Lenovo Legion 7 AMD-version review (Ryzen 9, RTX 3080), vs Intel i9 model

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Specs Sheet
Design and exterior
Keyboard and trackpad
Screen
Hardware and performance
Noise, heat and speakers
Battery life
Price and availability
Final thoughts
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By Derek SullivanLenovo Legion 7 16ACHG5, last updated on September 25, 2023

Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHG5

Summary: The AMD version of the Lenovo Legion 7 is very much identical to the Intel model tested a few weeks ago. The AMD R9 hardware is not as powerful as the current Intel i9 and this AMD configuration lacks a few perks that are Intel exclusive at this point, such as very fast gen4 storage or Thunderbolt 4, but at the same time, this AMD Legion 7 variant is significantly more efficient on battery and a fair bit more affordable than the Intel model. So while you're not going wrong with either one, unless you need that fast CPU performance, the AMD Legion 7 is the arguably better-balanced option here.

Our score: 4.5 / 5
Price when reviewed: from $1799

THE GOOD

solid build quality and looks
good inputs and fast, bright QHD+ screen(but only 100% sRGB)
alright CPU performance, and the GPU outperforms much of the current competition
competent power/fan profiles and thermals
quieter, but slower than the Intel model on the Quiet profile
way better battery life than the Intel model
more affordable than the Intel model

THE BAD

no card-reader or biometrics
the Ryzen 9 CPU is not as powerful as the Intel i9
no Thunderbolt, no gen4 storage, no Advanced Optimus and a few other perks available on the Intel model
iCue software still makes battery life abysmal

Table of Contents

Specs sheet as reviewed– Lenovo Legion 7 2021
Design and first look
Keyboard and trackpad
Screen
Hardware and performance
- Lenovo Legion 7 – benchmarks and performance
- Gaming on the Lenovo Legion 7
Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others
Battery life
Price and availability
Final thoughts on the 2021 Lenovo Legion 7 with AMD Ryzen hardware

You might have already read my Lenovo Legion 7i article, which includes the top-specced Intel Core i9 CPU paired with the RTX 3080 graphics chip. But what about the AMD Ryzen version of the Legion 7?

Well, I got my hands on one and was able to put together a quick article on what the key differences are between the two hardware variants, and my recommendation them.

In short, I don’t think you could go wrong with either. But if it were me, I’d lean towards the AMD model, based solely on the battery testing results. However, the Intel model also has a couple of advantages that should be carefully considered before choosing between the two, which might matter especially if you don’t plan to use the laptop unplugged that often.

So the following article is going to be a little lighter than what I normally do. It’s going to refer to the Legion 7i article a lot, and will be mostly a “what’s different” approach rather than a full review.

Update: The 2022 updates of the Legion 7 series are available now, in both Intel+ Nvidia and AMD-exclusive options. Our detailed review of the 2022 Lenovo Legion 7i is available here.

Update2: If interested, here are our thoughts on the updated 2023 Lenovo Legion Pro 7 (AMD) and Legion Pro 7i (Intel) models. And here’s my detailed review of the 2023 Lenovo Legion Pro 7i series in the RTX 4080 model, as well as our review of the top-specced RTX 4090 Legion Pro 7i variant.

Specs sheet as reviewed– Lenovo Legion 7 2021

	2021 Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHG5
Screen	16 inch, 2560 x 1600 px, IPS equivalent, 165 Hz, matte, 3ms
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900HX, 8C 16T (3.3Ghz with 4.6Ghz boost), 16MB Cache
Video	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080with 16GB GDDR6 VRAM 115-165W with Gsync and MUX, but no Advanced Optimus
Memory	32 GB DDR4-3200 (2x16GB DIMMS)
Storage	1 TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 + 1 empty slot
Connectivity	Realtek RTL8852ae Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.2, Realtek Gigabit LAN
Ports	2x USB-C 3.2 gen 2 with DP 1.4(left and rear, with reas supporting PD), 1x USB-C 3.2(right), 3x USB-A 3.2, ethernet, HDMI 2.1
Battery	80Whr, 300 W charger
Size	360 mm or 14.17” (w) x 260 mm or 10.23” (d) x 20.1-23.5 mm or .79-.92” (h)
Weight	2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) + 1.14 kg (2.5 lbs) power brick and cables, US version
Extras	Per key RGB keyboard, HD webcam with kill switch, stereo speakers, headphone/mic combo

Design and first look

There’s really nothing to discuss about the design and construction of the Legion 7, if you’ve already read my Legion 7i article. It’s exactly the same in every way, except there’s a Ryzen sticker instead of an Intel one. I didn’t take new pictures for this article, so I’m still using the 7i pictures for illustration here, that’s why there’s the Core sticker in these images below.

There are, however, some key differences in the IO, but unless you need Thunderbolt 4, they’re minor. The USB-Cs on the rear and left of this laptop don’t support Thunderbolt like the ones on the Intel version do. They do support data, charging and DisplayPort 1.4, so you should still be able to connect displays if that’s your need.

I look at this as a minor difference, but others who actually need Thunderbolt will probably disagree. That said, most people who need Thunderbolt are not even considering Ryzen options, as they rarely support it. Other than that though, the IO is identical to the Legion 7i, which is fine by me.

Keyboard and trackpad

There’s nothing to talk about here either – the keyboard and trackpad are exactly the same as the Legion 7i I reviewed last month. Even the keys that had a little extra light bleed that most of the others were the same as on this one.

