Last Updated on April 2, 2017 by Editor Futurescope
Introduced early September 2015, the Lenovo Ideapad Y700-17ISK is Lenovo’s bid to replace the Ideapad Y70-70, the 17 “old Chinese gaming notebook, with which it shares not a few Aesthetic similarities, although the differences between both models go well beyond the name, and can be seen with the naked eye.
Like most gaming notebooks, the Lenovo Ideapad Y700-17ISK is based on a quad-core Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 Ghz microprocessor. (Sixth generation), which thanks to its high power allows to perform all kinds of advanced tasks (photo retouching, video editing, CAD design, etc.) to the most demanding levels.
This microprocessor supports both VT-x and VT-d virtualization technologies, as well as AES-NI, AVX2 or TSX-NI instructions and, when only one of the cores is being used, can increase its speed up to 3, 5 Ghz. Thanks to TurboBoost 2.0 technology (3.3 Ghz with two active cores, and 3.1 Ghz when all four are).
It has 8 GB of DDR4 memory at 2,133 Mhz. (Double channel) and a 1 TB disk. At 5,400 rpm., Not including internal optical drive.
In this way, and although the exterior design continues to be very similar, certain areas have been modified such as the grilles of the loudspeakers, which are now larger, or of the false refrigeration outputs (the true ones are under the hinge), that do not Only have changed in the design, which is now smooth, but also in color, which is red instead of black.
Also noticeable is the change in the center of the screen, whose high height caused the opening angle of the Y70-70 to be quite limited, and has been considerably reduced in size, a circumstance that has not only considerably enlarged the angle Of opening, but also has motivated a change in the design of the refrigeration system, which in the previous model was ingrained in the hinge itself, while in the current model is in the rear, under the end.
Except for the upper part of the work area and part of the hinge, which are now glossy black, there are no noticeable changes in the finishes of the notebook which, with the exception of the area described above, has a black finish gummed on The work area, while both the base and the cover have an elegant metallic finish that tends to get dirty with some ease.
Despite its 28 mm. Of thickness of Lenovo Ideapad Y700-17ISK, which is inferior to that of models of light 17 “like the MSI GE72, it is a rather heavy notebook, bordering the 3.6 kg or, what is the same, 900 grams more than the previous one, a circumstance Which considerably reduces its portability.
This is a very solid and resistant model, not only in the work area, but also in traditionally fragile areas such as the cover of the screen, which in this model is made of aluminum, and it is necessary to press hard to Sink slightly.
In spite of the adequate firmness of its unique hinge, which keeps the screen in the selected position during normal use of the notebook, it is possible to open the notebook with one hand.
Since it does not have a maintenance cover, it is necessary to completely remove the base to access the internal components of the notebook, among which we find the two memory modules with this model, already occupied by 8 Gb modules, which We can (in theory) replace with two new 16 Gb modules to extend the notebook to its maximum capacity.
Unlike the old Ideapad Y70, the new Lenovo Ideapad Y700-17ISK has a socket M.2, free in this version, through which we could place an additional SSD unit (one of 256 Gb. Would cost us less than 100 €), Although I could not confirm if it would be compatible with nvme drives of the latest generation (in principle, it seems not).
With 2 Gb of dedicated GDDR5 memory, the nVidia Geforce GTX 960M offers, in addition to very good multimedia playback capabilities, an excellent gaming experience (high details in Full HD resolution) with the vast majority of current games, including titles such as Watch Dogs 2 (2016) or Resident Evil 7 (2017), although certain very demanding titles such as Mafia 3 (also from 2016) will not be fluid but reduce the level of detail and / or resolution.
Although its anti-glare coating does not completely eliminate them, thanks to the high brightness level, it is possible to use this model’s external screen, a 17.3 “LCD panel with Full-HD (1920×1080) resolution and LED backlight that offers In addition a high contrast, and a fidelity of color that perhaps is a little scarce for photographic use, but suitable for multimedia use and games, also counting on very wide angles of vision thanks to IPS technology.
It has excellent networking capabilities, being compatible with Gigabit Ethernet, Wifi-AC, Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) and Bluetooth version 4.2.
The connectivity of the Lenovo Ideapad Y700-17ISK is quite disappointing, not only because it carries only 3 USB ports (one of which is USB 2.0), but also because none of them are type C (USB 3.1), it only has one video output HDMI (other gaming models also feature DisplayPort or Thunderbolt 3), an SD / MMC card reader, and a single headphone / microphone (no S / PDIF) connector, which is a bit messy on a gaming notebook Of 17,3 “in which the great majority of the lateral ones are free (of course it is not due to lack of space).
Backlit in red, its “on-island” keyboard allows for a good writing experience thanks to its good touch, the long stroke when pressing, and the good size of its keys, while its appropriate size, has a smooth surface which facilitates the sliding of the fingers, offering a good response and precision, and being compatible with multi-tactile gestures.
Designed by the prestigious manufacturer JBL, its pair of stereo speakers provide good sound quality and, thanks to the subwoofer present at the base, an appropriate bass level.
The new ventilation outlet has significantly improved the cooling of this model, the two fans remain inactive only when we do nothing with the laptop, while during a light use the noise generated by them is quite reduced, while under load the noise Generated is raised substantially, although not to be annoying, circumstance in which the temperatures on the outer surfaces of the laptop remain within reasonable limits at all times, being necessary to resort to an unrealistic scenario of extreme load to force these fans to Its maximum speed, reaching a very high noise level that can become annoying.
One of the strengths of this model lies in its long autonomy, which exceeds 5 hours of “light use” with its integrated battery of 60 Wh., Which would be very useful if the weight of this model was reduced.
This version in particular comes with FreeDOS, a text mode operating system that, due to obvious limitations, will need to be replaced sooner rather than later, substituting either a free operating system like Ubuntu Linux, or a payment system like Windows 10 Home ( 64-bit)
