Lenovo IdeaPad U310 43752CU 13.3" Ultrabook $445
 

At Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6834246621

Ivy bridge, not too shabby!

Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Ultrabook: Core i3 3217U 1.8GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD + 32GB SSD, 13.3" 1366x768 LED, Intel HD 4000, WiFi N, 3-cell, Windows 7 $458
 

Newegg has Lenovo IdeaPad U310 13.3" Ultrabook (43752CU) for $450. Shipping is $8. Thanks itsWill

Specs

• Intel Core i3 3217U 1.8GHz
• 4GB DDR3
• 500GB HDD + 32GB SSD
• 13.3" 1366x768 LED
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• WiFi N
• 3-cell Battery
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Price Research: Our research indicates that Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Ultrabook is $92 lower (17% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices ranging from $550 to $840. - yuugotserved

Review courtesy of Engadget

This post can and should be edited by users like you :)
 

Service manual for U310/U410 showing dissamembly(upgrade ram and Hdd) [lenovo.com]
Lenovo IdeaPad U310: A More Affordable Ultrabook [hothardware.com]


Recent changes
Type Price When
Current $699.99 Dec 08, 2012
Highest * $749.99 Dec 02, 2012
Lowest * $599.99 Sep 26, 2012
Average + $699.99 -
* since Jul 14, 2012.
+ of the last 5 price changes.


Last 5 Price Changes
Date Price
Dec 08, 2012 05:28 PM $699.99
Dec 02, 2012 01:32 AM $749.99
Sep 26, 2012 05:53 AM $599.99
Sep 21, 2012 08:55 AM $699.99
Jul 14, 2012 02:44 AM $749.99

http://urlhasbeenblocked/product/N82E16834246621

Too bad it's 1366x768 resolution, but I guess that's all you're going to get for under $500.

looks like a great deal...can i play SC2 on high res for this lappy?

hmm... wondering if this is a worthy replacement of my amd e350 netbook... or should i just step up to an i5 ultrabook? im iffy on the latter because i already have a sandy i7 series 5

High res 1366x768?

Only if your a smartphone advertising agency. HD MOVIES ON OUR PHONE, then u read the specs and its not even 720p.

Very tempting for the price, show a laptop available right now with better specs for equivalent $??? Other than the bloatware and inability to easily re-configure with the OS on the ssd, seems like a really slick deal (I'm tempted)...

No, it dosen't have a dedicated graphics chip. "Intel HD Graphics 4000" Isn't going to cut it for gaming.

I have the u400, the bigger brother of this laptop. And it has some problems:
-The harddrive is non-standard size so you cannot upgrade it.
-The touchpad is a huge PIA. I'd try it first before buying it.
-The wifi connection is spotty

That said, it's a very pretty laptop with it's aluminum shell and it's good price for a macbook air alternative.

good price, but after reading the reviews on amazon, i decided against buying one :/

Have a U310... it's a very good laptop. I would definitely recommend it.

Not sure how credible this guy is... but I'd say that I would agree with his feelings.

http://tnatb.com/blog/2012/12/16/...ultra-book

I read the ssd is non-standard size. Is the hard drive also? Seems it should be easy to swap a 240-gig ssd to replace the 500-gig hd.

Is it just the sensitivity of the buttons? Can't that be adjusted or just get used to it when clicking?

I read the wifi is hit-or-miss. Some people notice it more than others (directional antenna)?

Got a 410 from the outlet a couple days back, haven't had it delivered yet

so upgrading the HD to a SSD is a no-go? I know that the SSD is soldered on to the motherboard from what I read, but the HD? any source on this?

I'll have to pop mine open to see otherwise, nobody seems to have upgraded the HD online from what I could find, mechanical hard drives are junk.

Would you really even care to have a screen resolution of 1600x900 on a 13" screen. Talk about eye strain.

It's kind of hard to describe the issues with the touchpad, but they stem from the way the driver interprets multitouch. If you disable "touch to click" in the driver options the touchpad functions as most other laptops (except you can no longer touch to click). In theory this is a driver issue and could be fixed in the future without having to replace your hardware.

Regarding swapping the harddrive out, see my reply to the post below. I can't speak for this laptop specifically but it's pretty much impossible in my u400.