Unfortunately, things being the same also means the iCUE keyboard software still causes extreme battery drain, making it difficult to recommend keeping on. I will reiterate what a reader mentioned in the previous article, though. There is a way to use the iCUE service without completely killing your battery life.

By making a .bat file with the following text, I was able to load a static per-key RGB setting that I desired and then run that batch file to kill the process. This, in result, prevents the severe battery drain that the iCUE service causes, but still allows me to have custom colors that are not the default ones baked into the firmware. Here’s the .bat contents:

—

@ECHO OFF

REM Terminate the iCUE software process if running
taskkill /IM “iCUE.EXE” /F

REM Stop the three Corsair services if running (the first process requires admin mode to stop, the other two do not)
net stop “Corsair Gaming Audio Configuration Service” /y
net stop “Corsair LLA Service” /y
net stop “Corsair Service” /y

—

Screen

The screen is also identical to the one in the Legion 7i. I did a quick calibration with DisplayCAL and the results were very similar, so I didn’t bother doing a complete analysis. It’s safe to say all the screens will have a little variation.

Down below I include the measurements taken on the Legion 7i for this BOE QHD 165Hz panel:

Panel Hardware ID: BOE NE160QDM-NY1
Coverage: 97% sRGB, 68.8% AdobeRGB, 70.8% DCI-P3;
Measured gamma: 2.2;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 530cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 1293:1
Native white point: 7040K;
Black on max brightness: .41cd/m2.

There was one interesting feature that the Ryzen model had though and the Intel version didn’t. Fn-R actually works on this model, which quickly switches the refresh rate from 165Hz to 60Hz when needed. This was a great way to quickly improve battery life while using the laptop away from power.

That aside, I will also mention that this model doesn’t support Advanced Optimus as the Intel model does. So GSYNC is only supported if you switch to Discrete graphics in Lenovo Vantage, by unchecking Hybrid mode.

With Hybrid mode enabled, the laptop uses regular Optimus, which supports FreeSync. But in this mode the graphics are passed through the iGPU on their way to the laptop’s main display, so your performance will be slightly lower in some loads and games.

Hardware and performance

Like the Legion 7i, I have the top-spec model of the Lenovo Legion 7. This includes Ryzen’s best available CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, which is an octa-core processor capable of putting out up to 4.6GHz per core. It’s not quite as powerful as the i9-11980HK, but it’s pretty close. It also uses far less power at full load. More on that soon.

Also included in this model is an Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, with 16GB of VRAM. Like I mentioned in the other article, the extra VRAM is appropriate, considering the 165Hz QHD+ screen. This GPU is also able to use 165W with Dynamic boost, which is awesome.

The Ryzen model also has 32GB of DDR4 3200Mhz RAM, with two 16GB DIMMS. They are Samsung on this model but are still 1Rx8, meaning they are the slower-latency single ranked kind.

In the Intel version, I swapped out the RAM and wasn’t able to tell much of a difference in performance. I originally thought that perhaps just the Ryzen version was more susceptible to the effects of single-ranked RAM. I’ll get into the details soon, but it’s the same case with this model – the RAM is fine as is (at least for the 32GB models).

The last hardware item to cover is the SSD, which also happens to be the only difference between models. This model has a Western Digital 1TB SSD which is PCIe gen 3 instead of the gen 4 Samsung drives on the Intel version. This is because the Ryzen laptops do not support PCIe Gen 4 SSDs.

I honestly don’t see this as a major difference, as most people don’t *need* that kind of SSD speed. But it’s something you need to think about if you plan on using this laptop for something like content creation, where batch processing might be more of a thing.

Lenovo Legion 7 – benchmarks and performance

Onto the benchmarks.

The Legion 7 is preinstalled with Lenovo Vantage. The software is used for a number of different things, but one of the uses is to adjust the CPU/GPU power settings.

The three available modes are Performance, Balanced and Quiet. You can also switch between these modes with Fn-Q. The power button even has a different color that tells you what mode you’re in. Here’s a table that shows what each mode does:

Quiet (blue)		Balanced (white)		Performance (red)		Battery
TDP PL1/PL2	TGP	TDP PL1/PL2	TGP	TDP PL1/PL2	TGP	TDP PL1/PL2	TGP
20/30W	115W	54W/65W	115W	78W/85W	150-165W	25/37W	30-40W

This is one of the areas where the Ryzen and Intel models differ. The Quiet profile is the most significant difference, as the Intel model allows for up to 45W on the CPU in this case, while the Ryzen model is only up to 30W. This plays a huge part in CPU performance while gaming, which you’ll see more below.

In fact, all of the 5900HX CPU power profiles are lower wattage in comparison to the i9-11980HK. But the Ryzen CPU is clearly more efficient, as the actual performance is somewhat similar at those higher powers, and better at low power. Our Cinebench R15 loop test stands as proof, and here’s how the Legion 7 scores on the 4 different power profiles.

And here’s how the Intel and AMD models fare in comparison, on Performance and Quiet. Despite the fact that the Intel model runs at higher power at max and allows for undervolting, the performance is within 1-2% between the two, and that’s because the i9-11980HK cannot run at its full Turbo Boost all-core speeds at 90W on the Legion 7i, but the Ryzen 9 5900HX can run at its maximum potential on the Legion 7 at 78W. Of course, the maximum potential of the R9 is lower than that of the i9, and hence the tie between the two implementations.

On the other hand, on Quiet, the AMD model is 25-30% faster than the Intel variant, while also running at 20% less power.

