Is This Laptop Worth It: Lenovo IdeaPad Z400

[shmijjy]

Hi guys! I just saw a laptop deal from a local site and I would like to know your opinion if this laptop's a good buy. I know there are other configurations of this laptop and other versions, too (touch and non-touch) but let's just focus on this one. There are reviews on the internet about this laptop but not specifically this model, most reviews are on the touch version.

Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 Specifications:
Intel Core i7-3632QM Processor
(6M Cache, up to 3.20GHz)
8GB Memory
1TB Storage
nVidia GT645 2GB VRAM
Super-Multi DVD-RW
Windows 8 Single Language

And for the price: $971 USD or $988 CAD.

This is the non-touch version, and Lenovo claims the laptop to be 25% thinner than the usual laptop size. It's generally in the middle of being an ultrabook and a normal laptop. The processor is a quad-core i7 and not a dual-core i7 which could be seen in most laptops. The only downsides are its 1366x768 res (which I can tolerate and live with, by the way) and it's unremovable battery (the battery is sealed inside).

[unidentical]

i7 with a discrete graphics? I would definitely say it's worth it.

 

The Lenovos are great and their keyboards are very nice to type on.

[shmijjy]

Lenovo says that the laptop also has Dolby HD sound and a 720p HD webcam. PassMark ranks the laptop processor a little bit higher than an i5-3570k.

[shmijjy]

i7 with a discrete graphics? I would definitely say it's worth it.

 

The Lenovos are great and their keyboards are very nice to type on.

Really? Thanks for the reply. Can the discrete graphics that are included handle recent games?

[SoftwarePro]

If the keyboard is anything like my u410...which it looks like it is...its kinda terrible, very little tactile feedback flimsy in the middle. Just not fun to type on. Other than that thought it looks like a great laptop.

[unidentical]

GT 645m is pretty decent, you can see specs and if you scroll down some benchmarks too here: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-645M.81417.0.html

My nvidia optimus sits well below that card with 1/4 of the cuda cores, and I can play games like trine2 and torchlight2 without any issue.

[shmijjy]

Can the laptop handle Photoshop and Premiere without any issues? Sorry I'm a noob when it comes to laptops.

[shmijjy]

If the keyboard is anything like my u410...which it looks like it is...its kinda terrible, very little tactile feedback flimsy in the middle. Just not fun to type on. Other than that thought it looks like a great laptop.

I believe a review on YouTube says that the touch version has a noticeable keyboard flex. Is it too much of a problem to consider? 

[arkon]

Can the laptop handle Photoshop and Premiere without any issues? Sorry I'm a noob when it comes to laptops.

 

I personally have an i5-3317m and it handles Photoshop fine, if that helps.