=12, last 2 years)
27456 Points +147%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
22097 Points +99%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U
19753 Points +78%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
17860 Points +61%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
13850 Points +25%
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (9213 - 11955, n=47)
11163 Points +1%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
11094 Points
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
16771 Points +146%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
13147 Points +93%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
12001 Points +76%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U
11701 Points +71%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
10506 Points +54%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
6823 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (6297 - 6932, n=30)
6584 Points -4%
32 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
4096 Points +31%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U
3497 Points +12%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
3428 Points +9%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
3182 Points +1%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
3148 Points 0%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
3135 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (2812 - 3209, n=30)
2983 Points -5%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (4762 - 35532, n=19, last 2 years)
18933 Points +144%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U
13992 Points +81%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
12799 Points +65%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
11896 Points +54%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
9434 Points +22%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
7749 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (7066 - 7767, n=15)
7413 Points -4%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (2776 - 7072, n=19, last 2 years)
5099 Points +32%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U
4555 Points +18%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
4091 Points +6%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
4022 Points +4%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
3856 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (3648 - 3958, n=15)
3799 Points -1%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
3657 Points -5%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U (Edge 44)
1542 ms *
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (Edge 41.16299.611.0)
1422 ms * +8%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
1421 ms * +8%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (Edge 42)
1327 ms * +14%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
1293 ms * +16%
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (1109 - 1542, n=42)
1210 ms * +22%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge 42)
1159 ms * +25%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
986 ms * +36%
Average of class Office
  (479 - 1966, n=111, last 2 years)
742 ms * +52%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (21416 - 93596, n=52, last 2 years)
69674 Points +188%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge 42)
33221 Points +37%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
30945 Points +28%
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (21890 - 32838, n=45)
29917 Points +24%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (Edge 42)
27082 Points +12%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U (Edge 44)
24198 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (Edge 41.16299.611.0)
21615 Points -11%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (117.1 - 544, n=19, last 2 years)
369 Points +107%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge 42)
231.3 Points +30%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U (Edge 41)
230.1 Points +29%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
223.9 Points +25%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U (Edge 42)
214.8 Points +20%
Average Intel Core i5-7200U
  (127.7 - 223, n=69)
206 Points +15%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (Edge 42)
190.9 Points +7%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
189.2 Points +6%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U (Edge 44)
178.6 Points
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
161.4 Points -10%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (Edge 41.16299.611.0)
158.9 Points -11%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
AMD Ryzen 3 2200U
109.3 Points -39%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

Our review unit performed smoothly in our tests, during which we encountered no crashes or micro-stutters. The 330-15IKB achieved decent results for a dual-core-powered laptop in PCMark benchmarks too, even though it generally finished below average for a modern business laptop.

The IdeaPad 330-15IKB has only one SODIMM slot.
The IdeaPad 330-15IKB has only one SODIMM slot.
PCMark 7 Score
5481 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3907 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4601 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4631 points
PCMark 10 Score
3293 points
Help
PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Office
  (2325 - 7157, n=105, last 2 years)
5312 Points +61%
Medion Akoya S6625
GeForce 940MX, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3530 Points +7%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
3418 Points +4%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
3402 Points +3%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Radeon RX 540, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
3324 Points +1%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
3293 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
 
3293 Points 0%
HP 15-da0405ng
GeForce MX110, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
3260 Points -1%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
Vega 8, R5 2500U, SK Hynix Canvas SC311 256GB HFS256G32TNF
2881 Points -13%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
Vega 3, R3 2200U, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
2305 Points -30%
Essentials
Average of class Office
  (5095 - 20841, n=105, last 2 years)
9781 Points +42%
Medion Akoya S6625
GeForce 940MX, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
7306 Points +6%
HP 15-da0405ng
GeForce MX110, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
7287 Points +6%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
7140 Points +3%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
7110 Points +3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
6903 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
 
6903 Points 0%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Radeon RX 540, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
6480 Points -6%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
Vega 8, R5 2500U, SK Hynix Canvas SC311 256GB HFS256G32TNF
6436 Points -7%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
Vega 3, R3 2200U, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
4410 Points -36%
Productivity
Average of class Office
  (3041 - 10198, n=105, last 2 years)
7439 Points +31%
Medion Akoya S6625
GeForce 940MX, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
5686 Points 0%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
5673 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
 
