In case I haven’t reviewed enough Lenovo Legion laptops for you all, I thought I’d go for one more. Actually, I found a deal on a 17” AMD-based 2021 Legion 5 model that I just couldn’t pass upon.
On paper, this looks very similar to the Legion 5 I reviewed a few months ago . But in reality, there are some subtle differences that need to be pointed out, especially if you’re on the fence about choosing between the two sizes.
Overall, I think the Legion 5 17” models are good buys – but not over the 15” models, and especially not over the 16” Legion 5 Pro models . For me, there’s just too much more bulk added and not enough benefit for having to carry it all around. I’ll sum it all up at the end, but check out the sections below if you want to know all the details.
Specs as reviewed – Lenovo Legion 5 17 17ACH
2021 Lenovo Legion 5 17ACH6H 17-inch
Screen 17.3 inch, 1920 x 1080 px, IPS, 144 Hz, Dolby Vision, Freesync, No Gsync,
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, octa-core 3.2 GHz (4.4 GHz boost)
Video NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM up to 130W TGP,
Memory 16 GB DDR4 3200Mhz (2×8 GB DIMMs)
Storage 1x 1TB M.2 NVMe (SKHynix)
Connectivity Realtek RTL8852ae Wifi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Ports 4x USB-A 3.2 gen2, 1x USB-C 3.2 DP 1.4, 1x USB-C with DP 1.4 and PD support, 1x HDMI 2.1, ethernet, mic/earphone
Battery 80 Wh, 300 W charger
Size 398.6 mm or 15.7” (w) x 290 mm or 11.41” (d) x 24.3-26.2 mm or .95-1.03” (h)
Weight 2.98 kg (6.57 lbs) as weighed
Extras backlit keyboard (white, no RGB), HD webcam with physical shutter, stereo speakers
We’ve also reviewed the 3050Ti and RTX 3060 variants of the Legion 5 in separate articles.
Update: Our review of the updated 2022 Legion 5 (gen 7) is available here , while our review of the 2022 Legion 5 Pro is also available here .
Design and construction My first thought from taking the laptop out of the box was that it was a clone of the Legion 5 15” model – only bigger and heavier. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, if you prefer a larger 17-inch display.
This model is a well-balanced notebook and pretty easy to carry around, provided you don’t mind the extra heft. I praised the 15” model with its grippiness and handling qualities, and that’s still the case here.
The build quality is also very good. Sure, it’s all plastic, but the chosen materials and design make the unit feel high-quality for the price you are paying for it. I didn’t detect any abnormal creaks in the casing during normal use.
The only exception is when trying to pick up the laptop by the corner palm rest, while the screen was open. There was a little bit of flexing noise. It doesn’t feel like it would crack or break or anything, but it’s worth noting.
The lid has a smooth plastic finish, which is dark blue in color. The finish is matte and it looks pretty uniform with the rest of the laptop. There’s a Lenovo emblem in one corner that is etched metal. The Legion logo is on the opposite corner, larger, but still subtle. This logo is prismatic and will show off colors when light bounces off it.
The hinges look shiny at first, but as one user pointed out in my Legion 5 15” review, it’s because they are coated in plastic film. You can choose to leave this if you want to preserve them for whatever reason. Removing it is kind of a pain in the butt because it requires opening and closing the lid multiple times to get to it all.
BTW, here’s how this 17-inch Legion 5 compares to the 15-ich variant.
Lifting the lid is a one-finger task, which is pretty much a given with all 17” models, due to their base weight. The hinge is pretty stiff and holds the screen well. It also folds back 180°, in case that is something that you needed. I wish all laptops were like this.
Once opened, you get a good look at the screen, which is surrounded by a plastic bezel. The left and right bezels are pretty small, which is the standard nowadays. The top bezel is a little larger and the bottom bezel is twice the size. There’s a Legion logo centered on the bottom bezel and a standard webcam centered at the top.
