Lenovo Y700 ideacentre Gaming PC Review

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Techaeris Rated 9.2/10

I haven’t gamed on a PC in years, so when I was offered a chance to review the Lenovo Y700 gaming desktop I couldn’t turn it down. Seeing an Intel i5 processor in it, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 graphics card, and 8GB of RAM I wanted to push this PC to its limits as much as possible. Keep reading to see how the Lenovo Y700 ideacentre Gaming PC performed.

Specifications

  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Intel Core i5-6400 (@2.70GHz)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB
  • 1TB + 8GB hybrid HDD
  • 120GB SSD
  • 8GB DDR4
  • Front Ports: 7-in-1 Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC plus, MMC, MS, MS_Pro), 4 x USB 2.0, 4 x USB 3.0 (1st port supports Always-on USB charging), audio/microphone jack
  • Rear Ports: 2 x USB 2.0, 4 x USB 3.0, Giga LAN, HDMI/VGA/DVI, 6 x audio jack with SPDIF (7.1 Surround Sound), PS/2 Combo
  • Audio: 7.1 Surround Sound with Dolby® Home Theater™
  • WiFi: 802.11 a/c
  • Bluetooth

What’s In The Box

  • Y700 Tower
  • Keyboard
  • Power cable
  • Manual

Design

Saying this unit has a big form factor might be an understatement, but the PC is pretty big. Just the box it came in was just about as tall as my three year old daughter. No banana for scale. Sorry guys, maybe next time.

Looking at the front of the tower, it looks like a carbon fiber skin has been applied, which adds a nice touch to the entire unit itself. Lenovo’s brand name is at the top right and underneath that are two slots. The one on top is the CD drive and the bottom one doesn’t open at all which I thought was a little weird. In the middle of the two slots is a strip that turns into a button to open up the CD drive. Moving further down is a “Y” that turns red when the PC is powered on. Two more lights show up when the unit is on too which are located under the “Y” on the left and right side. Just above the front of the tower are some ports that include an SD card slot, four USB ports, a headphone port, and a microphone port.

Top side is home to the power button and what feels like a handle to carry the unit around. Another “Y” and vents are present. Want to see more carbon fiber? There’s a small portion at the end and that piece is actually used for taking off the left side of the tower to access all the innards. Looking at either the left or right side of the unit you will notice Lenovo’s brand name again. The left side of the tower has holes on it which are more than likely to let heat get out. Now, for the back side which has all of the important parts to it. It’s home to two USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, Giga LAN, HDMI/VGA/DVI, 6 x audio jack with SPDIF (7.1 Surround Sound), and PS/2 Combo.

I didn’t use the standard keyboard at all, but the design of it looks much better than some other keyboards I’ve seen. The keyboard itself has a black and red theme going on to match the color theme of the Y700.

Software/Ecosystem

Windows 10 Home is pre-installed on the PC and for this being my first time using Windows 10 since it came out, I like it. For those used to Windows 10, you’ll have no issue navigating where you need to go to run programs or applications. Lenovo also has their own software pre-installed too such as: Lenovo Companion, REACHit, SHAREit, Lenovo Rescue Center, LED Control, Lenovo ID, a trial of McAfee Security, and more.

Performance

When you think of a gaming PC, you automatically think high end specs such as the processor or graphics card, maybe even RAM to keep up with high frame rate games. Well, the Y700 did not disappoint when it came to running Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Battlefield 4. Sure those games are older, but both games ran smooth when it came to having all graphic settings set to high. Star Wars didn’t hit too much lag, only when intense sword fighting came into play, the frame rate dropped. No big deal, but it was strange to see some for a game that came out five years ago. Battlefield 4 on the other hand kept up just fine. I didn’t notice any hiccups there. Overall, the Y700 should be able to handle most of the toughest games thrown at it.

Speakers

Sound will not be coming out of the tower so I ended up using the headphones that were provided in the box. You can read a bit more about these headphones in the Accessories section below. Lenovo has been kind enough to include their gaming surround sound headset with several of their Y-series gaming laptops and desktops we’ve received for review. Keep an eye on Techaeris for a full review of this headset in the future.

Accessories

Just about every PC gamer out there has their own headphones, gaming mouse, and gaming keyboard, but these are what Lenovo will offer you if you choose to purchase them. Lenovo was kind enough to include the gaming mouse, a gaming mechanical keyboard, and a gaming surround sound headset (with mic). The gaming mouse and headset is $69.99USD and the mechanical keyboard is $139.99USD. Both the mouse and keyboard are easy to use and I came across no issue with either of them.  I did have a tendency to tap the far right button (acts as the left most button) on the mouse when selecting a link or button on a website. The surround sound headset kept out outside noise which was nice for a change so I didn’t have to hear everything that was going on. You will have the option to listen to your own music with the headset too as it comes with a 3.5mm jack.

Price/Value

Gaming computers aren’t exactly cheap even if you plan on upgrading them over the years, but Lenovo kept that in mind for those that do plan on upgrading the specs. The starting price for the Y700 is $1,400USD, which isn’t too bad if you plan on keeping the unit for years to come. I can say that you are getting what you paid for, no doubt about that.

Wrap Up

I know I’ve already said this at the beginning of the article, but I haven’t gamed on a PC in years, but this could be a perfectly good reason to start getting back in to it. Lenovo did a fantastic job on this gaming tower, along with the accessories to go with it, so you won’t be disappointed. I do know all gaming towers can be upgraded at any time, so with Lenovo giving you that ability it’ll let their customers keep their gaming rig up to date when newer, more system intense games come out instead of having to purchase another. Well done Lenovo, well done.

In some of our articles and especially in our reviews, you will find Amazon or other affiliate links. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Any other purchases you make through these links often result in a small amount being earned for the site and/or our writers. Techaeris often covers brand press releases. Doing this does not constitute an endorsement of any product or service by Techaeris. We provide the press release information for our audience to be informed and make their own decision on a purchase or not. Only our reviews are an endorsement or lack thereof. For more information, you can read our full disclaimer.

Last Updated on February 18, 2020.

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