Lenovo Adds New ULV Intel CPUs to U Series

By Jane McEntegart
published

Lenovo is first out the gate offering Intel's new Core series ULV chips.

Late last week Intel confirmed that new Core i3 and Core i5 ULV chips were scheduled to hit super slim and ultra portable laptops by the second half of this year. What with it only being May, we expected to have to wait until the end of June before hearing anything about Core i3 and i5 ULV machines. However, Lenovo has just refreshed its IdeaPad U Series line of slimline machines and under the hood is Intel's not yet launched Core series of ULV chips.

Lenovo this morning announced upgrades to the company's U Series line of laptops, which involve adding ultra-low voltage options to the 14-inch U460s and the 11.6-inch U160 in Core i7 (1.6GHz Core i7-640UM, 1.06GHz Core i7-620UM), Core i5 (1.2GHz Core i5-540UM, 1.06GHz Core i5-520UM, 1.2GHz Core i5-430UM) and Core i3 (1.2GHz Core i3-330UM) flavors.

Other than the change in processor, the U160 boasts an 11.6-inch (1366x768) display, integrated Intel HD graphics, support for up to 4GB of RAM, a maximum of 500GB of storage, a 3 cell battery, 802.11n, and Bluetooth. There's also the option for an external optical drive and WWAN connectivity.

The U460s packs a 14-inch (1366x768) display, NVIDIA GeForce 305M (512MB) graphics, support for up to 8GB of RAM, 802.11n, and Bluetooth. Again, there's the option to add WWAN and an optical drive. Though it weighs nearly a full pound more (the U160 clocks in at 2.76 pounds while the U460s is 3.8 pounds), the U460s boasts a much bigger 8-cell battery battery.

Availability is set for the end of June. Still, it's nice to hear something about the new ULV chips so soon after they were confirmed. Pricing will start at $699.

Jane McEntegart
12 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Pyroflea
    There's also the option for an external optical drive...

    Please tell me they didn't leave out an internal drive...
    Reply
  • scotts06
    Don't really need an internal drive, I hardly ever use the one on my desktop, so I think its worth it, because of the loss of weight and smaller size, it is an ultra mobile after all.
    Reply
  • JMcEntegart
    PyrofleaPlease tell me they didn't leave out an internal drive...
    They did.
    Reply
  • lauxenburg
    PyrofleaPlease tell me they didn't leave out an internal drive...
    Haha! Internal drive???!?!?...Pssh who needs those? Core i7 users usually just roam around the internet, check email, you know nothing to serious....Word maybe...Oh right you needed to install that via DVD....hmm. Okay no Word then.

    =)

    Reply
  • scotts06
    That's why you install the few programs that can't be downloaded with the external DVD drive, not many programs require the DVD to be in at all times, so you just unplug it once it is done installing, and you are good to go!
    Reply
  • INVENTORS - DO NOT TRUST INTEL
    I invented a CPU cooler - 3 times better than best - better than water. Intel have major CPU cooling problems - "Intel's microprocessors were generating so much heat that they were melting" (iht.com) - try to talk to them - they send my communications to my competitor & will not talk to me.

    Winners of major 'Corporate Social Responsibility' awardS!!!

    Huh!!!!

    When did RICO get repealed?"

    INVENTORS - DO NOT TRUST INTEL!!!

    BTW, I have the evidence - my competitor gave it to me.

    BBTW, I am prepared to apologise to Intel if;
    • They can show that the actions were those of a single individual in the company, acting outside corporate policy, and:
    • They gain redress on my behalf.

    Although playing a major role in it's facilitation, the power of the internet appears to have come as much a surprise to Intel as it has to the catholic church.

    Inventors - help your fellow inventors - share your experiences with companies - good and bad.
    Reply
  • chickenhoagie
    Stuart21INVENTORS - DO NOT TRUST INTEL I invented a CPU cooler - 3 times better than best - better than water. Intel have major CPU cooling problems - "Intel's microprocessors were generating so much heat that they were melting" (iht.com) - try to talk to them - they send my communications to my competitor & will not talk to me.Winners of major 'Corporate Social Responsibility' awardS!!!Huh!!!!When did RICO get repealed?"INVENTORS - DO NOT TRUST INTEL!!!BTW, I have the evidence - my competitor gave it to me.BBTW, I am prepared to apologise to Intel if; • They can show that the actions were those of a single individual in the company, acting outside corporate policy, and:• They gain redress on my behalf.Although playing a major role in it's facilitation, the power of the internet appears to have come as much a surprise to Intel as it has to the catholic church.Inventors - help your fellow inventors - share your experiences with companies - good and bad.are you trying to advertise something on here? because you are doing a horrific job if you are. you sound like a spam advertisement i see on terrible websites like myspace, which is why im giving you a great thumbs down.


    intel's cpu stock cooling works just fine. if you want to overclock, then get something that isn't stock. *no brainer*
    Reply
  • liquidsnake718
    dvd drives are useless for laptops if you already own a netbook and a good desktop, most users already have an external dvd drive by now, so you should get on with the trend and use flash drives, sd cards, and external drives
    Reply
  • WR2
    "a much bigger 8-cell battery battery" I wonder how long that will last last in a ULV laptop?
    Looking forward to some benchmarks...soon, I hope.
    Reply
  • Kelavarus
    liquidsnake718dvd drives are useless for laptops if you already own a netbook and a good desktop, most users already have an external dvd drive by now, so you should get on with the trend and use flash drives, sd cards, and external drives
    I dunno. I just find USB installers of everything I need. There's even USB installers for Windows 7. So now I have an 8 GB flashdisk, and I'm good to go.
    Reply