5673 Points 0%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
5499 Points -3%
HP 15-da0405ng
GeForce MX110, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
5075 Points -11%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Radeon RX 540, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
5045 Points -11%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
5014 Points -12%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
Vega 8, R5 2500U, SK Hynix Canvas SC311 256GB HFS256G32TNF
4291 Points -24%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
Vega 3, R3 2200U, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
3820 Points -33%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Office
  (1912 - 9056, n=105, last 2 years)
5732 Points +132%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Radeon RX 540, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
3048 Points +23%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
3000 Points +21%
Medion Akoya S6625
GeForce 940MX, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
2875 Points +16%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
2808 Points +13%
HP 15-da0405ng
GeForce MX110, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
2544 Points +3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
2476 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
 
2476 Points 0%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
Vega 8, R5 2500U, SK Hynix Canvas SC311 256GB HFS256G32TNF
2351 Points -5%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
Vega 3, R3 2200U, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
1974 Points -20%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Office
  (2304 - 4830, n=12, last 2 years)
4261 Points +9%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
3907 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
 
3907 Points 0%
Medion Akoya S6625
GeForce 940MX, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3906 Points 0%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Radeon RX 540, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
3741 Points -4%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
3695 Points -5%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
3647 Points -7%
HP 15-da0405ng
GeForce MX110, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
3478 Points -11%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3461 Points -11%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
Vega 8, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW512G7
3404 Points -13%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
Vega 8, R5 2500U, SK Hynix Canvas SC311 256GB HFS256G32TNF
3049 Points -22%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
Vega 3, R3 2200U, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
2342 Points -40%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Medion Akoya S6625
GeForce 940MX, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4994 Points +8%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
4779 Points +3%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4769 Points +3%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
4762 Points +3%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Radeon RX 540, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
4749 Points +3%
HP 15-da0405ng
GeForce MX110, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
4728 Points +2%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
4631 Points
Average Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
 
4631 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
Vega 8, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW512G7
4467 Points -4%
Average of class Office
  (1854 - 5610, n=12, last 2 years)
3746 Points -19%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
Vega 8, R5 2500U, SK Hynix Canvas SC311 256GB HFS256G32TNF
3437 Points -26%

Storage Devices

Lenovo has equipped our review unit with a 256 GB Micron 1100 SSD, which is a 2.5-inch SSD that operates on the SATA III protocol. The drive is much slower than modern M.2 2280 SATA III and NVMe drives, but it still delivers acceptable performance. It is worth noting that our review unit had approximately 207 GB free upon delivery, with the remaining space occupied by the recovery partition and Windows 10.

Lenovo has equipped the IdeaPad 330-15IKB with a 2.5-inch SSD
Lenovo has equipped the IdeaPad 330-15IKB with a 2.5-inch SSD
Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
Sequential Read: 450.8 MB/s
Sequential Write: 450.9 MB/s
512K Read: 327.9 MB/s
512K Write: 424.9 MB/s
4K Read: 8.715 MB/s
4K Write: 28.52 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 246.1 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 283 MB/s
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW512G7
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
HP 15-da0405ng
SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
SK Hynix Canvas SC311 256GB HFS256G32TNF
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
Average Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
 
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
50%
73%
147%
82%
168%
157%
68%
-88%
28%
Write 4K
24.2
71.8
197%
66.9
176%
105.8
337%
94.9
292%
97.6
303%
112
363%
66.6
175%
0.217
-99%
48.2 ?(24.2 - 72.1, n=2)
99%
Read 4K
7.548
21.23
181%
30.33
302%
29.22
287%
27.3
262%
39.08
418%
32.44
330%
29.2
287%
0.367
-95%
16.3 ?(7.55 - 25, n=2)
116%
Write Seq
395.1
257.1
-35%
447.6
13%
581
47%
410.4
4%
571
45%
598
51%
465.6
18%
98.8
-75%
404 ?(395 - 413, n=2)
2%
Read Seq
443.3
476.3
7%
534
20%
1065
140%
464
5%
1110
150%
1157
161%
526
19%
131.1
-70%
466 ?(443 - 489, n=2)
5%
Write 4K Q32T1
160.2
202.6
26%
197.5
23%
201
25%
246.5
54%
235.7
47%
255.5
59%
197
23%
0.222
-100%
160.9 ?(160.2 - 161.5, n=2)
0%
Read 4K Q32T1
179
282
58%
234.5
31%
278.6
56%
246.4
38%
297
66%
287.5
61%
202.9
13%
0.781
-100%
181.9 ?(179 - 184.8, n=2)
2%
Write Seq Q32T1
455.2
265.6
-42%
495.6
9%
584
28%
451.4
-1%
812
78%
594
30%
481.4
6%
97
-79%
444 ?(432 - 455, n=2)
-2%
Read Seq Q32T1
517
559
8%
559
8%
1824
253%
532
3%
1742
237%
1568
203%
537
4%
93.3
-82%
524 ?(517 - 531, n=2)
1%