My u400 doesn't even have an SSD. I don't know if they changed the design from the u400, but upgrading anything is a pain because of the way the case snaps together with these little plastic pieces instead of usual screws. Even if you're careful you're bound to break one or two taking the back casing on and putting it back on. See: http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaP...d-p/739903

The harddrive in my u400 is a touch smaller than your usual 2.5", so it's possible to get one in there, but some grinding of the motherboard and/or SSD will be necessary.

Quick answer is No.

Long answer is in this link [notebookcheck.net]. Go about halfway down the page. They benchmarked it against SC2 and have some results you may want to read.

I used some dell touchpad drivers for my U400. If you do a quick Google search there is a thread on Lenovos website that has a link to them. Difference is night and day.

That exact same configuration goes for $599 on Amazon and interestingly the refurbs are $634 at the Lenovo Outlet (5 left - lol).

is this the version that has the WIFI issue? can the memory/hard drive be upgraded?

Yeah how the case is mounted is just stupid

you have 2 2.5" hard drive thicknesses, 7mm and 9.5mm, I assume the computer might be using a 7mm drive

I'll have to take a look at it once I get mine but it doesn't look too good lol

found this which is kinda interesting:
http://lenovo.f.relayware.com/con...layer.html

looks like the SSD is a removable 1.8" sata one so if you really wanted to spend some more $$ you could put 2 256GB SSDs in there and RAID them

at leats I got it cheap w/ 8GB ram, i5-3317U, 610M, 1TB + 32GB SSD for $330+tax so if it doesn't work out, meh...

I recall reading about that for the u410 at least, not 100% sure about the 310, I believe they fixed it in later revisions as well, this is however not the later revision

with newegg laptop return policy, you cannot return laptop if you decide not to keep it. All sales are final on their laptop, exchange only if something wrong with your laptop.

I do have a Zenbook with 1600x900 on a 13" screen. It's fabulous and I wouldn't want any less. 1366x768 is fine for watching movies, but it sucks for productivity (Excel, etc.).

i am surprise this is not front page yet, isn't this a great deal for an ultrabook or am i missing something here

Not to mention, you'd shoot ANY chance of gaming decently with minimum settings on the HD4000 graphics to hell, if you went higher than the 1366x768 res. this laptop has. At that res. you can run some things that way, at least, playably.

Mods are sleeping...snore snore on a holiday...

Yeah, 3.7 pounds is a bit less ultra than I want it to be.

I have this laptop and the wifi issues are still there, never been corrected with newer manufacturing dates or latest bios. The issues is mostly with range, I get 1/3 the range of a normal laptop.

Other than the wifi, the system is awesome, performance is quick, no lag. But the one I have is core i5-3317u, this one is i3-3217u.

Technically it can be upgraded but the U310 only has one memory slot and the hard drive can be upgraded but it is of the slimmer 7mm size.

what do you mean...how light should it be? i am thinking of pulling the trigger on this one so I want to make sure its an "ultra-book"

I'm thinking of grabbing this and replacing the stock wireless adapter with the Intel ones I have laying around the house.

too risky to buy laptops from Newegg

How so? I've bought 2 from them. Zero issues. Not a huge track record but enough.

I see $449.99 + 7.99

am i missing something?

I bought the U310 with core i5 from Staples clearance. Got it for $305 since it was open box and no power adapter. Right away I opened up the bottom to inspect the battery, hard drive, mSATA and the wifi card. I realized a day later that opening up the laptop voids the warranty!

Anyway, there is only one memory slot on this thing BUT crucial does sell a compatible 8GB single memory stick for $44 shipped. My built was 05/2012 so I was sure the WiFi would be horrible but I really got lucky. No issue with WiFI and I have tested them side by side with my Galaxy Note 2. I also connected to WiFi hotspot and confirm that there is no issue with the range.

Judging from the 66 pages of complaint about the wifi problem, I got extremely lucky. I filled in the offer to update to windows 8 but now I've changed my mind. Even though Win 7 was installed on the HDD, somehow it booted up in roughly 22-28 secs and from pressing the power button to having a working internet explorer takes about 35-40 secs. With my X220 with 512 GB Samsung 840 SSD, I was getting a boot time of 14-15 secs. But that is only because the BIOS POST time took 5 secs. The U310 BIOS POST time is like 2 secs and you are on the windows login screen in 15 secs. After login in, it is pretty much ready to go. My x220 with HDD would take another 45 secs after Win7 login to be ready.

