If you are looking for a powerful gaming laptop that comes with a premium build, but not too flashy, the Lenovo Legion gaming laptop series is among the laptops I would recommend for you.
Recently, we were given the opportunity to test the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i laptop, one of their premium class gaming laptops that comes with a combination of Intel Core Ultra 200 HX CPU processing power and the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5000 capable of running new computer games at high resolutions, graphics settings and refresh rates.
Design And Specifications
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
16″ WQXGA screen, (2560 x 1600 pixels)
OLED, 165Hz/240Hz, 500 nits
Intel Core 9 Ultra 295HX CPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 8GB GDDR7 GPU
RAM 32 GB DDR4 3200 MHz
(2 x 16GB Dual Channel)
Internal Storage up to 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen4
ThinkShutter 1080p Primary Camera
I/O 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4
2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
1x RJ45
1x HDMI 2.1
80 Wh Battery (4 Cells)
240W charging
SIM/Telephony None
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/6/7
Audio Jack Yes
Waterproof None
Windows Hello Scan System
Price Sales Start From RM9142 (Lenovo Malaysia)
Starting with the specifications of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, as mentioned, it is powered by a combination of Intel Core Ultra 200HX processing chips and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards. The model sent to us comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 configuration, along with 32GB of DDR5 memory and 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage.
It is also equipped with a 16-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2560×1600 with a choice of 165Hz or 240Hz refresh rates. This display also supports DisplayHDR 1000 True Black display technology with a brightness value of 500 nits and the ability to process 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
With this relatively large size, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i also comes with a full-size keyboard, complete with a numpad section, if you need it. As a gaming laptop, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is loaded with a 24-zone RGB lighting system that can be customized according to user needs through the Legion Spectrum and Legion Space software.
In terms of plugs, this laptop is equipped with quite a few options. The first is two Thunderbolt 4 plugs, one of which comes with 140W charging support, and the other with a 40Gbps data transfer rate and can be used to connect the laptop to a screen display via the DisplayPort 2.1 interface. Apart from that, there are also two USB 3.2 Type-A plugs, one HDMI 2.1 plug, one 3.5mm audio plug and one RJ-45 plug for wired internet connections.
For wireless connections, users can choose to get a module that supports WiFi 6 or WiFi 7 connections, and both of these modules support Bluetooth 5.4 connections.
The frame of this laptop is made of aluminum metal and comes with a minimalist design from the outside to the inside. This design has been used in many Lenovo Legion laptop series before, and for me it fits in with the laptop brand identity to come with such a look.
Although the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i comes with a design that can be said to be compact, but with all the powerful components and the cooling system built in, this laptop comes with a weight of around 2.5KG. This almost makes this laptop a desktop replacement, but when compared to a real desktop computer, this laptop is still easier to carry and faster to set up than a desktop computer.
User Experience
In my experience using this laptop as a daily gaming machine, I will say that no matter what game you run, I will say that the combination of the latest Intel Core Ultra 200HX processor chip and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5000 graphics card is the best I have used so far.
I played what is considered the most difficult game to play at the highest resolution and settings so far, namely Cyberpunk 2077, at the maximum display resolution (2560×1600) with an unlimited refresh rate (240Hz) and also the highest settings, and with the combination of CPU and GPU shown, the frame rates shown were often higher than 190FPS, and depending on the scenario, even exceeding 200FPS.
And this is with the built-in Ray-Tracing feature, which has previously been often said to be the reason why computer games can often only show low frame rates even when they come with beautiful graphics processing.
Lenovo also says that they have collaborated with Intel to optimize their own built-in AI processing chip called Lenovo LA AI Core. The difference between this AI chip and many other AI chips is that it is used to optimize the processing power consumption of the built-in chip, and this directly allows users to take advantage of the laptop as a primary computer, especially if you are a content streamer.
For example, users can use this Lenovo Legion Pro 5i to not only play their favorite computer games, but also as a streaming computer, moving the content being played and also streaming services to Twitch or YouTube at the same time.
One of my favorite aspects of this laptop is the OLED screen display used. With a brightness value of 500 nits, support for DisplayHDR 1000 technology and NVIDIA G-SYNC, not only does the graphics or video processing on this laptop look beautiful, but you can also watch your content from various angles, including from the front, side, top or bottom.
For those of you who want to quickly access the best processing capabilities on this laptop, Lenovo has also put in a keyboard shortcut that allows you to do so without having to access the Legion Space software.
To reduce heat output from affecting the keyboard area of the laptop, Lenovo uses the Legion Coldfront: Hyper cooling system which is a heat pipe system and two fans that help drain heat from the CPU, graphics card, memory and storage components out of the ventilation space at the back of the laptop.
However, since this is a laptop with powerful components, I will say that this cooling fan will spin very hard to remove heat from the components more efficiently, so this is a drawback that may need to be noted if you use this laptop.
But other than that, I never felt uncomfortable when using this laptop's keyboard while gaming, which shows that the cooling system is working well.
Battery
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is equipped with an 80Whr battery which when used normally without gaming, shows a battery life of only about two to three hours on a full charge. If it is used to run any type of computer game, the battery life will continue to drop to less than 1 hour.
These laptops in my opinion will always be tethered to the power supply due to the user's need to access the full power of the processor chip and graphics card, so for me it is not a big drawback if the battery life is not that long.
If there is one major drawback, it is probably that the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i still uses their proprietary charger to get the best performance. Charging using the Thunderbolt 4 plug is usable, but it will be an issue if you want to play your computer games.
What's in the Box?
This is what is offered in the box of a Lenovo Legion Pro 5i laptop when you buy it from the Lenovo Malaysia online store.
1x Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
1x charging block
1x power cable
1x user guide
Cover
If you're looking for a laptop that meets all your productivity, streaming and gaming needs, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i powered by Intel Core Ultra 200HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5000 is the hardware for you.
My recommendation is to get the Intel Core 9 Ultra 275HX CPU specification, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card with 32GB DDR5 memory option and 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage for an uncompromised work and play experience.
This specification, according to Lenovo Malaysia's website, comes with a price tag of around RM9,500-RM10,000 depending on the current discount price offered. You'll also receive some additional accessories and software such as a backpack and Microsoft Office Home 2024 productivity software with the purchase of this laptop.
Pros:
Great gaming performance
Minimalistic design that maintains a premium aesthetic
Ample number of ports for a variety of accessories
Bright display with accurate color reproduction
Full-size keyboard
Powerful cooling system
Cons:
Always need to be tethered to a power charging block
Very loud cooling fan noise
Still uses their proprietary charging cable and plug