Lenovo Y330 Review and Pictures

The Lenovo Ideapad Y330 is a 13-inch laptop which features a Core 2 Duo processor, a slot load DVD writer, HDMI, and Dolby sound.

The Ideapad Y series notebooks are branded by Lenovo as for “Family Entertainment”. The Y series notebooks focus on multimedia features to be able to deliver superb home entertainment. Let’s take a look at how the Lenovo Ideapad Y330 fares.

I’ve seen two kinds of Lenovo Y330 laptops available at stores. Both have the same specs but with differences on the processor, video card, and hard disk capacity. The more common Lenovo Y330 (since I see it more often), has a Core 2 Duo T5900 processor (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB), 320GB hard disk, and has no dedicated video – equipped only with the onboard Intel GMA x4500.

 

The less common Lenovo Y330 is equipped with a slightly slower processor – a Core 2 Duo T5800 (2.0GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB), a smaller hard disk capacity with 250GB, but has a dedicated video card – an ATI Radeon HD3450 with 256MB memory.

The Lenovo website has listed the Lenovo Y330 as having a Core 2 Duo P7350 processor (2.0GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) and still no dedicated video. But I’ve yet to see it being sold in actual computer shops.

 

A quick look at the specs of the Lenovo Y330:

Processor: Core 2 Duo T5900 / Core 2 Duo T5800 / Core 2 Duo P7350
Chipset: Intel P965 Express
Memory: 2GB DDR2 667MHz (upgradeable to 4GB DDR2 800MHz)
Display: 13.3 WXGA VibrantView
Graphics: ATI Radeon 3450 with 256MB / Intel GMA x4500
Hard Drive: 250GB (320GB for variants with no dedicated video)
Optical Device: Dual Layer DVD writer
Audio: 2×1.5W Stereo Speakers, Dolby® Home Theater™ Surround Sound
Networking: Wi-Fi b/g/n (some have Wireless b/g only) and 10/100 integrated LAN
Others: 1.3 MP WebCam, VGA port, HDMI, 56k modem, 6-in-1 card reader, 2x USB 2.0, Microphone, Audio jacks, Firewire, Bluetooth 2.0, PCI Express Card slot, 6-Cell Battery
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

 

Let’s now take a closer look at the Y330 beyond its specifications.

 

Performance of the Lenovo Y330

For the Y330 with dedicated video card (ATI Radeon 3450 with 256MB RAM), performance is not an issue. Because of the dedicated graphics processor and video RAM that the ATI Radeon 3450 provides, you would be able to play average games smoothly with good details and resolution. The latest graphics intensive games are still playable, but had to be put it in very low details and resolution. This is expected as the ATI Radeon 3450 is just a low end graphics card for notebooks.

 

With Windows Vista Home Premium and all the drivers installed, boot-up was pretty quick. The usual applications opened fast – Firefox, Internet Explorer, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, Skype, etc. Kaspersky Internet Security and the free Avira Antivirus don’t seem to slow down the system at all. The performance of the Y330 was pretty good if not impressive.

If you want to upgrade the memory it can easily be upgraded as it has 2 slots for RAM. The initial 2.0GB 667MHz can be upgraded to an 800MHz and the 2.0GB can be upgraded to 4.0GB.

 

For the Y330 with no video card, it is packed with a better Core 2 Duo processor with the T5900 (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, and 800MHz FSB) or P7350 (2.0GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, and 1066 MHz FSB). However, since it has no dedicated video card, average games are run most of the time in low details and resolution. Applications still opened fast, and performance was also good.

 

Ergonomics of the Lenovo Y330

The Lenovo Y330 has a 13.3-inch widescreen display which isn’t big but not small as well. In its 1280×800 resolution, everything is displayed properly in the screen. The display is not too bright and can be adjusted if the user wishes to.

