Review Lenovo IdeaPad N581 Notebook

Lenovo has launched yet another series of all-around laptops with the IdeaPad N581 range. The line is comprised of innumerable models featuring various hardware configurations. More about that later. We tested one of the lowest-end members from the series. The test model harbors Intel's Pentium B970 dual-core processor, which is supported by four gigabytes of working memory. Intel's HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge) is responsible for video output. Data is stored on a 500 gigabyte hard disk and the laptop also provides a DVD burner.
We use HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG (Intel Pentium B950, Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)) and Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W (Intel Pentium B960, Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)) as comparable options.
Case
The IdeaPad N581 is made completely of plastic. The lid's rear is rubber-coated just like the wrist rest and keyboard bezel. Here, Lenovo makes reference to the ThinkPad series. The laptop does not feature many glossy parts due to the rubberized surfaces. The only exceptions are the screen and display bezel. The case's workmanship is acceptable, although there are a few flaws. For example, a few places with sharp edges on the base unit's sides.
The base unit basically conveys a solid impression. It hardly yields under pressure. Only the bezel over the optical drive can be bent very much. The laptop only warps marginally when we pick it up at its opposite corners. The lid also can be twisted a bit. The hinges keep the display firmly in position. The lid rocks when we let go of it. It is possible to open the laptop with one hand if you lift the lid carefully.
Connectivity
Lenovo's N581 does not bear any surprises when it comes to connectivity and presents the expected interfaces. It is great to see that Lenovo has given the laptop two USB 3.0 ports. Neither HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG nor Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W provides that.
Communication
The test model we were supplied with is equipped with an undefined Wi-Fi module from Broadcom. The Wi-Fi module includes a Broadcom Bluetooth chip that supports version 4.0. Wired network connections are managed by Atheros' AR8161/8165 chip (Gigabit Ethernet). A webcam is installed in the display bezel.
Accessories
The usual accessories are included: a setup poster and two leaflets containing warranty information and safety instructions.
Operating System and Recovery
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit is installed as the operating system in the IdeaPad N581's state of delivery. A Windows 7 DVD is not included for the device. The system can be retrieved via a recovery partition. To initiate the recovery process, a small button beside the power button is pressed when the laptop is off. If you are planning to install a new hard disk, you will need to reinstall Windows 7 from a DVD. One of our news articles (German) reveals how the user can get a Windows 7 DVD free of charge.
Software
Lenovo installs quite a bit of software on the hard disk: McAfee Antivirus Plus (60-day trial version), Adobe Reader X, Google Chrome, Power2Go (DVD/CD burning application), CyberLink's YouCam (webcam software), Microsoft Office 2010 Starter, Windows Live Essentials 2011.
Beyond that, there are also a few tools from Lenovo. Two programs are particularly worth mentioning: Veriface and EE Boot Optimizer. Veriface is a face-recognition utility with which system access can be secured. EE Boot Optimizer is to optimize booting Windows 7.
Maintenance
A big cover on the device's bottom enables accessing the hard disk, working memory and Wi-Fi module. The user can access two memory banks. Our test laptop came with a four gigabyte module. The laptop supports a maximum working memory of 8 GB. The hard disk can be replaced in a few steps. The fan is also behind the maintenance cover, but it is not possible to clean it. However Lenovo has not forgotten to include a cleaning possibility. Lenovo's energy management software includes a function called "Dust Cleaning". It is supposed to blow out accumulated dust from the cooling system when enabled. Time will tell how effective this function is.
Warranty
Lenovo includes a 12-month bring-in warranty on the laptop. The customer sends the laptop directly to Lenovo in case of damage. The warranty can be upgraded to a period of 24 months for around 30 Euros (~$39) or 36 months for 50 to 60 Euros (~$65 to $78). Tip: All available warranty upgrades can be looked into on Lenovo's online shop via the laptops serial number.
Input Devices
Keyboard
Lenovo installs its own, well-known, AccuType keyboard into the IdeaPad N581 that is also built into many other Lenovo laptops. The keys feature a clear pressure point and a sufficient drop. One feature of Lenovo’s keyboards is the rather small "enter", "backspace" and the right "shift" key. They are easily missed in the beginning and thus need a certain period of familiarization.
Touchpad
The laptop's touchpad features a generous size of 10.2 x 5.4 cm (4.0 x 2.1 inches). It is slightly lowered in the wrist rest and rubber-coated, just like the wrist rest. The finger should not be pressed too hard on the touchpad when gliding over its surface because the rubber coat slows down the finger and makes gliding difficult. The touchpad's right edge serves as the scroll bar. However, it is cannot be seen or felt since it is not marked. The touchpad supports multi-touch gestures. Thus, functions like pinch-to-zoom are available. Both mouse keys are below the touchpad and feature a clear pressure point and short drop.
Display
Unsurprisingly Lenovo builds a 15.6-inch, glossy-type screen into the IdeaPad N581. The screen features a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels. It is illuminated by LEDs. Other screen models are not offered. Considering it is a low-budget laptop, the screen's average brightness of 219.7 cd/m2 is quite high. It surpasses the rates of HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG (186.7 cd/m2) and Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W (199.6 cd/m2).
