Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) hands-on: A high-performer in its class
Here at PriceShop, we’ve become very familiar with workhorse productivity laptops across various price segments. So it was a breath of fresh air indeed to have a gaming laptop land on our desks, if only for two packed and deadline-ridden weeks.
Not just any gaming laptop, though. The machine in question is Lenovo’s upper mid-range Legion Pro 5i, spec’d out to its maximum. It comes decked with the high-end Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, matched with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. This comes with a pairing of two 16GB DDR5-5600 MHz RAM – bringing the total to 32GB RAM – and 1TB M.2 2280 SSD.
Here’s the rundown in full:
| Processor | 14th Generation Intel Core i9-14900HX, 2.20 GHz |
| Graphic Card | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6 |
| RAM | 32GB DDR5-4600MHz (SODIMM) (2x16GB) |
| Storage | 1TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 TLC |
| Display | 16″ IPS, WQXGA (2560×1600), 240Hz, 16:10, 500nits, 100% RGB, X-Rite Pantone Certified |
| Battery | 80Whr |
| Ports | 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (Display Port 1.4) 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (Display Port 1.4, PD 140W) 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 1x HDMI 1x headphone/mic jack 1x Ethernet (RJ-45) |
| Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Speaker | 2x2W Nahimic Audio speakers |
| Weight | 2.5kg |
At this point, you must be wondering: what’s the damage? A quick configuration to the exact specs on the product page will lead you to a grand total of...RM9,166.57. It may fluctuate according to the times, but it’s best to set aside at least RM10,000 if you intend to go all-in.
Alternatively, you can tone it down to a 16GB RAM/1TB SSD variant with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, which will bring the cost down to a friendlier ~RM8K range.
Since we were lucky enough to be handed over the top geared model, we had the luxury of taking it for a joyride on a variety of games, which we’ll get to in the later bits. For now, here’s our brief hands-on experience with the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i.
Design and Build
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is rather plain for a gaming laptop. There’s really nothing that indicates that it is a gaming machine, except for the mirrored Legion finish emblazoned at the top corner of the aluminium lid.
It looks like you don’t have any other choice of colour either, and you’ll have to make do with the Onyx Grey option.
Build-wise, this is a hefty machine. It weighs 2.5kg, but the weight is well-distributed, with the lid light enough to open without needing to hold the chassis down. The 2.5kg weight is without taking into account the giant 300W adapter, which piles on a substantial amount.
Overall, prepare to endure some aches on the shoulders if you’re somehow caught with hauling this in your backpacks for long periods.
On the aesthetic side, an unavoidable point of interest would be the massive exhaust vents located on the side AND back of the chassis. They perform exceptionally well, and I never once felt that the laptop reached anywhere near boiling point. That being said, they make A LOT of noise, especially under Performance Mode when the fan RPM goes into overdrive.
Another minor peeve is the hot air blasting through the side vents directly onto your mouse hand. This wouldn’t be a problem with controllers, but if you’re primarily a mouse-and-keyboard player, I recommend propping the laptop up with a stand to angle the hot air away.
General Performance
CPU, GPU, and Displays
The price tag might be heavy, but you’re comforted by the fact that you have two highly-rated processors on deck. The Core i9-14900HX CPU and RTX 4070 GPU are top-of-the-line chipsets that will gain you entry into many triple-A titles. The latter is even credited with being able to run Black Myth: Wukong on PC, as long as you’re willing to play without Ray Tracing.
Source: Reddit
Apart from that, the 32GB DDR5-5600Mhz RAM and 1TB SSD are great to have especially if you’re big on storage-hogging games. The right configuration really hinges on your gaming preference. If your gaming habits tend to steer you towards less demanding recreational games such as Planet Zoo or Stardew Valley, you can definitely get away with the lesser 16GB/512GB model with a toned-down RTX 4060 GPU.
Displays are noticeably not OLED, but you’ll still get great colour quality from the 16″ IPS panel. It’s a solid choice for 1440p gaming and beyond as it maxes out at a 2560×1600 resolution. Refresh rates are high at 240Hz, and the screen itself is layered with an anti-glare coating that gives it a matte-like texture.
Outside of gaming, this is also a decent option for creatives if you happen to moonlight as an artist, as it provides 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut.
Aside from that, the hinges enable the screen to be pushed all the way back to an almost 180-degree angle. However, by virtue of its incredibly thick chassis, it won’t lie flat on the surface.