The palmrest/keyboard area is the same blue plastic as the lid. The keyboard keys are black in color. Centered above the keyboard is the power button which has an integrated LED that is always on. I’m not a huge fan of LEDs that can’t be turned off, but at least this one has a purpose and tells you which power profile you’re on.
There’s a lot of IO on this laptop and it’s exactly the same as the 15” model with the exception of an SD card reader, which that model lacked. The SD card reader is on the right-hand side but is only half a slot, so the card sticks out quite a bit. Also on the right-hand side of the laptop is a USB-A slot. On the left side is another USB-C slot and a headphone/mic combo jack.
The rest of the IO is on the rear of the laptop. This includes three more USB-A slots and another USB -C slot. This USB-C supports DisplayPort and PD charging. There’s an HDMI port and Ethernet as well. Finally, there’s a power port, which is reversible and proprietary to Lenovo’s Legion lineup of laptops.
The underside is made of thicker black plastic. This is probably the only part of the design I don’t care for because the finish just doesn’t match the rest of the laptop. At least it’s on the bottom. There are plenty of vent holes though, and the texture+holes make it easier to grip.
The footpads are also good on this laptop, keeping it steady on the surface. They are short, though, so you’ll want to be extra sure that the surface you are working on is flat. Otherwise, you risk covering the intake vents.
All in all, the design is good on this laptop. Especially for the price point. It’s basically an oversized clone of the popular 15” model, so if you read that article you’d notice that my opinion of both is about the same . The only thing I kind of find disappointing is the SD card sticking out halfway, but that is minor.
Keyboard and trackpad The keyboard on the 17” version is almost identical to the keyboard on the 15” Legion 5. I had zero trouble typing on it, as I’ve adapted pretty well to typing on Legion keyboards for the past several months.
The key feedback is good and the keys are properly spaced apart. It’s a full layout, so there’s a Numpad on the right-hand side. But like the 15” model, the Numpad has slightly smaller keys. I understand that this is probably to save money by using the same keyboard as the 15” model, but it seems a little strange to have smaller keys when clearly there’s space for bigger ones.
The key layout is intuitive as far as those things go. All of the keys are in logical spots and the arrow keys are slit off from the main keyboard as to not have them cramped. The multimedia keys are also pretty useful, with an Fn-lock option to be able to access them quicker.
The main difference between this model and the 15” version is the RGB. Not that the 15” model had the best RGB – it was pretty much entry level as far as RGB keyboards go. But this 17” model’s keyboard only has white with two brightness levels. Probably not a deal breaker for most people, but definitely worth noting.
The trackpad is also identical to the one on the 15” Legion 5. It’s plastic, but has a pretty good texture, making it very usable. It tracks well and multi-touch gestures registered perfectly for me.
It’s a little small though, and being on a 17” model really makes it stand out as a missed opportunity. This is yet another area that Lenovo got lazy on, probably due to cost and the fact that the 17” models aren’t popular enough to warrant more customized components.
Regardless of the minor gripes, the keyboard and trackpad on this laptop are both very good. If I had to use this as my daily driver, I would be just fine.
Screen The screen is ok on this model. It’s bright enough and has decent contrast. The viewing angles are also good, although there is a little bit of light shift when you hit the moderate angles. It’s not distracting at all when looking at it head-on.
However, compared to the higher-end screens I’ve been seeing in other recent laptops, I’d call this screen a little inferior, mainly because it’s not QHD, lacks GSYNC, and doesn’t have a high color gamut. But if it were two years ago, this probably would have been one of the better 17” screens available.
It is a fast screen though, and paired with a 3070, it makes most games run over 100fps even at max settings.
I took some measurements on my X-rite i1 Display Pro sensor and here’s what I got:
Panel HardwareID: Lenovo LEN173FHD (LEN89A8);
Coverage: 92.3% sRGB, 70.5% DCI-P3, 67.2% AdobeRGB;
Measured gamma: 2.2;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 310 cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 1550:1
Native white point: 7030 K;
Black on max brightness: 0.2 cd/m2.
