I've owned this computer for about a month now, have had no problems at all, and am very happy with it. I'm writing this review with it, in fact.
The computer starts up quickly and runs just fine for me. I'd say it's typically ready to go in well under a minute. As others have stated, it does not come pre-loaded with a bunch of software. That may be a drawback for some folks, depending on what you're looking for. For me it works out great as I can add things later, as needed, without having to delete extra pre-loaded items that I never wanted to begin with. You do get a basic version of Microsoft Office including Word & Excel, as well as Google's Chrome and IE Explorer for web browsing. All of which fit my needs and have given me no problems.
As far the fingerprint issue that other people have mentioned, yes, the cover is a fingerprint magnet. I couldn't care less about that myself. The only minor complaint I might have is that the screen is reflective and can be a bit hard to see in the sunlight. But you can work around this pretty easily. But on a 1-10 Bothers Me scale, I'd rank the screen issue at about a 2. Meaning that I can easily live with it.
As for the computer feeling a bit cheap and plastic-y, as I think someone else may have said...about all I can say is, it doesn't seem that way to me. Hey, it's not a high-end computer. But it's not an etch-a-sketch either, you know? It more than does the job I ask of it, and I think it looks and feels perfectly fine while doing it. If that's an issue for anyone.
The keyboard and touchpad both work perfectly. The keyboard is surprisingly big for a laptop, at least to me, and is quite easy to use. The cooling vent is located on the side, and I've never had any issues at all with the computer getting hot, or even noticeably warm. Connection ports are located on both sides and easily accessible.
The DVD drive.....others have mentioned the bullet-like speed with which it opens. They aren't kidding about that. It pops out in a hurry, and unfortunately the button that opens it is fairly easy to hit by accident. Again though, this is a pretty minor issue.
Also, and again as I think other reviewers have said, the speakers aren't the greatest. They're not awful, but you may decide you want to attach some external speakers, or some earphones. I use a cheap pair of earphones I got at Wal-Mart for ten bucks, and they work great.
All in all, for under $500 you're getting a surprisingly good little computer. As someone else wrote, it may not be a $1,500 laptop, but it's not supposed to be. But if you're like me, after you've used it a while, you'll find yourself thinking that it's a heck of a lot better than it's price-point might lead you to believe. It's a very good value.
I would definitely recommend this computer to others.
Expecting great performance from this product is unrealistic. The laptop does have a surprisingly decent touch-pad which is always nice to have on a laptop. It is pretty pack for the price, and for less than $50 you can throw 4gb more of ram to help give it a further boost. It is also fairly light for a budget 15" laptop and has great battery life. My complaints on it would be the screen quality. The picture is not great and it does give off a lot of glare. Given the price, I can't really complain about the product. Consider it buying last years technology only new and cheaper (i.e. it runs USB 2.0 and not 3.0)
Buy Lenovo G570 4334DBU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Now
This is the 2nd Lenovo and 4th "IBM" laptop that I have purchased, all have been great and never died, just needed to update processors and features over the years. This one is perfect for the price and highly recommend it for students and home use. Waiting for another one to arrive and will see how that one is as well.
Read Best Reviews of Lenovo G570 4334DBU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Here
Well i will start by saying its built to a price and it kinda shows in some areas. my biggest concern is the plastic looking hinge for the screen...not sure how that will last, but for 450 you get a decent laptop.
The speakers sound noticeably small, the top surface is a fingerprint magnet and well the webcam is not the best but for this price i can't complain.
Well update if things fall apart....just giving Lenovo a chance :)
~Update 3rd April 2012~
Forgot to mention that the DVD drive kicks out with such ferocity...."look out", but even so it closes flush with the side of the system. The button on the drive is also somewhat recessed so pressing it without looking will take some practice.
Want Lenovo G570 4334DBU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Discount?
Great value to get an i3 for $400 in a decent shell like this one. No it's not comparable to a 1500 dollar laptop but better build then a Toshiba we have. It is plastic (as you would expect at the price point) but it could be a lot worse. The lid just sits closed instead of been clipped which is not ideal. Layout is good with keys and plugs e.t.c. Screen is reflective but everyone is copying the apple shinny thing now days and the back of the lid shows smudges and finger prints if you just look at it.
Didn't come with a lot of bloatware and what it did come with was easy enough to get out. For the intended purpose we have (email, web browsing, downloading pictures from a p&s and very light word processing) it's reasonably fast. Extra memory is cheap and that would help but it's certainly not required unless your running something more serious. Battery life so far is quite good BUT the devil of that is in longevity so I expect it to crash like all my other laptops over time :-/
I hesitate to include this as an IT person I realise how little it means but will anyway. Like most laptops, it's hurt from the GP more then the other stuff with the cpu been better then I would expect. From the windoze experience thingi :-
Processor 6.7
Memory 7.2
Graphics 4.6
Gaming (3D) 6.1
Hard Drive 5.8
Purchase this laptop because I wanted a little more screen space than I got with the 13.3" laptops I've owned. I also wanted about the same weight, a lighted keyboard, and a touch screen for I think in a couple of years everything will be touch screen. I did purchase this at Furniture Mart in Neb. for only $650. Based on the graphics card I don't think this will play heavy games very well. It will drive my 24 inch HP display for photo editing. The brick for charging is fairly light.
