I have actually covered Lenovo’s Legion 5 gaming laptop computers plenty of times on the channel, however this is the very first time I have actually had the 5i. Probably the “i” means Intel as this is an Intel based design, but that’s not all, this is additionally my first time with a 17″ Legion, so allow’s learn all regarding it in this testimonial. My 5i has a 6 core Intel i5-11400H processor, though it’s additionally powered by up to Intel core i7 11th gen cpus with 8 cores too, along with Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics, 16 gigs of memory in twin channel, and a 17.3″ 1080p 144Hz screen. You can customize the specs of this laptop fairly a little bit using those web links in the description. Construct high quality really feels decent taking into consideration it’s all plastic exterior, mine has the phantom blue finish and also there aren’t any sharp corners or sides. The laptop computer alone considers about 3.1 kg or 6.8 pound, then over 4kg or 8.8 lb with the 230 watt power block as well as cable televisions, so coming close to the larger side, and this is despite my 5i having a smaller sized power brick compared to my AMD design’s 300W block. The 5i really feels relatively huge, yeah I know it’s a 17″ machine, however it’s not specifically slim or anything. My 5i has a 17.3″ 1080p
144Hz screen. The color range is great for a video gaming laptop, contrast is above standard, yet however unlike the smaller sized 15″ version, the 17″ variation does not have G-Sync support. Screen illumination was practical, above 300 nits at complete illumination, however it dipped rather rapidly at reduced degrees and might be rather dim. The Lenovo Vantage software program, the control panel for the laptop computer, allows you make it possible for or disable optimus, also known as crossbreed setting, so the 5i does have a MUX switch, however right now there’s no sophisticated optimus like the smaller sized 15″ design. We’re looking at regarding an 8.7 ms typical grey-to-grey reaction time. There’s a web link in the summary if you need a description on these numbers. It’s not terribly slow or anything when contrasted to others, however it’s also not remarkable as it’s defeated by a number of various other 144Hz pc gaming laptops that I’ve tested. The display contributes to the total system latency being a bit slower too compared to various other laptop computers. This is the total quantity of time
between a computer mouse click and also a gunfire discharged on the screen in CS: GO. There was some backlight hemorrhage in my system, yet not nearly enough for me to ever notice while utilizing it usually, though this will range laptop computers. There’s a 720p electronic camera above the display in the middle, however there’s no IR for Windows Hello there encounter unlock. There’s also a physically sliding privacy shutter. This is what the cam and microphone appearance and appear like and also this is what it sounds like while inputting on the keyboard, so the screen isn’t moving excessive however there is a bit of wobble. My keyboard just has white backlighting, but there’s likewise an RGB alternative as well. Brightness can be adjusted between 2 degrees with the function plus room faster way, and all keys and also second functions get brightened. I liked the vital presses, typing felt concerning the like my Myriad 5 which I liked also. Something I did see though was the keyboard just feels away in this bigger 17″ design, the wrist rest location is substantial and frequently I would mispress the secret I sought because it was just further away than I’m used to. My companion assumed the numpad was also cramped as well as narrow to truly include worth, there’s a fair bit of room on the left as well as appropriate sides of the key-board so uncertain why it couldn’t be bigger provided they still fit it on the smaller 15″. The power switch is separate from the key-board, and it illuminate based on the current efficiency mode of the
laptop computer, which can be transformed with the feature plus Q faster way. The precision touchpad itself functioned great as well as had not been loosened, though I intend with a lot offered space it might have been a little bit bigger, and also like the key-board, it really felt a little bit additional back than I’m used to. On the left there’s an air exhaust vent, Type-C Thunderbolt 4 port, as well as a 3.5 mm audio combo jack. The right has an SD card port, something the smaller sized 15″ Myriad’s do not have area for, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, and there’s an air exhaust vent on this side as well. The rest gets on the back between 2 air exhausts at the corners. From delegated right there’s a gigabit ethernet port, 2nd Type-C thunderbolt 4 port, 3 more USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports for 4 in overall, a HDMI 2.1 result and also the power input on the right. There are additionally some symbols above the ports so you can kind of see where you’re linking into without transforming the maker around while you’re in front of it, though they don’t brighten like in the extra costly Myriad 7. There is Type-C charging, but it’s only supported by the port on the back and also not the port left wing, yet both of those