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Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 223 cd/m²
Contrast: 163:1 (Black: 1.37 cd/m²)45.37% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
53.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
46.95% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
The IdeaPad N581's black value of 1.37 cd/m2 is in the lower midfield. The contrast ratio of 163:1 is not much better. Thus, none of the three laptops excel in terms of black value and contrast. HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG (1.24 cd/m2; 152:1) and Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W (1.54 cd/m2; 144:1) even supply worse rates for the most part. The screen covers neither the sRGB nor the AdobeRGB color spectrum. However, this is not a problem since these color spaces are only required in the professional picture and graphics field.
The screen's brightness allows using the laptop outdoors. However, the glossy-type surface makes this difficult. Thus, you should avoid overly bright surroundings and direct sunlight.
The screen's viewing angle stability did not surprise us and corresponds to the IdeaPad N581's price range. Changing the vertical viewing angle quickly causes the image to distort. In return, the horizontal viewing angles are more tolerant.
Performance
Lenovo's IdeaPad N581-MBA4GE is a classic office laptop for price-conscious buyers. Routine computing tasks, such as Internet communication, Internet browsing, office tasks or video rendering, are no problem for the device. The latter also applies to HD videos. We tested playback with a video in Full HD resolution (1920x1080 pixels) and H.264 encoding. The processor's capacity was an average 21 percent (measured using DXVA Checker). The video was rendered smoothly. The same is true for YouTube videos in every quality level. Thus, the laptop is qualified as a quiet video player for the living room.
Should you need more power you can turn to one of the other models from the IdeaPad N581 range. Online shops currently list roughly twenty IdeaPad N581 versions. The models differ in CPU, working memory size, hard disk capacity and operating system. There are even alternatives that feature a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GT 610M GPU in addition to Intel's integrated GPU. The prices range from 350 to 700 Euros (~$454 to $907).
Processor
Our IdeaPad N581 test device sports Intel's Pentium B970 processor. The dual-core CPU belongs to Intel's Sandy Bridge processor range and has a clock speed of 2.3 GHz. It does not feature Turbo. The B970 ran through the stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run simultaneously) at full speed in AC-mode. The GPU also clocked at its full speed of 1150 MHz. On battery, the clock speed was reduced to 2.1 GHz for a moment before it climbed to 2.3 GHz again. This was the opposite for the GPU. It ran at full speed (1150 MHz) for a short moment and then settled between 1050 and 1150 MHz. The CPU also clocked at full speed during the Cinebench tests. The test results are on the expected level.
Lenovo IdeaPad N581-MBA4YGE HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), B970, Seagate Momentus 5400.6 ST9500325AS | HP Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), B950, Toshiba MQ01ABD032 | Sony Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), B960, WDC Scorpio Blue WD3200BPVT-55JJ5T0 | |
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Cinebench R11.5 | -5% | -14% | |
OpenGL 64Bit | 7.31 | 7.15 -2% | 5.54 -24% |
CPU Multi 64Bit | 1.75 | 1.63 -7% | 1.68 -4% |
System Performance
The laptop's work speed is acceptable. We did not notice any glitches. The PCMark test scores are on the expected level and thus on a par with HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG (Intel Pentium B950, Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)) and Sony's Vaio VPC- EH3C0E/W (Intel Pentium B960, Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)). If you are unhappy with the system's responsiveness, you should replace the hard disk with a solid state drive.
PCMark Vantage Result | 4122 points | |
PCMark 7 Score | 1742 points | |
Help |
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad N581-MBA4YGE | |
HP Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG |
PCMark Vantage - 1024x768 Result (sort by value) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad N581-MBA4YGE | |
HP Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG | |
Sony Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W |
Storage Devices
The laptop's 500 gigabyte hard disk supplies enough storage space for innumerable pictures, music tracks or other files. Lenovo installs a hard disk from Seagate's Momentus 5400.6 range. Like the series' name indicates, the hard disk spins at a speed of 5400 revolutions per minute. The hard disk's measured rates are as we expected: in the lower midfield. The average transfer rate is 62.6 MB/s and the access time is 19.2 ms.
Graphics Card
Intel's HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge) GPU is responsible for video output in the IdeaPad N581. Intel's entry-level GPU is based on Intel's HD Graphics 2000 and supports DirectX 10.1. The GPU finished the stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run simultaneously) with 1150 MHz in AC-mode and 1050 MHz to 1150 MHz on battery power.
The scores of the various 3DMark tests are on the expected level of other laptops that use Intel's HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), such as HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG. The results of Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W partly lag behind the other two laptops. Our guess is that it is a driver issue.