Finally, here’s how this Ryzen 9 5900HX implementation compares to other same-tier models on the market, both Intel and AMD. This is a solid Ryzen 9 implementation here and only outmatched on the AMD side by the higher-power R9 in the ROG G15 Advantage.

We also ran our combined CPU+GPU stress tests on this notebook. 3DMark stress runs the same test for 20 times in a loop and looks for performance variation and degradation over time, and this unit passed it fine, which suggests there are no significant performance losses that might be caused by thermal throttling on this laptop. We got the exact same result on the Intel configuration.

I did a number of synthetic benchmarks on this laptop. This is going to be a little different than I normally do it since I’m going to be comparing it to the Intel Legion 7i as well.

For my first run, I set Lenovo Vantage to Performance mode:

Performance mode	Legion 7 (AMD Ryzen 9)	Legion 7i (Intel Core i9)
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike	25793 (Graphics – 29683, Physics – 25864)	23795 (Graphics – 31049, Physics – 26120)
3DMark 13 – Time Spy	11982 (Graphics – 12373, CPU – 10167)	11677 (Graphics – 11820, CPU – 10930)
3DMark 13 –CPU profile	max – 6829 16 – 6829, 8 – 5927, 4 – 3442, 2 – 1769, 1 -898	max – 8209 16 – 8213, 8 – 5587, 4 – 3729, 2 – 1979, 1 -1004
3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics	7538	7446
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme	7692	7919
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium	20095	22356
GeekBench 5	Single-Core: 1493, Multi-core: 8406	Single-Core: 1667, Multi-core: 9836
CineBench R15	OpenGL 123.87 fps, CPU 2244 cb, CPU Single Core 236 cb	OpenGL 191.09 fps, CPU 2317 cb, CPU Single Core 246 cb
CineBench R23	CPU 13577 pts, CPU Single Core 1452 pts	CPU 13859 pts, CPU Single Core 1625 pts

The GPU performance is fairly similar between the two, with differences within the margin or error. The Intel model does have a slight edge in the CPU tests, though, both in multi-core and especially in single-core loads.

These are the results with Vantage set to Balanced, a mid-level profile with quieter fans and only slightly limited power settings:

Balanced Mode	Legion 7 (AMD Ryzen 9)	Legion 7i (Intel Core i9)
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike	24391 (Graphics – 27165, Physics – 26015)	22649 (Graphics – 28462, Physics – 26776)
3DMark 13 – Time Spy	10750 (Graphics – 10915, CPU – 9905)	10592 (Graphics – 10615, CPU – 10469)
3DMark 13 –CPU profile	max – 6526, 16 – 6587, 8 – 5757, 4 – 3450, 2 – 1767, 1 -901	max – 7093, 16 – 7134, 8 – 5980, 4 – 3772, 2 – 1988, 1 -1017
3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics	6880	6758
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme	6868	7053
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium	19800	20805
GeekBench 5	Single-Core: 1492, Multi-core: 8104	Single-Core: 1674, Multi-core: 9419
CineBench R15	OpenGL 174.84 fps, CPU 2132 cb, CPU Single Core 234 cb	OpenGL 194.28 fps, CPU 2057 cb, CPU Single Core 245 cb
CineBench R23	CPU 12747 pts, CPU Single Core 1437 pts	CPU 12418 pts, CPU Single Core 1623 pts

And these are the results with Vantage set to Quiet mode:

Quiet Mode	Legion 7 (AMD Ryzen 9)	Legion 7i (Intel Core i9)
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike	13336 (Graphics – 21521, Physics – 8899)	19418 (Graphics – 27797, Physics – 18408)
3DMark 13 – Time Spy	9578 (Graphics – 9606, CPU – 9424)	10094 (Graphics – 10794, CPU – 7384)
3DMark 13 –CPU profile	max – 3363, 16 – 3468, 8 – 2786, 4 – 1923, 2 – 466, 1 -207	max – 4788, 16 – 4377, 8 – 3627, 4 – 2546, 2 – 1606, 1 -967
3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics	6685	6728
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme	6524	6882
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium	8339	19085
GeekBench 5	Single-Core: 368, Multi-core: 3844	Single-Core: 1556, Multi-core: 6952
CineBench R15	OpenGL 44.8 fps, CPU 1529 cb, CPU Single Core 152 cb	OpenGL 134.96 fps, CPU 1281 cb, CPU Single Core 223 cb
CineBench R23	CPU 10175 pts, CPU Single Core 312 pts	CPU 7531 pts, CPU Single Core 1534 pts

In this case, the Intel model seems to run better across the board, with both the CPU and the GPU being way more aggressively capped on the AMD model. Perhaps too aggressively limited.

I then set the GPU OC to +100Mhz and the CPU OC to the default in the BIOS on both laptops, and retook some benchmarks in the Performance mode. Note that the i9 CPU is not overclockable in the BIOS so I only OC the GPU on that model:

Performance mode, OC in BIOS	Legion 7 (AMD Ryzen 9)	Legion 7i (Intel Core i9)
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike	26465 (Graphics – 30616, Physics – 26233)	25882 (Graphics – 32222, Physics – 25706)
3DMark 13 – Time Spy	12351 (Graphics – 12891, CPU – 9985)	12601 (Graphics – 12825, CPU – 11468)
3DMark 13 –CPU profile	max – 6849 16 – 6838, 8 – 5957, 4 – 3451, 2 – 1768, 1 -1017	max – 8034 16 – 8023, 8 – 6168, 4 – 3760, 2 – 2001, 1 -1017
3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics	7813	7874
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme	7981	8007
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium	21547	22569
GeekBench 5	Single-Core: 1506, Multi-core: 8466	Not taken
CineBench R15	OpenGL 134.24 fps, CPU 2146 cb, CPU Single Core 232 cb	Not taken
CineBench R23	CPU 13530, CPU Single Core 1458 pts	Not taken

Not a lot changes over the default Performance profile, but the GPU scores do improve by 2-7% in some of the tests.