Type-C ports use DisplayPort 1.4 output, as well as both of those Type-C ports along with the HDMI port connect straight to the Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics There’s nothing actually on the front, though the center sticks out a bit to make it much easier to obtain your finger in to open the lid. I located opening the cover very easy if you do it promptly, otherwise the hinge appears fairly rigid and a slower open would certainly require one more hand to hold back the base. This may be needed so the display doesn’t flop about like the HP Victus, the cover really feels rather inflexible with not an entire lot of flex. There’s flex to the keyboard area, however I never ever discovered it during regular use as well as just typing usually. Entering calls for eliminating 10 Phillips head screws, and also the 4 down the front are shorter than the remainder so make certain you put them back in the best area. I had a tough time opening it up, despite having the tools linked in the summary listed below, you’ve actually got to be careful near the air vents so you do not break the plastic. While the lower panel is mainly air ventilation towards the back, only the round cutouts straight over the followers obtain unblocked air, the remainder is a finer dirt filter. Inside we have actually got the battery down the front and also some steel treatments over the various other upgradeable components. With these eliminated we can access the two M. 2 storage space ports, two memory slots, and the Wi-Fi 6 card on the. It kind of feels like there’s wasted room here, the smaller sized 15″ model was more small so I feel like they could have added more cooling
near the left follower, a third M. 2 slot, or even a larger battery if they truly desired. The Wi-Fi efficiency was around the middle of the results, yet on the lower side for Intel based Wi-FI, though it’s still in advance of the Realtek card that can be found in my 15″ AMD Myriad 5. Simply like the AMD version, the 5i is delivered with slower x16 memory, which is evidently just an outcome of international supply lacks, so allow’s see what altering to some standard x8 sticks can do. In Darkness of the Burial Place Raider we’re able to enhance average FPS by about 10%, rather an outstanding gain for such a simple change. The updated Myriad 5i is now appropriate in line with the higher rate and also a lot more expensive Myriad 5 Pro with RTX 3070 graphics, though the 5 Pro additionally has slower x16 memory as well by default, so that can likewise be additional boosted with a memory adjustment. Regardless, it’s quite a suitable improvement, and also goes to reveal that Intel laptops profit from far better RAM also, it’s not simply AMD makers. The two speakers are
discovered beneath on the left and ideal sides towards the front. I thought they seemed better compared to the 15″ version, there’s some bass and they still sound clear at greater quantity. The latencymon results were a little bit greater contrasted to others I have actually checked lately, but still okay. The 17″ Myriad 5i still has a 4-cell 80Wh battery like the smaller sized 15″ models. However Intel laptop computers simply do not seem to last as long in this battery test compared to their Ryzen counterparts. We can see the Myriad 5 yet with Ryzen 7 5800H was lasting 75% longer than the 5i. I terminated the game test with 7% cost left as frame price dipped down to 19 FPS. You can likewise make it possible for conservation setting via the Vantage software program to limit the battery fee degree between 55 and also 60% to assist boost longevity, however you can’t utilize this option at the same time as quick cost. Allow’s check out thermals following. There’s one warmth pipe shared in between CPU and GPU with a number of fans that wear down out of the left, right and rear. The Lenovo Vantage software program allows us transform in between different efficiency settings, which from cheapest to greatest are peaceful, balance as well as performance. Balance mode also has an option that just works in sustained games which tries to enhance efficiency immediately to offer the most effective
result. There is no follower control possible without 3rd party software program. The internals were really amazing when just resting there still, though as you’ll soon hear the fans are still active. I have actually run anxiety examinations with both the CPU and also GPU filled up to represent a worst case, as well as playing an actual game, with the CPU revealed by the blue bars and GPU in the green bars. Worst instance we’re seeing 82 degrees Celsius, a superb outcome for an Intel laptop, though I primarily test 8 core choices and also 6 cores don’t require as much to fully power. Silent setting was the coolest, balance setting was a little warmer, after that efficiency setting warmer still, as well as using the cooling pad, the one I test with is linked in the video clip summary, might lower the temperatures better. These are the clock speeds during these same examinations. The 6 core Intel i5-11400H cpu has a 4.1 GHz all core turbo increase rate, so generally we’re virtually striking this in equilibrium and efficiency modes. The GPU speeds increase in performance mode however, so we ‘d expect this to assist extra in games contrasted to balance setting. We can see the RTX 3060 graphics running up to 115 watts with both the CPU and also GPU energetic, though if the cpu was still the 3060 is able to boost as much as 130 watts in a finest case situation with Nvidia’s dynamic boost. The GPU or else seems to be limited to 80 watts in quiet and balance settings, while peaceful mode caps the CPU to 25 watts. The CPU is around 45 watts in balance and also efficiency settings, but as we’ve seen in the clock rates, we’re hitting full all core turbo boost in these hefty work anyhow, so more power isn’t going to do anything. Here’s exactly how a game in fact