If you have a Wifi problem, replacing the internal wifi card would probably not help. It is not the card but the antenna or shielding that cause the problem. Using a USB wifi dongle would probably be best if you have a wifi problem and wants to keep the computer anyway. Upgrading to windows 8 is not exactly straight forward. I would update to windows 8 only if I want to install an SSD or a larger mSATA. After putting in a new SSD, I would just do a clean install of windows 8.

Mine came with the Intel Centrino 2200 and Widi works fine.

Really tempted to get this even though I had my heart set on getting a 15.6 inch touchscreen laptop...

Too many negative reviews about wifi.

I used to have a Vaio Z w/ 1080p, either increase the DPI or get better glasses... for productivity it was awesome and not to mention everything just looks crisper (esp. now with windows 8 and its vector graphics)

I think the better deal with i3 ivy bridge is the Asus touch screen one at Best Buy this week for $449. Screen is smaller but it is lighter and touch screen is better on Windows 8. You are taking a big chance with the U310 and it's wifi problem(although I don't have a problem with mine).

I3 = no go for me the I3 is pathetic My asus U31s is only slightly heavier but so much more powerful than this... I'm still watching for a real ultrabook but 3.7lbs isn't impressive Asus has a couple models using full speed CPU's that you should look into first

you asus is $200-300 more as well

Does this have backlit keyboard ?

For $435-440 shipped after cash back I don't think there's much risk. Buy with an Amex card for some more peace of mind. If it breaks in 90 days amex will give you a refund supposedly.

nope... mine was $450 with a samsung 256gb more than 6mnths ago

Like I said the I3 is the deal killer here... I really like lenovo's build quality lately

In that case it was a really good deal, but that must have been a special-special and very limited deal, this newegg deal is not

Yeah, lenovo has always made somewhat solid laptops with a few exceptions, and yes, this CPU is extremely weak, but you earn some battery life instead, although the i5+3317U or something better would have been preferred

where are you guys seeing the reviews about the wifi...?

Thats the best IMO. Thats what I have on my Yoga which is better than all these POS machines

Uh...720p = 1280x720 < 1366x768 :confused: Failed Math

is this better ?
http://www.officemax.com/technolo...eID=k26451

Does this have bluetooth?

Free shipping with Shop Runner which will knock another $7.99 off. I would like this one, but that Wifi issue has me holding back. Resolution is not a big deal for me...might be on a 15.6 , but not a 13.3

how does this compare to the Zenbook 13" $499 @ newegg?

Link please

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6834230466

Lenovo = Ivy Bridge, more HD space
Asus = Sandy Bridge, Backlit KB

NOT TO THEAD CRAP but I saw it necessary to post. I have this laptop the wifi problems are unbearable. I sent to lenovo, they sent it back claiming to fix the wfi adapter but it was the SOS.

Any deals on the yoga?

Thanks and Repped! Ivy vs Sandy ... laptop novice asking? Just using for travel and business, no gaming

website specs say i3 but the video shows the laptop having i5...

looks like a great deal

although i want a t430s

According to Cnet, no.

There are multiple versions of the U310, this one has the i3.

Phone reading ftl... Sorry

Has a $100 coupon.

To the guy saying 1600x900 on a 13" is an eye strainer, you must have really bad vision. I wear glasses and can use my VAIO 13" w/ no issue and w/o glasses.

The 13" 1920x1080 models are a different story (for me). I don't like Windows scaling features so I stick to 1600x900.

Got this on black friday. Don't have trouble connecting to the wifi at home, thank god, though the range is very short-- I can't use it in the kitchen in my house, though there are other computers there on the same wifi. Whenever I take it anywhere, setting up a new wireless connection is a royal pain in the ass. easily an hour of clicking this and that, rebooting the computer, rebooting the router, messing with misc settings and suddenly it works for no reason.

Viewing angle is shitty. I lean it back as far as it will and look up at the bottom of the screen, I find that to make it look tolerable. I regret buying it.

