Lenovo G50-30 Review - a $250 Windows laptop computer - compared to Chromebooks

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Computers running ChromeOS are beginning to eat into Microsoft's market share at the low end of the market. Many of these laptops cost less than $300 and are running with fairly usable Intel processors.
Lenovo is offering one of the first Windows 8.1 laptops that comes in at a Chromebook price point - $250. It even runs the same processor (albeit slightly slower) as the Asus Chromebooks c200 and c300.
The performance is adequate. More than I thought a $250 Windows laptop would deliver. Can you run the latest version of Battlefield on this thing? Probably not. But you can get your work done and play some casual games, emulators, and older PC titles.
The G50-30 is a little larger than I'd like something like this to be. It has a 15.6 inch display but it's at a fairly low 1366x768 resolution. The system has a 320 gigabyte hard drive (spacious as compared to the Chromebooks that come in around 16) and 2 gigs of RAM.
Windows runs surprisingly well on here, scoring better on the Octane Javascript benchmark as compared to a Chromebook. I also was able to get the Dolphin emulator running at a playable frame rate.
I am excited to see where the low end PC market is going. We're getting really nice hardware capable of running modern operating systems at very low prices. Google vs. Microsoft is going to be great for consumers!
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[@clear_code8012]

I have this exact laptop, still using it in 2017. In fact, I'm typing this comment with it now! It's fantastic, I have put Ubuntu linux on it and use it mainly for programming and work.

[@nappynappy2064]

i still have the same now :)

[@dhawalmalaviya3085]

Ayy me too!!

[@GaryA1682]

I have just purchased one of these for a server monitoring tool there cheap enough to handle that job and the battery is pretty decent so i say it is a really good step in the right direction for windows/lenovo to tackle the chromeos which in my opinion still lacks features and functionality. Maybe both providers will have to step up there game now to snag the win and we will see more feature rich options with both!. Good job on the review as always lon, keep up the good work :D

[@Antoni-Music]

My mom bought one of these, although where I live, it ships with an Inten Celeron CPU. The PC couldn't even open notepad without lagging or play a 1080p video on youtube. She returned it to the store and bought the G50-45 with an i5 instead.

[@revan7916]

I got a Pentium apu instead

[@iMSoFlyiBlowMyMind]

I bought this in 2014 and I think in May. Still works save for some issues with charging where I have to hook the charger several times before it holds a charge. I tried getting a new battery and I have three different chargers. It's a newer problem and I've only had this problem in the last six months. Regardless it's a great laptop to have and it even runs sims 3.

[@edt1138]

I think the important thing to note here is software compatibilty.

[@ArThor70]

Using the same one still in 2023 - just upgraded the RAM to 8 GB and built in a 250 GB SSD. Windows 10 works like a charm. 💫

[@10mbc]

Great review! Lenovo should try to get a 60 GB SSD for cheap and use it in this kind of computers because it makes a great difference.

[@MrTimetosplit]

Another great review Lon! But when you said "No remote desktop application" is there no alternative to connecting to my VPS?

[@MrTimetosplit]

***** Ahh I see, thanks!

[@10mbc]

For personal use scenario you can use teamviewer for free.

[@PlastaSin]

Hi there, nice video. About this machine, is it fanless?

[@rybob7]

Nice video. Your always so good at explaining things. How well will it run Minecraft. at what settings, since it is a windows pc at this price, compared to chromebooks that won't run Minecraft unles you put Ubuntu on it

[@fletcher8805]

Just got this the other day and it's can run some pretty decent games to team fortress, Dota 2, unturned and manny more I mean yeah like he said ain't gonna run battlefield etc but you know it's good for single player and some other multiplayer games :)

[@stianok6972]

How is it build wise? Is the trackpad buttons decent, or is it like those who easily gets loose after not much use?

[@ThePanospeter1986]

hello there i bought a lenovo G50-45 a few days ago. this particular one has an accutype keyboard and when i press the letter keys they make a slight inward slope. I was wondering is this a feature of the accutype keys? or some problem with the keyboard? does this happen to other laptops too with accutype keys?

