Some avid gamers favor excessive refresh charges. Others favor larger resolutions. The Lenovo Legion 5i Professional ($1,999.99) splits the distinction with a 2560 x 1600, 165 Hz show. This primes it to be a strong esports machine whereas additionally providing the constancy for effects-driven video games.
It is obtained some energy behind it because of an Intel Core i7-12700H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, which carried out properly in our testing, albeit because of some cooling with very loud followers.
Lenovo must take away some bloatware from its set up of Home windows 11, and the audio system aren’t unbelievable. However with some headphones and endurance to uninstall applications, the Legion 5i Professional is a robust jack of all gaming trades that may tangle with the finest gaming laptops.
Design of the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
It is in vogue today for firms that make gaming laptops to take a barely much less aggressive strategy to design. Whereas the Legion 5i Professional continues to be unmistakably a gaming laptop computer, its grey and black colorways do not seize an excessive amount of consideration.
The darkish grey lid has the Legion emblem in a mirror shine, and two angular traces for a little bit of perspective.
You could not likely discover the gamer aesthetic till you elevate the lid and the keyboard lights up with four-zone RGB. Whereas the keyboard deck is not made from metallic, it feels sturdy and strengthened.
The 16-inch show is surrounded by small bezels one both sides, which permits for a taller, 16:10 side ratio. The webcam is in a housing that stands out ever so barely, and acts as a straightforward method to open the pocket book with a single thumb.
There are few ports on Legion’s sides (a Thunderbolt 4 and USB Kind-C port on the left; a USB Kind-A port, 3.5mm headphone jack and a webcam “e-shutter” kill change on the appropriate). Most of them are on a bump that protrudes from the rear of the pocket book. There, you may discover an Ethernet jack, two extra USB Kind-A ports and one other USB-C port, an HDMI port and the facility jack. This allows you to preserve the laptop computer plugged right into a monitor, the wall and wired web connection with out making a large number of cables from the edges.
The Legion 5i Professional is 5.49 kilos and measures 14.17 x 10.4 x 1.05 inches. That is heavier and thicker than the Razer Blade 15, which is 4.4 kilos and 13.9 x 9.25 x 0.67 inches, in addition to the Gigabyte Aero 16 at 5.07 kilos and 0.88 inches thick. It is unsurprising that the Gigabyte Aorus 17 XE4, with a 17-inch display, is heavier and bigger at 5.95 kilos and 1.1 inches thick.
Lenovo Legion 5i Professional Specs
| CPU | Intel Core i7-12700H |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8GB GDDR6, 150W max graphics energy, 1,410 MHz increase clock) |
| Reminiscence | 16GB DDR5-4800 |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Show | 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 16:10, G-Sync, 165 Hz |
| Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB Kind-c 3.2 Gen 2, 3x USB Kind-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI, Ethernet, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Digital camera | 720p webcam with e-shutter |
| Battery | 80 WHr |
| Energy Adapter | 300 W |
| Working System | Home windows 11 House |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 14.17 x 10.4 x 1.05 inches / 359.9 x 264.4 x 26.6mm |
| Weight | 5.49 kilos / 2.49 kg |
| Worth (as configured) | $1,999.99 |
Gaming and Graphics on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
Lenovo outfitted our overview unit with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and an Intel Core i7-12700H, making for sturdy gaming efficiency at each 1080p and the Legion’s native 2560 x 1440 (1440p).
I am lastly attending to Cyberpunk 2077 now that its newest patches are out. I wished to make use of the flowery lighting results, so I downgraded the graphics to 1080p whereas utilizing the Ray Tracing: Extremely preset. As I discovered my manner off the road and right into a gang’s warehouse, the sport sometimes ran between 62 and 65 frames per second, however typically as little as 52 fps in detailed scenes with numerous characters.
On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark (highest settings), the Legion performed at 110 fps at 1080p and 69 fps at 2560 x 1600. The Razer Blade 14, additionally with a 3070 Ti, fell behind at 90 fps at 1080p and 61 fps at its native 1440p. The Aorus 17 XE4 (additionally utilizing an RTX 3070 Ti) hit 89 fps at its native 1080p, whereas the Gigabyte Aero 16, which once we reviewed it famous was utilizing a decrease energy model of the identical GPU, was the worst of the bunch.
The Legion performed Grand Theft Auto V (very excessive settings) at 131 fps at 1080p and 78 fps at 2560 x 1600, once more coming in forward of the Blade (104 fps at 1080p and 67 fps at 1440p) and the Aorus (89 fps at 1080p).
On Far Cry 6 (extremely settings), the Legion’s lead was a bit smaller. It performed at 88 fps at 1080p and 70 fps at 2560 x 1600, whereas the Blade performed at 83 fps at 1080p and 69 fps at 1440p.
However the Legion 5i Professional was on the high of the pack on Borderlands 3 at “badass” settings (99 fps at 1080p, 68 fps at 1600p), beating the closest competitors by ten frames at FHD. And on Purple Lifeless Redemption 2 (medium settings), the Legion performed the benchmark at 81 fps at 1080p, coming in 5 frames forward of the Aorus 17 XE4.