I was mostly referring to boxes for phones that say FULL HD and its below or at 720p.

If I'm not mistaken FULL implies the most, as in 1080p. My post was very vague though.

SAME! I cant use this in any public place where I do not have access to the router. Worthless computer IMO

thanks krogan...i was just about to pull the trigger.....i think i will hold out till another better ultrabook deal comes along

surprised it only has 4gb of ram max, would want at least 8.
not a bad deal though if you want something today.

1366 x 768 on 13.3" is more pixels per inch than a 22" monitor at 1080p.

Now, how many of you look at your monitors and say "Oh that looks crappy!"

Stop misleading people by calling this low resolution. 1366x768 looks fine on displays upto 14".

P.S: Always calculate the PPI (http://thirdculture.com/joel/shum...icalc.html). Anything above 110 ppi is good.

And until they cram more pixels into a 22" I'll be stuck with a 22".

And once you use a 13.3" at 1080p you can't go back...

I'm using my 2560x1440 27" and I could use more realestate... I need 4k res in a 30" form factor

TD for incorrect information in thread title.

THIS IS NOT AN ULTRABOOK


Ultrabook is trademarked by Intel. It consists of fast processor and SSD.

This has neither.

It only goes for $599 on Lenovo website (and probably less with some of the links on here).

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrar...831165E337

And they make the distinction it is NOT AN ULTRABOOK.

Its not necessarily about how many pixels per inch but how much real estate you have on screen for different windows.

Not to mention the bezel around the monitor looks like a car ran it over. I resist the urge to take sandpaper to it or remove it completely. What a joke! Cheapest plastic bezel I have ever seen on any laptop, monitor, or TV. It's easily uglier than even the crappiest bezel you've ever seen on any budget brand TV at target or walmart, past or present. Frankly, it's embarrassing to have someone else even look at my computer, which is a shame because the lower half looks pretty great.

TLDR : butterface.

False. This is an Ultrabook.

So many complaints about wifi, I'd rather stay away. These days any computing device without good wifi is pos.

Thanks...looking one with win 8

Does this have an optical drive? I don't see in specs either way...

From my knowledge, there are two versions of the U310 - The ultrabook and the non-ultrabook. Apparently the ultrabook weighs 3.5 lbs while the non-ultrabook weighs 3.7lbs. Also apparently, the non-ultrabook version can still have the hybrid drive. So, I'm not sure if @jnads is complaining that this is not an ultrabook because it doesn't meet Intel's specs, or if this is not the Lenovo version of the ultrabook. I agree with the later, which is more important IMO.

Also, I thought Lenovo fixed the wifi issues with these. Is this version of the laptop for sale on Newegg so old that it's the one with wifi problems?

The resolution is fine for a notebook this size. This is a pretty good deal get it if you need the portability. Otherwise look for a full size laptop because the performance on this thing just doesnt cut it.

And no, no optical drive. What it does have (that's somewhat rare in lighter computers for some unknown reason) is a hdmi output and a memory card slot. The 310 predecessor (the 300s - a much better computer) didn't have a memory card slot - making it a no go for me.

I read another thread or two that mentioned Lenovo had released software updates that fixed both the wifi issues and the trackpad issues, which encouraged me to buy it. I've updated everything there is to update and still experience crippling wifi issues.

FYI,
Here is the thread where the trackpad issues are discussed and drivers that fix the issues are linked.

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaP...059/page/5

Y u so 3-cell
yyyyyyyy?

So, what happened? You're just stuck with it? No returns?

I bought it from Lenovo outlet. Return window was 30 days from date of purchase, and they took 3 weeks to ship. I put up with it for a couple weeks and by the time I called I was SOL.

edit: Went flipping through emails. Ordered on 11/23, arrived 12/13.

3 weeks to ship is insane. glad to know they have crap outlet policies/warranties

Seems like there's a major flaw with the wifi antenna which causes slow/spotty connections. Upgrading the drivers won't help.

Think I'll pass on this deal.