Finally, here’s how things change (or didn’t change) when I swapped out the RAM for my 32GB RAM kit, on the Performance OC mode:

Performance OC mode, with 32 GB RAM	Legion 7 (AMD Ryzen 9)	Legion 7i (Intel Core i9)
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike	26556 (Graphics – 30650, Physics – 26344)	25350 (Graphics – 30928, Physics – 26496)
3DMark 13 – Time Spy	12331 (Graphics – 12844, CPU – 10059)	12524 (Graphics – 12869, CPU – 10875)
3DMark 13 –CPU profile	max – 6829 16 – 6822, 8 – 5953, 4 – 3442, 2 – 1760, 1 -897	max – 8019 16 – 8033, 8 – 6196, 4 – 3741, 2 – 2001, 1 -1018
3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics	7820	7914
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme	8008	7907
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium	21974	22383
GeekBench 5	Single-Core: 1510, Multi-core: 8435	Single-Core: 1643, Multi-core: 9404
CineBench R15	OpenGL 168.76 fps, CPU 2209 cb, CPU Single Core 234 cb	OpenGL 237.60 fps, CPU 2276 cb, CPU Single Core 243 cb
CineBench R23	CPU 13466 pts, CPU Single Core 1436 pts	CPU 13780 pts, CPU Single Core 1622 pts

In short, excellent results in Performance mode, especially with the OC. There’s little reason not to OC, considering there’s no throttling either.

There are some differences in CPU performance between models. If you need the most CPU performance, the Intel model is clearly the better buy, as the scores were significantly higher across the board. But if you’re simply gaming, I don’t think you’ll notice as much of a difference.

GPU performance was pretty consistent between models, which is to be expected since the power limits are the same.

The last difference to mention is the result of the Quiet modes. CPU performance is so much worse for the Ryzen model in this mode. It’s definitely because of the lower power limit. The good news though is the fan noise is better than the Intel version in this mode.

Note that changing out the RAM had a negligible effect on the benchmarks, similar to the difference that was made on the Intel version. I originally thought that perhaps the Ryzen CPUs were affected by the cheaper RAM modules, but it appears that’s not the case. I do have a feeling that the 16GB models (2x 8GB) will suffer a decrease in performance, though, similar to what I experienced in the Legion 5 Pro.

Update: You should check out this guide that compares how the Intel Core i9-11980HK and AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX platforms fare against each other.

Gaming on the Lenovo Legion 7

Now let’s talk about the gaming benchmarks. I did three sets of benchmarks this time: Performance mode, Quiet mode, and with the swapped-out RAM kit. Here’s what I got:

	QHD+ Performance w/ OC	QHD+ Quiet w/ OC	QHD+ Performance w/ OC and upgraded RAM
Battlefield V (DX 12, Ultra Preset, Ray-Tracing OFF)	118 fps avg, 107 fps low	99 fps avg, 94 fps low	117 fps avg, 109 fps low
Battlefield V (DX 12, Ultra Preset, Ray-Tracing ON)	62 fps avg, 52 fps low	49 fps avg, 39 fps low	60 fps avg, 54 fps low
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (DX 11, Ultra Preset, Hairworks On)	88 fps avg, 83 fps low	67 fps avg, 60 fps low	87 fps avg, 83 fps low
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (DX 11, Ultra Preset, Hairworks Off)	102 fps avg, 91 fps low	85 fps avg, 81 fps low	103 fps avg, 93 fps low
Horizon Zero Dawn (Ultra)	91 fps avg, 85 fps low	62 fps avg, 58 fps low	92 fps avg, 85 fps low
Cyberpunk (Ultra, Ray Tracing On, DLSS Auto)	60 fps avg, 55 fps low	45 fps avg, 41 fps low	60 fps avg, 56 fps low
Cyberpunk (Ultra, Ray Tracing On, DLSS off)	31 fps avg, 28 fps low	26 fps avg, 24fps low	31 fps avg, 28 fps low
Cyberpunk (Ultra, Ray Tracing Off, DLSS off)	52 fps avg, 48 fps low	43 fps avg, 40 fps low	52 fps avg, 48fps low
Valheim (Max Settings)	86 fps avg, 75 fps low	19 fps avg, 17 fps low	86 fps avg, 76 fps low

As you can see, the performance is excellent in Performance mode. Quiet mode is also pretty decent. And as mentioned, there were no significant advantages of using a different RAM kit.

