After using Macs exclusively for 3 years, I switched back to Windows because of one reason: I wanted a quad core laptop (i7 specifically) and Apple has yet to make one. Furthermore, I know that when they do it will only be offered at first on the highest end of the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro models and will likely cost between $1800-$2200. When this laptop went on sale for $999.99, I knew I could no longer justify staying with Apple because $999.99 just happens to be the price of their lowest end laptop. For $999.99 (PC vs Mac) you can get processor quad core vs. dual core, HD 500GB vs 250GB, Ram 4GB vs 2GB, max ram 8GB vs 4GB, LCD 13.3" vs 15.6", and internal graphics of 256MB shared vs 1GB discrete. To me this is no contest. I was able to switch my Adobe programs over to PC by calling Adobe customer service and performing a cross platform swap. I needed to update my MS Office suite anyway so I didn't mind spending $170 to get MS Office Home/Student 2007 plus Outlook 2007. I will describe my experience with the Lenovo through a Pro/Con list, and I will compare the Apple and PC experience where necessary.Pros:
*i7 quad-core laptop for $999.99
*i7 quad-core = very, very fast
*1GB discrete graphics will satisfy every need except only the highest of professional/gaming graphics processing needs.
*looks very nice and seems well-built
*4GB of ram is enough for now and the option to expand to 8GB later is great
*ExpressCard 34, eSATA and SD card slots are most welcome
Cons:
*fan is audible a good bit of the time, and most of the time during even moderate application usage. I was aware of this issue with quad-core laptops prior to purchase so it did not come as a surprise, but at the same time I do think it belongs on the con list
*terrible sound output quality and volume from the built-in speakers
*terrible sound output quality and volume as well as crackling/popping while using external speakers, so terrible that I had to buy a Creative XFI Expresscard Sound Card (which did, incidentally, fix all of the audio issues)
*audio out jack located on the front of the laptop (I know this is all too common on today's laptops but it is annoying nonetheless; the Creative XFI card also solved this issue)
*occasional high pitch whine (the source of which is still under investigation) which can be quite annoying
*location of the cooling fan inlet vent means that you will not be able to use this on your lap or on top of a bedspread unless you first put a hard flat object under the laptop first; the laptop essentially is designed to only be placed on hard flat surfaces
*no DVI, mini-DVI or mini-DisplayPort ports; HDMI and VGA (VGA?!?!?!?!) are the only video ports
*the built-in trackpad experience is truly atrocious: the trackpad has a raised grid surface (instead of a flat smooth surface like 99% of the laptops made) which makes navigation uncomfortable and imprecise. In addition, the scrolling bar is laughably unusable. It is made for hands with fingers the size of baby's fingers and using it requires tapping down once first to turn it on; one can not simply move their fingers over it to scroll
*battery life is terrible, but I knew this going in because all quad-core laptops have terrible battery life as a result of their power-hungry processors. You will not get the 4.5 hours of battery life as advertised, trust me. I don't know how they were able to achieve that number but virtually everything must have been disabled and/or turned all the way down.\
*a moderate amount of bloatware which I am still deleting/tinkering with after a week of ownership
*built-in LCD not particularly stunning but I find nothing objectionable about it either
*would have liked to get Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate considering this is a high-end laptop but I did know prior to purchase of course that I was only getting Windows 7 Home
*hard drive came partitioned into 4 parts which is very, very annoying. In addition a few of them took up massive amounts of hard drive space for no apparent reason. It took me a few days of messing around with various freeware utilities to get all (but the essential) of them deleted. (hint: check out the free "Ultimate Boot CD" it is what finally got rid of the pesky partitions that Windows disk utility wouldn't let me touch)
In my opinion, this is your basic garden-variety "desktop replacement" laptop. With an external keyboard, mouse and monitor this makes a great desktop that can sometimes be carried out of the home when need be. I find the "laptop only" experience to be sub-par. This is perfectly suitable for someone like me since my laptops have always spent over 95% of their time at home plugged into external I/O devices. If you are someone who is just the opposite, however, I can not recommended this unit because of the issues described above. Overall, I am satisfied with the unit primarily due to the performance specs and the price. There is just no arguing with the value of an i7 laptop with 1GB discrete graphics for $999.99. The length of the con list, however, was sufficient to cause me to drop the rating to 4/5.
Pros: Overall I'm very satisfied with this product, but not crazy impressed. I had reservations about the y550p because of its lackluster screen resolution and supposedly poor build quality. Honestly though, I haven't noticed any issues with these things. The screen is bright and clear, the colors look good and from what I can tell the computer seems sturdy enough (though I don't get very mobile with it). The keyboard is also pretty good, I wasn't eager to switch over from Mac's pebble key design, but this keyboard is springy, responsive, and well-spaced. As far as looks go this Lenovo is slick. Not as slim as a Mac would be but still fairly compact and its coloring and hood design are fairly unique without looking cheap. It will definitely attract some fingerprints, but it won't drive you crazy like an iPhone will. Other than that the i7 processor is quick as expected (I have never fully taxed the system)and windows 7 is awesome.
Cons: The battery life on this computer is beyond terrible. Even with bluetooth turned off and the screen dimmed I have never been able to last longer than an hour and 20 minutes on a charge while just surfing the internet. I find this annoying even when I bring my computer from my desk to the living room couch and it starts beeping (warning indicator) right away, so I can't imagine how this would fair on the road or in an airport. The trackpad is also awful and whatever you assume "multi-touch" to mean just forget about it. YOU WILL NEED TO BUY A SEPARATE MOUSE. The pad area is small and unresponsive and the multi-touch gestures work maybe half the time. Unexpectedly, the webcam is also pretty bad (fuzzy, choppy, the works)and I was very disappointed that Lenovo seemed to cut back the spending in this area. I purchased a 720p Microsoft Lifecam for $50 from Amazon and this cleaned up the issue, but still I was hoping for something integrated. The fan is also pretty loud even when the computer is idle and the USB ports are few (2) and oddly placed on the right hand side of the computer so if you have something plugged into that port AND are using a mouse WATCH OUT.
Besides that there are a few issues which may or may not apply to you. MY IPHONE WILL NOT SYNC CORRECTLY WITH THIS COMPUTER. I wasted hours on the phone with Apple tech support and apparently there is a known compatibility issue with itunes and the mother board on this computer...VERY ANNOYING. It will eventually work, but only after maybe 20 (literally) failed attempts and computer restarts. Are you planning on upgrading the hard drive on this computer? I was, but I was told (after hours on the phone with Lenovo) that my computer was too new to be compatible with the Western Digital 320 GB 7200 rpm hard drive I had purchased and that MAYBE WD would issue the proper drivers ONE DAY. I had to return it and was so fed up I decided to just stick with the sloooooow 5000 rpm hard drive that came with this computer. On the bright side though, Lenovo technical support was very helpful, friendly, and most importantly their reps were native English speakers which is HUGE.
Buy Lenovo Y550P 324156U 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Now
Pros:-The keyboard is a nice size. It feels nice, and types well.
-The LED lights look sweet and the little ideapad logo is really neat
-The sound on this thing is nice it has a subwoofer which is noticable when tested against my fiancee's MacBook Pro that is broken and basically plays sound far too loud.
-The screen is bright and easy to read
-The computer can run, illustrator, photoshop, world of warcraft and google chrome with no slow down.
-Great at running any application or game with the processor
-The graphics card helps with games my games look excellent
-Lots of storage 500 GB I've only used maybe 200 GB , a good portion of that photos.
-Windows 7 is great. I have little to no problems with it.
-The computer is light and is carried easily in a backpack (I'm 5'2")
-I love the orange accents
-HDMI port yes!
-Not a loud fan. I heard others complain about this but I don't see it at all. Not when I have an airplane launching in the MacBook Pro that always sits next to me.
Neutral (But more good than bad)
-It doesn't get hot if it does it's only on the left side and the fan really kicks in to push the air out.
-The slide bar nav is a cool idea, but I never use it. I set it up, but I just use that taskbar.
Cons:
-Why is there a key to basically erase your harddrive? I immediately disabled that.
