Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
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Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
Hi All,
New to Mint, not new to Linux.
I just bought a new Lenovo Y500 IdeaPad, and I'd like to post what successes and failures roll right out of the box with this brand-spanking new hardware. I have seen no documentation elsewhere on this model.
To start, the hardware:
Lenovo IdeaPad Y500
3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor (2.40GHz 6MB)
NVIDIA GeForce GT650M 2GB
16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz --- (originally 8GB, I increased it)
15.6" FHD LED Glare Wedge 1920x1080
Industry Standard Multi-touch 2 button touchpad
1TB 5400RPM + 16GB SSD
DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
6 Cell Li-Polymer
Intel Centrino Wireless N-2230
Bluetooth Version 4.0
Integrated HD Camera
HDMI (Out)
New to Mint, not new to Linux.
I just bought a new Lenovo Y500 IdeaPad, and I'd like to post what successes and failures roll right out of the box with this brand-spanking new hardware. I have seen no documentation elsewhere on this model.
To start, the hardware:
Lenovo IdeaPad Y500
3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor (2.40GHz 6MB)
NVIDIA GeForce GT650M 2GB
16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz --- (originally 8GB, I increased it)
15.6" FHD LED Glare Wedge 1920x1080
Industry Standard Multi-touch 2 button touchpad
1TB 5400RPM + 16GB SSD
DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
6 Cell Li-Polymer
Intel Centrino Wireless N-2230
Bluetooth Version 4.0
Integrated HD Camera
HDMI (Out)
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
Shipping delay.....
But in the meantime, I saw that nVidia has an excellent menu for downloading drivers. I was under the suspicion that I would have to use BumbleBee, but I may start with the nVidia driver first.
But in the meantime, I saw that nVidia has an excellent menu for downloading drivers. I was under the suspicion that I would have to use BumbleBee, but I may start with the nVidia driver first.
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
You must not install the NVIDIA driver on modern Optimus laptops without some kind of switching application like Bumblebee - it will not work and also break Intel graphics. Please see: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bumblebee
Registered Linux User #528502
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
Ahh, thank you. I thought they were both independent drivers: I was unaware that one helped the other and they are seen as a working pair.
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
Well, in fact this is just NVIDIA's problem; their driver is not able to run properly when it has to co-exist with another graphics driver that does 3D acceleration too. Bumblebee works around that.
Registered Linux User #528502
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
The Y500/Y400 don't have Optimus as the integrated Intel graphics is disabled. You can check out the following thread for some of the issues and fixes encountered:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2095063
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2095063
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
Interesting. I wonder if that's why their battery life is trash: ~ 3 hours.
So I'm going to assume that means I can forego the BumbleBee experiment, and just install the nVidia driver.
Laptop arrives Thursday, I'll probably tinker all weekend.
So I'm going to assume that means I can forego the BumbleBee experiment, and just install the nVidia driver.
Laptop arrives Thursday, I'll probably tinker all weekend.
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
You can confirm the absence of Optimus by running inxi -Gx in terminal. If it shows Card-1 Intel and Card-2 NVIDIA then you need Bumblebee; if it only shows one card then installing the NVIDIA driver is fine.
It is also possible that there is some kind of BIOS setting controlling this.
It is also possible that there is some kind of BIOS setting controlling this.
Registered Linux User #528502
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
At least on my Y400 there is no BIOS option to switch between nVidia and Intel graphics. Also, running
does not list Intel, just the 650m:
I just use the nvidia driver and also nvidiabl for backlight control.
Code: Select all
lspci | grep VGA
Code: Select all
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GK107 [GeForce GT 650M] (rev a1)
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
Thanks for the clarifications.
I see packages:
nvidia-current smartdimmer
Are those the ones that you mean? Or did you get yours (eg: "nvidiabl") from another source?
I was planning on installing the driver from the nVidia website, but if these work I'll try them. I want super-stable, if possible.
I see packages:
nvidia-current smartdimmer
Are those the ones that you mean? Or did you get yours (eg: "nvidiabl") from another source?
I was planning on installing the driver from the nVidia website, but if these work I'll try them. I want super-stable, if possible.
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
I have Arch on mine where the package is just nvidia but I believe nvidia-current is right for ubuntu/mint. The nvidiabl driver comes from this github repo with the download page here. It adds a new interface at /sys/class/backlight/nvidia_backlight which can control the screen brightness. The ubuntu forum thread I linked to above has more details including using a few scripts to get the fn keys working.
Re: Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 - Hardware Status
Well, it showed up pretty beaten, left out in the cold (thanks UPS), and Windows 8 wouldn't even get through the initial boot. After diagnosing a bit further, I also found out that their 16GB SSD + 1 TB Hard Drive was not a true hybrid drive, like the salesperson said, but just two drives.
Not happy.
Returning for a full refund. Not how I wanted to end the thread, but there's just too much sketchy material here for me to feel comfy using this as my own laptop. I may just have to go back to the Mac world. <sigh>
Not happy.
Returning for a full refund. Not how I wanted to end the thread, but there's just too much sketchy material here for me to feel comfy using this as my own laptop. I may just have to go back to the Mac world. <sigh>