The keyboard keys or buttons are average in size and easy to press. The keyboard as a whole is also average in size and has the same layout as other Ideapad Series. The keys feel solid and typing for long hours won’t be a problem. There is also a small amount of transparent protective coating on the keys’ letters or imprints to prevent fading.

 

It would have been better though if the location of the Fn key and left Ctrl key were interchanged. It’s more natural for the hand to have the left Ctrl key located at the leftmost bottom.

 

The trackpad is nicely situated just below the keyboard and is very responsive. It includes a scroll feature at the right and the standard left and right buttons located at the bottom. The power, battery and WiFi indicators are located just below the trackpad buttons.

 

All the slots like USB, DVD drive, Firewire, LAN, card reader, etc. are conveniently located at the side and at the front (nothing but the battery at the back).

The weight of the Y330 is listed at 2.15kg but it feels heavier than that (like 2.5 kg). It’s understandable as its jammed pack with features.

 

Features of the Lenovo Y330

As mentioned earlier, the front panel of the laptop houses the indicator lights of the power, battery, and Wi-Fi. Beside the indicators are the memory card reader, Audio jacks (headphone and microphone), and Wi-Fi switch.

 

The right side panel is where the 2 USB ports, PCI express card slot, DVD drive, AC power adaptor jack, and security hole are located. The PCI express card slot is located just below the USB ports.

 

The DVD drive is already a DVD writer (dual layer) so it can burn CDs and DVDs (incuding dual layer DVDs). If you notice, the DVD drive is already slot load so only the CD or DVD comes out when the eject button is pressed. You also insert the CD or DVD the same way – you just insert it and the drive would get the CD/DVD by itself.

 

The left side panel houses the modem, firewire port, VGA port, LAN port, and HDMI connector. There is a rubber cover on the modem and Firewire ports.

 

At the top of the keboard is where the power button, one key rescue system button, and multimedia touch panel is located. When the one key rescue button is pressed, it would open the recovery system software for easy full system backup or recovery. The multimedia touch panel is great feature where you can easily access multimedia controls like audio and media player controls.

 

At the top of the multimedia touch panel you’ll find the Y330 speakers and a sticker that boasts Dolby Home Theater sounds. However, the speakers’ volume, even at maximum, is a little weak and easily drowned by outside noise. Audio quality though is still good and solid.

The 1.3 megapixel camera is located at the top of the screen. Beside it are two small holes where the built-in microphone is located. The microphones are already equipped with noise reduction.

 

The Y330 also has Bluetooth if in case you need to connect Bluetooth enabled devices like printers and mobile phones.

 

Battery Life

The Lenovo Y330 has a 6-cell battery located at the back which would last about 2 hours of use in balanced power mode – this is with WiFi and one USB port being used. You can choose from 4 power modes – balanced, power saver, super energy saver, and high performance.

 

Design

The Lenovo Y330 is in glossy black which makes it a fingerprint magnet. There are faint swirl designs on the laptop which ensures that the laptop doesn’t look dull or cheap black. For those who like black laptops, I’m pretty sure the Y330’s design won’t disappoint.

 

It comes with an all black power adaptor and power cord which compliments the design of the laptop.

 

Verdict

The Lenovo Y330 performs great regardless of the version you get – the one with a video card (ATI Radeon 3450), or the one without (onboard Intel GMA x4500). The only difference is the Y330 with a dedicated graphics card is able to run games more efficiently.

The Y330 also has a ton of features like slot load DVD drive, HDMI, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Firewire, Dolby Home Theater speakers, camera, multimedia touch panel, One Touch recovery button, etc. It’s easy to type, display is superb, and the trackpad works great. Battery life is a little on the low side as it can only hold up to 2 – 2.5 hours of use depending on use and power mode.

With the price of the Lenovo Y330 (about $800 or less – depending on country) and with the kind of specs and features it has, it’s hard to say no to the laptop. If you’re looking for a 13-inch laptop, you should definitely consider the Lenovo Y330.