Sure, QHD would be a nice option at this point, but it’s not available on this model, as that’s only reserved for the Legion 5 Pro and Legion 7 16-inch laptops. The only other option is a basic 60Hz FHD panel, which offers no advantage over this 144Hz one.
Hardware and performance Like the 15” variant, the 17” Legion 5 comes with a Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, which is an octa-core with a base clock of 3.2Ghz and a boost clock of 4.4Ghz. Plenty of horsepower for almost anyone.
This configuration on hand comes with an RTX 3070, although you can also get the 3060 or 3050 if you want to save some money. This top GPU has 8GB of VRAM, which should be plenty, especially considering the screen is only FHD.
We’ve also reviewed the 3050Ti and RTX 3060 variants of the Legion 5 in separate articles.
Paired with this hardware is 16GB of RAM, which comes in 2 modules of 8GB and is replaceable. If you’re wanting to get the most out of your PC, you’re probably going to want to replace this RAM though, as it’s the same single ranked RAM I saw in the Legion 5 and Legion 5 Pro. We’ll get into the performance differences shortly.
As for the SSD, my unit comes with a 1TB drive which is made by Hynix. These drives are fine and have decent speeds as far as NVMe drives go. It’s an AMD laptop so you’re limited to PCIe gen 3.0, which is what this drive is. There’s also a spare slot if you wanted to upgrade, but note that SATA drives are no longer supported in most Legion laptops.
If you want to upgrade, I would caution you to do all of it at once. Although the bottom panel has some screws that are easy to remove, the panel is held tightly by very small and delicate plastic clips. You have to work your way around carefully with a guitar pick in order to get all the clips to release.
Taking your time and doing it right is the only advice I can give. It took me about 5 minutes to get it to completely release on this one and I still managed to break a clip. It went back together just fine without it though, so no big deal.
Once inside, you have to remove the protective plates to have access to the SSDs, RAM, and Wifi module. The SSD plates are held on by screws and the RAM plate is removable by sticking your guitar pick in one of the clips and lifting it up.
Preinstalled on the laptop is Lenovo Vantage. You can use this software to switch on and off the MUX. You also can pick the power profile which determines how much power the CPU/GPU get and what the fan profile is. Here’s a table that shows what each mode does:
Quiet Balanced Performance Battery
TDP PL1/PL2
TGP
TDP PL1/PL2
TGP
TDP PL1/PL2
TGP
TDP PL1/PL2
TGP
25/37W
115W
54W/65W
115W
76W/85W
130W
25/37W
40W
The laptop keeps quiet and efficient with daily use, as shown in these logs.
I then took some synthetic benchmarks at the three different settings in Lenovo Vantage, all with the MUX set on dGPU. First was in Performance mode:
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 23607 (Graphics – 26704, Physics – 24399);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 10251 (Graphics – 10518, CPU – 8965);3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics: 6322;3DMark 13 – CPU profile: max – 6588 16 – 6597, 8 – 5603, 4 – 3213, 2 – 1691, 1 -872;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 6551;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 19183;GeekBench 5: Single-Core: 1462, Multi-core: 7140;CineBench R15: OpenGL 177.45 fps, CPU 2113 cb, CPU Single Core 230 cb;CineBench R23: CPU 12326 pts, CPU Single Core 1361 pts.
And here’s how this 2021 Legion 5 fares in the Cinebench R15 loop test on the Performance, Balanced and Quiet profiles.
And how it compares against other 2021 laptops in its class. Competitive, within 5-7% of the higher-tier Ryzen 9 implementations such as the Legion 7 or ROG G15 Advantage .
And here’s how this platform does in the 3D Mark CPU-GPU combined stress test.