Graphics Card

AMD introduced the Radeon 530 GPU in 2017, but its origins are from 2014. The GPU is manufactured on a 28 nm FinFET process and on the company’s GCN 3.0 architecture, which we first saw with the Radeon R9 285. AMD has also released the Radeon 530 under different names over the years, like the Radeon R7 M440.

The Radeon 530 supports DirectX 12 and operates at up to 891 MHz, which is over 100 MHz short of AMD’s stated maximum speed of 1024 MHz. The GPU compensates for the lower clock speed with 2 GB of fast GDDR5 VRAM. The GDDR5 VRAM helps the Radeon 530 to outperform the Radeon 530 with DDR3 VRAM in 3DMark benchmarks and puts it on par with the Nvidia GeForce MX110.

Our review unit also has Intel HD Graphics 620, which is integrated within the Core i5-7200U CPU. The system can switch between the two GPUs when it needs to thanks to AMD Enduro technology, which functions as Nvidia Optimus does. The 330-15IKB uses the Intel GPU when running on battery and in non-graphically intensive tasks, but switches to the AMD GPU when playing games. You can also disable the Radeon 530 in the BIOS should you need to do so.

3DMark 03 Standard
30891 points
3DMark 05 Standard
18412 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
11481 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
6392 points
3DMark 11 Performance
2314 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
48958 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
6154 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
1386 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
497 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Office
  (1474 - 12230, n=115, last 2 years)
5878 Points +178%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Radeon RX 540, AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4646 Points +120%
Medion Akoya S6625
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-8550U
2938 Points +39%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2895 Points +37%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2786 Points +32%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2734 Points +29%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i7-8550U
2654 Points +26%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
2381 Points +13%
Average AMD Radeon 530
  (2113 - 2654, n=5)
2355 Points +11%
HP 17-bs103ng
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-8250U
2320 Points +10%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
2294 Points +9%
HP 15-da0405ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX110, Intel Core i5-8250U
2121 Points 0%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
2113 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 3, AMD Ryzen 3 2200U
1239 Points -41%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Office
  (5681 - 58068, n=98, last 2 years)
23871 Points +159%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Radeon RX 540, AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
23263 Points +153%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
13610 Points +48%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
13246 Points +44%
Medion Akoya S6625
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-8550U
13119 Points +42%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
12166 Points +32%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
11226 Points +22%
HP 15-da0405ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX110, Intel Core i5-8250U
10858 Points +18%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
10177 Points +10%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i7-8550U
9466 Points +3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
9210 Points
Average AMD Radeon 530
  (6266 - 9466, n=5)
8145 Points -12%
HP 17-bs103ng
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-8250U
6266 Points -32%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Office
  (712 - 8815, n=117, last 2 years)
4072 Points +164%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Radeon RX 540, AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
3519 Points +128%
Medion Akoya S6625
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-8550U
2357 Points +53%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2347 Points +52%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2311 Points +50%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2291 Points +49%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i7-8550U
1990 Points +29%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
1715 Points +11%
HP 15-da0405ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX110, Intel Core i5-8250U
1714 Points +11%
Average AMD Radeon 530
  (1224 - 1990, n=5)
1579 Points +2%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
1542 Points
HP 17-bs103ng
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-8250U
1365 Points -11%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
1192 Points -23%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Office
  (242 - 3186, n=113, last 2 years)
1323 Points +199%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Radeon RX 540, AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
1008 Points +128%
Medion Akoya S6625
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-8550U
644 Points +45%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
623 Points +41%
HP 15-da0405ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX110, Intel Core i5-8250U
464 Points +5%
Average AMD Radeon 530
  (424 - 490, n=3)
452 Points +2%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
443 Points
HP 17-bs103ng
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-8250U
424 Points -4%

