Lenovo G570 review
A £500 laptop with Blu-ray might look like a bargain, but there are better all-rounders available for the same price
Specifications
15.6 in 1,366×768 display, 2.6kg, 2.1GHz Intel Core i3-2310M, 6.00GB RAM, 640GB disk, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Aside from the Blu-ray drive, connectivity is fairly basic with three regular USB ports, a combined USB/eSATA port and a multi-format card reader. A pair of small speakers nestled above the keyboard provides basic audio at best, so we recommend using the 3.5mm audio jack to plug in some headphones when listening to music or watching video.
We had no trouble typing on the full-size isolated keyboard, thanks to a firm yet springy key action and plenty of tactile feedback. Lenovo has managed to squeeze in a separate number pad without shrinking the QWERTY keys, although the function keys are only slightly larger than half size. The touchpad is a decent size, although the buttons below it felt slightly loose and they wobbled slightly when pressed, and didn’t produce much tactile feedback.
The G570 is a decent entry-level multimedia machine. It isn’t the best performer available for the price, but the Blu-ray drive should be a welcome inclusion for film fans. However, if you aren’t concerned about this, the Dell Inspiron 15R is the better choice for most people.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | *** |
| Processor | Intel Core i3-2310M |
| Processor clock speed | 2.1GHz |
| Memory | 6.00GB |
| Memory slots | 2 |
| Memory slots free | 0 |
| Maximum memory | 8GB |
| Size | 35x377x246mm |
| Weight | 2.6kg |
| Sound | SigmaTel HD Audio |
| Pointing device | touchpad |
Display | |
| Viewable size | 15.6 in |
| Native resolution | 1,366×768 |
| Graphics Processor | AMD Radeon HD 6370M |
| Graphics/video ports | VGA, HDMI |
| Graphics Memory | 1,024MB |
Storage | |
| Total storage capacity | 640GB |
| Optical drive type | DVD+/-RW +/-DL BD-ROM |
Ports and Expansion | |
| USB ports | 4 |
| Bluetooth | yes |
| Wired network ports | 1x 10/100 |
| Wireless networking support | 802.11n |
| PC Card slots | none |
| Supported memory cards | SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick Pro |
| Other ports | minijack audio output, minijack microphone input |
Miscellaneous | |
| Carrying case | No |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
| Operating system restore option | restore partition |
| Software included | Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition |
| Optional extras | none |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | one year collect and return |
| Price | £500 |
| Details | www.lenovo.co.uk |
| Supplier | http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk |