Lenovo G575 Notebook Review

I recently wrote a review on another notebook I owned earlier this year. The review was generally well received so I thought I would sit down and write about the notebook I currently own, the Lenovo G575 notebook. I will start by listing the hardware of this notebook:

• AMD E2 series E-450 CPU with integrated Radeon graphics processor, 1.6 GHz speed)
• 4 GB DDR3 PC-10700 memory (RAM) – expandable to 8 GB
• 320 Western Digital hard drive, with hidden Windows 7 restore partition
• DVD burner
• AMD Radeon 6320 HD graphics processor, built into the CPU
• 15.6 HD LED back-lit LCD screen
• Internal wireless card, WiFi B/G/N
• 6-cell lithium-ion battery
• VGA port, network RJ-45 port, 4 USB ports, microphone jack, headphone/speaker jack
• 1.3 MP webcam
• SDHC card reader
• Full size keyboard with keypad, standard 2-button trackpad
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit operating system

Much like the Acer, this notebook looks compact in size as well while offering a 15.6 inch screen and full size keyboard and keypad. Like most notebooks, IO ports are similarly located in the same places. Along the left side of the notebook you will find the Kensington key lock, CPU exhaust, VGA output, RJ-45 network port, and 3 USB ports. Along the front edge of the notebook is a small switch to turn off the internal WiFi radio, as well as the SDHC card reader. The notebook comes with a plastic piece inserted in the card reader to prevent dust and dirt contamination I would assume. Along the right side of the notebook you will find the AC adapter input port, 1 USB port, DVD burner drive, microphone input port, and finally the headphone port.

The notebook is like many other in terms of what style of AC Adapter it comes with. The notebook has a female port, The adapter is male and plugs into the computer. I’m NOT a big fan of these types of setups. Over time they loosen up, after that happens it becomes difficult to charge the notebook. Beyond that, these types of interfaces are prone to accidents. The slightest over pulling of the power cable, like if someone tripped on the power cable, can damage the interface. inserting the plug to hard can cause damage. I wish notebook designers would look at the old school Apple Powerbooks with the RCA interface or the new Apple Macbook magnetic interface and design something better.

My uses for a notebook remain the same as my last review of the Acer notebook. I use the notebook for internet cruising including using Facebook, blogging, using forums, uploading pictures, email, and general internet activities. The rest of my usage includes using Word and Excel, playing music and videos, watching the occasional movie, and light gaming. I have noticed the system is a bit slow playing Flash games on Facebook. Not so slow that the game can’t be played, just slow enough that I hardly make a note of it. As for gaming, I play mostly old favorites such as Command & Conquer, Hoyle board and card games, Monopoly, and Fate. I have no issues playing these games thanks to the powerful Radeon video card. I am not sure if this notebook could play the bigger more intensive games out there, I am sure this notebook was not made for high-end gaming.

A few words about the AMD processor. Of course the AMD E-450 is a budget processor. It runs everything I need it to do just fine, however if you are a big PC power user that demands more power I think something with a Intel CORE i3/i5/i7 processor will serve you better. I also find that while running those Facebook Flash games the CPU runs pretty hot. The CPU does throttle down, offering good battery life. Here is a link to the specs on the processor if you care to read it:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-E-Series-E-450-Notebook-Processor.60138.0.html

The notebook comes with 4 GB of DDR3 10700 memory. This memory consists of just one 4 GB stick in the computer, as opposed to 2 sticks of 2 GB DDR3. This leaves an open slot for upgrading the memory. With DDR3 memory so cheap, I think I may upgrade to 8 GB of DDR3 memory. As usual, with Windows, more RAM is the better. I will say that I find it ironic that overall DDR3 memory hasn’t quite become mainstream.

The DVD burner is made by TST Corp. While running, no noise can be heard. The drive does not vibrate while in use. I have burned a few DVDs so far, and the drive operates silently while burning and even at high-speed the drive produces quality burns. The drive does spring open with some force, so watch those fingers after pushing the release button.

Battery life seems to be the normal 4 to 5 hours with moderate use. I would think if I watch a movie using the DVD drive that time would decrease. The notebook comes with a great program that lets you choose many options for battery consumption. I currently have that program set up to have the system minimally charge the battery as the system is plugged in most of the time.

The notebook comes with a neat program that takes many snapshots of your face and eyes and lets you log in using just your face via the camera instead of typing a password. I found this program to be highly useful.the system also has a small recessed button next to the power button. This button is called the One recovery button. If the system becomes so messed up that it will not boot, touching this button while the system is off with turn on the notebook and start the factory recovery process. Quite useful if a nasty virus attacks.

Any complaints? I would have designed to notebook with the headphone port on the left side instead of the right side. That’s about all.