[@elgarsstupans7209]

I had this thing for 4 years and I hated pretty much every single thing about it. Screen was horrible, hdd was extremely slow, windows 10 ran very, very poorly. I’m glad I finally upgraded to something more substantial.

[@MrWerirdguy]

Hey man I'm considering this pc. I know the videos a year old, so is it still any good? I dont want to game or anything like that. All i need is it being able to run Office and play youtube videos at 1080p without lagging haha ;) Would you recommend?

[@MrWerirdguy]

***** Alright thanks man, but you dont think those light task mentioned before would be a problem right?

[@Katatonya]

+User_8834 They won't be a problem, though the screen is only 720p, not 1080.

[@MrWerirdguy]

***** Doesn't matter now, got another one with way better specs for cheap, but thanks

[@Katatonya]

User_8834 which one? and for how much?

[@MrWerirdguy]

Vady I bought it from a friend for $450. I'm pretty sure it's called the Acer Aspire e5 572g

[@TheWillz02]

funny today, over a year later on black Friday they advertise this laptop with a 50% off on ebay for $200 u.s does have 500gb HDD but still over a year old/ black friday is a lie...

[@quak920]

Hi! Having quite an high end desktop-pc, i just need a notebook that will: 1) Be extremely portable and run a few hours in the university's library 2) Be acceptably fast wehen handling the following programs: Open Office Writer(!Priority!), Evernote, Chrome, Latex, Notepad++ for coding 3) Being at least able to run Audacity, Gimp and do minor Audio-cutting tasks 4) Running Video-cutting software like Adobe Premiere in an emergency case. At least looking at footage, that I took with my camera on the go. ;-) In no way would I play games or try to stream HD-movies. Will this babe do the job? :-)

[@gordonc2218]

Lon Seidman, How you get the classic style start menu?

[@lewpv]

Can you do a video on the lenovo S20-30 touch? It has 4GB RAM and it has the Intel N2840 CPU Please could you do a gaming test?

[@joseacarrasm]

Is it possible to expand the memory? Will it be difficult to replace the hard drive with a SSD?

[@10mbc]

Yes, you can. Mine came with 1x2GB, you can add another stick of ram or replace both. It is really easy to replace the HDD with an SSD.

[@shanozzie8209]

hi..lon i buy this laptop..its very nice laptop..but i got one problem about wifi usb driver..its install but usb not working in it..can u tell about it.we can install external wireless wifi usb or no in it...

[@RebuildAvish]

Which one iz best lenovo G50-30 (80g000d4in) or lenovo G50-80 (89e502q8ih)...i want to buy..can you please tell me which one is best for gaming and gta v run on which one.

[@ivonatrajkovska4724]

Is this laptop better than hp 250?And is it good enough,this lenovo,to play sims 4?I will be thankfull for the answers

[@omarfaid2573]

I want you to make an unboxing and Review of lenovo Ideapad B50-30 can you make a Video about this?

[@ASFcharles]

Lon, can you please tell me if it runs minecraft and if so how many frames per seconds?

[@ASFcharles]

***** Thanks!

[@stepheng887]

I'm buying a pc for Internet browsing and syncing cds onto my iPod, but could I play battlefield 2 PR on this?

[@gradeequality4099]

Is this good for gaming? Like cs:go or any other steam game?

[@RomanKnight88]

hi all i want to know if this Laptop is good for games , years 2010-2012 ?? and if is it possible to make an upgrade of the Video Card and Processor in the future with powerfull ones ? tnx

[@andycueva1346]

Hey! I just bought Lenoovo g50 30 but I can't find the way to use DVD player 'cause I don't know how tu open it. It doesn't have any button or something to open it. Please help!!

[@stthinking9978]

I don't know how to install Windows using USB stick. The trackpad and keyboard freeze when it boots into installation screen!

[@TheJamie6666]

Great review but your wrong on the dvd writer as it does have one built in.

