• out of stock

Lenovo IdeaPad S540 13", AMD Ryzen 7 4800U (8C/16T), QHD (2560*1600) IPS, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD $1106.1 @ Lenovo Education Store

1670
EOFY
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Specifications:

Processor
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800U (8C / 16T, 1.8 / 4.2GHz, 4MB L2 / 8MB L3) - Codename Renoir

Display
13.3" QHD (2560x1600) WVA 300nits Glossy, 100% sRGB

Memory
16GB Soldered DDR4-3200

Hard Drive
512GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe

Battery
Integrated 56Wh (Up to 14hrs battery life)

Camera
720p + IR + ToF

Keyboard
Backlit, English

Wireless
11ax, 2x2 + BT5.0

Ports
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (always-on)
2 x USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 1 (power delivery + Display Port)
1 x Combo audio/mic jack

Weight
Approx 1.25kg

Chassis build material:
Aluminum

*Shipping in early June

*Another benefit of this laptop is that you can change the TDP in BIOS or Lenovo Vantage between Battery Saver (12.5W), Intelligent Cooling (15W) and Extreme Performance (25W).

*If you want to compare CPU performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 4800U to other CPUs, you can have a look at:

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Ryzen+7+4800U&i…

*This deal is just slightly more than the one I posted earlier this year at $1119 vs $1097.

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closed Comments

  • +5

    I'm not really into modern computer specs, so correct if I'm wrong, but this looks like a great laptop at the price, comparing to other recent laptop deals

    • +6

      For the specifications you are getting, it's a great deal.

    • Isn't the screen size its selling point?

      • +1

        Isn't the size of the screen subjective?

    • Depends I think 13 is the sweet spot for a laptop.

      It makes it perfect when using it on the go. Downside is it is not great when used on a desk but I think all laptops should essentially be docked when sittings at a desk.

  • 13inch @ 2560x1600 seems kinda nuts?

    • -5

      Just increase the scaling you peanut.

      • +18

        I like peanuts : )

      • Yes becaus scaling works so well in all applications…. Not.

    • +5

      It's the same as the 13 inch Macbook Air / Pro if you want to see it in person.

      I think it's a great compromise, nice and sharp without needing as much power as 4k

    • +2

      In comparison iPhone12 6.1inch is 2532 x 1170 which makes it 460PPI.
      This laptop 13inch is only 232PPI.

      So iPhone is more nuts.

      FHD laptop is minimum. 2K screen on a laptop is Great. 768p Burn in Hell.

  • Man, so bummed I missed this deal the first time….but not sure I will bite now

    • Why not?

      • +1

        Was trying to justify it for uni…however work just provided a Dell 9420 so less burning desire for this now.

        Although a smaller portable laptop would be preference I don't think I really need it

  • +1

    I thought they stopped making these. Great laptop, 7 keys survived Tea Attack in 15minutes gap … dropped 1st time, felt pissed, made new Tea, dropped Again :D

  • Don’t see any gpu specs, can this be used for gaming?(csgo, valorant, apex etc.)

    • +4

      No discrete GPU, uses the IGPU, which is pretty good for what it is. Yes for those games, but you will have to turn down settings (and probably allocate more VRAM in the BIOS). For 60fps, CSGO and Valorant should be fine on med-low in 1080p and Apex you might need to drop down the resolution as well as low settings.

    • +1

      It's using the iGPU which will be playable for many esport titles like CSGO or valorant though not ideal, especially with that higher res screen. I wouldn't get this if I was doing a decent amount of gaming.

    • +1

      Should be fine for Medium on the igpu

    • +1

      Integrated only. You won't be running anything at native resolution, but drop the res and csgo will run easy and you should be able to get by with other esports titles at lower settings. Better than most integrated graphics solutions but still nothing near proper dedicated GPUs in gaming laptops.

      If you're using it for mostly gaming you'd be much better suited with something like this: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/624626 or something cheaper like https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/623980 after you buy some extra ram for it.

    • +1

      I wanted this but they didn't have them available at the time I needed one. Ended up buying a 4500u (6c/6t) where this is 8c/16t and a slightly better iGPU. Single channel ram iGPU performance was not good, but dual channel 16gb gives me playable metro 2033, GTA V, genshin impact at 1080p. My idea of playable is anything 35-40fps or better as I didn't buy it for games, but it's possible.

      At the same time I had the mx330 2gb (rebadged mx250) with i5-1135g7. The ryzen was better, so I stuck with it.

      If you want ultra everything's at 4k, then as the old boss would say "this is not the droid you're looking for".

    • Just play with 4:3 stretch low settings. will run them fine

  • Have this, it's great. Only real flaw imo is the limited I/O. Everything else is basically a trade-off/preference.

  • I don’t have edu email, any other to buy this laptop at the same price? The normal price at Lenovo website is coming as $1699, not too sure if there is any promo code available to bring the price down to edu store price..

    • +1

      Not sure how low you'll be able to get it but you might be able to haggle with the live chat people to bring it down lower. You can also use cashrewards on the main lenovo store unlike the education store, so that can also make up some difference.