Gaming Performance

The Radeon 530 is powerful enough to play older games like BioShock Infinite or Counter-Strike Global Offensive at high graphics in 720p, but modern triple-A titles are out of the question. Dirt Rally 2.0 will play smoothly at minimum graphics in 720p though, but our review unit could not even average 20 FPS in Anthem, Metro Exodus or Hitman 2.

low med. high ultra
StarCraft 2 (2010) 247 75.8 46.6 24.8
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) 58.8 42.4 31.4 17.8
Counter-Strike: GO (2012) 145.2 119.8 64.9 35.5
Tomb Raider (2013) 100.1 51.7 39.9 17.8
BioShock Infinite (2013) 97.5 50.5 42.9 14.8
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 46.8 29.1 15.2
The Witcher 3 (2015) 27.1 17.3 14 5.6
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 62.1 46.9 29.3 28
World of Warships (2015) 92.9 61.2 24.6
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 16.5 8.9
Overwatch (2016) 69.9 59.3 27.8
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 19.7 14.2
Fortnite (2018) 62.4 18.1
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 15.5 7.2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) 25.8 10
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 26.1 17.3
Far Cry 5 (2018) 22 9
Monster Hunter World (2018) 22.9 8.6
F1 2018 (2018) 29 18
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 23 8
FIFA 19 (2018) 65.8 34.6 32
Forza Horizon 4 (2018) 31 20
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey (2018) 23 14
Hitman 2 (2018) 16.5 8.2
Fallout 76 (2018) 23.4 10.7
Battlefield V (2018) 28.6 13.2
Farming Simulator 19 (2018) 53.8 21.6 10.6
Darksiders III (2018) 41.9 10.5
Just Cause 4 (2018) 19.6 11.8
Apex Legends (2019) 27.8 11.9
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) 21 9
Metro Exodus (2019) 13.6 6.4
Anthem (2019) 18.6 11
Dirt Rally 2.0 (2019) 45.6 16.1
BioShock Infinite - 1366x768 Medium Preset
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
75.3 fps +49%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX 540
74.9 fps +48%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
70.3 fps +39%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
69.2 fps +37%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Intel Core i7-8550U, AMD Radeon 530
59.6 fps +18%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX110
54.2 fps +7%
Average AMD Radeon 530
  (41.7 - 60.3, n=5)
51.2 fps +1%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
50.5 fps
HP 17-bs103ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, AMD Radeon 530
43.7 fps -13%
The Witcher 3 - 1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing
Average of class Office
  (8.4 - 149, n=102, last 2 years)
71.3 fps +163%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX 540
50.8 fps +87%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
41.6 fps +54%
Medion Akoya S6625
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
39 fps +44%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Intel Core i7-8550U, AMD Radeon 530
32.8 fps +21%
Average AMD Radeon 530
  (24 - 32.8, n=4)
28.3 fps +4%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX110
27.2 fps 0%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
27.1 fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
22 fps -19%
Tomb Raider - 1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
86.7 fps +68%
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
78 fps +51%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX 540
75.9 fps +47%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX110
68.3 fps +32%
Average AMD Radeon 530
  (49.7 - 59, n=3)
53.5 fps +3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
51.7 fps
HP 17-bs103ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, AMD Radeon 530
49.7 fps -4%
Dota 2 Reborn - 1366x768 med (1/3)
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
82 fps +75%
Average of class Office
  (10.9 - 127, n=124, last 2 years)
75.8 fps +62%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX110
74.9 fps +60%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX 540
62.5 fps +33%
Average AMD Radeon 530
  (46.9 - 66.6, n=4)
57.1 fps +22%
HP 17-bs103ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, AMD Radeon 530
48.2 fps +3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
46.9 fps
World of Warships - 1366x768 Medium Preset AF:Trilinear
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
90.7 fps +48%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX110
70.4 fps +15%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX 540
62.1 fps +1%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
61.2 fps
Average AMD Radeon 530
 
61.2 fps 0%
StarCraft 2 - 1360x768 high
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
68.2 fps +46%
HP 15-da0405ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX110
55.8 fps +20%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
46.6 fps
Average AMD Radeon 530
 
