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Lenovo IdeaCentre B500 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £850
inc VAT

The B500 works as a TV, gaming PC, multimedia centre and standard desktop; it's compact and effective but painfully expensive for its specification.

Specifications

2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400, 4GB RAM, 23in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk

Lenovo describes the IdeaCentre B500 as a “Gaming all-in-one”. Sadly, this means it’s been cursed with the sort of styling that manufacturers believe appeals to gamers: lots of angular bits, some brushed-metal-effect plastic and rather more orange than we’re comfortable with.

Lenovo IdeaCentre B500

Fortunately, when you’re looking at it head-on your attention is diverted to the large, bright 23in widescreen with its 1,920×1,080 Full HD resolution. It’s not a touchscreen, but its superb image quality makes it a pleasure to use. We were particularly impressed by the display’s clean whites and accurate skin tones. It’s not entirely evenly lit – our black screen test revealed a lighter area running along the edge of the bottom bezel. We were pleasantly surprised by the integrated speakers, which were clear on even complex tracks with well-defined bass. If you want to connect external speakers, you’re limited to 2.1 sound, though – there are only two 3.5mm stereo ports for your mic input and a pair of speakers or headphones.

Lenovo IdeaCentre B500 Ports

Although the B500 has a fairly comprehensive specification, including a TV tuner, integrated dual-band wireless adaptor, S-Video AV input and six USB ports, its processor is underwhelming. It has an LGA775 motherboard with an Intel G41 chipset, which houses an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400. In the fast-evolving world of processors, the Q8400 is an antique, having been superseded by Intel’s Core i3, i5, and i7 chips. That said, the IdeaCentre still managed an Overall score of 98 in our benchmark tests – faster than most gaming laptops, and rivalling desktops we’ve seen at around £500.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ****
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400
Processor external bus 200MHz (1.3GHz HyperTransport)
Processor multiplier x8
Processor clock speed 2.66GHz
Processor socket LGA775
Memory 4
Memory type PC3-8500
Maximum memory 16GB
Motherboard Lenovo
Motherboard chipset Intel G41

Ports

USB2 ports (front/rear) 2/4
Firewire ports (front/rear) 0/0
eSATA ports (front/rear) 0/0
Wired network ports 1x 10/100/1000
Wireless networking support 802.11n (dual band)

Internal Expansion

Case all-in-one
PCI-E x1 slots (free) N/A
PCI-E x16 slots (free) N/A
Free memory slots 0
Free 3.5in drive bays 0

Hard Disk

Hard disk model(s) Hitachi HDS721010CLA332
Interface SATA II
Total storage capacity 973GB

Graphics

Graphics card(s) ATI Radeon HD 5570
Graphics/video ports none

Sound

Sound Realtek HD Audio
Sound outputs stereo line out, mic in
Speakers integrated

Removable Drives

Supported memory cards SDHC, SD, Memory Stick PRO
Optical drive type(s) DVD+/-RW +/-DL

Display

Viewable size 23 in
Screen model integrated
Native resolution 1,920×1,080
Screen inputs S-Video AV in

Other Hardware

Keyboard Lenovo LHX-JME8002B
Mouse Lenovo LHX-JME2069B

Software

Software included none
Operating system Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Operating system restore option restore partition, burn own restore disc

Buying Information

Warranty one year RTB
Price £850
Supplier http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk
Details www.lenovo.co.uk

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