Note: Will retest battery life soon since result is below average
Welcome to my laptop review on Lenovo Ideapad S540-14API. Main specs of the laptop are as below:
This model is very similar to Ideapad 530s 14 with some changes (ports, slightly thinner, cooling etc).
Notebookcheck review on S540 (Intel and AMD) (pay attention to battery life)
Product page (Malaysia): https://www.lenovo.com/my/en/laptops/ideapad/s-series/Lenovo-IdeaPad-S540-14API/p/88IPS501194
Hardware maintenance manual: https://download.lenovo.com/consumer/mobiles_pub/S540-14_hmm_201902.pdf
(note that you need a plum flower head screwdriver if you wish to disassemble the bottom cover)
Part 1: Build quality, input devices
Build quality is excellent as expected. The aluminium lid has only little flex when twisted (lock out at certain point). There is only little flex when pressing on the middle of the lid cover. Due to the stiff hinge, you cannot open the lid with single hand; however, wobbling effect is also minimal. The maximum lid opening angle is 180 degrees. The all-aluminium body also feels rigid. There is only little flex at the middle of keyboard and above the touchpad. Twisting the body is not possible. Bezels use plastic material instead of metal but that is totally fine. Overall, build quality of this machine feels premium.
The keyboard is very similar to the one in 530s 14. It has very short key travel (~1.1mm?), actuation force on the heavier side partly due to tiny bit of mushiness (~65g?). Typing feel is satisfactory – keys are firm, strokes are quiet. However, those who are used to deep key travel and light actuation force (like me) might need some time to get used to the keyboard. It has 2 stages of white backlight. Note that up and down arrow keys are halved sized.
The Precision clickpad is also very similar to 530s 14. It has plastic surface even though it looks like glass surface. Surface is smooth enough, though moist/sweaty fingers will experience a decrease in smoothness. Tracking is precise. The L/R clicks requires little force to be clicked on and the click sound isn’t that bad (a bit loud). There is chrome finish surrounding the clickpad.
There is a fingerprint reader (Goodix) at the bottom of the right arrow key which can be used for Windows Hello.
Part 2: Display, Audio, Battery
The display is a 14 inch 60Hz 45% NTSC IPS made by LG (LGD05EC). Since it's a low sRGB panel, colours are less vibrant, still it's better than low quality TN panels and good for everyday use. Brightness is slightly above average among low sRGB panels (30-40% is plenty for indoor usage) and contrast is good. It has thin bezels.
The 2 upward facing speakers have one of the best audio quality I’ve ever tested. Comes with Dolby Audio Speaker System branding and uses Synaptics driver. I tested audio quality with Dynamic profile, though game profile and music profile (for headphones - less background noise) also not bad. Volume gets loud, sound quality is rich and with some bass too. Vocals could be a little louder but it’s not a big deal. I’m impressed – even better than many bigger gaming laptops out there.
This laptop is equipped with a 4 cell 45Wh battery.
Notes for battery life testing: WIFI on, best battery life mode, intelligent mode (more on that later), no background app, disabled sleep / display dimming, 14% volume
Idle
P2 state, 1.3-1.4GHz, 3.6-4.4W (APU package power draw, not system power draw)
You can adjust some AMD related power settings in advanced power settings, but I found out that it has no impact on battery life. Slight brightness decrease also don't seem to save much battery life.
Note that while at idle / in light loads, Quiet mode will make the fans run while Intelligent (auto) mode will keep the fans off. Nevertheless, it also doesn't seem to have an impact on battery life.
Part 3: Performance, thermals
The cooling solution consists of single medium sized heatpipe and 2 small fans (can refer to hardware maintenance manual). Note that the exhaust vents are blocked by the hinge – hot air is directed upwards (not towards display).
Notes for all testing below:
Before going into the results, I want to make a brief explanation on a tool called "STAPM power". Basically it's used to set power limits while the laptop is under load. While idle, the value for STAPM power is ~3.5-4W. While under load, the value will increase gradually over time until it reaches near the current power consumption. The heavier the load, the faster it increases. As the value gets higher, you will notice very minimal (I would say ~5%) clock speed throttling (CPU/GPU/both). You will also notices that the fast limit can only sustain for a shorter period during burst load like Cinebench when STAPM power is higher. When the value is close or reaches STAPM limit (22W for Intelligent mode), power limit will drop from 25W (slow limit) to 22W and the value remains.
