Hi guys, i just came back from surveying for my first laptop. I'm pretty much locked on to 2 specific models from Lenovo, the Y400 and Z400.

the Z400 specs are i7 processor; 8GB RAM (upgraded from 4gb); Intel® HD Graphics 4000 and GT730M, 1TB Hard drive, 14' with free backpack and mouse for RM2780. Price is quoted from Digital centre in Sunway Pyramid.

Where as for the Y400, it's quoted at 2799 with i7, 4gb ram, GT650M, 500gb hdd, 14'.

I have a few questions:

(1) why does Lenovo website put Intel HD Graphics 4000 instead of GT730M?

(2) Is the GT730M better than the GT650M in terms of performance? What are the benchmarks?

(3) My budget is around RM2800, are there any more products revolving around those specs?

(4) Do you guys think I can get a better deal in LowYat?

(5) How do i ensure that i'm getting the official Lenovo warranty?

(6) Should i extend my warranty period and get the international one?

(7) What about the microsoft office? I use them very often for my college assignments, i asked them about it, and they offered me KingSoft. What is KingSoft?

(8) Do i need to be worried about the anti virus? Will they provide me?

(9) It's stated in lenovo website that Y400 has 3 hours of battery life and the Z400 has up to 5 hours. Will the battery life be shorter after a few years? Does battery life really matter?

(10) Is touch screen really necessary or just a luxury for windows 8?

My usage of laptop is mainly for gaming(MW3, fifa 13, COD, Skyrim, Crysis) , entertainment and assignments.

Thank you so much, sifus!

1.the model that comes with pentium dual core will equip intel hd graphics, and same goes along with those models that come with GT740M which has nvidia optimus equipped.

2.its GT740M for the Z400. the GT740M is on par with GT650M.

3.the acer aspire v3 with full hd IPS display.

4.not really. the laptop is yet still new. some more, there isnt a festive season. BUT, PC fair is this week at KLCC! take a look at PC fair is better.

5.check whether its AP set or local lenovo set. the product codes normally end with (MY) at the end (excluding brackets).

6.if you switch to international warranty, you have to know which country is under the international warranty T&C.

7.not sure about office softwares. i just only use MS office so far.

8.Not sure but anti-virus is pretty bothering. i never install an anti-virus in my laptop and let it 'naked' whole year. but so far, i dont get virus attacks. just dont visit prawn site and you are safe.

9.Z400 battery life up to 5 hours is applicable to pentium dual core only. if you buy i7 and GT740M, it will last about the same as Y400.

10. depends on user's thought. its just a marketing gimmick somehow.

if you are into gaming, entertainment and assignment, you should get the core i5 spec (w/o touchscreen). its cheaper compared to i7 spec.

Hey man, thanks for your reply.

2. If it's on par, then why is it in a different name?

3. I have yet to find that acer today, but i will look for it when i get to lowyat.

4. This week as in now? (7/4/2013) or next week (14/4/2013)?

8. Do they normally provide an antivirus for me?

9. Why are you so sure 5 hours is for dual core only? So if that's the case, is 3-4 hours of battery life normal for laptops?

10. i'm not getting the touch screen one and i want an i7 because it's a long term laptop and i don't want it to get replaced so quickly. Do you think i should get the i5 instead?

1) There are a lot of configurations for the same model. Z400 is more like a design, which makes up a lot of sub models.
2) GT 740M = GT 650M. GT 730M is slower.
3) 2.8K allows you to get Z400 touch - i7 + GT 740M.
4) PC Fair? Ignore it. A lot of con cases happened.
5) After getting your laptop, register your serial on Lenovo's website .
6) That's personal preference. If you don't mind pay extra, why not? It is good to have extended warranty.
7) Kingsoft Office Suite is an alternative to Microsoft Office.
8) Normally 3-6 months trial version is included. But it does not matter. You can install yourself. There are plenty of free 1, in fact you can even Microsoft Security Essential. Free from microsoft as long as you have the genuine Windows! There is no single paid version anti virus provides 100% protection, the main issue is from user.
9) That is more like full charge battery life. Yes, battery is a wear and tear hardware. But normally, the batter life will be shorter in real life rather than the one stated on the website due to different usage level.
10) It is good for Metro UI, kinda practical.