Now let’s compare these results with the Intel version:

	Ryzen Legion 7 Performance w/ OC	Intel Legion 7i Performance w/ OC	Ryzen Legion 7 Quiet w/ OC	Intel Legion 7i Quiet w/ OC
Battlefield V (DX 12, Ultra Preset, Ray-Tracing OFF)	118 fps avg, 107 fps low	123 fps avg, 115 fps low	99 fps avg, 94 fps low	110 fps avg, 101 fps low
Battlefield V (DX 12, Ultra Preset, Ray-Tracing ON)	62 fps avg, 52 fps low	54 fps avg, 49 fps low	49 fps avg, 39 fps low	47 fps avg, 43 fps low
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (DX 11, Ultra Preset, Hairworks On)	88 fps avg, 83 fps low	89 fps avg, 83 fps low	67 fps avg, 60 fps low	75 fps avg, 71 fps low
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (DX 11, Ultra Preset, Hairworks Off)	102 fps avg, 91 fps low	103 fps avg, 90 fps low	85 fps avg, 81 fps low	90 fps avg, 85 fps low
Horizon Zero Dawn (Ultra)	91 fps avg, 85 fps low	95 fps avg, 88 fps low	62 fps avg, 58 fps low	82 fps avg, 77 fps low
Cyberpunk (Ultra, Ray Tracing On, DLSS Auto)	60 fps avg, 55 fps low	58 fps avg, 55 fps low	45 fps avg, 41 fps low	52 fps avg, 49 fps low
Cyberpunk (Ultra, Ray Tracing On, DLSS off)	31 fps avg, 28 fps low	31 fps avg, 28 fps low	26 fps avg, 24fps low	27 fps avg, 25fps low
Cyberpunk (Ultra, Ray Tracing Off, DLSS off)	52 fps avg, 48 fps low	57 fps avg, 52 fps low	43 fps avg, 40 fps low	49 fps avg, 45 fps low
Valheim (Max Settings)	86 fps avg, 75 fps low	79 fps avg, 74 fps low	19 fps avg, 17 fps low	73 fps avg, 65 fps low

As far as the Performance mode results go, I’ll go out on a limb and just call it a tie. Sure, there are slight differences, but keep in mind that these are actual gaming tests and while my scenarios are similar, it’s not an exact science like the synthetic benchmarks are.

But the Quiet mode results is where the major difference is, which is exactly to be expected considering the Ryzen’s TDP is so much lower. This is one of those areas where you will need to decide what is more important to you, if you’re struggling with what model to get.

Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others

The thermals on the Legion 7 are exactly the same as on the Legion 7i.

In fact, besides actual internal temps of the components, the noise levels and external temps are almost exactly the same for day-to-day tasks, so I’ve included a thermal reading from the Intel model while running games on Performance, since this AMD variant is pretty much the same.

The internal temperatures slightly different though. I retook my Horizon Zero Dawn testing and jotted down the results. Take a look:

Mode	Performance	Balanced	Quiet
CPU temps	87C avg with 93C spike	87C avg with 93C spike	63C avg with 69C spike
GPU temps	79C avg	72C avg	66C avg
Avg fan noise after stabilized temps	54 dB	42dB	36dB
Game performance	91 fps avg, 85 fps low	83 fps avg, 80 fps low	62 fps avg, 58 fps low

For comparison sake, here were the results of the same test for the Legion 7i:

Mode	Performance	Balanced	Quiet
CPU temps	82C avg with 90C spike	81C avg with 94C spike	70C avg with 85C spike
GPU temps	78C avg	75C avg	74C avg
Avg fan noise after stabilized temps	52 dB	42dB	40dB
Game performance	95 fps avg, 88 fps low	85 fps avg, 80 fps low	82 fps avg, 77 fps low

So on this AMD model, the average CPU temperatures were a little higher in Performance and Balanced modes than on the Intel mode, but the CPU spikes were the same. Noise levels in Performance and Balanced modes were consistent across both models, as well.

The fan noise is much quieter in Quiet mode on the AMD version, but the performance is also a lot lower. Clearly, this is because of the TDP difference in the CPUs. Personal preference of fan noise/performance ratio at this point.

So this is the point where some will ultimately need to decide what they want in their machine, since there are some differences here. The Intel model is the better gamer in the Quiet mode, while the Ryzen laptop is actually quieter in Quiet mode, but less powerful.

My opinion? It probably won’t matter to most as I believe almost everyone is going to game in Performance or Balanced modes. And considering there’s a mere 2dB difference in Balanced vs Quiet on the Intel model, I see little point in even switching to Quiet mode on that one.

On the other hand, the Ryzen model’s Quiet mode is a significant reduction in fan noise, so perhaps those that really want “quiet” gaming would prefer the Ryzen model. You could argue it either way…

The last thing to talk about is Wifi and, oddly enough, the Wifi module is different for this AMD Legion 7 model. I have a Realtek RTL8852ae module, which is actually the same Wifi module that I had trouble with on the Legion 5 I reviewed last month. On the Legion 5, I actually swapped out the module for an Intel version because it died after a week of use.

I haven’t had any trouble with it on this model so far, though (fingers crossed). The Internet speed has been fine so far and I haven’t had any abnormal drops in connection yet. I’m not going to say I recommend it though, because many others online have had issues with this module, in many other models of laptops. I’m prepared to spend another $50 or so to buy a replacement, if and when the time comes.

The speakers and webcam are both identical to the Legion 7i, so please refer to that article for my opinions on both.