46.6 fps 0%
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
37.8 fps -19%
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 1366x768 Medium Preset AA:4x
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
42.4 fps
Average AMD Radeon 530
  (31 - 42.4, n=2)
36.7 fps -13%
HP 17-bs103ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, AMD Radeon 530
31 fps -27%
Counter-Strike: GO - 1366x768 High AA:2x MS AF:4x
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
64.9 fps
Average AMD Radeon 530
 
64.9 fps 0%

Emissions

Fan Noise

The 330-15IKB is a comparatively quiet 15.6-inch laptop. The fan is often silent at idle and only reached a maximum of 31.2 dB(A) in these conditions. The fan ramped up to 38.7 dB(A) during our stress tests, but this is not excessively loud. Moreover, we noticed no coil whine or any other electrical-interference related noises during our tests.

Noise Level

Idle
30.5 / 30.5 / 31.2 dB(A)
Load
35.4 / 38.7 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: 30.5 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2032.232.834.233.732.22533.333.334.829.933.33133.332.136.234.133.34029.830.138.433.829.85028.33132.629.628.36327.928.432.128.527.98027.927.128.62727.910026.327.62726.726.312525.825.825.424.825.816025.5252624.925.520024.823.725.223.624.825024.722.825.621.924.731525.722.227.421.425.74002521.326.119.92550023.919.92619.223.963024.220.126.219.124.280024.319.526.518.224.3100025.919.229.118.225.912502518.928.717.725160025.118.428.617.625.120002518.326.417.525250023.41830.617.423.4315022.618.527.217.922.640002118.823.918.121500019.918.721.718.119.9630019.418.920.718.419.4800019.319.12018.519.31000019.51919.518.719.51250019.419.219.218.719.41600019.519.419.418.819.5SPL35.431.338.730.535.4N2.11.42.81.32.1median 24.3median 19.2median 26median 18.7median 24.3Delta2.51.32.41.12.5hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseLenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
i5-7200U, Radeon 530
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
R5 2500U, Vega 8
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
R3 2200U, Vega 3
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
R5 2500U, Vega 8
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
HP 15-da0405ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX110
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
R5 2500U, Radeon RX 540
Average AMD Radeon 530
 
Average of class Office
 
Noise
3%
-1%
1%
-6%
1%
-1%
-1%
2%
-5%
12%
off / environment *
30.5
28.1
8%
30.6
-0%
30.3
1%
30.6
-0%
30.5
-0%
30
2%
30.6
-0%
30.3
1%
29.7 ?(28 - 31.2, n=5)
3%
24.5 ?(21.1 - 29.9, n=103, last 2 years)
20%
Idle Minimum *
30.5
28.1
8%
31.8
-4%
30.3
1%
30.6
-0%
31.4
-3%
30.9
-1%
30.9
-1%
30.3
1%
31.6 ?(30.5 - 32.7, n=5)
-4%
24.7 ?(22.4 - 29.9, n=103, last 2 years)
19%
Idle Average *
30.5
31.6
-4%
31.8
-4%
30.3
1%
30.6
-0%
31.4
-3%
30.9
-1%
30.9
-1%
30.3
1%
31.6 ?(30.5 - 32.7, n=5)
-4%
24.9 ?(22.4 - 30.8, n=103, last 2 years)
18%
Idle Maximum *
31.2
32.8
-5%
31.8
-2%
31
1%
32.1
-3%
31.6
-1%
30.9
1%
30.9
1%
32.2
-3%
31.8 ?(30.6 - 32.8, n=5)
-2%
25.9 ?(22.8 - 34.9, n=103, last 2 years)
17%
Load Average *
35.4
36.5
-3%
35.2
1%
35.6
-1%
43.2
-22%
33.5
5%
39
-10%
36.8
-4%
34.8
2%
39.5 ?(32.8 - 45.5, n=5)
-12%
34.8 ?(22.8 - 47.6, n=103, last 2 years)
2%
Load Maximum *
38.7
32.8
15%
36.4
6%
38.6
-0%
43.4
-12%
35.9
7%
38
2%
39
-1%
35
10%
42.3 ?(34.2 - 48.8, n=5)
-9%
39.9 ?(27.3 - 49.8, n=103, last 2 years)
-3%
Witcher 3 ultra *
32.8

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

System information during a combined FurMark and Prime95 stress test.
System information during a combined FurMark and Prime95 stress test.