      • Thanks mate. Manage to get access to uniday via a friend.
        Any idea about how Ideapad slim 3 - 15”, Ryzen 7 5700u, 4GB soldered + 12 GB so- dimm RAM for $899 will perform against the OP model?

        I know the process and RAM size is on lower side but is the there is vast difference in performance? I think the 13” screen will be too small so checking what’s available for the same price point vs specs.

        • +4

          As an owner of the S540 and the OP of this deal. The regular Idepad is a couple of tiers lower. The CPU will offer similar performance but the screen is lower quality, with lower resolution and colour gamut vs S540. Chassis is also lower quality, and has a lower capacity battery.

          • @shellshocked: Thanks for the details mate.. Pulled the plug on S540🤞🙂

        • +1

          5700u is a very slightly faster but otherwise straight rebrand of the 4800u, both are Zen 2 and have the same base clock, you'd be very hard pressed to notice a difference without running benchmarks.
          As far as RAM goes, mis matching capacities is always a little iffy, I'm not 100% confident but I think the way it works is if you use up to 8GB then it'll run fast (in dual channel) but going up to 12GB usage will drop it to effective single channel speed (CPU performance will be slower).

          Couple other things to keep in mind, the display on the slim 3 is 45% NTSC compared to 100% SRGB, i.e. noticeably worse colours, also much lower resolution. The battery is also much smaller (38 vs 56Wh), lenovo estimates ~half the runtime off the plug.

          • +1

            @BenR31415: Thanks mate for providing detailed information! The comparison you provided was helpful and I finally decided to go ahead with S540. 🙂

  • +4

    Got this last time it was posted here. I only use it for work ( Microsoft Office and Lightroom), web browsing and Netflix. Does all that without skipping a beat. I always thought the narrative about sub 300 nits laptops was overblown until i got this 300 nits machine. 300nits has to be the bare minimum in a laptop if you use it in an office with any degree of sunlight. This one just makes the cut, but i do wish it were brighter

    • Yeah once you've had a decent laptop screen it's hard to go back to crap

      • +1

        Agreed. I had a MacBook prior to this one. Never had any issues with brightness. I had to go back to look at the specs and it was about 500 nits lol. No wonder.

        • +2

          Nits isn't a linear measurement either. So it's not % brighter automatically.

  • I've never seen the Ideapad S540 designation before, is this like the top of the line 'Slim' models?

  • Shouldn't there be a Ryzen 5000 version by now

    • With chip shortages expect it to be a while before good 5000 series models are at cheap prices.

    • +1

      There is a similar laptop in the coming soon section on Lenovo. It is a bit different, 5800U, slightly lower resolution 14 inch screen and different ports. Not sure what price will be. https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-5-serie…

      • +1

        Look how thin the side bezels are. Beautiful.

  • bought this late December, arrived late January. other then Lenovo having not so great after sales support. it has been a great laptop. as a uni student it runs csgo no worries as well as photoshop and lightroom. only sluggishness was from a few nights back when I was doing about 5 cad drawings connected to my ultrawide which lasted about 5 seconds. highly recommend.

  • Windows 10 Pro?

    • Home, sweet home says the microsoft

  • great price, anyone know if this throttles constantly?

  • Will this be able to manage running geberic web browsing on a 4k and a qhd 27inch if its plugged into a hub?

    • +3

      That CPU is better than I7 9700k desktop version.

    • -2

      I would personally get this, LG rarely manufacture laptops.

      • +2

        LG have been making laptops for ages. They just didn't export most of them.

        • +3

          and the LG Gram is one of the most praised laptops out there, along with the razer blade 15 and such.

        • I never said they haven't been, they just aren't as mainstream nor manufactured to the same extent as Lenovo.

    • +2

      Other than the battery and slightly lower weight. The S540 blows the LG away in every other aspect.

  • @shellshocked Any idea about yoga slim 7 pro coming to Australia ? and will it be updated later with OLED ?

    • +1

      Unfortunately due to COVID and the semiconductor shortage, there is no guarantees on anything at the moment.

  • I also got one of these in the last deal (after regretting not grabbing one in the deal before that..).
    Very happy with it for work and study purposes.
    - Keyboard is really nice
    - Track pad is a good size
    - Screen is really good
    - Nothing has slowed it down for me yet
    - Battery is amazing

    I got a dock for it off ebay and i run it like a desktop at home, and then it gets used on the train during my morning commute. 13" is great for that.

    • How long do you estimate the battery lasts? Not sure whether to pick up this, the lenovo flex 5, m1 mac air or the LG gram. I am a student and will predominantly be using it for word documents, research, some photo editing etc.

      • The Mac and LG probably have the best battery, maybe around 15hrs. I would only go for the Flex 5 if you need the touchscreen. Between the LG and the S540, LG has better battery and lighter. S540 has better specs in most other ways (ryzen 7 vs i5, 16 vs 8gb ram, 512 vs 256gb ssd, QHD vs FHD screen) and around 10hrs. And if u want macOS, the Mac (which has the M1 and QHD, but only 8/256 at the sub $1500 price range).