Battery life

This AMD Legion 7 has the same exact 80Whr battery as the Intel model. I just took a series of battery life tests with the brightness at 50%, which is about 120 nits, and running at the stock 165Hz refresh. Here were my results:

11.5 W (~6 h 57 min of use)– idle, Best Battery Mode, screen at 0%, Wi-Fi ON, backlighting off;
16.9 W (~4 h 44 min of use)– text editing in Word with light internet use, Better Battery Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
16.4 W (~4 h 53 min of use)– 1440p 60Hz Youtube fullscreen in Chrome, Better Battery Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
14.6 W (~5 h 29 min of use)– 1080p Netflix fullscreen video in Chrome, Better Battery Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
24.8 W (~3 h 14 min of use)– heavy browsing in Chrome, Better Performance Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
58.9 W (~1 h 22 min of use)– Gaming – Wither 3, Maximum Performance Mode, 60fps cap, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON.

And here are some battery results after hitting Fn-R, which switches refresh rate to 60Hz:

7.9 W (~10 h 7 min of use)– idle, Best Battery Mode, screen at 0%, Wi-Fi ON, backlighting off;
13.8 W (~5 h 48 min of use)– text editing in Word with light internet use, Better Battery Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
5 W (~5 h 56 min of use)– 1440p 60Hz Youtube fullscreen in Chrome, Better Battery Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
9 W (~7 h 43 min of use)– 1080p Netflix fullscreen video in Chrome, Better Battery Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
5 W (~3 h 33 min of use)– heavy browsing in Chrome, Better Performance Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;
8 W (~1 h 20 min of use)– Gaming – Wither 3, Maximum Performance Mode, 60fps cap, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON.

Pretty decent results, especially setting the screen to 60Hz. In either refresh rate, there’s a definite improvement in battery life when you compare apples to apples against the Intel version. Clearly, the Ryzen CPU is more power-efficient and shaves a few watts or more off each scenario. If battery life is important to you, I highly recommend grabbing the Ryzen model.

The power brick is the same 300W brick and this unit also supports USB -C charging in the rear port, so no changes there.

Price and availability

There are still no listings on Amazon for the Legion 7 or the Legion 7i, but here’s a link that should find them when they pop up (at the time you’re reading the article).

In the meantime, the only way to purchase this laptop is on Lenovo’s website. You can make a custom build on their site, where you can choose between any of the CPU, GPU, and RAM options. Keep in mind though, the custom builds take time to make and eventually ship to you.

If you go that route, the model I have retails at $3009 which is $230 cheaper than the Intel model I also reviewed (but that one gets more and faster storage). Unless you’re in a rush though, I’d recommend waiting for a sale. Here’s why.

Lenovo seems to have sales on a monthly basis. They also restock “prebuilt” configurations, where they’ll have them in stock and ready to ship. When this happens, more times than not there’s a “doorbuster” or some other coupon code that takes a significant amount off the price tag.

In my case, the savings were insane. After the coupon, my price was $2320 for this AMD Legion 7 model. I was also able to click through my favorite cashback website for an additional $140 back. Crazy, I know. Deals THAT good aren’t as frequent, but if you’re patient and use an email alert on some of the deal websites, you’re bound to get something.

Final thoughts on the 2021 Lenovo Legion 7 with AMD Ryzen hardware

If prices were equal, I don’t think you could go wrong with either version of the Legion 7: Intel or Ryzen. But prices are not equal, as the Intel version is at least $230 higher than the Ryzen version with similar specs, and most likely even more expensive with the applied discounts.

There are some reasons to justify the Intel price gap, though. For starters, the Intel version has Thunderbolt support while the Ryzen model doesn’t. The Intel version also supports gen 4 SSDs, which are faster than the gen3s in the Ryzen model, and actually ships with these type of faster storage drives. In fact, the Intel model comes with TWO gen 4 SSDs, which are significantly faster than the single gen 3 SSD in this Ryzen unit. That alone makes up for $100-150 of the price difference.

So if that’s enough of a justification for the price gap, the only thing left is to decide which model is more suited for your needs. And the only two major differences left are CPU performance and battery life.

If you need the most CPU power you can get, the Intel model is clearly the better buy here. The performance bump is anywhere between 10-20% higher, depending on the benchmark and the number of cores you’re using.

But the Ryzen model offers way better battery life. So if you plan to use your laptop unplugged a lot, I can’t say enough how badly you should consider the Ryzen model over the Intel model.

The final thing I’ll mention is Advanced Optimus. This is absent in the Ryzen model, but I’ll be frank with you, you don’t need it. It was a little buggy on my Intel unit anyway, as it caused some major stuttering on some games and ultimately just got turned off. And at that point, the other choice is manually switching between Optimus and dedicated graphics, just like in the Ryzen model.

Update: If interested in a more portable alternative with mid-tier specs and a good price, you should also check out our review of the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 series.

Hope this helps you guys make an informed decision on these 2021 Lenovo Legion 7 and 7i laptops. I think I’ve covered all the differences, but if you still have questions, please let me know below.

Disclaimer: Our content is reader-supported. If you buy through some of the links on our site, we may earn a commission. Terms.

Review by: Derek Sullivan
Derek Sullivan - Review Editor. In addition to being a tech enthusiast, I have a career as a Biomedical Engineer. I enjoy taking things apart, figuring out how they work, and finding ways to make them better. My other hobbies include spending time with my family, "Do it yourself" projects such as home automation, and running.

27 Comments

Hubert

September 22, 2021 at 3:56 pm

"the Ryzen 9 CPU is not as powerful as the Intel i9"

I completely disagree with that.
Ryzen in this laptop is an advantage, not a disadvantage.
Performance differences on the verge of measurement error, while battery life or work culture are at a level completely unattainable for Intel. And do not forget about pricing….

