Let me start off by saying that this is a very fast computer. I7 makes it a blaze and with 4 gigs of ram it holds its on on any advanced program or game. The videocard in it is more than enough to run Modern Warfare 2 at some high settings and it'll run most things without a hitch. It is relatively slim as a desktop replacement laptop. I categorize it as a desktop replacement for a few reasons I'll explain later on. Now, other things that it does well size and weight are great for all of the power that you get. The build is pretty solid, although I could go for a studier base.. it'll give you a little flex if you pick it up from the corner.Now the cons:
The battery life is very short, but what can you expect while running a quad core and a dedicated graphics card.
Mobility wise you can pack it up and bring it around with you but with very little juice and time on the go you better bring along a power cord. Also, the size makes it so that it'll fit into a backpack but you are going to feel this thing when you are taking it around with you. I came from a 13'' macbook pro that I thought was fantastic for mobility and for battery life but it lacked on the speed realm.
The screen.. come on, this should be at least a 1680x1080 screen. There's no reason for it to be 13XX by 7XX. The screen itself is decent, it's nothing terrible but it is not on par with MBP's screens.
The track pad is a little too grippy for my tastes, and you'll have to drag your finger around with some force to get it going.
The track pad placement is not the best, as I hit it constantly with the bottom of my palm while I am typing on the keyboard. It could be / should be placed a little differently... I didn't have much trouble typing with the MPB again but with this I am getting my cursor pushed around and put into the middle of my sentences causing me to go back and fix them.
Now for the ugly:
This computer Blue screen of deathed on a regular basis and hard locked when doing too much video and audio at the same time. I looked into this is great detail on Lenovo's forums and I have fixed it somewhat. I got rid of the original bloatware installation of Windows 7 and found a regular version to install. After that I updated all of the drivers as best I could, and then I updated the BIOS as well. I sometimes still get some hard locks, although very rarely now. Also, I get the "BIG POINTER" problem that sometimes shows up for other users of this particular laptop. So with that said I had some serious functionality problems getting this laptop to run correctly for me. I had ubuntu on it for a time and it ran without a hitch, but why are we going to be putting ubuntu on a $1000 semi gaming computer? Doesn't add up for me at least.
Would I recommend it?
I think its a great computer when it works. I think if you know what you are getting into you are going to get a deal. I think that if it worked constantly I wouldn't have a reason not to recommend it. If I didn't have the functionality issues with it I'd tell people that the screen is a little weak but it's a hell of a deal with all that horsepower in it. Think of it as a dragster that has weak brakes.. super fast, but not the most functional for day to day driving.
I would not recommend it only because I would have gone with a ThinkPad not an "Ideapad" This is obviously a cheaper and less reliable solution to a ThinkPad and it is more geared towards your gamer crowd than your business crowd. If I could do it again I would go ThinkPad without a second thought. Who needs I7 in a computer that's only going to run an hour hour and a half without a power cable? Get this computer as a desktop replacement that's more affordable and smaller than a $2000 alienware.
If you want mobility and more functionality, go with a ThinkPad or equivalent.
Issue with Lenovo Support -
Purchased 1 year extended warranty from Lenovo Support on Dec 2011.
I still did not receive the Purchase and warranty Information.
I have been calling Lenovo Support for almost 2 months to get this information.
Every time I call them, they say that they will send it in 24-48 hours and I still did not receive any information. This has been going on for almost 2 months.
I am now stuck with a Laptop which does not work and Extended Warranty which I cannot use.
I would neither recommend this product nor the extended warranty service from Lenovo
Buy Lenovo Ideapad Y560 0646-2EU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Now
This laptop has been sent to the Repair Depot 3 times for "Faulty Motherboards" and each time the interval has grown shorter until upon the third time, the laptop CAME BACK with a cracked side near the power jack. When the computer's harddrive finally gave out, I sent it back and the Lenovo repair team let me know that they could not fix it because it was apparent due to the crack in the side that there was user inflicted damage.A computer made of terrible parts and terrible service backing it up.