3DMark 03 Standard | 6852 points | |
3DMark 05 Standard | 4921 points | |
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 2577 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 1037 points | |
Help |
3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad N581-MBA4YGE | |
HP Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG | |
Sony Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W |
3DMark Vantage - 1280x1024 P Result (sort by value) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad N581-MBA4YGE | |
HP Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG | |
Sony Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W |
Gaming Performance
As true for all laptops featuring a Pentium processor and the most basic Intel GPU - if you want to play up-to-date 3D games, you should steer clear of this device. Its power is only enough to render games in their lowest resolution and quality level. However, games like FIFA 11, 12 and 13 can be played in a higher resolution/quality.
low | med. | high | ultra | |
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StarCraft 2 (2010) | 64.2 | 11.6 | 8.7 | |
Fifa 13 (2012) | 66.2 | 44.5 | 17.5 |
Emissions
System Noise
The laptop's quiet operation is very praiseworthy. The device only produced a noise of 35.1 dB even during full load (Prime95 and FurMark run simultaneously). The noise level of 31.5 dB(A) at idle was even better. Almost the same noise level as during load was reached as soon as the DVD drive was used (35.2 dB(A)).
Noise Level
Idle |
| 31.4 / 31.4 / 31.5 dB(A) |
HDD |
| 32.3 dB(A) |
DVD |
| 35.2 / dB(A) |
Load |
| 31.8 / 35.1 dB(A) |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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Temperature
The IdeaPad N581's surface temperatures were always within an acceptable range. We measured temperatures between 24 and 32.6 degrees Celsius on both the top as well as the bottom during idle mode. The temperatures climbed to rates between 24 and 38.1 degrees Celsius during full load. Overall, the temperatures do not thwart working with the laptop. It is even possible to place the device on the lap.
The CPU's and GPU's full clock was always available during our stress test performed in AC-mode (Prime95 and FurMark run simultaneously for at least one hour). The CPU also clocked at full speed on battery power. The GPU clocks with 1050 to 1150 MHz. The CPU's temperatures settled to 68 degrees Celsius here.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.1 °C / 101 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 37.1 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.5 °C / 83 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 36 °C / 96.8 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (-8.4 °C / -15.1 F).
Speakers
The IdeaPad N581's speakers are located above the keyboard behind a finely perforated cover. They produce a very thin sound that can be enhanced audibly by enabling the pre-installed Dolby Home Theater software. The speakers basically fulfill our expectations. We had to listen to worse speakers in the past. If you do not like the sound, you can always connect external speakers or headphones to the device.
Battery Life
Power Consumption
The IdeaPad N581-MBA4YGE consumed between 7.6 and 11.8 Watts while idling. Its consumption is slightly lower than that of Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W (8.6 to 12 Watts) and HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG (8.5 to 11.7 Watts). This difference was even greater during full load (Prime95 and FurMark run simultaneously). Thus, the IdeaPad N581's power consumption of 44 Watts is clearly lower than Sony's laptop (49.3 Watts) and HP's device (48 Watts). The same is seen in the medium load range (3DMark 06). Lenovo's IdeaPad N581 is satisfied with a power consumption of 30.2 Watts while HP's Presario CQ58-148SG consumes 34.1 Watts and Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W drains 37.5 Watts.
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Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
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Battery Runtime
With 6:49 hours, the IdeaPad N581-MBY4YGE lasted the longest of the three comparison devices in idle mode. HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG (6:01h) and Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W (6:12h) clearly lag behind. Idle mode is ascertained via the Battery Eater Reader's test. The screen is set to minimum brightness, the energy-savings profile is enabled and the wireless modules (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) are disabled. The IdeaPad N581 achieved a load runtime of 1:20h. Both other laptops lasted for six minutes longer. The Battery Eater Classic test is used for the load test. For this, we set the screen to maximum brightness and enable the high-performance profile and wireless modules.
One battery charge is enough to keep the Wi-Fi test running for 4:20h. There is not much of a time difference between the N581 and the CQ58-148SG (4:18h) or Sony's Vaio VPC (4:05h). Websites are automatically opened every 40 seconds in this test. The energy-savings profile is enabled and the screen's brightness is set to roughly 150 cd/m2. The IdeaPad N581 accomplished a runtime of 3:37h in the DVD test (CQ58: 3:51h, Vaio VPC: 3:11h) The DVD test is performed with disabled wireless modules. The screen is set to maximum brightness and the energy-savings or higher profile is used should the DVD not be rendered smoothly.
The battery life of all three laptops is comparable as they use batteries with similar capacities (HP: 47 Wh, Lenovo: 48 Wh, Sony: 45 Wh). If you are looking for the cheapest laptop with the longest battery runtime, you might take a look at Lenovo's G585. This laptop accomplishes a runtime of 8:40h in idle mode. The device is equipped with AMD's E2-1800 APU. However, we have to point out that the CPU part of the AMD APU is much weaker than the CPU part of Intel's Pentium B970.
Verdict
With the IdeaPad N581, Lenovo again introduces an affordable laptop that excels with its good money for value performance. The device provides enough power to satisfy the requirements of most users. However, you have to live with a contrast-poor screen like in almost every low-budget laptop. You can also opt for the IdeaPad N581-MBA4XGE, which is 50 Euros (~$65) cheaper, if you do not need Windows 7. The saved money could then be invested in a warranty upgrade. If you are looking for an even cheaper laptop, you should look closer at HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG.