IdeaPad Y series explained

IdeaPad Y Series
Developer:Lenovo
Manufacturer:Lenovo
Family:IdeaPad
Type:laptop
Releasedate:2008
Discontinued:2016
Os:Microsoft Windows
Cpu:Intel Core
Successor:Legion (as high-end); IdeaPad L series (as low-end).

The IdeaPad Y series was a consumer range of laptops produced by Lenovo, first announced in 2008.[1] They were marketed as premium high performance laptops for multimedia and gaming, as part of the IdeaPad line.

The most significant differences from Lenovo's traditional ThinkPad business laptops were a more consumer-oriented appearance and performance-oriented components.[2] IdeaPads feature a chiclet keyboard with rounded keys. The first of the Y series were the IdeaPad Y710 and the IdeaPad Y510 notebooks, with screen sizes of 17 inches and 15 inches respectively.

The IdeaPad Y series has since been replaced by the Legion Y series.

2016

Y900

Lenovo IdeaPad Y900
Aka:IdeaPad Y900
Developer:Lenovo
Manufacturer:Lenovo
Type:Notebook computer
Releasedate:2016
Media:500GB 5400 RPM
Os:Windows 10
Processor:Intel Core i7
Memory:8GB DDR3
16GB DDR4
Storage:500GB 5400 RPM/1TB
Display:17.3inches
Graphics:NVIDIA® GTX 960M Graphics
Sound:JBL
Input:Keyboard
Camera:Camera with integrated microphone (Front-facing)
Touchpad:ClickPad
Connectivity:4-in-1 Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC), headphone/microphone port, 2 USB 2.0 inputs, 1 DisplayPort, 1 HDMI output, 1 RJ-45 Ethernet Cable, 1 USB Type-C port, 2 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 inputs
Dimensions:(inches) : 16.45" x 11.51" x 0.99"
(mm) : 418 x 292.6 x 25.1
Weight:7.7 lb (3.5 kg) / 1.1” (27.95 mm)

Lenovo announced the IdeaPad Y900 in January 2016. It uses Intel Core Gen6 i7 processors that can be overclocked (Lenovo has included utility software to make this easier for users). The chassis is black aluminum with color accents. The keyboard is mechanical. Customizable color LEDs help the touchpad and various parts of the keyboard stand out more clearly in dark environments. The display is 17.3inches, uses an IPS panel with an anti-glare coating, and resolution is pixels. Up to 64GiB[3] of RAM is supported. Bays are included for two SSDs or hard drives with RAID 0 support. An Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M comes standard with options for either 4GiB or 8GiB of VRAM.[4]

Y700

Lenovo IdeaPad Y700
Aka:IdeaPad Y700
Developer:Lenovo
Manufacturer:Lenovo
Type:Notebook computer
Releasedate:2015
Price:$1,079.99- IdeaPad Y700 (14")
$1,099.99— IdeaPad Y700 (15")
$1,269.99- IdeaPad Y700 Touch (15")
$1,299.99— IdeaPad Y700 (17")
Discontinued:2017
Media:500GB 5400 RPM
Os:Windows 10
Processor:Intel Core i3
Intel Core i5
Intel Core i7
Memory:8GB DDR3
16GB DDR4
Storage:500GB 5400 RPM/1TB
Display:14.1inches
15.6inches
17.3inches
Graphics:NVIDIA® GTX 960M Graphics
Sound:JBL
Input:Keyboard
Camera:Camera with integrated microphone (Front-facing)
Touchpad:ClickPad
Connectivity:2 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 inputs, 1 USB 2.0 input 1, 1 HDMI output, 1 RJ-45 Ethernet Cable input, 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC) and a headphone/microphone port
Dimensions:(inches) : 16.45" x 11.51" x 0.99"
(mm) : 418 x 292.6 x 25.1
Weight:4.8 lb (2.2 kg) / 1.02” (26 mm)
5.7 lb (2.6 kg) / 1.02” (25.95 mm)
7.7 lb (3.5 kg) / 1.1” (27.95 mm)

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 series was a class of gaming PCs. The IdeaPad Y700 series are respectively an 14-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch laptops designed specifically. Same as the IdeaPad 300, 110 and 330 series of home and office laptops, the IdeaPad Y700 series of gaming laptops along with Acer's Predator and Dell's Inspiron and G series gaming laptops. These model have three case versions with 14", 15" and 17" screens; they successor is a Legion Y720 model with similar cases.

2015

Y50-70

The Y50-70 was released in 2015 as an incremental upgrade to 2014's Y50.[5]

Y70

The Y70 is a gaming laptop with a 17-inch multitouch screen. As of February 2015, the Y70 base model had a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GiB of RAM, a 1TB SSD/HDD hybrid,[6] and a 2GiB Nvidia GTX 860M GPU. The display has 1080p resolution and LED backlighting. The Y70 scored 4.5 hours of battery life on MobileMark's Office Productivity Test but is only able to achieve a battery life of about 2.5 hours for gaming.[7]

A review from Notebook Review said, "We're happy to recognize the Lenovo IdeaPad Y70 Touch with our Editor's Choice award for being a great large screen entertainment notebook."[8]

2014

There were two flagship laptops released in 2014 Lenovo Ideapad Y40, Y50 and Y70 Touch.

Y40 and Y50

The Y40 and Y50 are respectively 14-inch and 15-inch laptops designed specifically for gaming. 1080p displays come standard on both models, but the Y50 has an option for a 4K display with a resolution of . Both come with options for multi-touch displays. Both have Intel Core i7 processors. The Y40 uses an AMD Radeon R9 M270 video card with 2 GiB of VRAM; The Y50 uses an Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M video card with options for 2 GiB and 4 GiB of VRAM. Later models now use the Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M video card. They come standard with 8 GiB of RAM (expandable up to 16 GiB). The Y40 comes standard with a 256 GB[9] SSD and the Y50 comes standard with a 1 TB hybrid drive.[10] Both are only 0.9inches thick. They respectively weigh and . Neither has an optical drive.[11] The Y40 and Y50 were announced at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas and went on sale in the United States in May of the same year.

In a review for PC World, Hayden Dingman wrote,

In a review for LAPTOP, Sherri L. Smith wrote,

Y40

Lenovo IdeaPad Y40 was announced in the US on January 5, 2014.

Y50

Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 was released in the second quarter of 2014.

In 2015, some components were updated with more recent or parts of higher quality:

2013

Y400

The IdeaPad Y400 was announced at the IFA 2012 show in Berlin Germany. This laptop features a 14-inch display with 1366x768 resolution. It was configured with Intel Core i7 third generation processor and up to 16 GB of RAM. These laptops included the new "Intelligent Touchpad" that was optimized for Windows 8 operating system. The Y400 weight was around 5.51 pounds with a 6 cell battery.

Y410p

The IdeaPad Y410p was released around June 2013. This laptop also features a fourth generation Haswell Intel Core i7 processor. The Y410p is comparable to higher end laptops such as the Alienware M14x, but this series starts at a comparatively lower price of $799. The Y410p also comes with an UltraBay, which can house a second dedicated graphics card, a hard drive or an exhaust fan; and uses the secure boot UEFI protocol.

Specifications:

Y500

The IdeaPad Y500 was released in the first week of January 2013, after Lenovo announced it in late 2012. The Y500 is a modular laptop, where the BD/DVD drive[12] could be switched out for adding another Graphics card,[13] another Hard Drive,[14] or another exhaust fan with new feature called Always-On USB, a port which will ensure that even when your system is switched off and unplugged from the mains, you will be able to charge your mobile phone or any other compatible USB device.[15] Y500 Specifications:

A new version of the Y500 with upgraded features was released in June along with the Lenovo Y410p. The upgraded version has following features compare to older version

Y510p

The IdeaPad Y510p was released around June 2013. This laptop features a fourth generation Haswell Intel Core i7 processor. The Y510p also comes with an ultrabay, which can house a second dedicated graphics card, a hard drive or an exhaust fan; and uses the secure boot UEFI protocol.

Specifications:

2012

The IdeaPad Y-series laptops released by Lenovo in mid-2012 were the Y480 and Y580. Lenovo followed them up towards the end of the year with the Y400 and the Y500 which had almost similar specifications. The main difference is that the Y400 and Y500 have an ultrabay slot which can be swapped for another hard drive, another fan or another GPU which will work in SLI with the already integrated one to increase performance drastically.

Y480

The Y480 was released in 2012 with the following specifications:[16]

Y580

The Y580 was released in late 2012 with the following specifications:[17]

2011

The IdeaPad Y-series laptops released by Lenovo in 2011 were the Y470 and Y570.

Y470

The Y470 was released in 2011 with the following specifications:[18]

Y570

The Y570 was released in 2011 with the following specifications:[19]

2010

The IdeaPad Y-series laptops released in 2010 by Lenovo were the Y460, Y460p, Y730, Y560p, and Y560d.

Y460 and Y460p

Released in 2010, the IdeaPad Y460 offered the following specifications:[20] Whereas the Y460p laptop was released in 2010 with the following specifications:[21]
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 520M
  • Display: 14" LED-backlit TN LCD
  • Memory: 4GiB DDR3 1066MT/s RAM
  • Graphics: Intel GMA HD + ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 (1GiB VRAM)
  • Storage: SATA 500GB 5400RPM
  • Weight: 4.98abbr=onNaNabbr=on
  • Dimensions: 13.4x
  • Processor: Up to Intel Core i7-2630QM
  • Memory: Up to 8GB DDR3 1333MT/s
  • Graphics: Intel GMA HD + AMD Radeon HD 6550M
  • Weight: 4.85abbr=onNaNabbr=on
  • Dimensions: 13.4x

Notebook Review noted that the Y460 offered "great gaming performance", although the system heated up considerably while gaming. The battery life and design were also praised, with the reviewer stating that there was a "huge improvement in the looks department". LAPTOP Magazine offered a similar opinion, stating that, "Lenovo delivers multimedia and gaming power in a portable design, complete with a one-of-a-kind navigation control".[22]

Y560d, Y560 and Y560p

The Y560d laptop was released in 2010 with the following specifications:[23] The Y560 laptop was also released in 2010 with the following specifications:[24] The Y560p laptop was released in 2010 with the following specifications:[25]
  • Processor: Up to Intel Core i7-720QM
  • Memory: Up to 8GB DDR3 1333MT/s
  • Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730
  • Weight: 5.95abbr=onNaNabbr=on
  • Dimensions: 15.15x
  • Processor: Up to Intel Core i7-740QM
  • Memory: Up to 8GB DDR3 1333MT/s
  • Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730
  • Weight: 5.95abbr=onNaNabbr=on
  • Dimensions: 15.15x
  • Processor: Up to Intel Core i7-2630QM
  • Memory: Up to 8GB DDR3 1333MT/s
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6570M
  • Weight: 5.95abbr=onNaNabbr=on
  • Dimensions: 15.15x

Y730

The Y730 laptop was released as an update to the Y710 laptop, with the most significant differences being a chipset update to Intel PM45 and the ability to use DDR3 memory.[26] The laptop offered:[27]

Reviewers disagreed on its capacity for gaming. About.com indicated that it was not very fast for high resolution PC gaming, suggesting that it was better suited for casual gamers and viewing HD videos. The screen was also indicated as being a lower resolution than industry standard.[26] On the other hand, the reviewer at GADGETBASE was extremely enthusiastic about the laptop, calling it "the ultimate notebook" with "stellar performance" for "a die-hard gamer".[27]

2009

The Y-series laptops launched in 2009 by Lenovo were the Y450 and Y550.

Y450

The successor to the Y430, the Y450 laptop offered the following specifications:[28]

PC World gave the laptop a rating of 2.5 of 5 stars, praising the keyboard, design, and overall value. The negative points were indicated as being an uneven vertical viewing angle.[29]

Y550

Released in 2009, the IdeaPad Y550 laptop offered the following specifications:[30]

Notebook Review called the IdeaPad Y550 laptop well-built, with a wide array of options. The design was also appreciated and as with previous IdeaPad Y Series laptops, both the keyboard and touchpad were positively received.[30]

2008

The Y Series laptops launched in 2008 by Lenovo were the Y710, Y510, Y530, and Y430.