Cinebench R15 multi core ~640cb (1 run)
~3.15GHz, then ~3GHz
Max 72C (1 run), max fan noise ~36dBA
27-28W for a few secs, then stays at 25W
STAPM limit kicks in after 7 runs: ~2.85GHz, max 76C, ~587cb
Performance mode will give the same result, but it can sustain high scores longer
Aida64 FPU – same behaviour as CB15
Unigine Heaven - 900p, all low, dx11
Clock speed fluctuates: 1000+MHz most of the time
Max 74C, max fan noise ~36dBA
Max 25W
Power consumption will fluctuate – Slow limit can sustain longer compared to CPU
FPU+Heaven
25W: CPU ~2.2-2.4GHz, GPU ~550-600MHz, max 75C
22W: CPU ~2-2.15GHz, GPU ~500MHz, max 72C
L4D2 - 1080p lowest, single player with bots, Dead Center Map 1
CPU 1.2-1.4GHz, GPU 500-950MHz
Max 66C, 15-23W (stabilized STAPM power)
~85 FPS (1 run)
CSGO - fullscreen 1080p lowest, Mirage map, no bots
CPU 1.3-1.4GHz, GPU 800-950MHz
Max 68C, 19-22W (stabilized STAPM power)
~115 FPS (1 run)
Apex Legends - 720p lowest, training map
CPU mostly at 1.2-1.3GHz, GPU 1050-1100MHz
Max 68C, 22-24W (performance mode is used due to higher power demand)
FPS (recorded standing in front of bloodhound): Skybox 73-93 FPS, training ground 41-51 FPS, will drop a few FPS when firing
Fire Strike (1 run)
Score: 2178, Graphics: 2497
Tested Dota 2, but CPU+GPU run at low clocks for unknown reason. Tried a few settings, still doesn't fix that. Can stay at ~60 FPS but will drop in heavy actions (1080p, fastest preset)
Additional comments:
Under load, the whole area above Fn keys where the exhaust vents are located will get a bit hot. Keyboard area is a little warm.
The package temperature cools down very fast after load, indicating a good, effective cooling solution. There is still plenty cooling room for >25W heat.
GPU is tuned such that it will get more power for higher clock speed in games (sacrificing CPU clock).
There are 3 power modes: Quiet, Intelligent (auto) and Performance (fan will kick in faster, also allows ~39dBA max fans) - press Fn+Q to switch.
Unfortunately, tuning via Ryzen Controller not possible. It doesn't support Ryzen 3000 series mobile APUs yet. However, I don't think you need any further tuning since the stock power limit settings are good enough.
I highly suggest using AMD uProf for most monitoring. The results are the most accurate.
Part 4: Miscellaneous
The laptop weights at ~1.5kg and has ~16mm thickness.
It comes with 65W charger (proprietary plug)
There is a privacy shutter built into the webcam – slide to left to cover the camera
You can check battery capacity even when the laptop is off by pressing any key – shows up in display
The included Realtek 8822BE WIFI card has quite stable speeds, no issues so far
Ports
L: Power, HDMI, USB C, headphone/mic
R: Full SD card slot, x2 USB 3.0 A
It seems like it doesn't support USB C charging, however I can't test that out since I don't have any USB C charger
Lenovo Vantage
System update: Used to update drivers
Hardware settings:
Power – Conservation mode (battery cap while charging), rapid charge, always on USB, Vantage toolbar
Audio / visual – Eye care mode, camera contrast+brightness+auto exposure on/off, camera privacy mode, Dolby on/off, Dolby audio mode, mic mute on/off, mic volume, optimize mic for 1 voice/normal/many voices, mic auto audio optimization
Smart Settings – Auto adjust Dolby settings based on apps, auto mute mic based on apps
Input – Touchpad enable/disable, Function/Fn switch, keyboard backlight
Health & Support: Hardware scan, warranty, user guide download
Conclusion
Premium build quality, system feels snappy and responsive, input devices are decent, audio quality is above average. Has fingerprint reader and privacy shutter which is a plus. Very good APU performance - high power limits, good thermals (only mid 70s with 25W heat).
What I'm disappointed the most is the battery life. The result isn't quite expected - realistically speaking, you can only get 4.5-6.5 hrs of battery life. 45Wh battery should be able to get 6-7 hrs. I suspect the culprit is the high idle power consumption. Maybe future BIOS/firmware/driver updates will make the battery life better but I can't tell for now. Anyway, I still believe that it's a step up compared to 2000 series mobile APUs. If the battery life is decent, this would be an excellent budget Ryzen laptop.
I don't completely understand what you're asking, so forgive me if what I'm saying is completely obvious. You can change resolution in that specific game and keep it set at 720p, and when you exit the game your laptop display will still be 1080p.
I’d go with the better CPU, i have a RX480 4GB with a FX6300 at 4.3Ghz and 1080p at high is smooth for me, but the CPU is the definitive bottleneck.
But like everyone else... wait for RYZEN
allenfaust got a reaction from genexis_x in [REVIEW] Lenovo Ideapad S540-14API (R5-3500U, Vega 8)
allenfaust got a reaction from Princess Luna in is freesync noticeable in 1080p ~25" screens
