The Bottom Line
Pros
- Well Prices
- Relatively Compact and Light
- Good Battery Life
Cons
- Integrated Graphics
- Trackpad Buttons Too Soft And Easy to Accidently Press
Description
- Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Dual Core Mobile Processor
- 3GB PC3-8500 DDR3
- 250GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- 14-inch WXGA (1366x768) LED Backlit Display With 1.3 Megapixel Webcam
- Intel XGA 4500MHD Integrated Graphics
- Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n Wireless
- Four USB 2.0, FireWire, eSATA, VGA, HDMI, ExpressCard/34, 4-in-1 Card Reader
- 13.4" x 9.1" x 1.4" @ 4.6 lbs.
- Vista Home Premium, Norton Internet Security
Guide Review - Lenovo IdeaPad Y450 14-inch Thin and Light Laptop PC
Jun 15 2009 - Lenovo's IdeaPad Y450 is their smallest of their Y series of laptops featuring a 14-inch display that gives it a very compact frame and a lighter 4.6 pounds weight compared to the more traditional 15-inch display laptops. This is great for those looking at an affordable yet compact laptop to carry around frequently.
Performance is about what one would expect from a laptop in the $799 price range. The IdeaPad Y450 uses the Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 dual core processor combined with 3GB of PC3-8500 DDR3 memory. It should be noted that the memory actually runs at the 800MHz rate and performs on the level of standard PC2-6400 DDR2. What it does do well is run for a fairly long time on the battery with roughly four hours with standard usage or two and a half watching a DVD.
Storage is bit below average with just 250GB compared to a more common 320GB. This of course can be attributed to the lower overall cost of the IdeaPad Y450. A dual layer DVD burner handles all of the playback and recording of CDs and DVDs.
The 14-inch display uses a 16:9 aspect ratio and uses an LED backlight. This provides it with a very bright and colorful display. Since this is a lower priced version of the IdeaPad Y450, it uses the integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics. This limits the systems performance for 3D specific applications such as gaming. Those needing such performance will want to look at the higher end version featuring NVIDIA G105M dedicated graphics.
One area that the system could really use improvement is the trackpad. The multitouch pad is decent albeit is little too sensitive at times. The problem is the buttons though. They have a very soft feel and are positioned such that they can easily be pressed by mistake while typing. Some may also find the white trackpad keyboard a bit of a pain to keep clean.
