A Real Marvel - The Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 Notebook

We were recently interested in finding an affordable 15 inch laptop with a roomy screen for watching movies and that would be perfect for every day use. A few days later we found out that the Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 had its price reduced from $849 to just $699. So, taking into consideration the relatively small new price, we ordered one. Today we have received our brand new Z560 laptop and we were surprised the moment the box snapped open. Inside was an elegant and stylish laptop that emanated an aura of power and versatility. At first glance, it looked like it was what we were looking for. However, we know our readers are more interested in technical specs and test scores than in how good a new laptop looks. So we started conducting our tests, like usual.

We started by taking a look at Lenovo IdeaPad Z560's central processing unit (CPU) and were happy to find a very capable Intel Core i3 350M processor working at a high frequency of 2.26 GHz on a FSB (front side bus) of 1066 MHz and a good 3 MB L2 cache. The processor delivered what its specs promised and managed to pass even our most resource intensive multi tasking tests without any problems. We are glad to award 10 out of a maximum of 10 points to this processing for its amazing performance and versatility. We found out that the 3 GB of 1066 high speed DDR3 memory (PC3 8500) helped the processor pass the tests with brio, so we awarded the memory another 10 out of 10 points. Until now, this looks like one of the best laptops available on the market at this price.

We next tested the Lenovo IdeaPad Z560's graphics processing unit (GPU) and found out it was represented by an Intel HD Graphics chipset. This was below our expectations, but still good enough to entertain users with crisp, bright, and clear graphics on the 15.6 inch HD Widescreen display (featuring the amazing LED backlight technology) at a maximum resolution of just 1366 x 768 pixels. The video card and display receive just 8 out of 10 points due to the small maximum resolution and below expectations video memory. Next we were very happy with Lenovo IdeaPad Z560's large, 500 GB hard disk drive. However, we immediately discovered that its small, 5400 rotations per minute speed had a negative impact on performance, so we rated the HDD just 8 out of 10.

Bottom line, the Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 is a good laptop, with a great central processing unit and memory, but with poor graphics and maximum resolution. Although it passed our tests with brio, the low speed hard disk drive was an issue.

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