The Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 is a popular choice for a laptop to call your own or give it to a loved one as it is not very expensive. Lenovo asserts that the Y530 is a very good product and will not put a hole through your wallet. We shall see as we will be discussing the Y530 features and capabilities.

We will also determine the Lenovo IdeaPad Y530’s advantages and disadvantages. Plus, we will be giving our opinions on why the IdeaPad Y530 is a popular purchase.

Specifications:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo processor P7350 (2GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)

Mempry: 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 x 1GB, supports up to 4GB)

Hard Drive: 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

Display: 15.4″ WXGA Glossy Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)

Optical Drive: Slot-loading dual-layer DVD±RW drive

Videp Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9300M with 256MB VRAM

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

Wireless: 802.11g/n

Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Battery: 6-cell

With this package, you can get a multi-media laptop with several features: surround speakers with subwoofer, a frameless display, and touch-sensitive media controls.

The Y50 has an all-black shell. As one closely views the surface, it has a pattern that is visually appealing as well as providing a better grip. Consistency is apparent in its overall design.

Other people might be bothered by the orange-colored media buttons that contrast with the black surface. But we think that the orange buttons break the monotony of the all-black look. The Y530 is a bit thicker than other laptops being sold, but surprisingly, it is not heavy.

We now glance at the Y530’s underside. Its bottom is accessible whenever you want to upgrade some components. Inside, one can see the processor, wireless card, the hard drive and RAM. Yet, it seems like there were no security stickers.

While the IdeaPad boasts of a frameless screen, its display area does have some problems. Image distortion is a common problem with the Y530. The colors are accurate at a fixed angle. Move it around, your screen gets distorted. Even the screen “fades out” during certain times.

Another irritating display problem is glare. Even with a low amount of light, one can see his or her own reflection. This is very distracting especially if you are trying to watch a movie with a very dark scene. You can see yourself. Aside from the inferior viewing angle and glare problems, the Y530 also has a problem with DVD playback. The 1280 x 800 resolution lacks the 16:9 aspect ratio for one to enjoy his favorite DVD movie or television episode.

The Y530 trails behind other notebooks in terms of graphics cards. The Y530’s integrated graphics card enables one to sufficiently browse the Internet or work on some documents. The integrated graphics card, however, is not at all ideal for gaming.

The IdeaPad Y530’s documentation makes the laptop sufficiently user friendly. However, the software bundle is not substantial. All one gets is the Windows operating system and the CyberLink software.

Lenovo, though, is proud of the Dolby Home Theater audio system built into the Y530. This assures the listener of quality surround sound. It boasts of four speakers, so music lovers would want to have a first crack at this gadget.

To finish this review, it seems like some features were sacrificed to lower the price of the Y530. However, if this gadget will just be used for the average computer work like documents or children’s homework, then the Lenovo IdeaPad is an excellent choice.

For more quality laptop reviews aside from this one about Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 (40512AU), please visit Laptops Reviewed for IdeaPad Y530 review and everything related to netbooks and laptops.

Lenovo Ideapad Y530 FAQ:

Question: Lenovo laptop ideapad Y530 any good for college?
I need a laptop for college with 3gb or higher and 250gb + hard drive, and it has to be able to run the data intensive AUTO CAD and CAD programs. Is a lenovo laptop good for this, are they reliable?

Answer: The lenovo y530 doesn’t have that great of a graphics card – nvidia 9300, so it won’t run autocad/cad programs well. Choose a more powerful laptop like the lenovo w700. Lenovo laptops are known for their reliability and excellent build quality.

Question: How to PC restore Lenovo y530?
How can I do a complete PC restore for the Lenovo ideapad y530? I want it to go back to factory settings.

Answer: Press the One Key Recovery button. It is the one just above the power button with the arch/arrow on it. Provided you did not reformat the drive you will be able to restore the original factory image.

Question: Dell Studio or Lenovo Ideapad?
I’m looking at buying a new computer, and I’ve mostly narrowed it down to the Dell Studio 15 or Lenovo Ideapad Y530. The Dell looks way better in my opinion, but looks aren’t everything, so has anyone had either of these computers? What do I need to know reliability-wise?

Answer: Go Lenovo. Dell makes some excellent computers (particularly their business class), but they have been known to have reliability issues. Lenovo, on the other hand, have some of the best product support, best warranties and best built products on the market. Lenovo tops the chart in reliability. I would like to point out that all laptops are subject to component failure over time. What makes the difference is how they treat you when things go wrong. Lenovo is again one of the best at that after purchase support.

Question: Taking video/pictures with Lenovo ideapad?
I got a lenovo ideapad y530 and everything is great, until I ran into this roadblock:

it has a built in camera to recognize faces (“your face is your password”), but I can’t seem to find how to take an actual picture from the laptop. It almost seems as if the answer is right in front of my nose, but I cannot find a button or icon ANYWHERE that will let me take a picture/video.

Answer: Use the EasyCapture utility. There should be an icon on the desktop, or though the Start menu.

Question: Buying a Lenovo Ideapad that I haven’t seen in person?
So I am considering buying the Lenovo Ideapad Y530 for about $660 from the Lenovo website (which has a better deal than anyone else online). The only thing is that I cannot find any store that would have one on display for me to see! It looks pretty good, but should I trust buying a laptop that I’ve never even seen? Does anyone know of a store that sells it??

Answer: If it is the true website, not a fake, it should be OK. Just make sure the specs are what you want, and that they have a return policy, just in case.

Question: Is Lenovo a good laptop brand?
I am planning to purchase the Lenovo IdeaPad Y530.

Answer: I believe that the IdeaPad Y530 is a good buy. Lenovo of course bought out the IBM line of computers. IBM is a very respectable brand of computers and I would highly recommend that over any other brand.

Question: Normal operating temp for Lenovo Ideapad laptop?
What is normal for a Y530 ideapad? Intel Centrino core 2 duo @2ghz, 4 gb ram, 320 gb hd. I lost the hard drive in my last laptop due to overheating (even though I used a chillpad) and I don’t want it to happen again. I use speedfan to monitor the temp, and it runs right around 45 celsius while just surfing the web or using MS office but as soon as I load a flash video or play a game the temp rises to 65 or higher (I shut it down at 70 to avoid losing another hard drive). Is this due to integrated graphics? The chillpad has no effect on this laptop. After 65 I can hear the secondary fan kick on really loud which scares me. I shelled out more $$$ than I planned to and got this laptop cuz I was told the thinkpad / ideapads last forever so I want to make sure that happens.

Answer: There is only one fan in there. It can operate at different levels and that is normal. For all hard drives it is a question more of when they will fail rather than if. Backup your data regularly.

Are you looking at the drive temperature? It sounds more like you are looking at the CPU core temperatures. The CPU is on the opposite side of the machine to the hard drive and will have very little heating effect on the drive.

Question: Integrated graphics card question?
Is the integrated graphics card on the Lenovo Ideapad y530 40156BU (Intel Integrated Graphics X4500) better than the integrated graphics card on the laptop I am currently using, compaq presario f572us(NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150)? I know both are bad, but which one is better. Also, how much can you set the video memory to be on the lenovo y530? On my current compaq it is 278mb. I know that in general, the lenovo y530 is much better, but I need to know about gaming on both computers.

Answer: The GMA 4500M is considerably faster than the old GeForce Go 6150. concerning the graphics memory: if you’re using Windows Vista the graphics memory will be allocated automatically depending on the size of the main memory. if the main memory is 2GB, the graphics ram can go up to 512MB (maximum can be up to 1759MB with 4GB main memory) what is sufficient for almost all games.

Lenovo is proud to present its Lenovo IdeaPad S12, which was lauded as one of the Top 5 Netbooks for 2009. People thought that Asus had an edge with its Eee series, but the Lenovo S12 edged it out with its low price, larger screen size and a more convenient keyboard.

The Lenovo S12 is powered by Intel’s Atom N270 processor at 1.6 GHz and it also is a netbook that pioneers the inclusion of VIA’s Nano mobile processor as an Intel alternative. The Atom is really getting some stiff competition for the Via Nano processor, which has been getting raves lately. Plus, NVIDIA’s Ion technology is expected to be featured in the S12.

A closer look into the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 would give us an idea on why it is one of the best.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is lighter than most netbooks even if its dimensions are a few inches bigger than the average netbook. The IdeaPad S12’s plastic chassis looks give this netbook a business-like impression that is consistent with most Lenovo laptops.

Many would be impressed with the IdeaPad S12’s 12-inch LCD display, which can be viewed from various angles. You would think that you are using a standard-sized laptop when watching movies from the S12.

Comfort is Lenovo’s middle name as typing on the IdeaPad S12 is convenient as this model has a full-sized keyboard. This feature is not standard in many netbooks; plus, its touchpad is a very handy feature.

The IdeaPad S12 has one nifty feature that other netbooks don’t have: the face recognition application. This neat feature allows one to log in to the netbook by simply putting your face in front of the webcam.

However, multitasking is a stretch in the Lenovo S12. Its Intel Atom N270 processor is capable of handling basic fundamental office applications. One can also do the usual web browsing work and media playback. That’s about it.

Specifications:

CPU:

• VIA Nano ULV 2250 ( 1.30GHz 800MHz 1MB )
• Intel ATOM Processor N270 Single Core ( 1.60GHz 533MHz 512KB )

RAM: 1 GB

Screen Size: 12.1 ” WXGA TFT 1280×800

Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition

Battery Life: Up to 6 hours

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950

Pros:

The S12 boasts of a battery time of a maximum of 6 hours. The Lenovo’s chassis is sturdy and is able to handle the average mobile computing jobs. Plus, its large screen and large keys make you feel that the IdeaPad S12 is the normal-sized laptop. The size of the LCD screen makes this netbook a cut above the rest.

Cons:

Even if the Lenovo S12 is considered a Top 5 netbook for 2009, it also comes with its disadvantages. The single-core Atom processor limits the user in his or her multitasking jobs. Plus, users might find the fan noisy. The finish also attracts fingerprints easily.

