Its been a month since Lenovo has introduced its brand-new Legion 5 Pro laptop (from the Legion 2021 series) in the market. From its specifications, it can be said that this laptop is the flagship killer in its category.
The company has introduced some more models (like Lenovo Legion 7 & 7 Pro), but today our main aim is to discuss the Legion 5 Pro.
The Legion 5 Pro features the latest AMD Ryzen 5800H processor based on Zen3 architecture. In addition, the latest series of GPU from NVIDIA (RTX 30XX series) has been combined with the SoC. None of the Ryzen game products made this golden combination in the best condition until now.
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Specifications
| Screen | 16″ QHD (2560 x 1600) IPS, 16:10, 500 nits, 165Hz / 3ms response time, 100% sRGB,G-sync, FreeSync， HDR400 |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H |
| Wireless Connection | Intel AX201NGW WFi6 |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 |
| Memory | 16GB dual-channel DDR4 3200MHz |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Camera | 720p HD with webcam privacy shutter |
| Ports | 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 2 x USB-C, RJ45, 3.5 mm audio port, 1 x HDMI 2.1 |
| Battery | 80Wh |
| OS | Windows 10 Home |
| Weight | 2.58 kg |
With the debut of the Lenovo 2021 series of a gaming laptop, it can be said that these “pain points” are no longer exist. Through the redesign of the motherboard circuit, Lenovo finally realized the independent display direct connection (genuinely perfect in all gears of gaming) on the Zen3 gaming notebook and solved all the previous problems at once.
The Legion 5 Pro features a 16″ Quad-HD (2500*1600p) IPS Display, which further got a 165Hz refresh rate (or 3ms response time). The display has an aspect ratio of 16:10, and other things like 100% sRGB, HDR certified, Dolby Vision-enabled, NVIDIA G-SYNC, AMD Freesync are also there.
The GPU comes in two versions: RTX 3060 & RTX 3070 (depends on the buyer, what they want). Physically, the display got tiny bezels from the side, while only the bottom side has a bit bigger chin. With these specifications, it can be said that this gaming machine can run heavy games like Witcher 3, Cyberpunk, or Red Dead Redemption 2 with ease & grace. In addition, the traditional heat dissipation of the LEGION 5 PRO itself is also quite piled, and its performance cannot be underestimated.
The appearance design is also further improved if compared with predecessors. On the backside, the Legion 5 Pro adopts a classic big Y logo. The LOGO supports lighting, and the colors can be adjusted with the software. At the front, we got a three-sided narrow frame design, while the thickness of this frame is the flagship level. There is a front webcam on top, and next to it is the LED indicator, which is used to identify whether the camera is working.
The keyboard is full-size, while the numeric keypad is also provided, supports two-level of white backlight adjustment. There is also the Lenovo nameplate in the lower right corner, which makes the notebook more textured. It is recommended that users should disable the Touchpad before playing any game. As per observation, it can be seen that Touchpad is placed at a bit left while it is also known that most game these days uses “W, S, A, D” keys. The users might face unexpected touch to Touchpad while playing the game.
The interfaces are mainly concentrated in the tail. From left to right are 1x RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port, USB 3.2 Type-C interface (supporting DP1.4 and 100W PD power supply), 3x USB 3.2 Type-A interfaces, 1x HDMI 2.1 interface, and a power interface. There are fewer interfaces on both sides; there is a USB 3.2 Type-A interface and electronic camera switch on the right. A USB 3.2 Type-C interface (supporting DP1.4) and a 3.5mm audio interface are also there on the left.
At the disassembling of Legion 5 Pro, the traditional copper pipes used for heat dissipation can be seen. The heat dissipation configuration of the Legion 5 Pro is also quite luxurious. A heat-dissipating metal cover covers almost the entire motherboard, and it is not easy to find a bare place.
Especially the core heat dissipation area, although it is a configuration of dual fans, four air outlets, and five heat pipes, although it seems that the number of heat pipes is not large, the diameter of the heat pipes is not tiny at all. Heat pipes for traversing the CPU and GPU cores are also there. The diameter is as high as 10mm.
In addition, there is an 8mm heat pipe and two 6mm heat pipes to assist in heat dissipation. There is also a heat pipe on the back dedicated to the heat dissipation of the memory. Coupled with a large area heat plate, the actual heat dissipation efficiency is quite impressive. Overall, the laptop weighs 2.4kg, which seems satisfactory as it is a gaming machine, but we would like to mention that this laptop is not good at being portable.
These days, battery backup is one of the essential factor, a buyer checks before purchasing any electronic device. This gaming laptop features an 80Wh battery and official claims that the battery backup is up to 8.1 hours. Another exciting thing is that this laptop comes with a 300W charger. The reason is unknown why Lenovo has used such a powerful charger. The other competitors are giving 180W chargers in this segment.
It is also reported that there are M.2 slots on both sides above the battery, and the metal cover is disassembled on the left side, and there is only one M.2 interface. On the right side, SSDs and Wireless Network Cards are pre-installed. The SSD model is SN 730 with a continuous read speed of 3312 MB/s, a continuous write speed of 2693 MB/s, a 4K read speed of 48.11 MB/s, and a 4K write speed of 151.7 MB/s. It got a storage capacity of 512GB. The wireless network card model is Intel AX200NGW, supports Wi-Fi 6 network, while the maximum speed is 2400Mbps.
In addition, phase change silicone grease is also pre-installed inside the metal cover at the corresponding position of the solid-state, which can conduct heat better. It is also revealed that 2x 8GB DDR4 (@3200MHz) RAMs are also pre-installed. The measured bandwidth is 47116 MB/s, the write speed is 45288 MB/s, and the copy speed is 42044 MB/ s. The delay is 93ns. Both SSD and RAM can be upgraded.
In terms of performance, it is observed that the Ryzen 7 5800H is a lot similar to the Ryzen 9 5900HX (we have seen before). It is based on the Zen3 architecture and adopts an 8-core, 16-thread design. It only differs in frequency. The base frequency, acceleration frequency, and thermal power consumption of 5900HX are slightly higher. Under the premise that the heat dissipation module is vital, if there is no power consumption limit, the actual performance of the two will not be too different.
The benchmark scores of Ryzen 7 5800H are mentioned below:
- CPU-Z: the chipset has scored 591 points in the single-core test and 5887.4 in the multi-core test.
- CineBench R15: it has a single-core score of 232cb and a multi-core score of 2149cb.
- CineBench R20: it has a single-core score of 555cb and a multi-core score of 5010cb
- CineBench R23: it has a single-core score of 1373cb and a multi-core score of 11736cb.
- Chess: the relative performance multiple of chess is 69.55, and the score is 33385.
- wPrime: It took 31.2 secs to run 32M data with a single core and 99.9 secs to run 1024M data with multi-core.
- X264 FHD Benchmark: Encode FHD X264 video, up to 61.01 frames per second.
- X265 FHD Benchmark: Encode X265 video can complete 63.57 frames per second.
Compared with the flagship-level chipset, Ryzen 9 5900HX (from the same series), the performance of the Ryzen 7 5800H equipped in the Legion 5 Pro is almost near, with single-core performance lagging less than 3%. Multi-core performance lagging by about 6%, but both models are tested in different temperatures and the room temperature may have a particular impact. The actual experience will not be much different.
Compared with several other processors, the Ryzen 7 5800H is a spike without any suspense, and the performance is not a problem at all. All the models in Lenovo Legion 2021 series support independent display direct connection. If you want to switch between independent display and hybrid mode, you need to restart after selecting the corresponding mode. After shutting down and restarting, change the power supply circuit to realize the change of output mode. Generally speaking, the mixed output method is more flexible.
When a separate display is not required to participate in rendering, use a lower power consumption core display to complete all tasks, reducing the average power consumption of the gamebook and bringing more lasting battery life. In the independent display mode, the image is directly output to the screen by the independent graphics card. There will be no poor core display performance during high-frame games, but the frame rate will be limited.
The screen of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is also excellent, which satisfies our pursuit of high brush and high resolution and supports HDR display, Freesync, and many other features. It is an ideal choice for notebooks. The screen has 100% sRGB color gamut coverage. This color gamut is also the color gamut most suitable for ordinary users to browse web pages, videos, pictures, and games. It can ensure accurate color mapping without distortion, such as oversaturation.
The gamma value of display is 2.2, which is also the most common choice. In the default mode, the screen brightness can reach 509.7nit, which meets the HDR400 certification requirements. The contrast ratio can reach 1190:1, which is less than the typical value of an IPS screen. The color temperature of the screen is around 6400K. Generally, we adjust the color temperature of the screen and use this value as the standard.
The average color accuracy is 1.11, which meets the requirement of less than 2. Under this value, ordinary people cannot see the color difference. In addition to its excellent quality, the screen of Legion 5 Pro also supports HDR and OD acceleration to eliminate smears. The measured effect is also pronounced, which can further enhance the gaming experience.
The Legion 5 Pro can be said to be the one with high-end configuration, affordable price, and the most abundant supply among many versions. Although the machine is only available with RTX 3060 & RTX 3070, its performance is beyond our expectations.
Regardless of performance, the Legion 5 Pro is fully loaded in terms of interface, battery, keyboard, and other aspects. But in the end, we want to emphasize one more point-the screen, which is also an essential part of the notebook that cannot be ignored and the core configuration.
The Legion 5 Pro directly brought a top-level screen with 2.5K resolution, 165Hz, HDR, FreeSync, and other features in front of us, making the 1080P high-resolution screens on the market immediately dull. It can present the most delicate, smoothest, and most decadent images in front of us. More importantly, on the Legion 5 Pro, you will not pay extra for it. It is definitely an excellent value-for-money machine. The price of this machine is also quite close to the people.
After all, compared with desktop computers, gaming laptops with the same performance have an absolute price-performance ratio. In the same configuration, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro occupies an absolute performance advantage. The price of the Legion 5 Pro is currently at $999, different regions have different prices.
Whether it is compared with the same price or with the same configuration, it is like a magic machine. If you can grab it at the original price, it is a big bargain. After all, the demand is so strong, and even if the price increases, it is indeed worth the price.