performs with the various performance modes. Efficiency setting was doing the very best as anticipated, and also I wasn’t seeing the game discovery option with equilibrium mode to make a distinction despite this being one of the sustained video games. Silent setting wasn’t regrettable here, but expect even worse cause CPU heavy video games because of the 25 watt TDP cap in this mode. Below’s how CPU just performance looks in Cinebench R23, so the GPU is currently still. Once more higher settings equals higher performance. When contrasted to various other laptop computers, both the solitary and multicore scores are right in line with the Acer Nitro 5 with the very same i5-11400H cpu just one spot ahead of it, and both were ahead of a number of 6 core Ryzen 5 5600H alternatives. The 5i relocates down a few placements family member to the same selection of laptop computers when rather running this test on battery power. Essentially, I’ve located Ryzen based laptop computers to do far better in this test. The 5600H Nitro 5 for instance is currently additionally ahead in the multicore test. I likewise require to note that equilibrium setting was made use of on battery power for the 5i, since the greater performance mode is only offered on wall power. At idle it was fairly cool, most video gaming laptop computers are around 30 degrees Celsius but the 5i was listed below this. With the tension tests running it’s around the mid 30s in the facility, so still not negative whatsoever. In balanced setting it’s similar, simply a bit cozy yet no place near warm, and that hot place near the arrowhead secrets was rarely also warm. In the greatest performance mode it’s similar despite greater
power limitations, yet the follower rate enhances to make up for this, let’s have a listen. The follower was still distinct when not doing anything in peaceful setting, then it gets progressively louder in the higher efficiency modes as expected. I didn’t assume it was particularly loud, however I desire Lenovo would certainly revive follower speed control. I did all screening with defaults though, allowing ultra silent mode in the BIOS might help reduced still follower noise. Now let’s find out how well Lenovo’s Legion 5i pc gaming laptop contrasts versus others in video games. All testing has actually been done in performance mode for ideal outcomes with optimus disabled and I’ve also evaluated with the stock x16 memory, as I feel this best represents how a lot of of you would really buy the laptop computer. Cyberpunk 2077 was tested the exact same on all laptops, and also I’ve obtained the 5i highlighted in red. The results are rather good right here for an RTX 3060 pc gaming laptop computer, within margin of error behind the 3060 in the AMD version simply above it, though the Intel system has a bigger rise to 1% low. The majority of the various other 3060 laptop computers checked were or else reduced, which I suppose is anticipated as the Myriad series are the just one I have actually checked thus far with GPU power limitations this high. Red Dead Redemption 2 was examined with the game’s standard, and this time around the Legion 5i was doing far better than the other laptops with RTX 3060 graphics. This wasn’t also unusual, as when I’ve formerly
contrasted Intel and AMD gaming laptops, Intel was normally ahead, plus that higher GPU power limitation would most definitely be helping, granted the Ryzen based Myriad 5 with very same GPU power limits was still behind. Control was trial run with the very same part of the game on all laptops, and also the 5i was doing effectively below. Once again it’s the most effective arise from an RTX 3060 laptop that I’ve tape-recorded until now, as well as is defeating the RTX 3070 in the HP Prophecy 15 simply below it, though that a person does have a reduced 100 watt power restriction. The Ryzen version of the Myriad 5 with even more CPU cores was just listed below that, as well as given both were evaluated with the exact same x16 memory I can only think we’re seeing Intel’s advantage in video games below. I have actually likewise evaluated the 5i in like 14 different video games like Peak Legends and Fortnite so inspect that video clip out after this one if you wish to get a far better understanding of just how well it runs in video games. Below are the 3DMark results for those that find them valuable, now for some developer tests. Adobe Best was checked with the Puget Equipments benchmark, as well as the 5i remained in line with a number of other RTX 3060 laptop computers tested with margin of error distinctions in between much of them. Adobe Photoshop depends much more on CPU performance, as well as although I have actually discovered this test to usually do much better with Intel 11th gen processors, the i5 was one of the reduced outcomes below, yet this is due to the fact that it’s being kept back by the x16 memory. DaVinci willpower is much more GPU hefty, so the 5i goes up a few placements now. In spite of having actually a complete