Y430

The IdeaPad Y430 featured a 14.1 inch screen, an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 processor, Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, and weighed 5.3lbs.[31] PC World was enthusiastic in its review of the Y430 notebook, calling it "among the best midsized laptops available" and "a joy to use". Summing up the notebook's capabilities, PC World said, "This is a solidly built unit that's a joy to use and has plenty of grunt for most applications. It also has versatile networking options, including the ability to connect to 5GHz IEEE 802.11n Wi-Fi routers."[32]

Y510

The Y510 notebook offered the following specifications:[2]

Y530

The Y530 notebook was the successor to the Y510, with the same chassis but with an upgrade to the Intel Centrino 2 processor. While the notebook was slightly thicker than other, similar laptops, it was still portable and easy to carry around. The notebook weighed 6.6abbr=onNaNabbr=on and had a form factor of 14.2x.[33]

Notebook Review stated that the positive points of the Y530 notebook were the build quality, the speaker system, and the comfortable keyboard and touchpad. The negative points were the NVIDIA 9300M graphics card, and the highly reflective display.[34]

Y710

The first type of Y-series laptops was the Y7xx models, including the Y710 and Y730. The Y710 have a optional "Lenovo Game Zone" module (factory mounted in a keypad module space) and offered the following specifications:[2]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New from Lenovo: three IdeaPad notebooks. 19 September 2011. Sal Cangeloso. 3 January 2008. 16 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121016050842/http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/new-from-lenovo-three-ideapad-notebooks-2008013/. dead.
  2. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Hands-On Roundup. 19 September 2011. Jerry Jackson. 9 January 2008.
  3. 1 GiB = 10243 B
  4. Web site: Lenovo Gets Serious About Gaming with IdeaPad Y900. 4 January 2016.
  5. Lenovo Y50-70 (GTX 960M, 4K) Notebook Review https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-Y50-70-GTX-960M-4K-Notebook-Review.145340.0.html
  6. 1 TB = 10004 B
  7. News: Lenovo Y70 Touch Gaming Laptop Review. Evangelho. Jason. 25 February 2015. Forbes. 10 March 2015. United States.
  8. News: Lenovo IdeaPad Y70 Touch: Conclusion. Jefferies. Charles. 2015-01-17. Notebook Review. 2015-03-12.
  9. 1 GB = one billion bytes
  10. 1 TB = one trillion bytes
  11. Web site: Best Windows Laptop Archives.
  12. http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=460&Code=0C22231 Y500 DVD
  13. http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=460&Code=0C22235 Y500 addon Graphics card
  14. http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=460&Code=0C22232 Y500 HDD
  15. http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=460&Code=0C22233 Y500 addon Fan
  16. Web site: IdeaPad Y480 Laptop Specs. Lenovo. 3 August 2012.
  17. Web site: IdeaPad Y580 Laptop Specs. Lenovo. 6 August 2012.
  18. Web site: IdeaPad Y470 Datasheet. 19 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110601031550/http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/Y470_Datasheet_US.pdf . 1 June 2011.
  19. Web site: IdeaPad Y570 Datasheet. 19 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324012234/http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/Y570_datasheet.pdf . 24 March 2012.
  20. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 Review. 19 September 2011. Kevin O'Brien. 22 June 2010.
  21. Web site: IdeaPad Y460p Datasheet. 19 September 2011.
  22. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 Review. 19 September 2011. Avram Piltch. 17 May 2010.
  23. Web site: IdeaPad Y560d Datasheet. 19 September 2011.
  24. Web site: IdeaPad Y560 Tech Specs. 19 September 2011.
  25. Web site: IdeaPad Y560p Datasheet. 19 September 2011.
  26. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y730 17-inch Desktop Replacement Laptop PC. 19 September 2011. Mark Krynin. 13 January 2009.
  27. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y730 Review. 19 September 2011. 13 February 2009.
  28. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y450 Review. 19 September 2011. Jerry Jackson. 18 June 2009.
  29. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y450. 19 September 2011.
  30. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 Review. 19 September 2011. Kevin O'Brien. 30 November 2009.
  31. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y430. 19 September 2011.
  32. Web site: IdeaPad Y430 Review. 19 September 2011. Elias. Plastiras. 18 August 2008.
  33. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 (40512AU) Review. 19 September 2011. Joanna Stern. Ken Sander. 24 October 2008.
  34. Web site: Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 Review. 19 September 2011. Kevin O'Brien. 2 December 2008.