-You have to spend about an hour deleting stupid software in the beginning which takes a bit because some of it you might end up needing.... (Like drivers for the camera)
-Trackpad is a bit funky I have the Razer Orochi bluetooth mouse and rarely use the trackpad
-Only 2 USB ports never been a problem but may be for some
Pretty awful battery life, but I always plug in. Get a bigger battery if you need this to last more than 2 hours.
-I hate where the power button is. How I use my laptop, I have accidentally pressed it in the middle of the game when moving about 3 times and shut the computer off and lost my game no!
Overall, this is one of my favorite laptops. It is built well, looks nice, and runs like a dream. Mostly, it runs like a dream. The cons don't really bother me nothing is falling apart, etc etc.
This is a great computer for 999. You can't beat a core i7 processor for that price!
I like this a lot -better than any other computer I have had:
These are other computers I owned in order that I liked them:
Apple tangerine iBook
Sony Vaio FW
Apple iBook G4
Apple MacBook Pro
Read Best Reviews of Lenovo Y550P 324156U 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Here
This laptop is amazing.PROs: I almost NEVER hear the fan...and I never hear a high-pitched whine...and my sound output quality is easily the best I have heard on a laptop (go into control panel and turn on WavesMaxx Audio in Realtek HD Audio Manager...triples the volume and really gives it a lush sound)...maybe the other reviewer got a lemon that gave the opposite report on all those things. Laptop runs cool. The best "feel" for any keyboard I have EVER used. Yes, the trackpad has a slightly textured surface, but I got used to it after about a day and now consider it the best I have used and very responsive (another reviewer said that 99% of laptops have a smooth trackpad...where was that statistic obtained, ha!). It has 3 USB hubs...one is a combo eSata on the left-hand side, in a very convenient spot. Not sure what these other people are doing, or how they have adjusted their settings, but I consistently get 2:45-3 hours of battery life doing internet and light office app. work (on a moderate power-saving mode). The partitioning of the hard drives is really pretty simplistic and I am not sure why anyone would blow a gasket over that. This machine edits HD Video like a champion and runs Adobe CS4, PowerDirector Ultra, and Video Studio Pro X3 with ease. The photo/video editing software also initializes VERY quickly compared to other computers I have used. The computer itself boots up in under a minute and shuts down in just a few seconds...so quickly I actually did a double-take the first few times I turned it off (My Vaio...I sometimes walked around the houes doing other things for a few mintues to give it time to boot down)! The laptop is pretty light considering the power under the hood...it doesn't feel as durable as some others, maybe, but I still wouldn't hesitate to travel with it. I ran the PC Pitstop scanner on the computer and it rated almost EVERY FACET of the computer in the top 1% of all computers (CPU, GPU, RAM, HD Size, 3D Graphics, etc, etc)...the only thing it marked down was the HD Speed for being 5400rpm (still top 25% though). Windows experience index = 7.0 / 7.3 / 6.4 / 6.4 / and 5.9. Power cord is probably a good 12-18" longer than others I have used, which I find to be a good thing. Slidebar and Veriface are interesting, but I just uninstalled them...not really my thing.
CONs: A little bloatware, easily removed in a couple of hours or less (and way less than my Sony Vaio had). Stopped connecting to internet first day...Lenovo walked me through correcting a Win7 conflict error...had me up and going again in minutes. Left trackpad button sticks a little. It took me a little time to get used to the width of the screen.
Recap: I really don't think you can go wrong with this laptop. You get a really decent graphics card, a powerful CPU, lots of storage, a beautiful screen...so much bang for the buck (I bought for $999). Get it and I seriously doubt you will regret it.
Want Lenovo Y550P 324156U 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Discount?
4 months after purchasing this computer, for my work, 2 things were malfunctioning. The hard drive was toast and one of the USB ports was not working (as there are only 2 and I use a USB mouse and USB laptop cooler this became a problem). I sent it in for servicing after talking to tech support and included a note with an arrow highlighting the bad USB port.After 9 days I got it back with a new hard drive, all my software and files gone, and still only 1 working USB port. When it works, it works fine, but this is the very last Lenovo I will ever buy.
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