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaP...27/page/66

Good luck stutter stepping your marines with this laptop :P

seems underpowered. i would say spend some more and get the zenbook with a full hd matte screen, faster processor, and more RAM

LOL!!!

good point...i use zerg anyways...so its all just a big swarm for me.LOL

The i3 is fine and should not be a deal killer for anyone. Modern CPUs are plenty powerful enough for what this laptop will be used for: internet browsing, movie watching etc.

This is a very tempting deal. On paper, I don't think you can beat the specs for the price. However, after reading reviews and all the SD comments, I don't think I want to take the chance on the potential headaches. I am a fan of Lenovo products, but I think this is a pass for me.

On the U310 and U410 that I have tried at micro center, the keyboard feels really flimsy. You can press down on the keys and the whole keyboard get warped at the point of pressure downward. Not sure if this is just on the floor model or, is this the common build quality of these two models?

I don't understand why this Lenovo receives Front Page status and such hype compared to this Dell 13z deal (was $399, but now back to $450).

http://slickdeals.net/f/5799030-D...ting-1-15?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6834200702



First off, I am all for both laptops. I think they're great laptops for their price point. I just don't understand why everyone hated on the 13z and here comes an Identically spec'ed! Lenovo and it's suddenly Great! and Front Page?! Sure Dell's current selling price is less, but the HP Touchpad was less too; didnt make that less worth it (borderline hyperbole analogy?). The dell has 6gb RAM vs 4gb Lenovo. The Lenovo also has an SSD but that can be purchased for the $50 extra your paying anyways.

The Lenovo has much better build quality (mostly aluminum shell) as opposed to plastic that the 13z uses. I can also imagine that the keyboard is slightly better on the Lenovo as well :)

I think the envy 4 sleekbook with i5 is a much better deal.

Most of the people calling an i3 a deal killer on a laptop are failing to distinguish between laptop and desktop CPUs. The only thing of significance the mobile i5 adds over the mobile i3 is Turbo Boost. Aside from that and a few obscure virtualization functions, the mobile i5 and i3 are the same. Same cache, same number of cores, both have hyperthreading, same GPU and GPU clocks. To really make a step up from the mobile i3, you need to go to the mobile i7.

Granted for the ultra-low voltage versions, the Turbo Boost on the i5 can be significant - the 1.8 GHz version of the i5 can ramp up to 2.6-2.8 GHz. For most laptop CPUs, the i5 is only a modest ~15% speed improvement over the i3.

In most cases, the i5 model adds ~$100 in price over the i3 model, so for a laptop I would actually call the i5 a deal-killer. In terms of bang for the buck, I would rate Intel's mobile processors i3 > i7 > i5. (This isn't Intel's fault - their component pricing for the mobile i5 is almost the same as for the mobile i3. It's the laptop manufacturers taking advantage of widespread ignorance of the minuscule benefit of the mobile i5 over the i3 to milk money from customers.)

The desktop i5 is an entirely different beast. It's a quad core, and only lacks hyperthreading and has a slightly smaller cache than the desktop i7. I would rate the desktop processors as i5 > i3 >= i7 in bang for the buck.

Cheap fix for the wifi issue here. These things are amazing and have resurrected many laptops of mine/friends/family.
http://www.meritline.com/airlink1...45923.aspx

I think the biggest hiccup with this is the 3 cell battery. May not seem like an issue now, but after a year of moderate use, these batteries wear down. Ever price out a replacement battery on an ultrabook? You want to start out as big as possible with these slim machines. And make sure you run them on battery power, and don't leave them plugged in if not necessary.

Decent deal except for the battery size IMO.

Was going to purchase this before reading the wifi issues, screen viewing angle issues, etc.

Was right in my price range for school (note taking, internet browsing, video watching..but any sort of other functionality was a plus) but Im not sure I want to risk dealing with all those problems.

this is a misconception. People think higher res on smaller screens would be detrimental but it's actually the opposite. Things will be clearer and sharper and oh so more beautiful. Fonts aren't really an issue either because most high res lappies work just fine and even if there was a problem, you could simply oh i don't know... increase the font?? lol

also to note: I have an HTPC hooked up to an HDTV (1920x1080 max). Works fine for the most part but i'll tell you, every time i wish it was some incredible 2560x1900 or something so things will be sharper and clearer. Basically what i'm saying is the HDTV's limited small res is what's actually giving me the eye strain!