We also subjected our review unit to a combined FurMark and Prime95 stress test that we ran for at least one hour. The 330-15IKB performed equally as well on battery power as it did on mains power with the CPU operating at 2.5 GHz, while the GPU fluctuated between 300 and 660 MHz.

However, our review unit gets too hot for a machine that is equipped with a ULV CPU and an entry-level dedicated GPU. The bottom case reached 53.8 °C under sustained load, which would feel unbearably hot on your lap. Additionally, large parts of the keyboard and palm rest exceeded 40 °C, which will also feel uncomfortable to the touch.

It is worth pointing out that we achieved these surface temperatures during our stress tests, which are an extreme scenario that should not occur in everyday life. Surface temperatures still exceed 30 °C at idle though, which is warmer than we would like to see.

Max. Load
 46.5 °C
116 F
46.2 °C
115 F
32.5 °C
91 F
 
 44.1 °C
111 F
44.3 °C
112 F
30 °C
86 F
 
 39.9 °C
104 F
42 °C
108 F
29.2 °C
85 F
 
Maximum: 46.5 °C = 116 F
Average: 39.4 °C = 103 F
33.1 °C
92 F
43 °C
109 F
53.8 °C
129 F
30.7 °C
87 F
38.2 °C
101 F
45.1 °C
113 F
27.6 °C
82 F
33 °C
91 F
38.3 °C
101 F
Maximum: 53.8 °C = 129 F
Average: 38.1 °C = 101 F
Power Supply (max.)  51.2 °C = 124 F | Room Temperature 23.9 °C = 75 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 39.4 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 46.5 °C / 116 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 53.8 °C / 129 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.9 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(-) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 42 °C / 107.6 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-14.3 °C / -25.7 F).
Heat map of the top of the device under load
Heat map of the top of the device under load
Heat map of the bottom of the device under load
Heat map of the bottom of the device under load
Heat map of the top of the device at idle
Heat map of the top of the device at idle
Heat map of the bottom of the device at idle
Heat map of the bottom of the device at idle
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
i5-7200U, Radeon 530
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
R5 2500U, Vega 8
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
R3 2200U, Vega 3
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
R5 2500U, Vega 8
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
HP 15-da0405ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX110
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
R5 2500U, Radeon RX 540
Average AMD Radeon 530
 
Average of class Office
 
Heat
11%
20%
8%
11%
24%
15%
23%
4%
10%
10%
Maximum Upper Side *
46.5
36.8
21%
34.5
26%
49
-5%
48
-3%
37.3
20%
40.2
14%
37.3
20%
46.6
-0%
41.7 ?(30 - 52.6, n=5)
10%
41 ?(30.4 - 50, n=108, last 2 years)
12%
Maximum Bottom *
53.8
42
22%
34
37%
47.4
12%
49
9%
37.3
31%
46.6
13%
41
24%
45.5
15%
42.3 ?(28.3 - 53.8, n=5)
21%
43.6 ?(26.2 - 63.6, n=108, last 2 years)
19%
Idle Upper Side *
30.5
29.4
4%
27.5
10%
26.6
13%
24.4
20%
23.7
22%
25.1
18%
22.3
27%
30.2
1%
28.3 ?(24.9 - 32, n=5)
7%
28.3 ?(21.6 - 38.6, n=107, last 2 years)
7%
Idle Bottom *
30.1
30.6
-2%
28.2
6%
26.7
11%
24.6
18%
23.9
21%
25.8
14%
23.5
22%
30.7
-2%
29.3 ?(24.5 - 32.8, n=5)
3%
29.6 ?(22.2 - 47.3, n=107, last 2 years)
2%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2032.133.732.12530.829.930.83132.534.132.54031.133.831.15030.529.630.56329.628.529.68027.52727.510025.926.725.912526.124.826.116029.324.929.320032.623.632.625049.221.949.231555.821.455.840058.619.958.650055.319.255.363060.919.160.980063.318.263.3100058.718.258.7125062.217.762.2160060.917.660.9200059.217.559.2250061.917.461.9315059.917.959.9400058.718.158.7500062.718.162.7630060.918.460.9800063.618.563.61000061.518.761.51250061.418.761.41600060.818.860.8SPL73.130.573.1N30.11.330.1median 59.9median 18.7median 59.9Delta7.41.17.431.630.731.632.633.832.639.334.539.332.429.832.435.429.335.432.326.332.327.326.927.327.525.927.535.924.635.94624.14650.722.750.76221.3626720.56765.820.865.86319.36365.218.465.263.51863.560.617.360.66517.16564.117.264.163.717.263.765.117.165.163.817.363.866.417.566.467.317.667.365.617.865.669.117.869.171.117.771.168.417.668.459.717.859.777.93077.941.51.241.5median 64.1median 17.8median 64.14.81.74.830.835.730.831.235.831.235.137.535.130.631.530.634.336.634.329.527.629.527.927.227.926.425.126.43025.83040.924.340.947.223.147.246.322.746.356.721.756.766.920.766.965.32065.365.319.865.362.418.662.472.118.272.171.417.971.468.817.868.871.117.571.172.217.672.268.717.968.767.11867.166.618.166.670.418.170.470.318.270.367.318.167.361.21861.256.718.156.781.330.681.3481.348median 66.6median 18.2median 66.69.31.29.341.233.741.241.434.141.44235.74241.130.541.143.237.643.24628.74642.926.242.944.92644.946.826.746.84724.8475023.65052.823.252.856.722.656.759.722.759.763.22063.268.219.368.266.818.766.865.918.165.970.51870.569.717.969.771.31871.372.317.972.374.218.274.273.818.573.872.818.672.870.818.770.864.818.964.858.91958.958.219.158.260.919.460.982.83182.851.51.451.5median 64.8median 19median 64.87.827.8hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGEAsus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143THP 15-da0405ngAcer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (63.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.9% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 41% of all tested devices in this class were better, 11% similar, 48% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 50% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 42% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (71.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 16.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.2% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (15.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 29% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 67% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 17% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 79% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