Next I set the mode to Balanced. Here were my results:
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 23502 (Graphics – 26394, Physics – 25008);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 10182 (Graphics – 10406, CPU – 9076);3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics: 6205;3DMark 13 – CPU profile: max – 6322 16 – 6317, 8 – 5532, 4 – 3227, 2 – 1688, 1 -871;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 6304;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 18620;GeekBench 5: Single-Core: 1453, Multi-core: 7392;CineBench R15: OpenGL 170.72 fps, CPU 2019 cb, CPU Single Core 220 CB;CineBench R23: CPU 11963 pts, CPU Single Core 1338 pts;
Here are my results after switching to Quiet mode:
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 12038 (Graphics – 21492, Physics – 7719);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 9182 (Graphics – 9336, CPU – 8400);3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics: 6189;3DMark 13 – CPU profile: max – 3733 16 – 3338, 8 – 1932, 4 – 684, 2 – 383, 1 -202;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 6247;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 8488;GeekBench 5: Single-Core: 371, Multi-core: 3521;CineBench R15: OpenGL 42.68 fps, CPU 1442 cb, CPU Single Core 53 cb;CineBench R23: CPU 9465 pts, CPU Single Core 247 pts;
In the BIOS, I was able to OC the GPU with some predefined settings. Here are the new results from adding +100Mhz:
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 24576 (Graphics – 27984, Physics – 25192);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 10379 (Graphics – 10614, CPU – 9225);3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics: 6609;3DMark 13 –CPU profile: max – 6320 16 – 6322, 8 – 5571, 4 – 3223, 2 – 1674, 1 -873Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 6914;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 20157;GeekBench 5: Single-Core: 1403, Multi-core: 7096;CineBench R15: OpenGL 183.28 fps, CPU 2151 cb, CPU Single Core 229 CB;CineBench R23: CPU 12866 pts, CPU Single Core 1420 pts;
Finally, here’s how things change when I swapped out the default RAM for my 32GB RAM kit. Note that this is with the GPU OC as well:
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 24214 (Graphics – 27631, Physics – 25146);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 10871 (Graphics – 11072, CPU – 9857);3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX) Graphics: 6584;3DMark 13 –CPU profile: max – 6620 16 – 6612, 8 – 5716, 4 – 3233, 2 – 1681, 1 -871Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 6915;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 19090;GeekBench 5: Single-Core: 1461, Multi-core: 8496;CineBench R15: OpenGL 125.47 fps, CPU 2127 cb, CPU Single Core 226 CB;CineBench R23: CPU 12971 pts, CPU Single Core 1418 pts;
Pretty good results and it’s exactly what I was expecting, considering the plethora of Legion laptops I have reviewed in the past couple of months.
I think I can say with some certainty that the cheap RAM is only limited to Lenovo’s 16GB modules and the 32GB models are safe. It can also be noted that there is little reason not to OC your GPU in the BIOS, as it only adds performance and carries negligible changes in temps.
I also did some testing in some games. I took some in Performance mode with OC, Quiet mode with again in Performance OC mode with my upgraded RAM:
Ryzen 7 + RTX 3070 130W FHD resolution Performance OC Mode Quiet Mode Performance OC Mode
Battlefield V 133 fps avg, 115fps low
60 fps avg, 55 fps low
130 fps avg, 102 fps low
Battlefield V 81 fps avg, 75fps low
48 fps avg, 42 fps low
80 fps avg, 74 fps low
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 102 fps avg, 89fps low
68 fps avg, 61 fps low
104 fps avg, 94 fps low
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 122 fps avg, 110 fps low
81 fps avg, 73 fps low
122 fps avg, 110 fps low
Horizon Zero Dawn 105 fps avg, 95 fps low
90 fps avg, 80 fps low
113 fps avg, 106 fps low
Cyberpunk 69 fps avg, 57fps low
38 fps avg, 34 fps low
70 fps avg, 62 fps low
Cyberpunk 44 fps avg, 38fps low
37 fps avg, 35 fps low
46 fps avg, 43 fps low
Cyberpunk 74 fps avg, 69fps low
48 fps avg, 43 fps low
76 fps avg, 73 fps low
Valheim 92 fps avg, 71 fps low
30 fps avg, 21 fps low
103 fps avg, 95 fps low
These are good results and it’s clear that the RTX 3070 is overkill for this FHD screen. If you need to play all your games well above 60Hz on Ultra settings, this is the model you probably should get. But I think most will find more value in the RTX 3060 models (Andrei is working on reviews of the 3060 Legion 5 and Legion 5 Pro right now).
