Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p: At First Glance
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p features a sleek, almost professional design that conceals the powerful gaming hardware inside. This laptop comes equipped with an Intel fourth-generation processor, Nvidia GPU, and a stunning display.
Despite its impressive features, it is hundreds of dollars less expensive than most gaming laptops. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p has a starting price of $425.00 at the time of this article’s publication (August 2021).
Now that I’ve given you a tip of what to expect from the laptop, let’s dive into more detail.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p: Design, Dimension & Weight
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P comes with the same design as the IdeaPad Y500, its predecessor. The laptop’s chassis is built of thick, durable plastic.
The lid and deck, on the other hand, are made of brushed black aluminum with a modest horizontal striping texture. Additionally, the lid features an imprinted Lenovo logo in the upper right corner.
Furthermore, the screen bezels on the laptop are made of plastic.
Moving on, the IdeaPad Y510p has a bright and vibrant display, as one would expect from a gaming laptop. The IdeaPad Y510p’s 15.6-inch display comes with an FHD (1920 x 1080) screen resolution.
On this bright vibrant display, texts are very visible and the display’s color contrast is very good as well. These qualities make the display ideal for watching movies and playing games.
Unfortunately, the display’s glossy finish is vulnerable to bright lighting, resulting in reflections on the screen. However, it provides a clear, easy-to-view image in normal conditions away from excessive lighting.
Moving on to the laptop’s keyboard, the laptop comes with an island-style keyboard.
The island-style keyboard on the IdeaPad Y510p has a complete numeric keypad and is red backlit. The square-shaped keys are bent along the top with an inward curving shape for additional grip.
Furthermore, the keyboard has adequate key travel and decent tactile feedback. Thanks to its optimal spacing and responsive feedback, the Lenovo Y510p’s keyboard provides speed and precision, making it perfect for gaming.
A large touchpad is situated below the spacebar on the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p. Unfortunately, there are no dedicated click buttons on this synaptic touchpad.
Instead, a designated portion at the bottom of the touchpad serves as the right and left click buttons. These left and right-click buttons are separated by a tiny red line.
Additionally, the touchpad supports multi-finger gestures, with a single finger click serving as a left click and double fingers acting as a right-click. Also, multi-touch gestures such as edge swiping, pinch-to-zoom, and two-finger scrolling are also supported.
In terms of performance, the touchpad on the Y510p is more than adequate. Simple point and click functions, as well as the multi-finger gestures, work perfectly.
In terms of speakers, this laptop has some great stuff to offer.
A pair of JBL speakers are situated above the keyboard on the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p. These loudspeakers have the capability to fill an entire room with sound.
Both music and gaming audio was recorded with high quality and clarity by these speakers. Moreover, the JBL speakers offer a lot of bass, which will help in capturing sound effects while gaming.
The IdeaPad Y510p has a 720p HD camera at the upper part of the screen bezels. This webcam produces colorful but blurry photos.
However, the webcam is adequate enough for casual video conferencing or skyping.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p comes with a decent number of ports, which should be sufficient for most users. A VGA port, Ethernet port, HDMI port, and two USB 3.0 ports are located on the laptop’s left side.
On the right side, you’ll find the headphones/microphone jack, and a USB 2.0 port. A removable drive known as an Ultrabay is also located on the right side of the laptop.
The Ultrabay enables users to customize their laptops by adding a variety of Lenovo components. The drive on the Ultrabay can be removed and replaced with a second graphics card or an additional cooling fan.
It’s worth noting that the Ultrabay is only compatible with certain Lenovo components. The laptop will not work with GPUs or components that are not supported.
Replacing components on the Ultrabay is a simple procedure. Simply turn off the laptop, remove the battery, unlock the Ultrabay, and insert the desired component.
In terms of weight and dimension, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p measures 387 x 259 x 15.5 mm and weighs 2698.8 g. With this weight and size, the IdeaPad Y510p is significantly heavier than the MSI GE40 2OC-009US.
The MSI GE40 2OC-009US has a dimension of 337.82 x 238.76 x 20.32 mm and weighs 1905 g. However, when compared to its predecessor, the IdeaPad Y510p weighs less.
Its predecessor, the IdeaPad Y500 measures 386 x 259 x 35 mm and weighs 2721.55 g.
In conclusion, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p has a stylish design and a solid build quality. As a result, I will rate it a nine for its overall design.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p: Processor (CPU) Performance
An Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor powers the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p. Moreover, this Intel Core i7-4700MQ is a quad-core (4-core) processor.
Thanks to Hyperthreading, this quad-core processor can handle up to eight threads simultaneously, resulting in greater CPU utilization. To clarify, the processor will be able to analyze more data in less time and carry out more background activities without slowing down.
Additionally, this processor has a base frequency of 2.40 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.40 GHz, with a cache of 6 MB. Furthermore, this processor is based on Haswell architecture.
Intel’s Haswell architecture is the successor to the Ivy Bridge architecture, with improved GPU and CPU performance. Because of the architectural enhancements, this Core i7-4700MQ processor should perform slightly better than a comparably clocked Ivy Bridge processor.
To further determine the performance of the IdeaPad Y510p with this processor, I performed a Cinebench R10 test. Cinebench R10 is a real-world test that evaluates the performance of a computer.
It runs a series of tests on a computer to determine how well the CPU and graphics card perform in real-world situations. The IdeaPad Y510p scored 6628 points on the Cinebench R10 single-core test.
However, on the Cinebench R10 multi-core test, the IdeaPad Y510p scored 19383 points. Comparatively, the IdeaPad Y510p performed better than its predecessor equipped with an Intel Core i7-3630QM processor.
On the Cinebench R10 single-core test, the IdeaPad Y510p’s predecessor, the IdeaPad Y500 scored 5953 Points. While on the Cinebench R10 multi-core test, the IdeaPad Y500 scored 19192 points.
Unfortunately, the IdeaPad Y510p isn’t powerful enough to outperform the One M73-2N, a laptop that uses an Intel Core i7-3740QM processor. The One M73-2N achieved 6728 points on the Cinebench R10 single-core test.
Also, on the Cinebench R10 multi-core test, the One M73-2N received 24299 points.
In conclusion, the IdeaPad Y510p offers a powerful processor and also performed better than its predecessor on our benchmark test. Sadly, it was unable to outperform one of its competitors on the same benchmark test.
All things considered, I believe the IdeaPad Y510p deserves an eight out of ten in this aspect.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p: Memory (RAM) Performance
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p comes with a standard memory capacity of 8 GB DDR3L-1600 SDRAM. Unfortunately, this laptop features only a single RAM slot, hence the memory can’t be upgraded.
However, even with 8 GB RAM, the laptop was exceptional at multitasking. To test its multitasking capability, I opened 20 Chrome tabs while working on a document on Microsoft word.
Additionally, I was also streaming a movie on Netflix. Despite all these applications running at the same time, this laptop held a steady performance and I didn’t notice any lag.
To further determine the laptop’s performance, I conducted a PCMark 7 test. PCMark 7 is a synthetic benchmark for determining a computer’s productivity performance.
According to the PCMark 7 test results, the IdeaPad Y510p achieved an impressive score of 4,871 points. This score is way above the category average of 3050 points.
However, it falls short of the MSI GE60’s score of 5,654 points.
On a brighter note, when compared to its predecessor (IdeaPad Y500), the IdeaPad Y510p performed better. Based on the PCMark 7 test results, the IdeaPad Y500 scored 4233 points.
In conclusion, despite having a single RAM slot, the IdeaPad Y510p proves to be an exceptional performer. Therefore, I will rate the laptop an eight out of ten in this memory review.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p: Storage Options & Performance
Now let’s look into the IdeaPad Y510p’s storage options. Lenovo included a 5400 RPM HDD storage drive with the IdeaPad Y510p.
This HDD storage supports a maximum storage capacity of 1 TB. Moreover, the IdeaPad Y510p also features a 6-in-1 card reader for extra storage.
The laptop I reviewed came with 500 GB of HDD storage. I am pretty sure 500 GB of storage will be sufficient for most users to save images, videos, and games.
However, for those who require more storage, you could easily upgrade the HDD’s storage to 1 TB.
To determine the speed of the HDD storage that came with the laptop I reviewed, I conducted a CrystalDiskMark 3.0 test. CrystalDiskMark is a piece of software that tests the performance of a computer’s disk.
According to the CrystalDiskMark 3.0 test, the IdeaPad Y510p has a sequential read speed of 87.84 MB/s. Also, the laptop has a sequential write speed of 79.7 MB/s.
That isn’t all, I also conducted a file transfer test to further determine the performance of the laptop’s HDD storage. Unfortunately, the IdeaPad Y510p’s HDD proved to be much slower than most of its competitors on the file transfer test.
