Lenovo IdeaPad S205 AMD Fusion E-450 Notebook

Another AMD Fusion E-450 notebook has hit the market. This time in the form of the Lenovo in the form of the IdeaPad S205. Is this the best option in the market? Priced at Php22,500 it is within the price range of the other 11 to 12-inch AMD E-450 offerings, so basically, price will not be the deciding factor. 

The Lenovo IdeaPad S205 has specifications that are typical for this class of laptop with 2GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a 5 hour battery life, HDMI out, a card reader, WiFi, Bluetooth and other connectivity options which are now standard across all laptops. 

It falls shorts in the graphics department. While AMD list the AMD E-450 APU as coming with a AMD 6320 graphics chip running at 508 MHz which can be boosted to 600 MHz on demand, apparently some E-450's still come with the older AMD 6310 as can be seen from the Lenovo website. This means the graphics chip runs at 492 MHz with no turbo boost capability.

We have been able to confirm that all Sony Vaio YB E-450 models come with AMD 6320 graphics, though this unit is priced higher at Php26,990 (suggested retail price) and that the Asus Eee PC 1215B at Php22,000 (at PCHub) we inspected also comes with AMD 6320 graphics, it is best to check the specifications in the box and from the system properties to make sure the unit you are getting has the faster graphics chip.

In terms of high speed data transfer it also is a step behind the Asus. The Lenovo IdeaPad S205 does not come with a USB 3.0 port. The Asus 1215B is the only E-450 laptops that does come with a USB 3.0 port, and some 1215B's don't. Confusing isn't it.

Is there a reason to buy this laptop? Yes it has an excellent keyboard, probably the best in the class. 

So if you are willing to give up some speed for a better keyboard, this one is worth a look.