[@MycketTuff]

JAMIE LESTER You're wrong* -- which is derived from "you are". Therefore you're wrong. Well, that, and you were actually wrong. Happy surfin'! /Santa

[@techknowlogik7941]

I want a laptop ( touchscreen will be better) but my budget is $400.pls suggest

[@jhefoniflores4922]

Thank you for sharing, most of the reviews weren't english speaking, only you I can hear speak.

[@neonshot1587]

g50 i7 with amd radeon runs minecraft at 120 or 200 fps

[@LucasPCtips]

Can you test "Dell inspirion 15 3521' ?

[@-stopmoted-5685]

Is there a RAM card of 16 ram for the lenovo G50-30?

[@PikachuTBolts]

super mario sunshine is bae

[@rokkustec5511]

hello! ... i've just bought this computer but i don't know how to open CD place if you know what I mean...how can I open it :) ?

[@rokkustec5511]

*****

[@dgo401]

it does not have a dvd drive, mine does not even have a drive conector once you open the tray haha

[@uramelnik380]

hello this model is fanless right?

[@rajvosa71000]

Im having trouble using touchscreen, is supposed to be turned on or run full time. it seems like if I touch someting it will respond but as far as swiping etc it doesnt do anything.

[@MrWtfstfu]

***** hey, i just wanted to ask if its possible for you to do a comparison between 4 low end cheap windows laptops? the models i have in mind is HP stream 14(£230), Acer Apsire ES1-311(£230), Acer Aspire E5-511 (£230) and the this lenonvo G50-30(£230) i can forward the links to these laptops since they are british priced. i really need help in choosing

[@MrWtfstfu]

Dr. WtfStfu oh and a dell inspiron 15 3000(£199)

[@KumarSaurabh92]

can we expect a bit better performance if we install Linux os on it

[@Wapitiii]

Kumar Saurabh sure

[@luedema9016]

Will it run photo shop?

[@mostafa_hafiz]

Lon Seidman can a laptop like that running a game like stronghold crusader please answer

[@CptBockwurstsandwich]

mostafa hafiz It probably can. Haven't tested it, just guessing.

[@mostafa_hafiz]

***** thanks for your reply

[@CptBockwurstsandwich]

mostafa hafiz If you're looking for a cheap notebook, I'd suggest the Asus F553MA-XX instead of this one. Its official price is 500$, but you can get it for 300$ if you find the right websites. If you're in Germany, Otto.de is one of them.

[@mostafa_hafiz]

***** hhhhh Germany bro. I am from Egypt in African and 500$ is very expensive for a young man (20years old) like me I just have about 350$ and I am guessing to buy a dell 15 g its appropriate with my budget and thanks for your reply

[@CptBockwurstsandwich]

mostafa hafiz No problem. Good luck with your laptop hunt.

[@fawaad]

Can you make a review on hp stream 14

[@mcbill8732]

Lenovo G50-30/Celeron N2830/4GB Ram/500GB HDD/15"/Windows 8 a friend of mine is selling his for €250, does anybody think this would be a good buy? im a techno noob..... somebody says ram, i think farm animal :)

[@attyla1985]

+McBill 87 Dont buy it, this series is a shithole

[@-stopmoted-5685]

Is not that bad if you want a cheap laptop, infact its probably the best option for a cheap laptop.

[@TheAnthony15432]

I am thinking about getting a Lenovo G40-70 for the price of S$899 brand new with a i7-4510U processor // 8GB ram // 2GB graphics card. Is it worth it or can someone recommend me some other cheaper laptop that can be used for gaming? I normally play league of legends and I want to play it in normal setting with a stable fps of 60. Thx any help is appreciated.

[@gamerro2676]

This laptop is good ?

[@5anj1]

Does it have wireless network?

[@hamayun50]

Would i be able to run adobe Photoshop and sublime text editor?

[@revan7916]

Nonononononono

[@djpepoam]

hi im from argentina and I need to buy a new computer, im a dj and I use a pioneer ddj sr. i need a computer with "32-bit: intel processor 2.4ghz core 2 duo 4 GB RAM 1280x720 screen resolution available usb port" what would you recomend me? i have 1000 dolars so as to buy it. thanks (sorry im not good at writting)

[@notalaeyt784]

bruh nigga you can buy a fucking gaming pc with 700 dollars.