HP 15-da0405ng audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (72.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 36% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 55% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 45% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 47% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (74.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 15.1% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 47% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 33% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Power Management

Power Consumption

The 330-15IKB is a comparatively power-efficient device. Our review unit consumes a minimum of 3.6 W at idle, which is on par with our most economic comparison devices. Power consumption rose to a peak of 55.3 W during our stress tests, with the system typically consuming around 40 W under sustained load. This makes the 330-15IKB more efficient than our comparison devices that also have dedicated GPUs, but they also have more powerful components, which is something that is worth bearing in mind.

Lenovo includes a 65 W power supply that is powerful enough to keep the 330-15IKB charged even when the system is being pushed hard.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.27 / 0.34 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3.6 / 6.4 / 7.2 Watt
Load midlight 39.4 / 55.3 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.
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
i5-7200U, Radeon 530
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
R5 2500U, Vega 8
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
R3 2200U, Vega 3
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
R5 2500U, Vega 8
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
HP 15-da0405ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX110
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
R5 2500U, Radeon RX 540
Average AMD Radeon 530
 
Average of class Office
 
Power Consumption
-35%
-36%
-8%
-13%
-6%
-18%
-4%
-48%
-30%
-13%
Idle Minimum *
3.6
7.6
-111%
8
-122%
3.3
8%
3.3
8%
4.5
-25%
4.75
-32%
3.8
-6%
6.9
-92%
5.34 ?(3 - 8.4, n=5)
-48%
4.27 ?(2.2 - 9.4, n=107, last 2 years)
-19%
Idle Average *
6.4
10.6
-66%
9.9
-55%
5.6
12%
6.1
5%
7.3
-14%
6.9
-8%
6.2
3%
9.6
-50%
8.12 ?(6.4 - 11.7, n=5)
-27%
7.32 ?(3.8 - 20.6, n=107, last 2 years)
-14%
Idle Maximum *
7.2
11.8
-64%
10.4
-44%
7.8
-8%
8.3
-15%
9.4
-31%
7
3%
6.7
7%
11.8
-64%
11.3 ?(6.9 - 24.1, n=5)
-57%
9.1 ?(4.8 - 23.9, n=107, last 2 years)
-26%
Load Average *
39.4
24.1
39%
31
21%
54
-37%
56
-42%
34
14%
53
-35%
40.8
-4%
50
-27%
46.5 ?(28.1 - 62.6, n=5)
-18%
40.4 ?(8.7 - 75.2, n=106, last 2 years)
-3%
Load Maximum *
55.3
39.4
29%
43
22%
63
-14%
67
-21%
41.9
24%
65.3
-18%
65.2
-18%
60
-8%
54.8 ?(28.2 - 66.8, n=5)
1%
57.4 ?(11.1 - 101.4, n=107, last 2 years)
-4%
Witcher 3 ultra *
30.3