2. the GT740M is a newer generation of nvidia graphics, while the GT650M is an older generation.

4. this week as in 7/4/2013, from 12-14 April.

8. not sure. watched unboxing videos from youtube but they dont come with.

9. yes, because the Z400 is equipped with 4-cell battery. however, battery life varies on task.

10. get the i5 better. since you are not into professional work and dont need the power of quad core. it costs only RM2100-RM2300.

some additions to warranty. what i stated in 1st post is 1st step to know your set (to prevent you being conned). like sifu kingkingyyk said, after getting your laptop, you can register the product code at lenovo site.

If you intend to go pc-fair just bring along your tablet or your smartphone, surf to http://support.lenovo.com/en_MY/product-se...us/default.page , key-in the serial number and it will show u the location, warranty expiration date, model of the unit you intend to buy.. That should give you some peace of mind. Don't wait till you have purchased the unit then to realise you can't find the serial in that website..is too late obviously.

Hey kingkingyyk, raymondtong94 suggested the i5 instead of the i7. Which do you think i should get?

(3) if i get the i5, its about 2.2-2.3k, what should i do with the other money? Do i still need to upgrade my laptop?

(5) By that, you mean to register at the shop itself before going home or what?

(6) I might just get an extended warranty, thanks for the tip!

(7) It's a 3rd party programme? Will it run just like normal microsoft office?

(10) What is Metro UI?

So what is classified under professional work? Graphic designing? Won't games run more smoothly under i7 compared to i5? Or is it just all about the graphic card?

How do i identify if it's NOT an AP set, besides having (MY) at the end?

something like heavy coding compilation, heavy AutoCAD, Autodesk and so on. processor does less than the graphics card do in gaming.

Kingsoft is a 3rd party software. and it runs like MS office, but maybe different user interface.

Metro UI is the user interface that replaces the start menu in windows 8.

if you buy the i5 version with rest of the money, extend the warranty to 3 years.

This post has been edited by raymondtong94: Apr 7 2013, 04:41 PM

So it's not advisable to get the i7 for my type of usage? Is gaming considered heavy usage?

Does it run as well as the microsoft office? Cause when i surveyed, most windows 8 computer only offered a 1 month trial and retailers kept offering KingSoft. Is it used widely in the market now?

yeah, i will definitely extend it to 3 years.

Do you know anything about laptop coolers? Which is the most recommended one?

gaming is considered heavy graphic usage. so its not necessary for you to use i7 as the i5 is enough for you to game. however, not sure about kingsoft thou cuz MS office is still widely used.

i5 is a decent choice for non-intensive workloads. Gaming should be no problem.
3) SSD.
5) Backed home, check out your serial and register it on Lenovo website.
7) Yes
10) The "Tiles" in Windows 8. Google it.

This post has been edited by kingkingyyk: Apr 7 2013, 06:50 PM

All sifus here, i just bought the Z400 today. i wonder how can i disassemble the battery? lol.after it fully charged, i find no way to disassemble it.

the battery disassembly needs you to take off the back cover by unscrewing the screws. the difficulty level is not yet known.

holy cow...i doesn know it cant be disassemble like normal laptop do.
so the cable cannot be plugged whole night?else the battery life may decrease.

battery wont degrade so fast even you keep the adapter turned on. in case like if you use your laptop unplugged till the battery level 10%, then you are making the battery wear more faster, which results the battery looses its charging ability. another case is your battery is exposed to excess heat, which may cause battery damage. however, a battery has a lifespan of 3 years. after 3 years, there is a risk that the battery will fail, eventually.

oh.so its better use with plugged?thanks sifu

you are welcome. its better use with plugged if you want to game or heavy tasking, as battery mode performance is not great compared to plugged.

What is SSD for? A lot of people to me to get it, but what is it?

What?! So means i can't take off the battery like any other laptops can?!

SSD is solid state drive. its a hard disk that doesnt have moving components in it, so it helps in boosting the read/write speed.

yes, they have no release clips for battery removal and the battery is located inside the laptop. this issue only apply to ultrabooks and ultrabook size laptops.

I bought my Z400 a few days back, and I had a bit of problem knowing that the battery is not user removable... But my other choice was the z480, which the shop only had one unit left or something >< (z480 was replaced by z400 and they stopped making the z480). But the keyboard is backlit and the design looks better.

Anyways, this laptop has around 4 hours or normal usage (intel HD4000) usage and around 3 hours when I played Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012 on full graphics (since the resolution is not 1080p, i guess it's not that much heavy? not sure), and the game didn't lag at all. but you need a num pad to play this game >_>

And lemme answer some of your other questions

(2) I read that both are around the same, but one the 600 series use DDR3 and 700 series use DDR5. But I can't tell the difference about which is better. But I think DDR5 has VRAM which is waaay faster than nor computer RAM.

(4) I bought mine from the Lenovo outlet at Midvalley. 2199rm + 120rm (4gb ram). Friendly staff and did all the work for me (installing a lot of software and registering the antivirus (3 years McAfee). You can get the SSD from there as well. And it is advisable to get the extended warranty Normally is 2 years warranty. But add 99rm for an extra 1 year, for a total of 3 years. The last day to add the extra warranty is 90 days before your warranty expires. But 3 years is the limit for the warranty....

(5) From the Lenovo outlet, I'm really sure it's official warranty xD

(6) I think the warranty I talked about on (4) is international, you can ask the staff when you buy.

(7) They offer MSOffice from the official outlets. You can from there as well (I think)

(8) McAfee 3 years, I mentioned on (4) xD

(9) Important if you want to work while traveling. Around 4 hours for normal MS Office usage for my new laptop (few days old) and around 3 hours for gaming. There are Powerplan options which you can save battery or use more power~ (And there is a cool dust removal thingy button where you press it, and it increases the fan speed to max I think, I use it to cool down the laptop while playing games xD)

(10) Touch screen makes Win 8 look cooler But for normal usage, for me, non-touch screen is good. Prolly better

Nice reviews.
Wow, 4 cells battery can last for 3 hours of gaming, its amazing.
Use dust removal feature to improve cooling is a good idea.
Z400 is a portable budget gamer choice.

This post has been edited by ytlay: Apr 7 2013, 09:44 PM

How much does SSD cost? So if i have a 1TB HDD, i change it to 1TB SSD in order to increase speed?

So i have to keep the battery in the laptop for the rest of my life?

and also, are you saying that ultrabooks are having this concept too?


So did you manage to remove the battery yourself? Or do i have to keep it in it for the rest of my life?

Since you bought the laptop, is there any way to turn off graphics and turn on power saving mode in order for battery life to last longer? That's what the promoter told me today if i want to save battery.

(2) yupe, DDR 5 is some sort faster, but i don't think there are any significant difference.

(4) So your specs are the i5 with 8GB RAM? Did you get the SSD? If you did, how much was it?

(9) Does the powerplan option really save a lot of battery while doing MS office work? Can it be an increase from 4 hours to 5?

There's a dust removal button? Like to remove dust IN the laptop? I didn't know.

and an additional question: What cooling pads do you recommend?

Hey ytlay, do you know anything about cooling pads?

This post has been edited by Eclipse123: Apr 7 2013, 11:05 PM

SSD is expensive yo. assume 120GB = RM330. and so far, 1TB SSD is not yet available yet in 2.5" form.

yes, you have to keep the battery in the laptop for the rest of your life but it is replaceable. so dont worry.

ultrabooks are having this concept too. even hybrid laptops are like that. so some manufacturers released extended battery cell to improve battery life. the lenovo ideapad z series is an ultrabook like laptop but they are heavier compared to a real ultrabook.

Kingsoft? Uninstall and instsll microsoft office...easy as ABC...want to get full version? Google

Use a u2 cooling pad + dust removal button to turbo boost the fan speed will maximize the laptop cooling.

I still don't get the idea of SSD. So do i replace my HDD with SSD? or is SSD just an extra component? Will it be a significant difference?