On the file transfer test, the IdeaPad Y510p transferred 4.97GB of multimedia files in 1 minute at a rate of 46.6 MBps. While its competitor, the MSI GE60 achieved an impressive transfer rate of 188.5 MBps on the same file transfer test.
The IdeaPad Y510p again proved to be slower than the MSI GE60 when booting into Windows 8. It took the IdeaPad Y510p 19.3 seconds to boot into Windows 8.
Even though this boot time is faster than the category average of 32 seconds, it was far below the MSI GE60. The MSI GE60 was able to boot into Windows 8 in an impressive 6.3 seconds.
Overall, the IdeaPad Y510p offers sufficient but slow HDD storage. Therefore, in this storage review, I will rate the laptop a seven out of ten.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p: Graphics Card Performance
For graphics, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p comes with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M graphics card. This graphics card features a 2 GB GDDR5 dedicated VRAM and has a base GPU frequency of 980 MHz.
In terms of graphics performance, the IdeaPad Y510p competes directly with low-cost gaming laptops from companies such as MSI. For instance, on 3DMark 11 test, a synthetic benchmark that measures the overall graphics performance of a computer, the Y510p scored 5,092 points.
This score is well above the category average of 1,233 points and also beats the score of 3,498 points achieved by the MSI GE40. Moreover, the MSI GE40 uses an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M GPU with 2GB of VRAM.
That is not all, the IdeaPad Y510p also performed better than the MSI GE40’s sibling, the MSI GE60. On the 3DMark 11 test, the MSI GE60 equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M with 2GB VRAM scored 4,453 points.
To further determine the graphics performance of the IdeaPad Y510p, I conducted a gaming test. On the gaming test, while playing Bioshock Infinite on a low graphics setting, the IdeaPad Y510p achieved a frame rate of 67 fps.
However, while playing the same game on high graphics setting, the laptop’s frame rate dropped to 27 fps. Comparatively, the IdeaPad Y510p’s gaming performance was almost identical to that of the MSI GE60.
While playing Bioshock Infinite on a low graphics setting, the MSI GE60 achieved a frame rate of 73 fps. However, the frame rate of the MSI GE60 also dropped to 26 fps when the graphics setting was increased to high.
When compared to its predecessor (IdeaPad Y500), the IdeaPad Y510p performed slightly better. The IdeaPad Y500 achieved a frame rate of 60 fps while playing Bioshock Infinite on a low graphics setting.
However, while playing Bioshock Infinite on high graphics setting, the Y500’s frame rate dropped to 21 fps. It is important to note that the IdeaPad Y500 uses a GeForce GT 650M graphics card.
In conclusion, despite being a budget laptop, the IdeaPad Y510p proves to be an efficient gaming laptop. As a result, I will rate the laptop a nine out of ten for its excellent graphics performance.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p: Battery life & Performance
Lenovo equipped the IdeaPad Y510p with a 6-cell, 47.5 Wh battery. As advertised by Lenovo, this battery should last about 5 hours.
Personally, I think 5 hours of battery life is quite poor for a gaming laptop. However, I still conducted a battery test to verify Lenovo’s claim about the IdeaPad Y510p’s battery.
On the battery test which includes continuous surfing on the internet via Wi-Fi, the laptop lasted only 3 hours and 8 minutes. This battery runtime is way below the category average of 4 hours.
Comparatively, the MSI GE60 also has a short battery life but it was better than the IdeaPad Y510p’. On the battery test, the MSI GE60 lasted 3 hours and 41 minutes.
When compared to its predecessor (IdeaPad Y500), the IdeaPad Y510p achieved a similar battery runtime. Its predecessor, the IdeaPad Y500 lasted 3 hours and 10 minutes on the battery test.
Finally, in this battery review, I will rate the IdeaPad Y510p a six due to its poor battery performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p features a webcam located at the top bezel of the screen.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p starts at a price of $425.00 when this review was written in August 2021.
No, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p is not a touchscreen laptop.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p was released in June 2013.
Yes, it is. The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1988 and would go on to become China’s largest PC manufacturer.
Conclusion
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p is ideal for gamers seeking a powerful machine without breaking their budget. With a sleek, beautiful, and robust design, this laptop provides an outstanding performance.
The laptop’s bright and clear display screen, as well as its JBL speakers, are some of the features I personally appreciate. The only real flaw is that its battery life isn’t great, and HDD storage is sluggish.
Apart from these minor flaws, overall, you won’t find a better gaming laptop at such a low price than the IdeaPad Y510p.
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