Considering Lenovo Y740p

[edude95]

Hi guys. I've been looking for a decently priced, well specced laptop for a while now, and I found the Lenovo Y470p.

$760
i7-2670QM
Radeon HD 7690M 1gb DDR3
8gb RAM

I mainly develop videogames, so I figure that a decent computer for playing games should be good for making games. I'm somewhat worried that the memory is DDR3 instead of DDR5; does this make a big difference? I can't find specific benchmarks for the DDR3 1gb version of this card, although I have looked at notebookcheck's page for it.

In short, what level of performance in gaming can I expect from this computer?

 

[WR2]

Hello edude95;

The DDR3 version has a higher base clock than the DDR5 model. Should be pretty much a wash on performance.

Not that it's going to matter to a developer. It's way 'over the top' for what developing needs.

 

[edude95]

WR2: Thank you very much for your fast response. I didn't realize that developing takes less power than playing games... good to know.

Also, I do the occasional bit of gaming; would this computer be able to handle new games, like the Assassins Creed series? I don't need high settings or anything; I just would like to be able to play them.
Resolution : 1366x768 on the laptop, and 1980x1440 at home.

Thanks.

 

[WR2]

Gaming does have higher hardware requirements than just straight developing.

This should get you a rough idea about how well the HD 7690M handles games.
AMD Radeon HD 7690M review

In terms of desktop cards you might be more familiar with that laptop card slots in between Radeon HD 5570 and HD 5670.

 

[WR2]

Found a long Lenovo Y470P forum thread with posts from actual owners.
It's probably worth looking over: Lenovo Y470P topic

One item mentioned. The markings on the notebook are just Y470. It's not marked as Y470P. That's normal and it's the HD 6790 that makes it a P model.

 

[edude95]

Thanks for the links and for clearing up the naming.

I looked at the notebookcheck page; am I correct in concluding that it should be able to play most new games (excluding extreme ones like Battlefield 3) at medium settings and 1366x768?

 

[WR2]

I would agree that's true.
You probably noticed the mention of the DDR3/DDR5 variants and they're core clocks.

Here is a wider view of HD 7690M gaming performance (using the HD 6750 predecessor):
AMD Radeon HD 6750M

If you click on a FPS number you'll get details about the hardware used to get that result.

 

[WR2]

How soon do you plan to pick up your new notebook?
You probably know about the new Ivy Bridge models getting announced/released on the 23rd?

 

[edude95]

Thank you very much for the additional input- I'll be sure to take a look at the specs you linked to.
I plan on buying within a week or two. I dont actually know much about the new ivy bridge architecture; will it be a substantial gain over the current sandy bridge cpu's? Also, I'm trying very hard to spend under $800.

 

[WR2]

It's not a huge upgrade in CPU performance.

The integrated GPU gets a nice upgrade in performance, but that's less an issue to someone looking at dedicated graphics cards.
Intel HD Graphics 4000 roughly equivalent to a Geforce GT 525M or Radeon HD 7470M

 

[edude95]

Ok. As you said, the better integrated gpu is really a non-issue. With the switchable graphics in the lenovo, the only thing I'll be using the intel gpu for is web browsing.

Thanks for all your help; sounds like I'll be going with the lenovo.

 

[jaguarskx]

As an owner of a Lenovo Y470, I recommend against purchasing a Y470 or Y470p. The only difference between the two is that the Y470p uses the Radeon HD 7690m vs. the GT 550m.

The main problem with the Y470 series is the CPU tends to be around 90C+ when playing games. This has been confirmed by other owners and also professional reviews. There is no issue with the graphic card though. The GT 550m operates at about 70C which is acceptable for a laptop. Not sure how hot the Radeon HD 7690m will be though.

Click the following recent link regarding the Lenovo Y470 which has some additional information that I provided.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/77802-35-lenovo-y470p-hpdv6-need-pick-tomorrow


If you have no issues about taking apart the Y470/Y470p to replace the thermal paste, then go ahead and buy the Y470p. Although I have not done so yet, one person did comment that replacing the thermal did drop his CPU temps by 20C+. However, doing so will void your warranty. The reason why I have not done so yet is because I bought an extended warranty for a total of 3 years. Therefore, if I replace the thermal paste, I will basically piss away 29 months worth of warranty.

 

[jaguarskx]

Something else to consider...

If you are going to be doing work or anything related to productivity, then I recommend getting a laptop with higher resolution. I'm thinking about replacing my Y470 not because of the high temps while gaming (I actually play games on my desktop), but because of the low resolution. I find that I am constantly moving windows around to look at certain information. A laptop with higher resolution means a larger desktop so you can see more information on the screen without having to move windows around.

I'm thinking about getting a 14" or 15" laptop with 1600x900 or 1920x1080 resolution. But I might wait until next year when Intel's Haswell mobile CPUs are released. However, if the low resolution really starts to be f**king annoying, then I'll buy one sooner.

 

[edude95]

I appreciate your input, jaguarskx. I would agree with you on the resolution, but I have been using a 1280x800 laptop for a while now, and I'm starting to get used to it; also, I have my dual monitor setup for when I really need to get things done.
I had no idea about the overheating issue. I read the thread you linked to, and it seems like a very serious problem. How hard do you have to push it for it to begin overheating?

Also, does anyone know of a similarly priced laptop (around $750-800) that has comparable specs (quad core i7 and high-mid range gpu)?

 

[jaguarskx]

I had no idea about the overheating issue. I read the thread you linked to, and it seems like a very serious problem. How hard do you have to push it for it to begin overheating?

Not very hard. All you need to do is play a game for the CPU to hit 90C+. I tested Crysis, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect. GTA 4 made the CPU hit 99C and it started to throttle.

While encoding video the CPU hits 80C - 82C.