Taking IdeaPad notebooks from Lenovo are the U-series IdeaPad laptops, the ultra portable ones to wear at affordable prices. These notebooks also run exclusively on Low Voltage CPU for longer battery life to win. The 15.6 “IdeaPad U550 is the largest model in the U-series and it has to do the right hardware configuration and software bundle for this notebook a very capable productivity and multimedia machine.
At first glance, the Lenovo IdeaPad U550 U-series, the vanilla set-up: The Low Voltage Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor at 1.3 GHz with 4 GB RAM SDDR3, a 320 GB hard drive and a DVD optical drive. But the Lenovo IdeaPad U550 – 374955U version has a spicy kick: ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330 switchable with 512 MB of dedicated graphics memory memory on the integrated Intel GMA 4500M HD graphics. You can move between the images with the help of a hardware controller without rebooting Windows. Very practical! For video power users and FPS gamers, this may be a crucial factor. We show you how the notebook, the latest FPS games processed in this post. The Lenovo IdeaPad U550 also comes with Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an HDMI port and optional 3G.
Design
For a 15.6″ notebook, the Lenovo IdeaPad U550 measure 14.84 x 9.88 x very thin 0.94 1.15 inches and weighs just over 5 pounds. The heavily textured cover has a very dark brown (like deep dark chocolate ) color and a sculpture diamond pattern. Inside, the IdeaPad U550 a bright, glossy 15.6 “display with LED backlight, which has 1366 x 768 native resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio. The screen has a very good contrast and color images and videos look very sharp on the screen but the viewing angle is fairly small. Two people can watch a movie on the notebook together only if they are sitting very close.
The standard keyboard feels very spacious and easy to type on, and there is a dedicated number pad on the right. The multi-touch touch pad is underneath from the center of the mouse with two chrome buttons left of it. The finger scanner is the right of the track pad.
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Two small stereo speakers live above the keyboard, combined with built-in Dolby Sound Room technology, they sound very loud, but a bit tinny. The Power button and the mute button above the keyboard and speakers live, and as with many notebooks Lenovo has a hardware button to launch Lenovo’s OneKey recovery software. The 1.3-megapixel Webcam sits above the display while the built-in microphone sits just below the keyboard on the left hand corner.
The Lenovo IdeaPad U550 is equipped with two controllers under the keyboard when the notebook body curves up. The slider near the center for the switching of graphics between the ATI Radeon HD 4330 dedicated graphics memory and the Intel GMA HD4500M integrated graphics on the fly (no need to restart Windows, but it is a good idea, all programs before they quit). The regulator on the left side on off GSP disk crash protection.
Hardware and Performance
Like all models in the IdeaPad U Series notebooks, the 15.6″ IdeaPad U550 Intel Low Voltage CPU offers two options: the older Intel Pentium Dual-Core 1.3GHz SU4100 in and the newer Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU with 1.30GHz 3MB L2 cache and 800MHz FSB. The new CPU version costs is a little more, but the real attraction for the more expensive U550-374955U of dedicated graphics memory, and it is not bad because: ATI Mobile Radeon HD 4330 with 512MB video memory, with Intel GMA 4500M HD integrated graphics can switch depending on how much graphics power you need. And thanks to this institution is the IdeaPad U550 a very decent gaming machine. The IdeaPad U550 has two memory slots, up to 8 GB DDR3 RAM at 1066MHz speed can, and ships with 4 gigs. The SODIMM RAM slots are easily accessible under the notebook behind a bolted door.
The Lenovo IdeaPad U550 is working with a 320GB (5400rpm) 2.5″ SATA hard disk with the option, with up to 256GB SSD though Lenovo does not offer the SSD option at present. The professional style DVD recordable optical drive is removable. The Lenovo is is well connected with integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and WiMAX.
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The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge Benchmarking most tests slightly better than the IdeaPad U550, but the IdeaPad scored much higher in the gaming tests. So we took the cue and tested graphics demanding games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Wolfenstein on the notebook and the IdeaPad U550 is quite good, as long as you turn off the fancy effects. Below is a demo video showing the IdeaPad U550 this game is running. With all the effects turned to “low” settings in the game Wolfenstein at about 28 fps on average, and the cutscenes at 30 fps, which means the game was played very well playable. Modern Warfare 2 plays for about 17-20 fps switched with effects and 30-45 fps off for most effect out of Ragdoll and bullet impacts turned on. Here is the video:
Productivity software ran on the IdeaPad U550 and IE was fast loading of Web pages. DVD and music playback was smooth and even Hulu played at 30 fps. Another advantage for low-voltage CPUs is that they run at cooler temperatures. The IdeaPad U550 registered 37 degrees Celsius after some intense gaming zone with the temperature reached 57 degrees Celsius.
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The Lenovo IdeaPad U550 has the usual set of ports including three USB, VGA, HDMI, and a card reader (to the front under the palm rest). For audio, the IdeaPad U550 both Mic In and Audio Out jacks. For connectivity, the notebook offers an Ethernet jack, 2 Mini-PCI Express modules and wireless WAN SIM card slot under the notebook behind a bolted door.
Conclusion
For $ 679 you get a very capable notebook that can handle the work, multimedia and gaming even with a relative ease. The low-voltage CPU works well with Windows 7, to provide enough energy for daily use, and if you add the ATI graphics, the machine can in the multimedia and gaming, and Excel. The long battery life, you should ask Road Warriors and students, the mobility of desire, and appeal to the thin body and good quality add more. For a long time Lenovo notebook users will like the rich Lenovo software package, and the notebook has many ports. The sound is not the best we’ve heard on a 15.6 “notebook and while the screen looks good, it has a very small viewing angle.
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