If you want a relatively inexpensive 15.6-inch Windows 8 laptop, but won’t make compromises performance- and style-wise, the P500 – 59372845 configuration from the Lenovo IdeaPad P-series is a good choice for you.
For $500 (Best Buy), the P500 – 59372845 brings to the table the speedy 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3230M dual-core processor at 2.6GHz default speed. Thanks to TurboBoost technology, operational frequency of the CPU can be increased to maximal 3.2GHz, giving users a boost in situations where higher speeds are needed. When there’s no need for much processor work, speed of cores drop to preserve the battery.
In benchmark tests, the i5-3230M plasters all the i3 and Pentium chips, as well as AMD CPUs, found in more affordable systems. Of course, the i5 is still far behind the quad-core i7. It’s good to see that the i5 chips have Quick Sync technology by Intel, making video editing and conversion blazing fast.
To make the offer more appealing to demanding customers, the CPU is paired with not usual 4GB, but 6GB of system memory for ultimate multitasking, as well as a generous 750GB hard disk with lots of space for your music, movies, and other files. If that’s not enough for you, you can use your Flash memory or an external drive to store your data, and this model provides you with an additional choice to put data on a DVD or CD via a built-in optical drive. As a potential downside for some users, especially gaming-oriented ones, is the Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics, which can’t compete against the dedicated video cards. But, discrete GPUs are almost always reserved for notebooks with price tags above $500, usually $600 and up.
Lenovo’s P500 – 59372845 has a robust selection of features. Not only that it has commonly seen three USBs, HDMI output, and a 2-in-1 media card reader, but it has Bluetooth for your compatible devices, such as phones and earphones, and Intel Wireless Display technology, in case you want to wirelessly play videos from your laptop on an HDTV. Keep in mind that you will need a separately sold Wi-Di adapter to make it work. On the networking side, we have usual Wi-Fi and Ethernet LAN. For video chats, the P500-series notebooks incorporate a webcam with 720p resolution, while sound is backed by a pair of speakers.
The same resolution, or 1366×768 pixels more precisely, is on the screen. It’s a glossy one.
The notebook is also more exciting than the average budget laptop on the outside too. Its thinness of 1 inch, a comfortable, ergonomic and nice-looking AccuType keyboard, aluminum palm rests and area around the keyboard, and dark gray soft-touch lid for easier carrying the laptop around add a premium-class note to the P500 – 59372845.
Want more good news? This model does have keyboard backlight, for effortless typing in a darkened room.
The only thing about this system we don’t know is how long the battery life lasts. The included battery has 4 cells, down from usual 6 cells. Given that the i5-3230M is a full voltage CPU, there’s a possibility that its autonomy isn’t great, but that’s common for the full-size laptops.
A smaller battery usually means lower weight and greater portability. Thankfully, this model weighs 4.9 pounds, whereas the ordinary 15.6-inchers weigh roughly around 5.5 pounds on average.
Note: Some retailers have images of the P500 with a black LCD bezel on their websites. The P500 normally has gray bezel, like on our first image, and the black one appears to be used on touch-enabled configurations.
P500 – 59372845 Lenovo IdeaPad Specifications
- Display: 15.6″ diagonal, 720p 1366×768 screen resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, glossy finish
- Processor: 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3210M dual-core at 2.6GHz default, up to 3.2GHz via TurbooBoost, 3MB L3 cache
- Graphics: Intel HD 4000
- Memory: 6GB DDR3 memory at 1,600MHz, expandable to 8GB
- Storage: 750GB hard disk drive at 5400rpm
- Optical drive: DVD burner
- Webcam: Yes, 720p
- Audio: Stereo speakers
- Network: 802.11n wireless, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth, Intel Wi-Di (Wireless Display)
- Input: Backlit isle-style AccuType keyboard with numeric-pad, one-piece multi-gesture touchpad
- Ports and Slots: 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI, 2-in-1 digital reader
- Battery: 4-cell Lithium-Ion
- Dimensions: 1″ thickness x 14.8″ width x 10.4″ depth
- Weight: 4.9 pounds
- OS: Windows 8
- Warranty: 1-year
Do ideapad p500 supports hdmi input ?
It only has HDMI OUTPUT, not input. HDMI input isn’t a common feature of personal computers. It’s rather enabled via separate video capture devices, like USB capture cards etc.
Just bought a P500 in auction from USA. Worried if it will work in Australia?
Just bought P500 on auction from USA and worried it wont work in Australia. Power adaptor OK? Any modifications needed?
This model appears to be an exclusive build for Best Buy. Which IdeaPad does the P500 compare to? Also, Best Buy was very skittish when asked about buying a replacement battery. Because the battery is just a 4-cell, I wanted to know how much a replacmeent battery would cost. I still don’t know. I can’t ask a third-party battery store, because the laptop’s model number (P500) isn’t recognized. Can you shed any light on any of this?
The IdeaPad P500 is renamed Z500 and we don’t see any differences between the two. The bad news is that the Z500 has a sealed bottom and probably the same thing is with the P500. That means that the battery isn’t user replaceable.
Is it possible if battery failed, we can just plug it in the outlet as a desktop.
I just bought this laptop at Best Buy and the geek squad told me I would have to bring the computer to a service center to have the battery replaced and I asked them could I just plug it into an outlet and use it with a dead battery when that time comes and they said yes it would work fine that way.