Review Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E130 NZU5FGE Subnotebook

Lenovo launched its ThinkPad Edge series in 2010. The pro sides of a ThinkPad - in particular everyday suitability and very good inputs - were to be made available to everyone for a low price in form of the Edge. TOSHIBA Satellite M327 battery It began with the Edge 13 subnotebook (HD 3200, AMD Turion Neo X2 L625), followed by the 15.6 inch Edge 15 and in late 2010, the Edge 11 was released. Although Lenovo has always reserved a place in its series for AMD's components, the first and today's 11.6 inchers are based on an Intel platform. The Core i3 380UM has now been replaced by the Pentium 977 (Sandy Bridge).

TOSHIBA Satellite M328 battery The AMD alternative E135, in review at the same time, should not be kept secret. A steep price of EUR 700 (RRP) was demanded for the Intel-based Edge from late 2010. Today, Lenovo only demands EUR 375 for the free-DOS version; our Windows system is available for starting at EUR 430 on the virtual shelves.

We wrote it in the first paragraph: The 11.6 incher convinces in many fields. Is it a phenomenal offer for little money? Is the market-share groping manufacturer giving away its devices in order to sell as many as possible? Find out in the review whether there are really no drawbacks.3 TOSHIBA Satellite M332 battery

One thing is certain: The handy chassis does not try to catch attention with daintiness. A weight of 1518 grams is over the average of other 11.6 inch devices. The Aspire V5-171 weighs 1326 grams and Asus' UX21E in an aluminum unibody reaches 1147 grams. Even Wortmann's 14 inch 1450 II ultrabook has a better weight/inch ratio with 1634 grams.

TOSHIBA Satellite L750 battery The weight of the angular casing with rounded corners is noticed accordingly. The Edge E130 nevertheless has a nice feel to it; the non-slip yet sleek surfaces of both the wrist rest and lid are pleasant to use. A red lid is optionally available besides the black one. We would refer to our upcoming review of the E135 sister model (AMD version) for more details. This laptop features exactly the same casing, interfaces and build-quality.

TOSHIBA Satellite M336 battery Like in previous Edge models, the i-dot of both ThinkPad logo's (lid + wrist rest) are illuminated by a small, red LED (permanent when in use / blinks during sleep). The hinges keep the lid connected very securely to the base unit. That is favorable for transportation, but we need both hands for opening the lid anyway. The opening angle has shrunk to approx. 135 degrees due to the lowered hinges (Edge 11= 180 degrees). The hinges are not made of solid metal; they are underneath a silver-colored plastic cover.

TOSHIBA Satellite M338 battery The plastic chassis proves to be very pressure resistant and the screen's stiffness is outstanding for this price range. We can only dent its surface by applying high force. The base unit warps marginally. The user will notice this when the laptop is picked up at a corner (opening). However, it would be bold to expect a highly rigid chassis in this price range. The battery fits tight in the case and leaves a gap above the keyboard when it is removed, for example during permanent AC-mode.

Performance

TOSHIBA Satellite M339 battery Two CPU versions of the Edge E130 are available currently: The Pentium 977 (in our test device) represents the entry-level model and starts at EUR 390 as well as the Core i3 2367M as the premium model that starts at EUR 540. The Pentium 977 sports two cores with a clock of 1.4 GHz. The 17 watt CPU from the Sandy Bridge architecture (2010 - 2011) makes an outdated impression because it was replaced by Ivy Bridge in mid 2012. Turbo Boost and Hyper Threading are unknown features for the Pentium as well as for the alternative Core i3 2367M. In the following paragraphs, we will assess whether the i3 performance advantage justifies the high surcharge.

TOSHIBA Satellite M500 battery The integrated graphics is Intel's HD Graphics. 4096 MB of working memory from Hynix are inserted as a single 4GB bar and Seagate's Momentus Thin 320 GB HDD complete the bundle.

Processor

Basically, the Edge E130 is a good subnotebook. Thus, interested parties may ask whether the Pentium 977's (1.4 GHz) computing power is sufficient or whether the expensive Core i3 version represents a more solid investment for the future. Furthermore, there is also the APU-based Edge E135 that even only costs EUR 350 without Windows. TOSHIBA Satellite M505 battery We compare the computing performance by using Cinebench R11.5 64 bit single and multi-core test.