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The 330-15IKB has a 30 Wh battery, which is considerably smaller than the batteries in our comparison devices. Correspondingly, our review unit achieved poor runtimes in our battery life tests. The battery needed recharging after just 4:46 hours in our practical Wi-Fi test, during which we run a script that simulates the load required to render websites. We also set the Windows 10 Power mode to balanced, disable all power-saving features and adjust the display to approximately 150 cd/m². Likewise, the device lasted just 5:01 hours in H.264 looped video tests, which is considerably worse than the Acer TravelMate P2510 and its 48 Wh battery.

The 330-15IKB performed better than its Ryzen-powered siblings in these tests though, but that is not saying much. All three laptops have awful battery life, and we hope that Lenovo equips its future 15-inch IdeaPad laptops with larger batteries.

The IdeaPad 330-15IKB only has a 30 Wh battery.
The IdeaPad 330-15IKB only has a 30 Wh battery.
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
13h 29min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 44)
4h 46min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
5h 01min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 01min
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
i5-7200U, Radeon 530, 30 Wh
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, 48 Wh
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, 41 Wh
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
R5 2500U, Vega 8, 41 Wh
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, 38 Wh
HP 15-da0405ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX110, 41 Wh
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6BR
R5 2500U, Radeon RX 540, 48 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS
R5 2500U, Vega 8, 35 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR-81D2005JGE
R3 2200U, Vega 3, 35 Wh
Average of class Office
 
Battery Runtime
80%
19%
13%
42%
24%
33%
-17%
-49%
101%
Reader / Idle
809
493
-39%
504
-38%
724
-11%
1414 ?(527 - 2359, n=23, last 2 years)
75%
H.264
301
516
71%
230
-24%
366
22%
691 ?(348 - 1112, n=40, last 2 years)
130%
WiFi v1.3
286
505
77%
284
-1%
302
6%
407
42%
355
24%
401
40%
237
-17%
145
-49%
589 ?(272 - 1137, n=107, last 2 years)
106%
Load
61
118
93%
121
98%
126
107%
109
79%
117 ?(56 - 209, n=65, last 2 years)
92%

Pros

+ matte display
+ 1080p resolution
+ SSD
+ USB Type-C

Cons

- dark display
- low contrast ratio
- unstable viewing angles
- TN panel
- awful battery life
- no keyboard backlighting
- slow memory card reader
- outdated CPU and GPU

Verdict

The Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15IKB 81DC00SWGE laptop review. Test device courtesy of notebooksbilliger.de
The Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15IKB 81DC00SWGE laptop review. Test device courtesy of notebooksbilliger.de

The Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15IKB is a bit of an anachronism. Its Core i5-7200U processor and Radeon 530 GPU are both outdated, as is its TN display. Moreover, the battery is simply too small for a 15.6-inch laptop.

Additionally, while the SSD is fast enough to keep the system running smoothly, it is considerably slower than M.2 2280 drives with which most OEMs equip their modern laptops. Furthermore, we cannot understand why Lenovo failed to include a backlit keyboard.

We cannot recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15IKB. It falls so far short of expectations in so many areas that we would urge you to look elsewhere if you need a budget 15.6-inch business laptop.

If you are interested in the IdeaPad 330-15, then the Ryzen 5-2500U model offers comparable performance with an IPS display but at a much more affordable price. It too has dreadful battery life though, so you may want to skip the series altogether until Lenovo addresses its deficiencies.

Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE - 03/17/2019 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
74 / 98 → 75%
Keyboard
77%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
44 / 80 → 55%
Weight
62 / 20-67 → 89%
Battery
80%
Display
76%
Games Performance
62 / 68 → 91%
Application Performance
82 / 92 → 89%
Temperature
86%
Noise
91%
Audio
55%
Camera
32 / 85 → 37%
Average
69%
79%
Office - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15IKB (Core i5-7200U, Radeon 530, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, FHD) Laptop Review
Sascha Mölck, 2019-03-18 (Update: 2019-03-19)