[@andrewstivas7673]

will it be able to run -odin-? because i want to root my phone plz answer

[@glussier100]

+Andrew Stivas Yes it can run Odin.

[@SK-cz6id]

Does it play steam games good?

[@CyberCatto]

i play on it call of duty black ops 2 and need for speed most wanted 2012 with 20 fps

[@tloughyourbro5204]

bo2 does it run good and what specs

[@bizaxeys371]

is this good for gaming

[@moisesadalbertocoronacampo1554]

amigo una pregunta tiene bandeja para DVD???

[@loyangambalaishram6296]

Brother i am from russia...yesterday i buy a lenovo B50-45,AMD E1 processor, 2 gb ram, 250gb Hard drive....but it is very slow i buy for collage...how to do get little faster

[@botknockout4502]

King Panda upgrade ram and put a sd card in

[@zekenxd_7238]

King Panda can it use abelton live 9

[@teghag3297]

can it work with Windows 7 operating system ? thanks

[@ellie-2708]

I'm guessing it won't run Sims 4 then? :|

[@lewisanth4986]

can it run league of legends at lowest settings but native resolution ?

[@andrija9954]

I run LoL at highest settings at about 31 fps, so it should run medium settinga at 40-50 fps

[@JUSTpl12]

How does it perform at minecraft??? Please awnser!!!

[@helloworldgamingabandoned2780]

Aserola44 Gaming It runs beautifuly!

[@ethanroberts9629]

Is it good for games?

[@marianbucur48]

+Ethan Roberts If you are not an hardcore gamer.

[@sarahmahmoud2679]

Does it runs the sims 3 and gta vice city??

[@nathanaelchan1421]

can you check out lenovo B50-45

[@surfsound2189]

Can u review the Lenovo ideapad g50

[@danielneumann9633]

Are you stupid? This IS the ideals g50!!

[@danielneumann9633]

Ideapad*

[@joshuaknight9089]

How do you think this laptop would run with 4gb ram?

[@user-bx9bx9on3l]

It has 4gb of ram

[@joshuaknight9089]

Ted Clarke It says it only has 2gb in the description.

[@user-bx9bx9on3l]

i have this laptop. trust me, its 4GB

[@joshuaknight9089]

The one on this video only has 2gb. Check the description.

[@user-bx9bx9on3l]

I know, it might be wrong but anyways, I hope i could be a help

[@abduljalilbhuiyan9839]

is there cd port?

[@mrbrashno8620]

doesn't it have 4gb ram i have a lenovo g50-30 with 4 gb of ram

[@mrbrashno8620]

and actually i can play gta 5 35 fps

[@MrEpicGamerHDWWE]

Can you get photoshop on this?

[@MrEpicGamerHDWWE]

***** Does it go to 4k on youtube videos?

[@yavuzozturk7467]

MrEpicGamerHD IF YOUR NICK ENDS WITH HD.....YES. A BUDGET LAP TOP. BUT RESOLUTION IS TOO LOW EVEN FOR THIS BUDGET: 1366 x 768. DISASTER. 15 INCH DISPLAY WITH A 18 INCH DIMENSION LAP TOP. MATERIAL IS ALL BLACK PLASTIC... VERY BUDGET... THEY SELL ONLY WITH PROCESSOR.. ı7 PROCESSOR, 6 MB RAM, WITH A RESOLUTION OF 1366 x 768 AND A PITY DESIGN. SUCKSSSSSSSS !

[@ezny7393]

Yes its Works good i have The laptop

[@embraeroren5164]

***** you should try the lenovo g-45 with an amd a8 6410 and amd r5 graphics

[@SkillzAura]

is that better than the g50 with amd

[@laurstucay507]

Can it run iTunes properly??

[@jotakinhan1691]

HP touchpad spotted!

[@rianavarra3627]

It can be operated tru wifi???

[@rianavarra3627]

***** thank you

[@ccobian]

***** I have this notebook and I got it because I only need to open my web based email. word documents and some excel. good enough for me doing that. my question is how high can I go when I upgrade the RAM? 8gigs? 16? Thank you. good review.