The following bar graph shows that AMD's E2-1800 (E135) is 32% faster than the Pentium 977 when calculating graphics only. However, it is hopelessly inferior in pure CPU load. The alternate i3 2367M is a bit better with its superior HD 3000 in the GL test (+18% Toshiba Z830). The advantage of 23% in the multi-test is also within limits.

TOSHIBA Satellite M505D battery In a nutshell: Performance fans will neither be happy with the Pentium nor the Core i3. If ThinkPad advantages are only secondary, it might be worthwhile to take a look at Acer's Aspire V5-171 featuring a Turbo Boost Core i5 and HD 4000. By the way, both CPU and graphics performance are also available on battery power. The tests showed similar results (OpenGL test also).

Gaming Performance

TOSHIBA Satellite M600 battery The gaming performance is accordingly moderate. However, the HD Graphics or Radeon HD 7340 (Edge E135) only differ in detail. The performance impression is very bad across the board. Even Fifa 13, marked in green, occasionally stutters in minimum details and was partly unplayable in medium details. The E135's performance was almost the same in this game.

Battery Life

Power Consumption

TOSHIBA Satellite M640 battery Low power requirement always points to a good runtime, providing the manufacturer did not make cutbacks in battery capacity. This is fortunately not the case in view of 63 watt hours. The power consumption ranges between 7.5 watts in idle mode and 33 watts during high performance (3DMark 2006). A 3DMark 2006 needs 27 watts and is representative for games.

TOSHIBA Satellite M640D battery The E135 APU system is only marginally more efficient: we measured 7.7 to 10 watts in idle (minimum/maximum). However, the load situations make the difference, where the E2-1800 laptop only consumes 24 to 29 watts (3DMark 06/stress test). Consequently, the E135 should provide longer runtimes during heavy use (battery and screen are identical).

The 65 watt PSU is designed very generously for this power consumption. It recharges the battery completely in 2:41 hours even during maximum load.

Battery Runtime

TOSHIBA Satellite M645 battery The battery runtimes even easily satisfy high demands. In cases where the Aspire V5-171 and the Travelmate B113-M exhibit weakness due to their 37 watt hour batteries (three hours), the much cheaper Edge E130 runs for six hours. We are talking about the Wi-Fi test using a brightness of 150 cd/m2 (slightly lowered), energy-saving mode and disabled Bluetooth. A script opens a website, some including video contents, every 40 seconds.

TOSHIBA Satellite P740 battery The E135 APU model runs for exactly the same 368 minutes. APU-based models can run for a longer time, like Samsung's 305U1A proved early this year. The 11.6 incher lasted for 8:27 hours (507 minutes). The battery is first completely drained after 3:15 hours even during constant CPU load induced by BatteryEater Classic test.

However, the fairly high weight of 1.518 kilograms has to be accepted in favor of the good battery life. The too dark screen is unfortunately not as ideal for outdoor use. The battery's charging behavior can be modified via the Energy Manager. If you waive on half an hour of runtime, so only enable a battery charge of 95%, you can increase the battery's service life. TOSHIBA Satellite P745 battery

Verdict

Complaining on a high level is part of a notebook tester's job. A rating of 86% however defuses any larger points of criticism. The customer gets a solidly built subnotebook for starting at EUR 375. It is neither extremely thin nor extremely lightweight. In return, the input devices are beyond any reproach and the non-slip surfaces are a delight.

TOSHIBA Satellite P745D battery Performance fans will turn their backs on a 5400 rpm hard disk and Pentium processor. Everyone else will be satisfied by the Office performance because it is fused with a runtime of over six hours. The not very bright but matte screen is unfortunately not as suitable for use on the terrace.

The 11.6 inch laptop is always adequately quite in the office. Extensive peripherals can be connected owing to two USB 3.0 ports and HDMI/VGA. A USB 3.0 dock featuring ports for external screens is certainly a tempting idea to prevent a cable mess. In terms of software, the ThinkVantage tools make a clearly arranged and sensible impression.

TOSHIBA Satellite P750 battery If you now believe this device is a personal must-have, you might want to wait a few days for the in-depth review of the look-alike Edge E135. The sister model features AMD's E2-1800 APU (HD 7340) and a swift 7200 rpm HDD.

Review Lenovo B570-M58G4GE Notebook

Processor

TOSHIBA Satellite P750D battery The CPU in our test model is the middle-class dual-core Core i3 2330M. Customers should not expect the processor to set any records, as the CPU runs at 2.2 GHz. However, thanks to the "Hyperthreading" feature, the dual-core processor can work on 4 threads simultaneously. The Turbo Boost feature (which can be found in the Core i5 and i7 models) is not available for the Core i3 series.

We compare the results of the Core i3 processor against the Core i5 CPU to see if the i5 is worth an extra 80 Euros. We used the Cinebench 11.5 (Multi CPU) benchmark to record the performance of the three processors. The i3 scored 2.12 points, whereas the i5 2410M can score up to 2.61 and the 2430M can top that score with a maximum of 2.71 points. TOSHIBA Satellite P755 battery

In Cinebench 10 (Single CPU), the performance gap widens further. Core i5 processors profit from their Turbo Boost feature. While the Core i3 of our test model scored 3599 points, the 2410M scored 4670 and the 2430M scored 4809 points. Users interested in more performance, and willing to pay extra for it, should pick the Core i5 processors.

TOSHIBA Satellite P755D battery In comparison to other models with the same processor, the B570 can score quite high in the Cinebench benchmark. Competition, such as the Chiligreen Platin TS, is beaten by the B570 in this benchmark. On the other hand, the Asus Pro P53E beats the B570. Thankfully, the difference in performance is not very great (a few percent).

System Performance

TOSHIBA Satellite P770 battery We used the PCMark benchmark from Futuremark to measure the system performance of our test model against that of the competition. The benchmark simulates processes, such as, picture editing, video acceleration, and surfing on the Internet with multiple tabs open. Finally, a score is calculated and we enter it into our extensive benchmark database.

Our test model scored 4613 points in the PCMark Vantage. A laptop with the Core i5 2430M, such as the Dell Inspiron 14z (N411z), and the same 5400 rpm HDD and HD Graphics 3000 IGP can score 6806 points - almost 50% more. TOSHIBA Satellite P770D battery

The B570 placed at the top of the bottom one-third models in our database. This is a significant achievement for an entry-level office notebook of this price-class.

In PCMark 7, the B570 left the Chiligreen Platin TS (same CPU/GPU and slightly faster HDD) behind in the dust with 1816 and 1583 points respectively. The Dell Inspiron 14z (equipped with the i5 2430M) scored 2271 points here (+25 %).

Battery Life

Power Consumption

TOSHIBA Satellite T110 battery The power consumption of the B570 is in the expected region for a device of this price class. Thanks to the processor's IGP, the laptop has a low idle consumption value of 6.8 W. With full load (CPU and GPU at 100% load) and highest display brightness, the laptop reaches its maximum consumption of 54 watts. The power adapter delivers 65 watts, easily covering this maximum value.

Battery Life

TOSHIBA Satellite T110D battery The run time is usually the deciding factor for laptops of this price segment. We used the Battery Eater tool to measure the run time. In the idle test, the test simulates the reading of a text document. The laptop is set to minimum brightness and wireless modules are switched off for this test. The B570 reaches around 7 hours in this test - a good value.

TOSHIBA Satellite T115 battery WLAN surfing with changing websites (which have Flash content and videos), and brightness set to around 150 cd/m², can drop the run time to 3.5 hours. Reading more text articles instead of watching videos should increase the run time enough to reach 4 hours.

The B570 delivers a decent 205 minutes (3h 25min) for DVD playback. The director's cut of the classic movie, "The Boat", which has a run time of 208 minutes, can not be played entirely. However, films with a standard run time can be played easily till the end. If the notebook is placed under high load, the battery is depleted after 1 hour and 19 minutes. TOSHIBA Satellite T130 battery

Verdict

The Lenovo B570 is a matter of preference - it may please some users and disappoint others. However, the laptop is cheap - 420 €. For that price, the customer receives an overall sturdy office notebook which is very sturdy.

TOSHIBA Satellite T135 battery This laptop offers enough performance to fulfill its purpose. Swapping out the RAM or HDD for a better module is a simple matter thanks to the easy-to-access flap on the bottom of the notebook. The keyboard is a dream-come-true for users who type a lot. The B570 also has low emissions - it is rare for a notebook to score 94% in the Emissions test in our reviews. Users, who plan on keeping the laptop for home use, will not have a problem with the reflective display. The brightness is sufficient for indoors use.

TOSHIBA Satellite U battery Although the Lenovo B570 is nowhere as good as the ThinkPad series, it does offer good quality for its price class. The laptop is available with a standard one year warranty, which can be extended for a premium.

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