Conclusion:

The Lenovo S12 still owns up to its title as one of the top netbooks in 2009. Many users would be fascinated by the larger-than-average netbook screen and the full-sized keyboard. Plus, the price at $400 to $450 isn’t unreasonable for the features that it offers.

Did you enjoy Lenovo Ideapad S12 Netbook Review? then you must check netbook reviewed for detailed information and reviews of a vast rang of netbooks.

Lenovo Netbook FAQ:

Question: What is the warranty on the screen for a Lenovo S10 netbook?
I’ve heard that some netbook manufacturers do not warranty the screens on their netbooks for the 1 year period that is given to the other parts of their netbooks. Does anyone know what the Lenovo warranty is for the screen on their S10 netbooks? What about the screen warranties for other netbook manufacturers?

Answer: S10 has a one year warranty on all parts.

Question: How can I change the operating system on my Lenovo S10 Netbook?
My family is having a garage sale tomorrow and I thought I would save up the money. Can I buy any new hard drive and put it in my Lenovo S10 Netbook and have someone install a new operating system? How can I do this?

Answer: Yes it is possible. Just run into a best buy, purchase a new hard drive that supports your laptop brand, then ask a person in there to install it in your computer. Purchase an instillation CD and insert the CD into your computer and click “install now”. However all these things add up. Purchasing a new computer would save more money than keeping the physical computer but with a new operating system. Plus, why do you want to change OS, Vista is problematic, wait till Windows 7 is released. You can get computers under $500. Just shop around and you will get a brand new computer without the stress of upgrading to a new OS.

Question: Which docking station works best with the Lenovo S10 Netbook? Will any docking station work with it?

The S10 does not have a dock connector. There is no dock for the S10. A USB port replicator will work, but those can have problems if you connect several high speed devices or try to use high bandwidth video, as the data rate over the single USB link is limited.

Question: How can I run Mac OS X on my Lenovo S10 Netbook?
I have a Lenovo S10 Netbook running Windows XP. I would like to know how to boot Mac OS X on it along with the choice of XP.

Answer: You legally cannot run Mac OS X on anything other than an Apple product. Just get yourself a MacBook. The MacBook does both WinBloze and OSX, no other computer can make that statement. You have the best of the best. Apple Stores are popping up all over and you can make an appointment for a time and date, bring your computer there. They will troubleshoot it and fix it if it’s a software problem it’s FREE. What other computer company has stores and can make that statement? Get the 2.4 GHz with 4Gigs Ram and you got a speed machine.

Question: Need help with my lenovo netbook browser size?
I have a lenovo netbook. The problem I have is my firefox browser shows the webpage to fit the screen but when I go on facebook the webpage is way too big for the screen.

Answer: First of all your problem is not about the size of your Laptop. It is about your display settings.
Probably your display settings are lower then 1024×768 Pixels. If you are using a Windows system right click somewhere empty at your screen, go to properties and then chose settings tab and change resolution to at least 1024×768. Then you can see all facebook on your screen. The other way is using Firefox Zoom abilities. Try to scroll up and down from mouse while you are pressing ctrl button at the same time. You can see you changing the zooming size of firefox browser screen. For turning back to natural settings you can use ctrl+0 configuration.

Question: I want to buy sims for pc and play it on Netbook Lenovo S10e, will it work? ram 1gb, graphics 950?
I am going to buy the external usb drive, however I want to purchase the sims for pc, but I am quite afraid that it will not work. Any thoughts?

Answer: The sims 3 won’t work on such a small graphics card. Although you could probably play the sims 1, but not sims 2, although sims 1 is probably going to lag a lot as well. Your laptop isn’t very capable of running any of the newer games.

Question: Whats a good free program to use to take pictures on my Lenovo Netbook?
The only thing I use is facebook, and that’s not really working out, so I want something similar to the iphoto thingy that’s on the macbook but I know that it won’t be as good. And it has to be free!

Answer: Well, if the Lenovo comes with a web-cam, it has to come with the software that lets you use the web-cam. In case you just re-installed Windows, you should use the driver installation disc that came with the it when you first purchased it. Or go to the manufacturer’s website, browse your net-book model and download the driver/software for your web-cam. However if you are looking for sites to share or store pictures online some popular free sites are photobucket, picasa web albums and flickr.

Question: Lenovo Netbook VS. MSI Wind VS. HP mini?
I’m looking to purchase a netbook. I like all there of the above netbooks, but my favorite is the MSI wind. The only problem is, the operating system is windows XP and I’d really like a netbook with Windows 7. The lenovo seems very good to me, but reviews has said its ugly (though I don’t really see that from the pictures). The hp mini seems good as well, but people say it overheats easily. Any thoughts on the above netbooks?

Answer: I think you would be perfectly happy with the MSI Wind running Windows XP. A netbook does not have enough RAM or enough processing power to run Windows 7 efficiently, so you would be better off getting a netbook with Windows XP anyway. Additional things for you to consider are how important battery life is to you, how big of a screen do you want, and what type of operating system you plan to use.