[REVIEW] Lenovo Ideapad S540-14API (R5-3500U, Vega 8)

[allenfaust]

4 hours ago, GeneXiS_X said:

It's possible but you'll lost dual channel which isn't ideal

Yes, however you need to know how to do clean install / clone Windows

I see. Then i wont change the ram. 

 

Yeah so regarding the ssd. I just want to know if simply adding 2242 m.2 (as there is a free spot) a good choice rather than changing the original 2280 m.2. No problem with clean install of windows, ive done it before. 

 

Thanks for the time 

[genexis_x]

8 minutes ago, allenfaust said:

I just want to know if simply adding 2242 m.2 (as there is a free spot) a good choice rather than changing the original 2280 m.2

There aren't many 2242 M.2 drives. moreover they are expensive and don't have good performance (mostly DRAMless). 2280 is better

[Shacruel]

1 hour ago, allenfaust said:

I see. Then i wont change the ram. 

 

Yeah so regarding the ssd. I just want to know if simply adding 2242 m.2 (as there is a free spot) a good choice rather than changing the original 2280 m.2. No problem with clean install of windows, ive done it before. 

 

Thanks for the time 

AFAIK It's possible to do partial dual channel. In case of our notebook first 8 GB will run in dual channel, rest in single. Intel calls it Flex mode, amd also supports it. 

[genexis_x]

2 hours ago, Shacruel said:

AFAIK It's possible to do partial dual channel. In case of our notebook first 8 GB will run in dual channel, rest in single. Intel calls it Flex mode, amd also supports it. 

That's why I said it's not ideal - yes it can run in Flex mode but the overall performance will be reduced, not to mention that it might cause compatibility issues (encountered before)

[allenfaust]

On 8/6/2019 at 3:41 PM, GeneXiS_X said:

There aren't many 2242 M.2 drives. moreover they are expensive and don't have good performance (mostly DRAMless). 2280 is better

Thank you so much ! Also about this,Which one do you think if a better choice ? I found a good deal but not sure which slot is the best or appropriate for the system 

 

https://www.amazon.co.jp/【国内正規代理店品】WD-2280-SN500-500GB-WDS500G1B0C-EC/dp/B07SQVJ31H/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?keywords=500+gb+ssd+m.2+nvme&qid=1565255901&s=gateway&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.co.jp/Crucial-P1シリーズ-Type2280-PCIe3-0x4-CT500P1SSD8JP/dp/B07JWK33MV/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=500%2Bgb%2Bssd%2Bm.2%2Bnvme&qid=1565255901&s=gateway&sr=8-5&th=1

 

On 8/6/2019 at 7:11 PM, GeneXiS_X said:

That's why I said it's not ideal - yes it can run in Flex mode but the overall performance will be reduced, not to mention that it might cause compatibility issues (encountered before)

 

I'll just stick to 8gb then. Thanks again!

[genexis_x]

7 minutes ago, allenfaust said:

snip

SN500. Only these 2 options?

[allenfaust]

3 minutes ago, GeneXiS_X said:

SN500. Only these 2 options?

There is also the WD black and samsung 970 evo but it goes for twice the price (for the same capacity). would that increase in price be worth it for the performance increase (if there is)?

 

Just to clarify, would the socket of the WD SN500 would be compatible with the s540 ? What I saw in the laptop was this one:

https://www.ark-pc.co.jp/i/13511930/

 

I'm just a little confused with the socket types for these nvme ssd.  

 

[allenfaust]

The is also this one but I don't know the brand. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.jp/シリコンパワー-PCIe3-0×4-NVMe1-3-P34A80シリーズ-SP512GBP34A80M28/dp/B07MV91LKW/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=nvme+ssd&qid=1565258078&s=gateway&sr=8-6

[genexis_x]

P34A80 is based on Phison E12 controller which is very decent, worth considering too

 

PM981 / 970 EVO is too expensive

[allenfaust]

22 hours ago, GeneXiS_X said:

P34A80 is based on Phison E12 controller which is very decent, worth considering too

 

Interesting. Higher read/write is good but from what I'm seeing (from the reviews) it runs hotter than most brands. Is that still alright ? Also IDK why but the dimension is longer than crucial / wd. 

[genexis_x]

1 hour ago, allenfaust said:

it runs hotter

Faster = hotter. A heatsink will help

1 hour ago, allenfaust said:

but the dimension is longer

not 2280?

[allenfaust]

2 hours ago, GeneXiS_X said:

Faster = hotter. A heatsink will help

Heatsink in a laptop (this laptop) is possible? 

[genexis_x]

4 minutes ago, allenfaust said:

Heatsink in a laptop (this laptop) is possible? 