I do have to add that the 3070 seems to only run at 115W in these games, and not at its full 130W with Dynamic Boost 2.0. Not sure what’s causing this limitation, but if fixed, the numbers above should end up even higher.
Quiet mode isn’t too shabby either, which is a good reason to opt for the 3070, if keeping noise levels low is your style. Still, it would have been nice if Lenovo included a QHD screen as an option. I think it would have paired better with the RTX 3070 for sure.
Last thing to note on the gaming benchmarks is the improvement seen by switching out the RAM. Some games are better than others, but I did see a noticeable improvement in many games. Certainly not worse in any, so you might want to plan on updating your RAM if you buy one of these models and want to get the most out of it.
Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others After taking a look at the inside, I noticed a very familiar sight. The cooling system is exactly the same as what I saw on both the 15” Legion 5 and Legion 5 Pro. The only difference is the heat pipes were stretched out a little further to span the chassis. Frankly, I expected more.
But it works relatively the same as the other two models I’ve tested. It’s hard to compare apples to apples with the Legion 5, because that model I reviewed was only a 1050Ti. But the Legion 5 Pro and this model were very similarly specced, and the cooling system acted similarly as well.
The fans are also exactly the same. They are pretty large in size and identical to the other Legion laptops. The only disappointment I have is the right fan on the GPU side could have been larger, but Lenovo chose not to. Could be for sourcing concerns for consistency, but I hate to see such a large empty space in a laptop. Seems like a wasted opportunity.
I ran a test with Horizon Zero Dawn, where I ran the game for an extended period at each power profile. The intent was to measure the differences in temperatures as well as ambient noise levels from the fans. Check it out:
Mode Performance Balanced Quiet
CPU temps 89C avg
81C avg
56C avg
GPU temps 73C avg
71C avg
64C avg
Avg fan noise after stabilized temps 45 dB
40 dB
37 dB
Game performance 115 fps avg, 99 fps low
100 fps avg, 92 fps low
90 fps avg, 80 fps low
There are a couple things I noticed with this testing. Firstly, the noise levels were quieter than what I measured on the similarly specced Legion 5 Pro. A good surprise, indeed, but it’s probably because this model’s RTX 3070 only hits 115W with games (although it should go up to 130W as per the specs), where the Legion 5 Pro goes up to 140W.
The other thing to note is just how much better Quiet mode is on the CPU temps and the noise level. It’s so much quieter that would probably play games in this mode much of the time, if I used this laptop daily. For some games, including Horizon Zero Dawn, shifting to Quiet mode doesn’t cripple performance, but there is a noticeable impact on other titles, so you’ll have to test out the profiles yourself.
As for external temperatures, there were no surprises with this laptop. I took some FLIR readings so you can get a look at what to expect with normal tasks on battery and again with a heavy gaming session.
Daily Use – daily use for 30 minutes, Quiet profile, fans up to 33 dB *Gaming – Performance – playing HZD for 30 minutes, fans at 45+ dB
The Wifi module is the same Realtek model that I have seen on some of the previous models. It’s hit or miss with these Legion laptops, because even between two Legion 7 models that I had, I either got this Realtek wifi adapter or the Intel one. I don’t know if they are model-specific or if you just get what they have in stock.
The good news is, I didn’t have any problems with this one like I did with the 15” Legion 5. So far, it has been working just fine. My speed test results in 430Mbps at about 30 feet away from my router. This module also has Bluetooth 5.2 which seems to work fine for me.
The speakers are decent on this laptop. They are the same as the Legion 5, so no surprise here. The highs and mids are ok but the bass is a little lacking. I only measured the bass to go as low as 140Hz.