Still debating on this deal, the U410 is about $100 more. Think its worth upgrading or waiting for a better laptop?

Wonder if the U310 has the same problems as the U410 or have they fixed the problems as mentioned by Iyaz Akhtar from TWIT at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-l750Lb_w0 around the 2m22s mark.

To each his own. I hardly appreciate the increased resolution on a 13" screen. In fact I am happy that they are offering laptops at low prices with these screens. Wouldn't pay anything over $50 for it

OT, but Thanks. For those of us not in the loop, it's good to get a simple reminder like this now and then. I'm currently using a lenovo i3-sandy as a desktop replacement. Picked up another i3-sandy and an i7-ivy-QM from the outlet few days ago. Didn't know which to resell as i3 is all I need anyways, but your post made me feel better about keeping the i7. Don't need it, but it'll sure be futureproofed a lot longer. :)

in my current Thinkpad, i set the battery to start charging when below 75%, and stop charging at 85%. So far, after a year, battery life seems to be the same as the day I bought it. In my limited knowledge, i don't know of any other manufacturer that allows you to control/extend battery life like this. I know it's just software, but none of my previous dells had any software capable of this. Is this feature in the IdeaPad line as well?

Why are there never any desktop deals?

Le No Vote for me.
Horrible mfg.

What are some of you guys doing on your laptops that require 1080p or a chip faster than the i3 in this laptop?

I'm genuinely looking for an answer. Do you guys use your laptops as your main computer? I always recommend people to have a desktop and a laptop if they had the money to purchase both.

good post and reps. I would also like to add that if you are considering a mobile i7 don't assume its quad core (some are and some aren't)

This Chinese brand is last on my list.

1.8Ghz i3 with 1366x768? this thing isn't worth $258

The price premium is because the laptop is a work of art, built from a single piece of brushed aluminum as opposed to the ugly plastic on most laptops on the market.

It's also because it's an ultrabook, light and small. Link to a 13" ultrabook made of aluminum with an better than an i3 and or higher resolution for $258?

can i upgrade the chip cor I5 from other lenovo laptop, do you think it will fit?

fatbook, too heavy.

It might, but more importantly the back casing is very difficult to open. It uses easily breakable plastic bits instead of usual screws. If you buy this don't expect to upgrade.

I purchased the Lenovo y580 in a deal over the Holidays and I could not disagree with you more. I have been extremely impressed with the build quality and price.

At least they're a lot better than Dell.

I love my Y570... top-notch build quality and great performance/specs.

asus x202e for $500 is the way to go, you will not regret touchscreen (and can upgrade to an ssd).

Sony has this feature as well (though it's buried in one of their utilities). Some of the Dells had it, but I haven't bought a Dell in years so don't know if they still do.

Other laptops I've looked at lately incorporate the same functionality automatically. They simply under-report the battery's capacity to Windows. e.g. The battery is labeled as 4800 mAh, but Windows will report it as being a 4300 mAh battery. So when Windows is thinks it's charging to 100%, it's actually only charging the battery to 90%. Several of the Toshibas, Samsungs, and HPs I've looked at do this.

I prefer the Thinkpad approach, since you can turn the feature off when you really need the extra capacity. Like on a long transoceanic flight.

source [behardware.com]

i3 vs i5 nets about 15% performance difference. laptop price difference typically lies in other components, whereas the proc. prices are identical. i7 is a different story all together, looks to be easily 100% faster than the i5.:D

FYI ivy bridge i3 is roughly 5% faster than sandy bridge i3 (not as much as I would have expected)

ivy bridge i3 tends to fall slightly faster than the AMD A10 trinity boards in proc. dependent tests

32"-37" would be more adequate I think for 4k.

37" for me probably as I have my Monitor on an articulating arm sitting a bit further away than normal.

Inspirons are butt ugly. A slim inspiron ( z ) is still a butt ugly machine.


Try pulling that one out in class :lmao: Probably get smacked around by the teacher right there.