Heatsink for M.2 SSD

[allenfaust]

3 hours ago, GeneXiS_X said:

Heatsink for M.2 SSD

Hmm will it fit ? Ill just go with the wd. I dont think i need that much speed anyway.  Thank you for your advice!

[genexis_x]

11 minutes ago, allenfaust said:

Hmm will it fit ?

Need to measure the clearance

[Shacruel]

On 8/9/2019 at 3:29 PM, GeneXiS_X said:

Heatsink for M.2 SSD

Are they really worth it? According to Gamers Nexus, m.2 drives live longer if they actually heat up during writes. Source: 6:15

 

[genexis_x]

55 minutes ago, Shacruel said:

Are they really worth it? According to Gamers Nexus, m.2 drives live longer if they actually heat up during writes

For flash only, not good for controller

[simmehchan]

Anyone installed Linux on their S540? Any problems? Wondering about the battery life and Linux compatibility.

[Gorgias]

On 8/19/2019 at 5:45 PM, simmehchan said:

Anyone installed Linux on their S540? Any problems? Wondering about the battery life and Linux compatibility.

I have tried Linux Mint and Ubuntu on USB-sticks. Could not get wifi to work on either but on Ubuntu I could at least change screen brightness, not on Mint. Haven't tried battery life yet. Hopefully Ubuntu will get support for all drivers in next release.

[DrMacintosh]

0/10 Review. Not a single photo. Not even a stock photo. 

 

/s

[genexis_x]

1 hour ago, DrMacintosh said:

0/10 Review. Not a single photo. Not even a stock photo. 

lol, actually I've posted some photos before in my status update if you're interested

[zdanee]

Just wanted to chime in: I have this model, and I've upgraded it to 4+8GB RAM, and it reports dualchannel working. I also did not notice any performance loss over this in games. My unit came with a 2242 M.2 SSD in the 2280 slot with an adapter, so I moved the original SSD to the 3rd 2242 slot and added a 1TB Intel 660 to the 2nd (for Steam library it's more than enough). Both slots perform on nvme speeds, at the same time. The 2242 SSD however in the 3rd slot gets much hotter than the 2280 one, about an additional 20 degrees (C). Still, not that bad thou, it's ~28C in the 2280 slot and about 45C in the 2242 one. My unit came with the matte LG display, and the marks from the keyboard are already showing, so I bought a glass screen protector for it. As for the USB-C port: no graphic capabilities whatsoever, also tested with 3 different HDMI adapters and docks, and it also states in the specifications, this port is only for data. Bummer. I got a secondary charger for it too, 45W, it's still able to recharge the battery in 'turbo charging mode" with a heavy CPU load at the same time, so you don't strictly need to use a 65W one. 

[Shacruel]

On 10/25/2019 at 1:12 AM, zdanee said:

Just wanted to chime in: I have this model, and I've upgraded it to 4+8GB RAM, and it reports dualchannel working. I also did not notice any performance loss over this in games. My unit came with a 2242 M.2 SSD in the 2280 slot with an adapter, so I moved the original SSD to the 3rd 2242 slot and added a 1TB Intel 660 to the 2nd (for Steam library it's more than enough). Both slots perform on nvme speeds, at the same time. The 2242 SSD however in the 3rd slot gets much hotter than the 2280 one, about an additional 20 degrees (C). Still, not that bad thou, it's ~28C in the 2280 slot and about 45C in the 2242 one. My unit came with the matte LG display, and the marks from the keyboard are already showing, so I bought a glass screen protector for it. As for the USB-C port: no graphic capabilities whatsoever, also tested with 3 different HDMI adapters and docks, and it also states in the specifications, this port is only for data. Bummer. I got a secondary charger for it too, 45W, it's still able to recharge the battery in 'turbo charging mode" with a heavy CPU load at the same time, so you don't strictly need to use a 65W one. 

Thank you for confirming NVME support by the 2nd m.2 slot. I also eventually switched to mismatched RAM but in 16+4 configuration and I also observe no issues or performance degradation in games and other software

[mr.jacopong]

I bought this laptop some month ago, and I’m considering an upgrade in ram during these Black Friday days. I see that shacruel and zdanee did it with no problem, but what brand have you chosen? On eBay a vanilla hynIx is very expensive, so on amazon I’m looking for an hyperix (it should implement hynix chip, as I can see in a photo on amazon) or a much cheaper ballistix (micron chip).

I’m worrying that buying ballistics can cause troubles, but it costs much cheaper than hyperx.

if you can tell me your new ram brand I would very appreciate it,

thank you  

 

ps. To be clear, inside the laptop the the ram chip are made by Hynix booth on the soldered and the removable one.

[dizmo]

Filled with so much info yet no pictures.