The maximum volume is a little below average for my taste. I could only get it to reach 70dB, but only after tweaking Nahimic. In performance mode, the fans really start to overwhelm the speakers at full volume.
There’s a standard HD webcam on this model. It takes a decent picture but it’s nothing special at all. The colors are bland even in normal light and the low light correction is far from good. It passes for the occasional use I suppose and is better than not having one at all.
The one thing that’s missing on this model is the kill switch on the right side of the laptop, like on other Legion models this year. Instead, there’s a physical shutter on the webcam itself. Better than nothing, but I prefer the kill switch since it completely disables it, including the audio.
Battery life This Legion 5 has an 80Whr battery, which is a pretty decent size. I’m sure it’s to be consistent with the other Legion models, but it would have been nicer to utilize that extra space and beef it up to 99Whr.
To get the most out of the battery life, you need to enable Optimus. This is done in the Vantage software by enabling Hybrid mode. This switches the MUX to port the signal through the iGPU in the CPU.
I took a bunch of battery measurements, with the screen set at 70% brightness, roughly 88 nits.
8.2 W (~9 h 45 min of use) – idle, Best Battery Mode, screen at 0%, Wi-Fi ON, backlighting off;15.1 W (~5 h 18 min of use) – text editing in Word/Excel, Better Battery Mode, screen at 70%, Wi-Fi ON;13.5 W (~5 h 56 min of use) – 1080p Youtube fullscreen in Chrome, Better Battery Mode, screen at 70%, Wi-Fi ON, screen set to 144Hz ;12.6 W (~6 h 21 min of use) – 1080p Youtube fullscreen in Chrome, Better Battery Mode, screen at 70%, Wi-Fi ON, screen set to 60Hz ;13.1 W (~6 h 6 min of use) – 1080p Netflix fullscreen video in Edge, Better Battery Mode, screen at 70%, Wi-Fi ON;30.9 W (~2 h 35 min of use) – browsing in Chrome, Better Performance Mode, screen at 70%, Wi-Fi ON;59.88 W (~1 h 20 min of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3, Maximum Performance Mode, 60fps, screen at 70%, Wi-Fi ON.
Even though it’s not a 99Whr battery, the battery life is still pretty good for a gaming laptop. The key is making sure that Hybrid mode is turned on.
The power brick is 300W, which is more than enough to power both the CPU and GPU on this machine. This is the same power brick that I have seen on all the other Legion laptops that have a 3070/80. It’s not very compact or lightweight.
Price and availability- Lenovo Legion 5 17-inch At the time of this review, the 17” model of the Legion 5 is only available on Lenovo.com. The model I purchased was priced at $1869, but you can also get different Ryzen 7 + 3070 configurations for under 1700 with less storage space, which actually is a decent price for a 3070 laptop. Keep an eye for discounts though, I got my unit for a lot less.
In fact, at 1800 USD, I would recommend that you consider the RTX 3070 Legion 5 Pro instead, which retails for less than $100 more at this point.
There are also more affordable variants of the Legion 5 to choose from if you opt for a different GPU. The 3050 model starts at $1149 and the 3060 model starts at $1399.
I’ll keep an eye out for any listings, like on Amazon . If you want a good deal though, I’d recommend monitoring deal websites for any sales Lenovo has.
Final thoughts- Lenovo Legion 5 17-inch Overall I’m OK with this laptop. It’s just as good as the 15” model I reviewed recently, except it has an SD card reader. It is bigger and heavier though, so you’ll have to put up with a little extra heft if you want the bigger 17-inch screen.
The value is there, especially with the RTX 3060 model which is properly priced. You get good construction with a decent keyboard and trackpad, lots of IO, and excellent performance, thermals, and noise-levels.
The main drawbacks to this laptop are the screen and webcam. Frankly, the screen is just a little underwhelming if you’re getting the 3070 version. And there’s no choice, because QHD isn’t even an option, unlike on other 17-inch laptops of this generation, such as the AMD-based ROG Strix G17 or even the ROG Scar 17 that we have previously reviewed.