[@noname_whatever]

Christian Cobian You can check max RAM on ark.intel.com for your particular processor. And of course, it depends on how many slots you have available.

[@petteruhlgren5027]

Works minecraft on a a lenova b50-30?

[@petteruhlgren5027]

Well i bought a lenova b50-30 and my friends want to play minecraft with me so i only wanted to know if minecraft worked dell thanks :D

[@aclevercookie7480]

anyone know if it can run archeage?

[@nickeyhd8456]

can i play on this counter strike global ofensive? Sorry for my english:D

[@user-bx9bx9on3l]

Ive played it on the ltop, a bit of lag but runs fine

[@blob4444333221]

Does it have bluetooth?

[@10mbc]

Yes, it does.

[@blob4444333221]

OK, thank you

[@aryanprakash1758]

Lenovo g50 30 is not an good laptop ... the hinge get broken easily

[@alexanderlevinmr.cheese4241]

i have 8 gigs of ram on that laptop an a8 radeon amd and 1024mb of video ram

[@navaehanderson8822]

do u play gtaV ?

[@alexanderlevinmr.cheese4241]

no but im planning on getting it and btw i found a new pc and it has 2gb vram

[@navaehanderson8822]

+imma edit that out price ?

[@alexanderlevinmr.cheese4241]

Navaeh Anderson idk

[@navaehanderson8822]

+imma edit that out lol k

[@ashimwekevin]

I just bought this laptop it slow af . I'm not even hating

[@sampartoyunda]

minecraft performans videosunu çekermisiniz?

[@alekamar5303]

Android system??

[@titukivlogs5552]

price ketna

[@GenerationLoveOrg]

PLEASE HELP!!! I have very basic knowledge on laptops. I've been looking at this laptop but the one I'm looking at is a little different to the one in this vid. Anyone know if the following specs will be good for editing Videos? - "Lenovo G50-30 15.6-Inch Notebook - (Intel Pentium N3530 2.16 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, DVDRW, Integrated Graphics, Windows 8.1." It sounds good to me but I'm not thoroughly sure. The video footage will come from a Nikon one J2. I just want easy editing, smooth footage playback whilst editing. Please anyone who knows there stuff give me some feedback!! Thank you!

[@GenerationLoveOrg]

***** Ok great, thank you for your advice and response!

[@karanmehta5132]

can we use wifi in it

[@deadtrizz876]

are u dumb

[@monstergames8672]

What the graphics card

[@danieltodorov3478]

intel grapichs

[@FYBKai]

sell your Genesis you'll get so much money

[@LucasPCtips]

Does he can launch Minecraft ?

[@LucasPCtips]

***** Ok, it does'nt matter, i'll buy this pc for my christmas. i look the price in France (i'm french people), and it's the same as America.

[@deadtrizz876]

can it run lol? plz answer fast :)

[@andrija9954]

yes it can at high setting about 30-40 fps =)

[@ihatediorthug]

can u play cs:go?

[@axel37]

yes ! 45fps

[@elchapore]

he can play the Forza horizon 3????

[@jthecoolest1]

Hi, does anyone know if it can play league of legends ag lowest setting? Please answear.

[@arnoldingo01]

Well it will launch atleast :D It should run it but i dont know how well

[@jthecoolest1]

Ok ty

[@malekrefae1369]

Does any body knows a cheap laptop with a gaming specs

[@Be1owTheHeavenz]

acer inspire v15 blackeditionon newegg.co m

[@erichgeorgebradea]

Can l play cs go on this laptop?

[@Katatonya]

+Ryder Gaming Nope, You'll probably get around 30fps on lowest graphics. Not sure though.

[@bahaaeddinebouhout2313]

yes you can high setting's 20-40 fps only if you have 4gb ram

[@azharoslan]

0:27

[@energiaenergy2295]

Can this laptop run gta san andreas?

[@shadownet4919]

Ugly Rather have a chromebook. Don't see the appeal of a low end window laptop especially when it can't even game.

[@gerardoaguilar3220]

And chromebooks can…