Are you talking about this? http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6612

How much does it cost in Malaysia?

bro,where u find the dust remove button?haha

SSD is a solid state drive. you are not necessary to replace HDD with SSD as SSD is an extra only. upgrading to SSD depends on the owner's decision whether now or in the future. and yes, there will a significant difference in performance, HDD is slower compared to SSD but SSD is more expensive than HDD.

CM u2 cost around RM60.

check it with the Z400 owner~ raeimad.
You can also try to check in Lenovo energy management software.

So even if i dont upgrade now, i have to do it in the future?

If i were to get SSD, what SSD should i get?

not necessary. like i said, its an extra.

if you wanted to upgrade to SSD, get Intel, the lowest RMA rate record holder.

hahaha, so it's just a luxury?

Oh mai, more and more terms. What is RMA?

So even SSD has different brands?

not consider as luxury but high performance upgrade only. (not really necessary to upgrade the HDD to SSD.)

RMA - Return Merchandise Authorization, a process which is to claim the reseller/retailer/manufacturer to replace the product which turns out to be defective after purchase.

yes, SSD has different brands. so far, there is OCZ, Plextor, Samsung, Kingston, Crucial, Sandisk and more.

This post has been edited by raymondtong94: Apr 8 2013, 01:36 AM

Oh my, i don't think i'm going to get it.

But, if i were to get SSD, i should get Intel? o_o

There isn't any physical button, sorry xD
Yeah, it's on the Energy Management area, here's a screenshot.

This post has been edited by raeimad: Apr 8 2013, 08:53 AM

I don't think there's a need to get intel. hahah

And as raymondtong94 said, they are very costly and there's no need to replace the hdd to use as a primary hard drive.

512Gb costs 1600+!!
So if you were to get 1Tb, you'll be spending more than 3200 (More than the laptop itself!)
Better get a 32Gb just to increase boot speed and stuff

Yeah, you prolly have to keep the battery inside for the rest of your life. /:
And yeah ultrabooks have the non user removable batteries, cause errrr... not sure, using smaller batteries to make em light i guess? hahah

Yes, there's the nvidia optimus option. You can either set to use intel hd4000 or the nvidia dedicated graphics card. Or set it to choose by it self so that you don't have to change it al the time
When the laptop needs heavy graphics power, it automatically uses the graphics card, or else it keeps using the intel graphics. And you can also set up programs to which ever graphics you want. for example, set up some games to use the nvidia graphics and it'll automatically use that whenever you use that program~

(2) Yup, not much of a huge difference.

(4) I bought an extra 4Gb ram only, which was for 120. The 32Gb SSD was over 300 so I didn't buy it /: My Budget was flat 2K but I went a bit over it and now I'm suffering with my daily life a bit xD

(9) Power plan option only changes the processor speed i think, so when the laptop needs less speed, it underclocks the processr. Or when it needs a lot of juice to play games, it kicks it up and uses the turbo boost. I'm not sure about 5 hours but it is possible if you keep the bightness at the lowest and only use less demanding programs like MsOffice

Check my previous post, it'll have a screenshot on where to find the dust removal button think it just removes the dust from where the wind from the fan can reach. Not really the whole laptop.

I'm not sure about cooling pads, but I almost went for logitech n100 once because it has a good design~
I previously owned a netbook so I didn't really need one, but now I keep the heating of this lappy to a minimum because I don't want to damage the battery~ I play games in my really cold room xD

And here's a screenshot of the nvidia optimus settings. Auto change, set to nvidia graphics, set to intel hd. These are the three options. And in the program settings tab, you can set which program to use which graphics so that when you're using intel hd graphics and suddenly want to play games, it'll use the nvidia for the game

This post has been edited by raeimad: Apr 8 2013, 08:59 AM

32gb isnt enough actually. estimated usable space = 27gb, if installed windows 8 (18GB), i dont think there is enough space for you to install other programs. 64GB at least.
i guess you are talking about the mSATA SSD in your laptop, not standalone SSD cuz Z400/Z500 only has a hard drive bay only.

anyway, so far there is no SSD that is in 1TB size yet (in 2.5" form) but in PCI form, there is 1. that SSD has a read/write speed of 1000/1000 and above which makes the fastest SSD.

haha!i never knew got this management tool also.thank you very much!

