First Looks: Lenovo IdeaPad Y400

At the Licence2Play gaming event in Singapore last weekend, where Lenovo were one of the sponsors, we chanced upon one seriously handsome device. Our forums were buzzing since September when Lenovo announced its new IdeaPad Y400 and Y500 laptops. What makes these laptops really interesting is the fact that they are the first consumer laptops to feature a removable secondary GPU for extra power on the go.

Head on after the break for more pictures as well as the Y400 and Y500’s specs.

The red backlit keyboard gives the Y400/Y500 a very aggressive look

The removable external GPU, located where the DVD drive bay would usually be

Full copper heatsink, also found in the Y480/Y580

Large air intake vent at the bottom of the Y400/Y500

The exterior is covered by a seriously handsome matte carbon fibre design

The IdeaPad Y400 and Y500 both share similarly impressive hardware. Featuring the latest Intel Core i7-3630QM quad-core processor buzzing at 2.4GHz, they both also have RAM as well as storage options of up to 8GB and 1TB with SSD cache of 16GB respectively. The intriguing addition that makes these laptops unique is what Lenovo calls an Ultrabay: the option of slotting in a second NVIDIA GeForce GT650M in an SLI configuration in the DVD drive bay, making it comparable to a single NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M.

We were told by the Lenovo sales rep at their booth that the Y400 on display is the first – and only – Y400 in Singapore. However, they are only accepting pre-orders for the larger Y500, which is expected to be launched in the country later this month. Unfortunately there was no news regarding the Y400’s availability.

One stumbling block for the Y500’s immediate desirability is its price. While the Y500 retails in the US for an ultra-competitive $849 (about RM 2550), the pre-order price for the Y500 in Singapore is an incredible SG$1999 (about RM4500).

Regardless of the Singapore price, we are definitely interested to see when Lenovo Malaysia will be bringing these laptops to our shores. In the meantime, have a look at yet another innovative creation from Lenovo.