Read Best Reviews of Lenovo Ideapad Y560 0646-2EU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Here
A simple google search will let you know that there are known common hardware issues with this laptop. Works well until it doesn't. Lenovo customer service is unresponsive and have no qualms about asking you to pay for known hardware issues that are not your fault. Also, they will sit on your laptop without any available information for up to 3 weeks without returning your laptop.Bottom line: you don't want to buy a product that has to go back twice for hardware-related repairs within the first 10 months, especially if they are not use-related.
If customer service was more responsive and known hardware issues were fixed as part of a recall, this really would have been a great machine.
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I have owned this laptop for well over a year now and I haven't had the best experience with it, but it has been functional enough for continued use.We'll start with the good.
PROS:
The speakers on this computer are impressive, really. Being sort of an audiophile and highly critical of most laptop speakers, the JBLs in this model do a fine job and then some. They are relatively loud, very clear, and the intelligent touch-settings allow you to transition smoothly from configuration to configuration for movies, games and music. Additionally, the video output is fairly good which makes this a decent machine overall for entertainment.
The keyboard and touchpad are apt and comfortable. When I was shopping around I found myself in search of something that wasn't going to make me tired of using it after 30 minutes. Trackpads can make me crazy, and this one fit my needs well. Zoom and scrolling work quite well and the keyboard makes it so that you don't have to attack each letter or symbol.
Aesthetic design and portability have been nice. The lid has some neat, platonic graphic work on it and the orange rim around it is a nice touch. It's pretty slim and the edges taper off nicely for comfortable portability.
Now for why I am not very happy...
It is unfortunate that the above aspects are so nice, because the valuable facets of operation on this machine are lacking.
CONS:
We'll start with the biggest physical issue. The screen is floppy. That's right; floppy. When I open the lid it will move back and forth about an inch removed from its true position. It's not entirely unusable as I've found ways to compromise since I am still using it, but it's seriously a nuisance. You will also find yourself mad at how badly this thing smudges. Be prepared to wipe it down with a micro-fiber cloth daily. Over time the lid's contact with the rest of the computer when closed will also incur scratches on the screen and the casing that are irremovable and annoying if you like your computer to look nice. The rubber pads to keep this from happening don't really work and eventually fall out.
Operation is pretty unfortunate. The sound card goes in an out, as if it's picky about what it likes to play. Sometimes I have to close programs that use sound and reopen them for it to recognize the output. Strange, but pretty much a problem since the first month that I've had it. This machine also gets pretty damn hot. Sometimes it's almost unbearable to have it on your lap and I hardly do things to truly stress the system, unless you count iTunes, Office, Skype and a web browser. Don't bother with much gaming as it will lag and struggles often with loading and rendering of graphics. Don't even think about running video editing programs that are heavy on resources like Vegas as your projects will crash. Additionally, be prepared to encounter BSODs. Finally, a huge problem is that startup is SLOOOOWWWW. This can be resolved by removing bloatware, but only to an extent. You should probably configure this thing yourself with a fresh install of Windows if you want optimal startup in addition to fixing a number of other problems.
Battery life is terrible. When I use the computer in classes that are an hour and fifteen minutes, I am prepared for it to be nearly dead by the end. Additionally, the battery will sometimes cut out of recognition and your system will require a restart and battery removal to solve the problem.
I have had other problems with the computer that would require more detailed description, but here's the final staggering gunshot to the foot for this product. I had to order twice before I received a functioning model, and still all of the problems above have existed with this one. The first one that I ordered had a screen problem, something I suspect to be due to a problem with the assembly. If you don't want to deal with some hassle, don't trust this model.
OVERALL: This problems with this machine are numerous, and there are some great features, as well. Unfortunately, the bad overwhelms the good and I will never purchase from Lenovo again. It's sad to say, considering the great number of positive things I heard about the company, but this experience has ruined their reputation, for me. Perhaps there are some other very dependable models that they have made, but I wouldn't count on this one ever again.
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