If you’re dead set on getting a 17” screen and like the Legion series over everything else, I’d say this is a good buy at the 3050 and 3060 price points. But if you’re interested in getting the 3070 model I have on hand, I’d caution you against buying this unless you get a decent sale.
Quite frankly, if you don’t mind having a slightly smaller screen, the 16” Legion 5 Pro is arguably a much better buy. Especially since you can easily find that model under MSRP as well. But if you get the deal I did on this model (under $1300), this is a real bargain.
Anyway, that wraps up my take on this Legion 5 17-inch laptop. I should have this unit for quite some time. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
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.
AlexS
November 3, 2021 at 7:51 am
Nice, pretty happy with mine 5800H+3060
Cinebench R23 multi 12326 is quite low compared to mine, i got 13200 out and made no change to it.
Any bloatware? The only issue i might think could be different is that i bought mine without OS and i installed W10 Pro in it, so not the typical Home version.
Gab
November 24, 2021 at 12:05 am
Looking to buy this laptop.
Does the empty m.2 slot support a 2280 size ssd?
Great review.
Derek Sullivan
November 24, 2021 at 12:13 am
Yup. Both slots are 2280. Keep in mind they are PCIe only. SATA M.2 drives won't work.
AlexS
November 3, 2021 at 8:00 am
Another point, while the sound in the laptop is not anything to talk about, i found that sending it to an hi-fi system via bluetooth could achieve very high sound quality.
vincent
November 26, 2021 at 12:07 am
I bought this laptop but wanted to calibrate the screen. Any chance you could share your color profile?
Derek Sullivan
November 27, 2021 at 3:38 am
Try this and let me know if it works: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WydD8sszqwTajzs5ItN3yKCbxiugzhXD/view?usp=sharing
Just redid it today.
Vincent
December 6, 2021 at 12:45 am
Sorry I made a mistake. My model has the 17in and RTX 3060 not sure if it's exactly the same. I did try your color file -thanks so much for that- however I'm still having the same problem. As an example when I play Halo Infinite the darker colors blend together. It actually obscures my view of the enemy.
On the title screen the mountains and the trees, those colors blend in. I tried adjusting the Gamma but can't seem to make it better. It shipped with Windows 11.
Derek Sullivan
December 6, 2021 at 12:58 am
Is it 144hz like my model? I didn't see any issues like that but it sounds like it's not usimg the colors properly. Did you make sure the in game settings wasn't trying to use high dynamic range or anything like that?
Jerry Binger
November 27, 2021 at 11:27 pm
I ordered this but my main concern is how bad the screen is? I’ve tried looking for a response time but couldn’t find it anywhere. What is the response time you got from your testing? Is it reasonable to play on FPS???
Derek Sullivan
November 28, 2021 at 12:03 am
I don't have a way to measure it unfortunately. I did just reach out to them to ask though. I'll report back if I get an answer.
I'm going to guess it's not a low response time though. Almost always if it's a good spec, they report it in their specs page. If it's average, they just leave it blank. The good news is it didn't feel terrible in my testing. I can usually tell if it's really bad just by playing a game for a few minutes. But that usually means it's 50+ms. This is probably something in the 10-30ms range. That's just a gut feeling though so take it with a grain of salt.
I'll let you know if I hear more from Lenovo.
Jerry Binger
November 28, 2021 at 1:12 am
Thanks for the response!
From looking at Reddit here one user claims it’s 9ms at 144hz so I assume that’s not great but not terrible for gaming
“ It's too bad the screen response time is 9ms and there's no overdrive mode. Needs to be 7ms for a 144hz panel. If esports and motion blur matter for you this might not be the laptop. Otherwise great deal”
Reference: https://www.reddit.com/r/LaptopDeals/comments/q5uedn/lenovo_store_legion_5_gen_6_amd_17_amd_ryzen_7/
Does that sound similar? I don’t do CSGO but play more like Hell Let Loose and Battlefield
Derek Sullivan
November 29, 2021 at 4:13 am
I don't think 9ms is all that bad, but that's just me. Sounds like a trustworthy source though.
