Lenovo G500 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

I didn't need a laptop for any extremely taxing purposes, just one to leave in my office at school (I am a grad student) and occasionally take to class. This laptop is perfect for me since it has the number pad for inputting data and can handle everything I have required of it so far.I have installed MiniTab, all Microsoft Office programs, Google chrome, and ChromeCast (plus a few simple games).I am easily able to ChromeCast Netflix or Hulu and still work on my Word/Excel and MiniTab16 documents.I have no regrets about buying this computer, it feels complete to me.Keyboard:The number pad (as mentioned above) is extremely useful. The keys feel nice and have a decent depth. They are not too close (like with the mini computers) and I don't feel cramped while typing. They are appropriately "clicky" so I know I am typing, but am not disturbing those around me.Touch pad:The touch pad is fine. It moves well. The first few weeks I had it, it was difficult to use the tap method for left clicking. It seems to be wearing in somehow (or I am getting used to it). The keys directly below the touchpad are a little loud, so I feel bad if I am in class doing a lot of clicking, but I just bring a mouse with me anyway.Weight/Size:I wanted a larger screen, so I was willing to make some sacrifices on this front, but I don't think I really made them!The weight is perfectly reasonable for the size. I pick it up and am surprised that it does not weigh more. The size is a bit on the large end, but I wanted a 15.6" screen and that is what I got. It still fits well into my backpack (the North Face Surge).

The first one I bought bricked within a day. The second was working fine until the 8.1 upgrade and then the wifi just went downhill. I reloaded the drivers, but for some reason it works for a while and slides back to the point where it just randomly goes to limited connection without any reason on some routers. I would suggest spending a little more money on a better quality machine. Another reviewer point out the lack of a caps lock light, and this is not an insignificant problem especially if you are trying to input a password and you don't realize caps lock is turned on. Buy this computer with the knowledge that it is a budget machine, but it's not perfect by any means.

According to PC Magazine this was best in their "Basic" category of laptops. Yes, the keyboard is very good. Very much like a desktop keyboard but without the noise. Layout is a little different from the keyboard I had but the touch is good.Sheesh. A very sensitive mousepad. Or sometimes not. This is a problem; never knowing when I can simply hold my finger above the pad and it will respond or when I have to tap it. And it does over-react often. I'm having to use my body/hands in a very different way.Yes, lots of extra and unwanted stuff loaded on this. Easy enough to uninstall or unpin from the opening screen. But surprise to novice shopper me; it didn't have MS Word/Office/Excel, etc. installed. Ugh. This ended up being so much more expensive than I planned.All in all I am happy with it, my first laptop. It is smaller and much more portable than a desktop, but not so drastically different that I had a hard time making the transition. It's been good for writing and research and emailing. The screen is big enough to enjoy some good youtubes. It's very quiet. It feels sturdy with reliable moving parts.

Do not buy this item, cheap excuse for a laptop. It won't connect to some WiFi, I've gone to multiple IT centers and they find nothing wrong with programs, literally just this computer. I checked online, apparently Lenovo products inherently suck at connecting to the internet. Terrible product overall. Slow, much slower than my computer I bought 5 years ago. If it were up to me they would pay me back all of my money plus compensation for how useless this thing is and for how much stress and inconvenience it has caused me

Looks and feels cheap!! the fisical appearance is not quality. The sound it provides is very good though but it suppose to have 500Gb but it actually only has 400Gb the operation system and hardwares that it has.

Pros:Best bang for buck laptop I could find (got it for $400, refurbished)Processor and graphics are powerful enough for everyday tasks and even moderate gamingRuns very cool, the processor almost never goes over 80C at full loadKeyboard feels great to type onBoots up in less that 15 seconds.Nearly instant wake from sleepFan is nearly silent, even at full loadSpeakers are above the keyboard and are good quality and volumeback opens up after removing only 2 screwsfan is easy to cleanCons:Built in mic is basically trashglossy display = lots of glare in well lit roomsright shift is shorter than most other keyboards which takes a bit of getting used tosurface is a fingerprint magnetcaps lock indicator is below the trackpad (not very obvious when caps lock is on)body feels a bit plasticky and can bend slightly in thinner spotscomes with several gigs of bloatware (protip: pc decrapifier)Keep in mind before buying:This laptop is a bit heavy (6lb with charger)I can manage to squeeze out about 5-6 hours of battery life with the brightness on less than half in balanced power mode, your results may vary.comes with windows 8 (can be a pro for some, con for others)multitouch trackpad can be a bit finicky until you figure it outThe Intel turbo boost almost never comes up to 3.2 GHz. It usually goes up to 3 GHz and only when on high performance mode (this will eat up your battery in a couple hours, you have been warned)Bottom line:If you are looking for a good midrange laptop for a great price, you can't go wrong with this one.