Thank you for your answer! Really clears up a few problems!

I personally don't think i'll go for the SSD, maybe i would just stick to i7 eventhough its not advisable, But i will still reconsider on i5.

Do you play any games? How are the benchmarks for the GT740M?

How much is a 64GB SSD? Does it boost OS booting speed?

And also, idk much about SSD. If intel has the lowest RMA rate, it's highly recommended right? So should i just go for it?

around RM200 if im not wrong. and yes, it does boost OS booting speed. take note that there is another type of SSD, that is mSATA SSD. its HDD sized but they are RAM like module that is installed in the daughter board of the motherboard.

Intel is the best SSD so far. retailers have less complain from customers so its pretty reliable. if you wanted to get it, depends on your budget. yet, its not recommended for you to get SSD.

My budget is around 2800. i5 Z400 with 8GB RAM(upgraded from 4GB) should be around 2200. I have 600 ringgit more for warranty, SSD and cooling pad.

Any ideas which i should get?

And why is it not recommended for me to get SSD?

extend warranty and get a cooling pad is better. the reason i say not recommended to get SSD is because the price is still skyrocketing. you see, a 60GB costs around RM200, while at that price you can get a 500GB HDD for more storage. save up your rest of the money and only plan to upgrade to SSD in the future once you earned more money.

The thing is, my mum is buying the laptop for me. I don't think she will allow me to do any upgrades after getting me my laptop. So should i do the upgrade, based on my situation.

Cooling pad and warranty won't be that expensive right, maybe RM200?

your basic warranty is 2 years, so it wont be expensive extend it to 3 years. getting a notebook cooler, dont need specific brands, just to mention get those made of aluminium is enough. price varies on the size of the notebook cooler and essentials provided (like LED light, number of USB ports).

EDIT - maybe around RM200-400 for total.

This post has been edited by raymondtong94: Apr 8 2013, 12:46 PM

Okay thanks, but you still haven't advice me on SSD.

Based on my situation, (mum sponsoring, and i wont be able to afford SSD upgrade in the future, and also my mum won't upgrade for me), do you think i should get the SSD as well?

not necessary to get SSD bro. even if you get it, you are in the risk of 'data economy instability' if you know what i mean.

Nope, i don't know what you mean, but thank you anyway! I think i know what to do!

my mean you are in risk of storage shortage.

lol, need time to mend my english.

But i will still have my HDD to store my stuff right?

yeah. the basic 1TB HDD.

So technically, i won't run low on storage space right, even if my SSD is full

yeah you wont run low storage on HDD.

but i wonder, where did your SSD come from?

This post has been edited by raymondtong94: Apr 8 2013, 02:01 PM

Don't mean to douse the enthusiatic discussion on Z400 / 500.
But anyone who plan to buy them need to see this video.
It tell you how to get access to the RAM, HDD, and clean dust ...
The video is 18min.
User has to take out ODD, take out keyboard, before taking out back panel.
Good luck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JojX_vwR7K0

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Apr 8 2013, 01:43 PM

Reminds me of my old Toshiba M100, wanna upgrade RAM also headache
But I guess its worth it since we only need to do it once

no, its twice a year. including the cleaning of fan and heat sink.

Yup, I supposed when users buy it and want to upgrade RAM & SSD, the re-sellers will assist (but I think some of them will hate to do it )

As for those users who have more steady hands, I supposed practice make perfect. Once users take out the keyboard a few times, it should become 2nd nature But still 17 (or was it more? ) screws

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Apr 8 2013, 04:23 PM

I was just saying if i get the SSD upgrade


Holy shit, how many times do i do that a year? 4 times? I'm going to die trying to remove the components

haha....just got the Z400 today

It is indeed a pain...my reseller had to google when I asked him to upgrade mem....damn lot of screws...