As I thought, the Lenovo data sheet doesn't have the response time. There's no way it's ultra low if they aren't stating it in their data sheet. Especially since there's no toggle for it in Vantage. So 9 ms is probably right on.
Rick Villarreal
December 2, 2021 at 1:24 am
Excellent review and in depth and just to let you know this gaming laptop is on sale at Walmart for just $699. Bought one for Cyber Monday and it's still that price today. December 1st at 6:00 pm.
Derek Sullivan
December 2, 2021 at 1:27 am
That's awesome, thx for sharing. GTX 1650 but still a heck of a deal.
Abdul Moeed
January 4, 2022 at 10:47 pm
Thank you so much. I just recently bought this from my hard earned freelancing money and my friend brought it for me from the USA to Pakistan . I was watching reviews on youtube for the last 9 months and last week I finally got it…. Your work really help me understand and saved a lot of time . THanks
Abdul Moeed
January 4, 2022 at 10:49 pm
One Question . Can I use a smaller battery and use a SSD or HDD on the side ? Is there any SATA connector. Thanks.
Derek Sullivan
January 4, 2022 at 11:49 pm
Sata drives don't work on this laptop. Even m.2 sata.
Vasileios
April 12, 2022 at 10:24 pm
Type c ports supports thunderbolt connectivity!?
(For connecting eGPU)
Andrei Girbea
April 13, 2022 at 9:40 am
not on the AMD models
Al
June 17, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Hi,
I have this model.
I have a question: can i upgrade ram to 32 Gb?
Is it possible?
Andrei Girbea
June 20, 2022 at 11:38 am
it is
Mike
June 28, 2022 at 5:12 pm
This is now selling for $899 at Microcenter. At this price point, it seems to be a must have.
Derek Sullivan
June 28, 2022 at 5:16 pm
Yup that's for the 3050Ti version. Good price indeed. I think the 3060 version for $1099 is a better buy though. M2c
Andrei Girbea
June 28, 2022 at 5:17 pm
that's the Intel + 3050Ti model, but still excellent value at that price, especially if battery life isn't important.
Arash
July 1, 2022 at 10:21 am
Can we change the full HD screen to QHD or 4K in the future by using the screen panels available in the market? is it possible?
Andrei Girbea
July 1, 2022 at 11:43 am
should be. you'll find details in the service manual (should be available on a google search)
Torgny
September 2, 2022 at 5:56 pm
Thank you for an excellent review! Very good!
1.) I was thinking of buying this 3070 version to be able to keep it for a longer time, and still be able to play some what demanding games in the future. How would you rate the 3070 compared to 3060 version of this model in that context?
2.) Having the graphic card connected to an external screen, will you be able to set another resolution compared to the native screen?
3.) Is there available "docking stations" in order to more easy add external keyboards, screen, mouse etc.?
/Torgny
Andrei Girbea
September 2, 2022 at 7:34 pm
you'll find reviews of the 3060 on the site, use the search and compare. 2 and 3, yes
Aadesh
September 14, 2022 at 3:23 am
Would this laptop fit in a regular sized backpack? I'm looking to use it as my everyday laptop for college as a comp engineering student. The one with the GTX 1650 is available for $600 USD while the L5P with the 3070 is $1300.
Derek Sullivan
September 14, 2022 at 3:44 am
That's hard to answer. Regular sized is a rather subjective phrase. It fit in my backpack just barely.
Aadesh Senthilkumar
September 14, 2022 at 7:13 am
Mine is the underarmour hustle pro. And I think it said 15 inches for the laptop padding. Anyway, i think it might be too cumbersome even if it fit in my bag.
Derek Sullivan
September 14, 2022 at 12:22 pm
It says it holds up to a 15" MacBook pro. No chance it'll hold this one.
Mike
September 14, 2022 at 2:31 pm
I had to buy an extra large backpack for this. It wouldn’t fit in my “normal” backpack.