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Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p Review

The Good: The best looking gaming laptop for 1000 dollars. Having a great CPU & GPU combo, the Intel i7 2.4 GHz with the GeForce GT 755M SLI, the Lenovo packs the punch. Display, keyboard and sound are all marvels of engineering. 

The Bad: Short battery life. The dual setup of the graphics cards can lead to micro stuttering when playing on frame rates below 30 fps. Meaning you might want to stick to high instead of ultra settings on some of the high end games such as Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and BattleField 4.

The Verdict: A beauty of a machine. The Lenovo falls short of the number 1 spot due to its slightly less graphical performance, but it looks damn good while doing so.

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Why is the Lenovo the second best gaming laptop under $1000?

The Lenovo has everything a gamer could desire. A great processor, a technological feast in dual graphics card technology, gorgeous black and red looks resembling a Maserati and perfect all-round quality. The reason it’s not #1, is because it slightly under performs in relation to the graphics of the MSI GX60. Although not big, it could mean the difference between playing on high vs ultra settings. Still, with all this designer beauty, we could imagine many gamers falling in love with this aggressive looking stunner. Without a doubt the best looking gaming laptop under 1000 dollars.

 

Features

What a beauty. The IdeaPad Y510p’s design is controlled and modest, hiding the true beast within under its brushed metal. Few red details hint at the power that hides beneath, but overall there is a serenity when looking at the Lenovo. Being sleek and sexy like an Italian business suite, the Lenovo measures only 15.2 by 2.4 by 10.2 inches. Below its designer suite like chassis, the 15.6 inch Full HD screen boasting its 1920x1080 resolution. The screen is clear yet bright, while the matte finish stops unwanted reflection of incoming light. 

We’re not often turned on by the designed of a keyboard, but by the beard of Zeus this keyboard looks good. The black keys have backlit red glow around them giving the entire machine a very aggressive and powerful look. The touchpad below it works wonderful but sadly isn’t the best for a gaming machine. As it is in fact a clickpad, meaning the clickable buttons are integrated in the pad, can at times be frustrating when using the touchpad for gaming purposes. 

Featuring the Ultrabay, which offers modular expansion possibility where the optical drive (or DVD drive) is replaced with a bay that can be equipped with one of four upgrades. In the case of our reviewed unit the extra bay in the optical drive has been filled with a second graphics card. Although we wonder what gamer in his right mind would ever split up the dual graphics card, it does look very impressive to open the bay and show off your guns to your friends.

The Intel Core i7 at 2.2 GHz offers solid all-round performance for a wide variety of tasks. Whether interested in Photoshop, Video Editing or AutoCAD, the Lenovo has sufficient multimedia performance to handle what ever you want to throw at it. And although this is lovely, we are reviewing the best gaming laptops under 1000 dollars, not the best laptops. Rest assured, when it comes to gaming performance, the IpeaPad Y510p does not disappoint:

The IdeaPad Y510p carries not one, but two GeForce GT 755M’s aboard. One installed within the chassis and the second one installed in the previously mentioned Ultrabay. Together, they are called the GeForce GT 755M SLI. And as you would expect, performance of the two put together increases tremendously. According to the independent benchmark tests by NotebookCheck, you will eble to play Battlefield 4 at the playable 31.9 frames per second on ultra settings, means this laptop has the hi-end games covered. 

 

What games will you be able to play?

The below stated games are all playable on ‘ultra’ settings with a frame rate of at least 30 per second.

Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, F1 2013, Saints Row IV, Dota 2, Grid 2, BioShock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Hitman: Absolution, Guild Wars 2.

 

To Conclude:

The Lenovo IpeaPad Y510p is the best looking gaming laptop for 1000 dollars, with ease. Sadly, it is not the best gaming laptop under 1000 dollars. Having the MSI GX60 in its company means that it misses out on the number 1 spot in our comparison. 

 

The Key Facts:

  • Processor / CPU: 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7
  • Graphics Card / GPU: Dual NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M SLI
  • RAM: 8 GB DDR3 
  • Hard Drive / HD: 1000 GB SATA
  • Screen Size: 15.6 inches
  • Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080
  • Operating System: Windows 8.1
  • Weight: 6.4 pounds
  • Number of USB 2.0 Ports: 1
  • Number of USD 3.0 Ports: 2
  • Battery Life: Lithium ion 3 hours
  • Dimensions: 15.20 x 1.40 x 10.20 inches

 

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 Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p