However a benchmark is brief. That is why we additionally run a stress check on gaming laptops. We cycle by means of 15 loops of Metro Exodus, which simulates about half an hour of sport play. The Legion ran the sport, on its RTX preset, at a median of 58.23 frames per second, and it was remarkably steady all through the 15 runs.
Throughout that stress check, the CPU’s efficiency cores ran at a median of 4.27 GHz whereas the effectivity cores measured 3.52 GHz. The CPU bundle measured 76.63 levels Celsius. In the meantime, the GPU ran at 1.577 GHz and measured 74.3 levels Celsius.
Productiveness Efficiency on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
Our Legion 5i Professional got here with an Intel Core i7-12700H, 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD, so we anticipated it to be a succesful productiveness machine when it wasn’t gaming.
On Geekbench 5.4, an general efficiency check that leans closely on the CPU, the Legion achieved a single-core rating of 1,596 and a multi-core rating of 13,008. Whereas that was the bottom single-core rating of the bunch, it additionally had the best multi-core rating. The Razer Blade (Core i7-12800H) sputtered at 9,263, whereas the Aorus XE4 (11,979) and Aero 16 (11,819) had been shut however nonetheless meaningfully behind.
On our file switch check, the Legion 5i Professional copied 25GB of check information at a charge of roughly 925.46 MBps, simply behind the Razer Blade 15 but additionally slower than the Aorus (1,475.15 MBps) and Aero (1,037.5 MBps).
Lenovo’s laptop computer got here out forward on our Handbrake check, during which we’ve got notebooks transcode a 4K video right down to 1080p decision. The Legion accomplished the duty in 4 minutes and 29 seconds, greater than a minute sooner than competing notebooks.
Show on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
Lenovo has opted for a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 show on our overview unit. It helps Nvidia G-Sync to stop display tearing and has a refresh charge of 165 Hz.
After I used the Legion to play Cyberpunk 2077, a big portion of my gameplay occurred in a darkened, deserted constructing the place a crew was hiding out. The display was shiny sufficient for me to see with out futzing with in-game settings. The show seemed finest when neon crimson indicators lit my path. Another components of the extent, like yellow safety fits in muted grey lockers, did not have the identical sort of pop.
I hardly ever went over 60 Hz in my playthrough, however the 165 Hz refresh charge supported the gameplay when it did. I might be extra more likely to see that stage of efficiency at decrease settings or in esports titles.
After I used the Legion 5i Professional to observe the trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder, I appreciated the pops of crimson and orange as Thor walked by means of flames, and the way a sundown contrasted with a tree in silhouette within the foreground. Greens and blues, whereas clear, did not come out the identical manner, like when Thor flies over a metropolis with floating greenery. Viewing angles on the system are glorious.
In keeping with our colorimeter, the Legion’s show covers 113% of the sRGB shade gamut and 80% of the DCI-P3 shade gamut. That is second solely to the Razer Blade 15 (123% and 87.1%), whereas the 2 Gigabytes had been inside vary of the Legion.
On our lightmeter, the Legion 5i Professional measured 474 nits of brightness, making it much more luminous than the Aero 16 (366 nits, the subsequent brightest) and the remainder of the pack.
Keyboard and Touchpad on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
Lenovo’s keyboard is comfy with first rate tactile suggestions. Positive, it is not mechanical, however its 1.5mm of key journey meant I did not backside out, and the mechanism is quiet sufficient to not hassle others close by. It feels a bit like a ThinkPad keyboard, which is excessive reward.
On the Monkeytype typing check, I reached 117 phrases per minute, which is a bit over my regular pace, with a 2% error charge.
The keyboard features a full quantity pad jammed in on the facet, however I appreciated the devoted media keys that Lenovo put above it.
The touchpad is greater than spacious sufficient for Home windows 11’s four-finger gestures (although most require solely 3). It is plastic and feels prefer it, nevertheless it’s adequate. Avid gamers will most certainly be utilizing a mouse more often than not.
Audio on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
Lenovo outfitted the Legion 5i Professional with a pair of 2W audio system, which get the job completed, although they are not wonderful.
On The Maine’s “Love You a Little,” I discovered the vocals, cymbals and guitars sounded effective, however drums and bass had been exceedingly troublesome to listen to in some spots. The music obtained good and loud, although distorted a bit on the highest volumes. The mid-80% vary is the candy spot.
After I performed Cyberpunk 2077, vocals and squealing automobile tires sounded nice, however gunfire within the sport’s fight state of affairs lacked punch.
Nahimic Audio comes put in on the laptop computer, with music, film, communication and gaming presets. I might suggest most individuals depart it at default settings, as I discovered messing with the bass and treble did not assist me a lot.
Upgradeability on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
To get into the Legion 5i Professional to restore or improve it, it’s essential to take away ten Phillips head screws from the backside of the pocket book. They’re actually small; I used a measurement 000 bit.
Be aware that the 4 screws closest to the palmrest are shorter than the remainder, and be sure to do not lose them. (Certainly one of them was actually tight, however with some endurance, it got here out. Watch out to not strip screws.)
The subsequent step is to pry off the underside cowl. That is by far probably the most troublesome half. The plastic backside’s clips maintain on tight. I wanted to make use of a mixture of guitar picks and devoted prying suggestions. Ultimately, all of it pulled off, however this took me considerably longer than most different laptops must open.
That being mentioned, when you get in, there’s a lot to improve. Excluding the battery, the RAM, SSD and networking card are all below warmth shields.
And Lenovo is utilizing difficult warmth safety that I have never seen earlier than. The 2 SSD shields every require eradicating three Phillips head screws. The protect on the left goes over a warmth pipe whereas the one on the appropriate additionally covers the networking card. Should you truly change something, you may must take away extra screws.They are not arduous to take away, however extra difficult than I’ve come to count on. I like to recommend some tweezers to put the screws again for reinstallation.
Our unit solely had a single 512GB SSD, so our leftmost SSD slot was empty, permitting for added storage sooner or later if essential.
The RAM’s warmth protect may be eliminated simply sufficient together with your fingers after which changed the identical manner. There are two slots so as to add or change RAM.
Battery Life on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
I do not often count on to see a gaming laptop computer final for a significant period of time off of the charger, however the Legion stunned me. On our check, which browses the net, runs graphics assessments and streams video over Wi-Fi, all with the display at 150 nits of brightness, it lasted seven and a half hours. That is not a full day, however not unhealthy for the class.
The subsequent longest was the Aero at 5:04, with the Blade and Aorus trailing behind at 4:45 and 4:06, respectively.
Warmth on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
This technique’s followers run loud. After I ran our Metro Exodus stress check, the Legion seemed like a small vacuum cleaner.
On the heart of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, the laptop computer measured 36.4 levels Celsius (97.52 levels Fahrenheit), which is not too unhealthy for a gaming laptop computer. At the very least these loud followers are doing one thing. In the meantime, the touchpad was a cooler 29.7 levels Celsius (85.46 levels Fahrenheit), although most avid gamers will use a mouse. Whereas I performed video games on the Legion 5i Professional, my fingers obtained a bit steamy, however I by no means discovered it so uncomfortable that I could not use it.
The most well liked level by far was on the underside of the laptop computer, the place the pocket book takes in air. It measured 48.7 levels Celsius (119.66 levels Fahrenheit).
Webcam on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
Regardless of the small digital camera bump, Lenovo nonetheless has a 720p digital camera above the Legion 5i’s show. It is effective in good lighting, although nothing to brag dwelling about.
In a well-lit workplace, I discovered that the colours in my inexperienced, blue and yellow shirt had been a bit muted. Maybe the digital camera could not modify properly for the various home windows, although I wasn’t in a lot direct gentle. There was a bit extra element right here than in another 720p cameras, like in my hair. You could possibly use this for a name, although I might nonetheless suggest an exterior webcam if you happen to can swing it.
Software program and Guarantee on the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional
Lenovo is slowly beginning to add extra software program than it used to. It isn’t a improvement I like.
The first app continues to be Lenovo Vantage, although on this laptop computer it is skinned with Legion branding. It reveals CPU, GPU, and SSD statistics, allows you to change thermal profiles, customise the four-zone RGB keyboard lighting and plenty extra. However Lenovo has additionally added a brand new app, Sensible Noise Cancellation, to regulate the angle at which the microphone picks up noise. One other piece of software program, Lenovo Hotkeys, seems to showcase the operate keys and a few shortcuts, however does not allow you to customise them in any respect.
Moreover, Lenovo has put three shortcuts to its web site on the desktop: one to buyer assist, one to your guarantee standing and one to purchase extra Lenovo Legion gaming merchandise. Within the Edge browser, there are bookmarks to Lenovo, its assist web page, and McAfee Safety.
On high of all of that, Nahimic is on board for audio, which I do not thoughts. However there’s additionally Tobii Horizon, which may use your digital camera to detect your presence and alter privateness settings, display brightness, and extra.
At the very least the Legion appeared to be largely freed from the bloat that sometimes comes with Home windows 11, excluding trials of Microsoft Workplace purposes.
Lenovo sells the Legion 5i Professional with a one-year guarantee.
Lenovo Legion 5i Professional Configurations
We examined the Lenovo Legion 5i Professional in a Walmart-exclusive configuration that prices $1,999.99 with an Intel Core i7-12700H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
On Lenovo’s web site, a mannequin an identical to ours excluding a pair of 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD (totaling 2TB) is $2,469.99.
Backside Line
The Lenovo Legion 5i Professional is midway between a standard, top-of-the-line gaming PC and a high-refresh mannequin meant for esports. With a 165 Hz, 2560 x 1600 show, you will get excessive body charges or decently excessive decision. The RTX 3070 Ti and Alder Lake undoubtedly pack a punch collectively.
We have seen quite a few laptops with 1080p screens currently, suggesting an absence of others available in the market. Those that wish to go all-in on esports would possibly wish to discover a 300 Hz choice. If you need one thing related however sleeker, the Razer Blade 15 is an effective choice, although its efficiency is barely lesser.
General, the Legion 5i Professional is an effective jack of all trades, so long as you do not thoughts fan noise.