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  September 22, 2021 at 4:25 pm
  
  Read the whole article and look at the numbers. The differences are not within the margin of error. Nobody's arguing against the efficiency of the AMD platform, or against it being perhaps a better-balanced choice on this chassis.
  
  Reply
  - Hubert
    
    September 23, 2021 at 12:26 pm
    
    well i saw synthetic tests and game measurements. Nobody goes play benchmarks. We usually play games, and there – as I wrote earlier, the differences on the border of the measurement error or not at all
Den

September 22, 2021 at 7:05 pm

Really good article but preferably more focus on why Amd variant has 2 dB more in performance mode. As a regular user, I think why is Amd variant not quieter than Intel when Amd can handle more heat?

I need to test two Amd laptop and see the difference between temperatures and performance (cpu and gpu), what programs should i use for that?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 23, 2021 at 2:13 am
  
  I usually just use a demanding game that maxes out the GPU and still uses the CPU. For my testing I use Horizon Zero Dawn in a specific scenario. Cyberpunk would also work. If you wanted to try something more consistent, you could use a gaming benchmark such as Time Spy, but the fan noise fluctuates drastically between tests, especially the CPU only test.
  
  I wouldn't get too hung up on 2dB difference though. For fan noise, I take a reading and record average sound over a 1 minute span. The hi/low range during that period is sometimes 4dB depending on the distance I hold the mic, fan fluctuation, etc. I just report my results as is, but it could easily be a couple dB different if I were to try it again. I other words, it's not an exact science.
  
  Also keep in mind that the CPU/GPU utilization between tests was different for both models. Note my screenshot for HZD in performance modes on both versions. For Intel it used on average 45W for CPU and 148W for the GPU. For AMD it used on average 30W for the CPU and 157W for the GPU. So dynamic boost is treating the configs very differently for the same game.
  
  What stuck out as odd to me though, is even though the CPU was running at a higher wattage on the Intel CPU, it still ran slightly cooler than the AMD. This probably contributes to the 2dB difference. Why it's different is anyone's guess. It could be balancing on the vapor chamber being different, but it could also simply just be differing tolerances on the vapor chamber or even a slight pasting difference.
  
  Reply
Sid chugh

September 25, 2021 at 7:43 pm

Can the i7 cpu be undervolted to end up similar efficiencies like the ryzen cpu and thus better battery life on the legion 7i?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  September 27, 2021 at 5:58 pm
  
  It can be undervolted yes, but it won't affect the wattage by as much as the difference I saw. Maybe .1-.4 W difference depending on what you're doing.
  
  Reply
Serge

October 17, 2021 at 6:49 am

Thank you very much for a great and detailed review ! I used it as a main decision point in ordering this laptop. One of the few issues out of the box is that I have real trouble with battery life on my Legion 7, whatever options i try the best i can squeeze out of it is like 1.5 hrs of web browsing.. Better battery life, quiet profile, icue killed, brightness is all the way down.. What kind of software do you use to measure the wattage you posted in Battery Life part of the article ? Probably i can find which component draws so much power. Thank you.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  October 17, 2021 at 1:41 pm
  
  Use hwinfo. There's a spec called "charge rate" that appears when you unplug. Good luck troubleshooting
  
  Reply
Serge

October 18, 2021 at 3:35 pm

Derek, you are the man ! With that power draw monitor u advised and throttle stop to check CPU power states I was able to play with this and that and see what exact mofo steals the juice. And its not ICUE itself but Corsair service and killing that service alone doesnt affect LED control functionality on this laptop at all. You dont need to run any batch killer files after laptop reboot, you can keep ICUE running in the background, just go to Windows Services manager and DISABLE startup for that Corsair service and it will never start again and draw your power by constantly kicking CPU out of idle \ sleep state. So i found most usable ( responsive enough to use this laptop \ battery life balance ) mode for me is Balance thermal mode + Better performance for battery setting with screen brightness around 40-50%, that gives around 2.4Ghz CPU top allowed speed and 11.5-12.5 W idle power consumption which is good enough for like 6+ hrs of battery life. Im absolutely happy to fix this issue and bump my battery from 1.5 hrs to 6 hrs. As far as i understand that Corsair service thing is related to controlling some other or some advanced functions of Corsair products and is not related to LED control implementation of this Legion laptop. I really hope Lenovo can release some better software and finally stop that rainbow crap show and jumping through the hoops to have real battery life.. I saw they released some semi official keyboard LED firmware for Yoga and that update sets some blue or white backlite by default which was really really good idea, lets jump on their support nuts together and push em to release something like that for Legion as well.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  October 18, 2021 at 6:04 pm
  
  Glad you got it figured out. Yeah, those services are brutal on the battery.
  
  Did the Yoga you referenced used to use iCue? I don't think it'll be an option for this one because it's technically a Corsair keyboard. Without the iCue software installed, you do get 2 or 3 presets that are baked into the firmware. Trouble is, only one of them is tolerable to use professionally and even that is a bit much for my taste.
  
  What I'd really like to see is a way to save some presets into the firmware. I'd love to overwrite that rainbow one that starts at boot. Desktop Corsair keyboards have the ability to overwrite the default profile, but that option isn't available for the Legion…
  
  Reply
  - Serge
    
    October 19, 2021 at 6:01 am
    
    Yes, that was Yoga with ICUE , please check this thread
    
    https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Gaming-Laptops/Stop-the-RIDICULOUS-Spiral-Rainbow-Keyboard-backlight-effect-Let-us-turn-it-off/m-p/4552233?page=1
    
    Some support guy posted a KBD firmware update to overwrite default pride profile with plain blue and it worked well.
    
