Published in Reviews

Lenovo’s IdeaPad S205 delivers Fusion on a budget

by on02 August 2011

Index


Benchmarks

Here are the customary GPU-Z and CPU-Z screens:

GPU-z

CPU-z

In 3Dmark06, the Lenovo scores 2215 3Dmarks. Of course, the E-350 and HD 6310 combo are not intended for gaming, but the real value of having a modern DX11 GPU lays in HD playback, which Brazos handles much better than Atom chips thanks to the UVD 3 engine. Of course, it would even be possible to run some old games on the E-350, but lackluster battery life would be an issue.

3dmark

Naturally, the E-350 can’t hold a candle to contemporary high-end processors in more demanding tests like Cinebench. However, nobody outside a mental health institution would even consider using it for offline 3D rendering or anything nearly as demanding.

Cine_CPU

Cine_OpenLG

Hitachi’s 250GB hard drive delivers good transfer rates, albeit with subpar access times.

HD_Tune



Conclusion


So, the S205 is a mixed bag to say the least.  Clearly its biggest drawback is limited battery life and the fact that Lenovo was forced to ship a bulky 6-cell power pack, thus increasing weight and adding unnecessary thickness to an otherwise sleek design, only to deliver unimpressive results. The touchpad is a bit too small for my taste and upgradability is also an issue.

However, although the IdeaPad S205 has its fair share of shortcomings I will go out on a limb and recommend it - and here is why - it offers unbeatable value for money, plain and simple. No 11.6-incher comes even close in terms of pricing, let alone performance, including models based on ancient single-core Atoms and Athlons. Roughly comparable models usually retail for €50 to €100 more. In fact, the closest competitor is Lenovo’s own U160 with an Intel U5400 dual-core, which is practically identical to the S205, but costs a bit more.

Let me put it this way: €259 will hardly buy you a decent phone, or a half-decent tablet, but it will buy you a cute ultraportable notebook that can easily meet the everyday needs of most users.



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Last modified on 02 August 2011
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