I bought a U310 fall of last yr for $550 and yes there are some complaints, but overall it's a solid machine, especially at ~450. My "complaints" would be that I wish it came with a 4 cell battery, but 3 cell is ok. The screen doesn't have the best viewing angles, but it's sufficient. On wake up it takes a few seconds for the keyboard to respond to login. Annoying, but hardly a deal breaker. I find the build quality to be good. Wifi problems don't seem like a big issue if you grab the latest firmware. Yes, the SSD i believe is a minipci card or something like that, but the hdd is a standard laptop hdd I thought that can be easily upgraded to a ssd.

Overall, but a non-gaming laptop, I think it's great for this price. I like the fact that the ram/hdd is upgradeable unlike the more expensive zenbook.

Sorry, 768 is a higher resolution than 720p. 1280x720 = 720p = HD; 1366x768 = "768p" = HD

Personally waiting on a higher resolution ultra book to hit under $450

I'm so conflicted.

I ordered it, cancelled it, and thinking about ordering it again...

Since when is an i3 with a 3cell battery for over $400 a good deal???

Unibody is typically a cheaper process to manufacturer than multiple chunks. I don't need my PC to be slow piece of (sh)art. I need it to be a powerhouse. I'll pass.

Added service manual to wiki
http://download.lenovo.com/consum...nglish.pdf
Definitely can upgrade both Ram, HDD and SSD(it's Msata folks, pretty common form factor)

I opened this laptop up to see if the battery was there since it was an open boxed purchase. It maybe three cell but it is HUGE! It pretty much cover 50% of the available space under the chassis. It maybe 3 cells but the cells are big. My nine cell x220 is only about 1.5 time the size of this battery but I do get 10 hours with SSD on my x220. I average about 5 hours on the u310 which is plenty for me.

If you got the money, get the Samsung series 9 for $700 on Amazon. Lighter, sexier, longer battery life, SSD drive.

Having said that, boot time on the u310 is surprisingly quick for a HDD+SSD combo. It takes 22-25 secs for a cold boot and wifi pretty much connects right away(if you get the one with no wifi problem). From a cold boot to a working internet explorer takes roughly 35-40 secs, not bad at all considering the OS is installed on HDD. It must be UEFI windows 7 install since the Lenovo appears and disappear 2 secs after pushing the power on and windows 7 logo starts but it does take about another15 secs to login.

On a side note, I was testing this out to use as a HTPC. I hooked up my USB drive with some full bit rate blue ray rip in .m2ts and .mkv format. It had no problem playing it, and it shouldn't. What was surprising however, was that if I hook the HDMI to my Yamaha and then to my TV, I can actually get a multi channel PCM out to my Yamaha.

It wasn't the sound card that was responsible for that. It was the Intel Display Sound via HDMI. There is an option to decode up to 7.1 and send that as a multi channel(already decoded) LPCM signal to my yamaha. I was researching 5.1 audio via HDMI and found that starting with Sandy Bridge, that was possible, regardless of the main sound card that was installed since this is strictly using the built in Intel sound via HDMI.

Well ultrabooks have to have thinner lighter batteries to fit into the frame. Can't fit a 9 cell battery into one of those without it sticking out like a sore thumb. Plus these ultra babies don't consume as much power as the bigger, heavier laptops anyway.

Is this a super small machine?

Does this include tax and shipping?

Can anybody comment on whether or not this particular model (43752CU) may have the wifi issue? Any idea on its manufacturing date?

Also I'm curious as to when Amazon will end up matching the price. They're still at $539.99 and it's been a couple of days.

Was able to pick up a new IdeaPad U310 i5-3317U from the Lenovo Outlet for 103.20 + tax and free shipping. Gotta have a bit of luck on the outlet deals though. They are few and sell fast.

That is a very very very very slick price! :):bounce::drool:

When did that Outlet show up for 103.20? I've been watching the outlet for this, and in the last week, it hasn't gone down lower than $462 for the i5.

edit...I think I got it.

You saved $25.80! WTF?
I doubt you get this (in other words I can't believe they are that stupid), looks like a typo to me.
But if you do get it, man are you lucky!

Hopefully it ships, but I do have my doubts. Some people have gotten crazy deals like this in the past and product shipped. If it ships, I'll consider my self lucky. If it doesn't I'm not going to complain either.