powered 3060, there are a variety of various other 3060 laptops in advance of it. We can not also really blame the core count either as there’s another 6 core laptop with lower electrical power GPU ahead of it, the Acer Nitro 5. I’ve also checked SPECviewperf which examines out various specialist 3D workloads. The 512gb NVMe M.2 SSD was alright, yet slower on the creates contrasted to the reads. This port has 4 lanes of PCIe Gen 4, so you could certainly upgrade to much faster storage, as that’s supported with Intel 11th gen. There were sensible rates from the SD card port, but the card stands out a fair bit when put into the device, so do not bump it. The BIOS was similar to others from Lenovo, with some useful alternatives that aren’t really present from other firms. We can make it possible for things like power on the laptop computer when the lid is opened up, enable ultra silent setting, allow GPU overclocking or enable or disable hybrid mode, as well as it has TPM 2.0 support for Windows 11. Linux assistance was examined by booting an Ubuntu 21 live CD. By default the key-board, Wi-Fi, ethernet, speakers as well as
cam worked, however, for some factor the touchpad did not, I needed to attach a USB computer mouse, perhaps it needs chauffeurs. Key-board faster ways for key brightness and the feature plus Q shortcut to transform performance modes still functions without software program, nevertheless quantity adjustment and also display brightness shortcuts did not function by default. Let’s review prices and also schedule next.
This will obviously change with time as Lenovo regularly runs sales, so refer to those web links in the summary below for updates. At the time of recording, the Legion 5i I have actually checked goes for $1550 USD on the Lenovo internet site, given this particular arrangement has half the memory, but you can obviously make all type of personalizations with those links below. Interestingly you can get double the RAM, double the SSD space as well as the higher tier i7-11800H choice for $10 much less as it’s on sale now, so clearly that would certainly be a far better bargain. And also it in fact ships soon, the specification I have actually checked is noted as 4+ months away, oops. Is the Lenovo Legion 5i gaming laptop really worth thinking about? Let’s summarize both the great and also the negative to assist you decide. As the 5i is based upon Intel’s 11th gen it means we get both Thunderbolt 4 and also faster PCIe Gen 4 storage, though the SSD that came installed in my unit does not actually seem taking benefit of that, and as a whole I have found Intel based laptop computers to beat AMD’s Ryzen in both pc gaming and web content maker work. The x16 memory still keeps back the Intel based 5i version though, yet that said it was still pumping out several of the ideal results
out of any type of 3060 maker I have actually evaluated. Battery life on the Ryzen Legion 5 was far better than Intel, yet the Intel model has a much better Intel Wi-Fi card which leads to far better speeds, however that’s a straightforward $20 or two upgrade. At the end of the day, I don’t assume it matters excessive if you go Ryzen or Intel based Myriad 5. The bigger difference to me was the 17″ screen versus the 15″ screen. It feels like all you’re getting with the bigger 17″ design is the SD card slot on the right-hand man side as well as naturally that larger display. That’s virtually it. I indicate the 17″ screen is great, yet I assume the 15″ one is better as it’s obtained a faster reaction time and you get G-Sync. It seems like there’s wasted area inside, certainly as component of the larger 17″ framework we could have a bigger battery, third M.2 port or even more air conditioning, granted this i5 design was more than cool sufficient also maxed out, but greater specced arrangements could benefit. The keyboard and touchpad both seemed like they were just a bit too far back for me and obviously the laptop computer in its entirety is larger as well as larger. Essentially I believe there are just a lot of
drawbacks that come from it having that 17″ screen. Maybe 17 inch laptops simply aren’t for me, yet I think it’s simply more of an instance that this isn’t a terrific application of a 17″ layout. I believe they might have done much better. If the larger screen is necessary to you as well as you can neglect those worries then there’s nothing else extremely adverse to whine about and also the Myriad 5i deserves taking into consideration. Look into this video clip alongside figure out if you should invest more money to obtain the higher tier i7 over the i5 processor, or this one to discover if you need to spend more money on RTX 3070 graphics compared to the 3060 tested below. Make certain you’re subscribed for future gaming laptop computer evaluations similar to this one, and come and also join me and also the neighborhood in Dissonance and also obtain behind the scenes videos by supporting the network on Patreon.