I play the old need for speed most wanted on Power Saver mode and Intel HD graphics. So not much gaming xD

But I played Need for speed most wanted 2012 on highest video options and didn't lag at all

Btw, the ram I bought (4gb) was for 120rm and the warranty extension from 2 to 3 years costs 99rm.

And when you're buying the laptop please do check for problems! What I checked was if all the usb ports were working. Later found 2 dead pixels and they didn't replace the screen nor the laptop =/= they said it needs minimum 3 dead pixels to do anything about it >_>

But it's still at the lenovo shop and they're trying to fix it.

Btw, if you're going to travel a lot, I'll tell you that the bag that comes with is it is not that good. It only have two parts, the laptop part and the other part to put in the adopter, books, mouse etc. And only one side part for a water bottle or something. (The free mouse is also average)

You can buy the laptop, additional 4gb memory, warranty extension for 2420 (from the price I calculated) and with the remaining almost 400, you can get a good laptop cooler, mouse (if you need one) and also a strong laptop bag!

Where did you get your z400 from?

can i ask 1 thing?did u guys notice the F1 - F12 buttons? its use for the laptop function keys, i wonder how can we swap it? meaning function keys only enable when we hold down Fn key. its so inconvenient when play dota2

oh damn. havent even thought about that yet /:

midvalley, lenovo outlet. second floor centre court.

I dont play dota so I dont have a problem with it, but I can understand |:
did you ask the shop where you bought it from? or you can call lenovo and ask.

sigh...not sure is it the model still new, not much resources on internet. :/

Found this: (Source:http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/A-M-and-Edge-Series-ThinkCentre/Can-I-use-my-function-keys-as-function-keys/td-p/475431)



Try the 2nd method, it should be available

both have the backlit keyboard right??shifu..please recommend me the best bang for buck model..ASAP!!

yes, both have the backlit keyboard but Z400 is white coloured. the best bang for buck model is lenovo Z400.

i've tried to set on the bios, but unfortunately the bios version doesn support any hotkey mode.
will try 2nd method now. thanks bro!

yeah but lenovo z400 got several model right...touch and non touch one...so which is the best for a college student??

stick with the non touch is better. the touch screen is just a marketing gimmick, and only comes useful under a convertible laptop usage.

oh yeah...thanks for the enlightment..the non touch models got 3 types right??

no. the non touch have 2 types only. one is newer with core i5 and GT740M (currently discussed), while another is older with core i7 and GT645M.

which graphic card are the better one??their price respectively??

the GT740M will be better. it is a newer generation nvidia graphics card, while the GT645M is older. performance comparison GT740M = GT650M, GT740M > GT645M

price for i5 + GT740M = RM2099
price for i7 + GT645M = RM2699

so, pay extra RM600 for i7 is not worth.

actually i think right, touch good also, because the laptop comes with windows8 which is optimize for touch screen devices. touch screen just an add on feature for better windows8 experience.

i surveyed the price for i5, with touch screen lowest can get RM2000 and with touch screen is RM2270 only. from lowyat.

no luck bro
maybe only way is flash the update bios, but not recommend to flash our-self.

guys i have a question!
for some reasons i can not go to shop and see the laptops myself.
so i gonna order the laptop. i wanna choose between Z400 core i7 touch and Y400 core i7.
i just find out Z400 have core i7 3632QM which has 35TDP while y400 has 3630QM which got 45 TDP.
any suggestion? regarding the look, keyboard, screen quality and heat?

regarding the looks, the Z400 will be thinner compared to Y400. for the keyboard, both have backlit keyboards but Z400 is white coloured while Y400 is red coloured. screen quality is the same as both are 1366x768 HD resolution. for heat, the heat produced on Z400 will be greater than Y400 due to its thin size. adding on batteries, the Z400 battery is non-removable but Y400 do. Y400 also supports a swappable bay for dvd drive, hard disk bay, extra graphics card for better gaming performance or cooling fan.

thx mate for the info.

Do you know if the Z500 has the GT740M? or is it the GT645M?

And also, is it advisable to go for the Z500, since it's only 200-300 bucks more expensive, but a larger screen.