    We need to push for same stuff for Legion for sure. I could never imagine myself tearing my new laptop apart so fast to pull out those flex cables for side and vents LEDs, i totally cant wrap my head around the fact that we have no control in BIOS over that crap show and have to jump through the hoops. Maybe you can use this info in some of your articles to catch some of Lenovo attention, you guys are big and one of the best on review scene, it can make good circles on the water for em to hear and fix it finally.
    
    Worst case scenario, some good coder can look into KBD firmware update utility which is available and mod it the way we can upload our own profiles and settings, im ready to chip in for crowdfunding. I 100% agree with you on those baked in profiles are no go for daily use, the only plain color profile is way too bright for my eyes at any brightness level.
  - Don Jones
    
    January 25, 2022 at 7:39 am
    
    Agree. That rainbow may be ok for 12 year's old gamer, but not for office use
Nost

October 23, 2021 at 2:19 am

Any thoughts on how the i7 version would compare to the ryzen version? I currently have the ryzen version but would prefer the intel with thunderbolt and pci v4. I ordered the i7 and will compare the two myself. Would've bought the i9 outright but its been out of stock forever. Do you think the i7 will be 5% slower than the i9? Maybe comparable to the ryzen?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  October 23, 2021 at 2:23 am
  
  The i7 will probably perform identically in almost every way to the i9 I reviewed. Most games the CPUs in these laptops is overkill… The only time you'll notice a difference is if you do CPU processing long term. Unless you're doing a lot of batch processing or content creation that requires things to be done ASAP, you probably would be fine with the i7
  
  Also, the power profiles may differ.
  
  Reply
  - Nost
    
    October 23, 2021 at 3:17 am
    
    What about for ue4 development?
  - Derek Sullivan
    
    October 23, 2021 at 3:25 am
    
    For that, yeah, you'll probably want the best CPU you can get. Still though, if you look at the benchmark comparison, the difference is small between Ryzen 9 and the i9. So the Ryzen 9 will probably perform slightly better than the i7. You mentioned you wanted Thunderbolt though, so that pretty much eliminates Ryzen from your choices.
  - Nost
    
    October 23, 2021 at 3:19 am
    
    i7 or ryzen
Nost

October 23, 2021 at 3:30 am

Ok thanks, wish I could find an i9

Reply
Stefano Cecconi

October 27, 2021 at 9:50 pm

Great job Derek ty.
I came across a Legion 7 16ACHg6 same spec but with a ryzen 7 5800h, 16 gb ram, 1 tb ssd at fair price for my wallet.
Because I have lost my man's cave to my little kid I need something to play with and use in office environement.
To your experience the "downgrade" of the cpu how will impact the overall perfomance of the laptop compared to this spec? Will the 3080 be choked by less powerfull cpu by much??
Ty

As much you can be concerned after tons sites/blogs/youtuber/whatever, you have become my reference rewiever with finally the rigth balance between tecnical analisys and mature human feeling.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  October 27, 2021 at 10:54 pm
  
  Hi Stefano. Thx for your kind words.
  
  I think you should be fine with the Ryzen 7 paired with the 3080. Realistically speaking, the i9 and Ryzen 9 CPUs are overkill for gaming. There might be a game or two that you can squeak out a little extra performance because they are CPU heavy. But nothing is going to drastically choke over a decimal of Ghz frequency difference.
  
  Reply
Stefano

October 27, 2021 at 11:25 pm

Thankyou for clearing this doubt of mine!!
Now Injust need to wait 1 month for the "cyber monday"
Cheers from Rome!

Reply
Joe Sega

December 15, 2021 at 11:43 pm

1.So your saying you received a Legion 7 5900hx with 32gb of 2 sticks of 16gb single rank not dual?
2.Also can you direct us to your favorite cashback site you mentioned in the article?
3. Isnt there a way to set the limit of the 5900hx to tdp of 85w similar to the Strix Advantage via software?

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  December 16, 2021 at 1:17 am
  
  1. Yes. Dual ranked ram made little to no difference on speed for me though.
  2. rakuten
  3. Not that I know of. I've had limited success with Ryzen controller in the past but Lenovo's software eventually overwrites the adjustment and it reverts to their power limits. Unless you can disable Vantage somehow or if Lenovo updates it to give us access, I don't see any other way.
  
  Reply
Don Jones

January 25, 2022 at 8:00 am

"In fact, the Intel model comes with TWO gen 4 SSDs, which are significantly faster than the single gen 3 SSD in this Ryzen unit. That alone makes up for $100-150 of the price difference." Disagree. On Lenovo Legion 7 (even Intel based), only one SSD can be gen 4. Second one will be gen. 3 anyway

Reply
alex

December 1, 2022 at 11:27 am

great review derek.

do u think this laptop is worth to considered for now ? due to black friday big discount anywhere.

and is just the icue bugging me to make my deal.

Reply
- Derek Sullivan
  
  December 1, 2022 at 1:33 pm
  
  For sure it's worth consideration, but it really depends on the price and model. I saw a Legion 5 pro with 3070 go on sale for $1099 which is a great deal considering the best 2022 model price was $1499 for the 3070 ti. I didn't pay attention to the Legion 7 prices but it's the same concept. If you can save $300-500 for roughly the same features, it might be worthwhile.
  
  Reply

Lenovo Legion 7 AMD-version review (Ryzen 9, RTX 3080), vs Intel i9 model

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