      • I'd guess about 12 hours or more per charge.. I shut it down when I'm not using it. Leaving it in sleep mode drains the battery a lot quicker..

        • damn thats pretty good

          • @YahooChess: Yeah I'm genuinely impressed with the battery's performance. I'm not sure if it really does anything but I made sure to fully charge (8hrs+ / overnight) and fully discharge (run the thing til it shuts itself down) for the first 3 or 4 charge cycles.
            battery conditioning used to be a big deal.. Maybe it still is..?

  • Considering the ports and form factor of this laptop, this will definitely be top of my "next laptop" list (currently using a 5 year old Lenovo Yoga which is slowing down..). I'm hoping with Thunderbolt 4 that I can connect to 2 x 4k displays.

  • I was almost going to buy this: https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-edge/…

    How does it compare performance wise? I am leaning towards the E14 because it has a HDMI

    • Performance is pretty much identical. Main differences is in the screen and build (and I/O)

  • +1

    Why does it say 1179 now? When I log into it with my edu account

    • Same for me

    • +1

      my sister bought one last night and the price also changed to 1179.

  • +1

    I have this S540 and also a Flex 5 (13 inch) Chromebook, they are quite different.
    What stands out to me is the quality of the S540 compared with the Flex 5 line - the S540 is a level higher, with full aluminium construction, great 8 core CPU, 16GB RAM, the nice 2k bright screen and a wonderful glass trackpad.
    I use it on the low power BIOS settings and it is wonderfully quiet, with the fan rarely noticed.
    No touchscreen though.
    Flex 5 feels so much more cheaply put together in comparison, plastic everywhere, unfortunately flex being the operative word in the chassis, but I prefer the keyboard to the S540, which seems to have less travel.

  • +1

    Any dock recommendations for this to have 4k hdmi, and extra usb ports?

  • How does the build quality compare to Latitude 5000/7000s?

    • Imagine thinkpad, but worse. This is what it is.

      • Do you own a S540? As someone that owns a S540, and has Thinkpads in the past. The S540 build quality is really quite good and is in line with the mid tier Thinkpads.

        • No, but I definitely won't describe ideapads as bad in terms of build quality. What I mean is that the build is just slightly less solid than thinkpads and the keyboard + trackpad is also a touch worse in my opinion.

        • +1
          • +3

            @ripesashimi: Thinkpad edge is viewed as entry level for that segment .

            S540 is better
            1. Faster CPU with 8 core and 16 threads, vs 8 cores 8 threads
            2. QHD 300 nits 100% SRGB screen vs FHD 250 nits 45% SRGB screen.
            3. AX Wifi vs AC Wifi

    • +1

      Probably fairly similar, the only thing is the key travel is quite limited.
      This particular model does not feel cheap, although not ultra thin like a macbook air, to me it feels quite well put together without much flex, good bright 16:10 2k screen, fast wifi 6 and the glass trackpad is a pleasure to use.
      Here is a decent wrap up here:
      https://www.reddit.com/r/Lenovo/comments/ilcw5n/lenovo_ideap…

  • Thanks OP
    Just bought one :)

  • I don't have the required email. Any ideas?

    • Find a friend or relative with one.

  • -2

    Bought one for 900 AUD ;)

    • +1

      How ?

    • +1

      Waiting for your story mate, so that we can all follow suit.

      • Sorry not generally available to the public, this is me using staff discounts on lenovo China, the model is the 2021 version i5-1135g7, 16gb RAM similar specs (but not QHD, only 2240x1600 resolution). Makes you realize how much profit they're still making at these "eofy clearance" prices

        • +1

          So how is that even relevant to this deal? Not even the same CPU (Intel, not AMD) and different screen. I would happily pay extra to get Ryzen CPU and QHD screen.

  • Lenovo gets us Photoshop Elements for $90.

    Is that a good buy at that price point? Google doesn't give me much data to go on.

    Is the basic extended warranty for 3 years worth it at $100? I haven't bought a laptop in over 6 years, so please forgive the daft questions.

  • +1

    Hey all. If anyone still wants one of these but doesn't have an au.edu email address (Lenovo were adamant you had to have one or you could access their store to order at this price) I got one at $1250 rather than $1529 (regular plebs online price) by asking for a discount in chat, politely pointing out the large price difference.

    Good luck

    • Thanks for the tip, I got one down to $1229 + 4.5% Cash Rewards .

      • Isn't this considered a negotiated deal so won't get cashback?

  • Anyone know what these are like on thermal issues if doing CPU intense work?

  • The 2021 version is coming out with i5-11300h / i5-1135g7 / Ryzen 7 5800H

    Soooooooo there could be a case for waiting and buying the next gen :D

    • +1

      Would it be at this price though?

    • +1

      I disagree. Minor improvements in performance do not outweigh potentially waiting months/year for a new gen.

    • Do you know when it is cumming out?

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