Lenovo G530 15.4-inch Budget Laptop PC

Apr 16 2009 - Lenovo may have found a configuration that will be very attractive to those looking for a bargain. With a price just below $500, the G530 is very inexpensive for a 15.4-inch laptop system. Even with its low price tag, its features are too restricted as one might expect as long as your aren't planning to do much beyond basic computing (internet, productivity and light multimedia). Where the G530 does sacrifice is in the battery life that is well below average and an older wireless that does not support the faster 802.11n draft standards.

Apr 16 2009 - Lenovo's G530 is all about the extremely low cost. This is going to make it hard to resist for many people who want to get a full blown laptop computer for under $500. The system itself isn't too bad in the performance department for the price. The Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3400 processor is pretty typical of what is found in the budget market as is the 3GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory. This is certainly acceptable for those looking at using the laptop for browsing the web, writing papers or maybe playing some DVDs or music.

Surprisingly, the Lenovo G530 doesn't skimp on storage like many of the ultra low cost laptops do. The 250GB hard drive provides a good amount of storage space for applications and data. The dual layer DVD burner is also typical of what is found in most laptops these days. It even has a 4-in-1 card reader for the most common forms of flash media.

The graphics do suffer slightly on the Lenovo G530, but most users probably won't notice. the 15.4-inch wide LCD display is fairly standard with its 1280x800 resolution. The Intel GMA 4500M graphics are a step below the 4500MHD that would support high definition video playback. Really not an issue though as most budget laptops won't be used for this or 3D gaming.

The area where the Lenovo G530 suffers the most is in the battery. The six cell battery provides it with a below average running time. Users can only expect roughly two hours of running time on a typical full charge. This may not deter some but it is fairly low for anyone who needs to work away from power outlets.

Another less critical disappointment is the lack of 802.11n draft wireless standard support for use with new high speed wireless local area networks.