How is this compared to that Staples Asus $399 one?
http://slickdeals.net/f/5819330-s...for-399-99

Well the Lenovo is a laptop with no touchscreen while the Asus is.
Processors are the same.
Asus has a 11.6" screen while the Lenovo has a 13.3" screen.
Both have 4GB of RAM.
Both have 500 GB HDD. However the Lenovo also contains a 32GB SSD drive.
Asus is 2.9 lbs while the Lenovo is 3.7 lbs.

All depends on what you want to do, whether you want tablet/laptop or strictly a portable laptop.

i need a basic laptop and was thinking about this one from Frys.. with 100 AR its only 378! a Fujitso, im usually a dell girl.

Fujitsu AH532, Intel Core i3-3110, 15.6" Screen Display, Notebook with 6GB Memory, 750GB Hard Drive, Windows 8
$100.00 Rebate
Mfr: FUJITSU Model: FPCR35161
FRYS.com #7361704 UPC: 611343092159

seems like its comparable to this lenova deal? Thoughts? Thanks in advance :)

Fujitsu Lifebook AH532 FPCR35161

Affordable Entry-level Multimedia Notebook
With Solid Performance for Work and Play

Key Features:

15.6” brilliant high definition (HD) Crystal View display with integrated HD webcam for crystal-clear web chats
Experience quick, solid performance with a 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i3 processor and 6 GB system memory
Latest Windows® 8 operating system provides an intuitive, enjoyable, and secure computing experience
Outstanding video quality with Intel® HD shared graphics
Lightning fast WiFi connections and greater coverage with Wireless-N
Wirelessly stream slideshows and presentations to the TV with Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi) technology
Dual-Layer DVD Writer to watch your favorite DVD movies and burn DVDs and CDs
Large hard drive capacity is great for storing photos, videos, music and more
Charge phones and other devices with the Anytime USB Charge port even if your notebook is off
Integrated HDMI port allows an easy wired connection to a larger high definition TV
Experience the power of productivity at your fingertips on the full-size keyboard with numeric 10-key keypad.
Spill-resistant isolation keyboard offers protection against damage caused by accidental spills.

Key Specifications

3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i3-3110M processor
(2.4 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache, 1600 MHz FSB)
Windows® 8 (64 bit)
15.6" Crystal View WXGA HD display (1366 x 768)
Intel® HD Graphics 4000
6 GB DDR3 1600 MHz SDRAM memory (4 GB + 2 GB)
750 GB S-ATA
5400 rpm hard drive
Integrated Dual-Layer DVD Writer
Gigabit Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 (802.11BGN)
Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi) and integrated Bluetooth v4 +HS
Integrated HD webcam (1280 x 720 pixels)
with digital microphone
HDMI port,
3 USB 3.0
1 USB 2.0 connector (one with Anytime USB Charge capability)
Secure Digital (SD) card slot
ExpressCard® slot
Lithium ion (6-cell, 10.8V, 4400 mAh, 48Wh)
rated up to 7 hours
Full-size, spill-resistant isolation keyboard with separate numeric 10-key keypad
Integrated touchpad pointing device with gesture support

If you can get that for $378 then I say go for it. Not sure how Frys is with Rebates but I'd snag it if I needed a laptop for the wife.

For anyone on the edge about this machine, I can say that the one I received for my wife as a b-day gift is pretty awesome for the price. The wifi is far superior to her existing acer timeline. I can walk around the house outside with a full signal strength. Build quality is great. Touchpad is nice after updated dell drivers. Zero complaints. Very nice upgrade from the old su4100 ulv win7 machine (same resolution but smaller/more portable).

Do you know the manufacturing date by any chance?

Yes, I second that. The web is awash with complaints that U310/U410 have a serious Wifi reception issue- causing low speeds and connection issues. The forums indicate its only for machines manufactured before July 23rd 2012. Can anyone who bought it check the manufacturing date? thanks

http://ultrabooknews.com/2012/08/...lty-units/

Sorry missed this last night. I'll check it tonight.

Checked the date on the one I received from newegg. Manufacture date 6/13/12 so its before the cutoff mentioned in the article. I can't find any signs of a wifi issue though.

Received my new u310 from the Lenovo outlet today. Manufacture date 9/12/2012. So far no wifi issues, but I'm connecting to my 802.11g router. Gonna bring to work and connect to 11n router to see if any issues.