The built-in speakers on the Legion, unfortunately, won’t do you many favours. The sound is muddled and shallow, and has a sort of echo-like quality that’s rather a put off. Music and original soundtracks are a big part of the gaming experience, so I recommend connecting this to external speakers or a good pair of headphones.
Battery and Ports
Batteries, characteristic of heavy-duty gaming laptops, deplete rapidly. The 80Whr battery will have trouble crossing even the hour mark; but of course, this also depends on your usage and the performance mode you’re on.
If you’re proficient enough at toggling your settings down only to what your game needs, you might be able to push it a little further. But even then, it is still very much a homebody laptop that needs to stay near a power outlet.
When it is time to charge, the 300W power brick will juice it up in an hour’s top.
On that note, the aforementioned 300W is an absolute megalith. It’s almost the size of a VHS tape back in the day (I beg you to please get this reference so I don’t feel so old), and definitely takes up substantial space and weight.
The brick connects to the power port located at the back of the chassis, where you’ll find a slew of other ports: specifically two USB-A ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, one Ethernet port, and finally, one USB-C port supporting 140W power delivery, which can also be used for charging.
On the left, there’s an additional USB-A port and USB-C port, while the right side houses the last USB-A port and a headphone combo jack. There’s also a camera switch to quickly disable or enable the webcam.
Gaming Performance
Now for the more important bits – gaming. Again, we didn’t have a full go at it, but we did test it out on some familiar titles, mainly just to see if the FPS holds up.
The three titles we had a joyride with were Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), Warframe, and EA Sports FC 24. We set each title to its highest possible graphical setting and toggled it across the three modes (Quiet, Balanced, and Performance) to see how it affected the overall gaming experience.
We knew Quiet Mode would ultimately deliver the poorest results and Performance the best, but we wanted to see how big the gap was between the two.
Counter-Strike 2
CS 2 generally still holds up well on Quiet Mode. Average frame rate hovers around 120fps, topping out around 145fps and dropping to as low as 80fps on occasion. It is still very playable at this point, and a 70-120fps range does the trick for most players.
Balanced Mode will take you well out of the 2-digit fps zone, with the average upped to around 150fps, hitting up to 200fps.
Performance Mode is where the fans get excruciatingly loud, a common theme in all the games we’ve tested. There isn’t a drastic jump from Balanced Mode, with the frame rates hovering in the 150-200fps range.
Tl;dr:
CS2 on Quiet Mode is good, though Balanced Mode seems to be the sweet spot. There’s no harm playing with Performance Mode, but it will not make a big difference from Balanced Mode.
Warframe
Despite its open-world qualities and decent graphics, Warframe is a game which players often say “can run on a toaster”.
We’re not sure about the toaster part, but it excels even with the Legion Pro 5i set to Quiet Mode. You’ll get a steady 240fps in non-combat scenes, and even during battles, it maintains a stable 150-180fps.
It’s still very playable, with no hindering lag even with all the skill effects, quick jumps, and power sliding. There are jerks here and there, but on a very minimal scale, and only seems visible if you go looking for it.
But this is ironed out when you set it to Balanced Mode. At this point, you’ve essentially maxed out the game and you’re cruising at full potential. You’ll have consistent 240fps throughout with no jerky troubles.
Playing on Performance Mode seems academic, and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell the difference between Balanced Mode. Still, no harm going full speed ahead if you have the means.
Tl;dr:
You can absolutely play Warframe in Quiet Mode and encounter no problems. Balanced Mode will maximize its potential. Performance Mode isn’t really necessary.
FC 24
FC 24 (formerly FIFA), is where the Legion Pro 5i struggles. Keep in mind, this is with the game set to its highest Ultra setting. As expected, it’s unplayable on Quiet Mode with extreme stuttering. Even pre-game animations suffer with barely 2 seconds of continuous fluid motion. Frame rates never exceed 100fps, mostly sticking around 60-90fps.
Things get much better under Balanced Mode with an overall smoother experience. There are still bouts of stuttering even with frame rates improving, sometimes reaching 100-120fps. Better, but still less than satisfactory.
We finally reached buttery-smooth territory with Performance Mode – at least for the most part. You still put up with a bit of lag, but frame rates get cozy in the 120fps mark here, which makes it finally playable. Uncapping the FPS can push it to 130fps, but it doesn’t make much of a difference.
FC 24 is a rather demanding game to begin with. For the best experience, it’s best to tone down the graphics to Auto or High settings. That will still give you decent visuals while providing an overall smoother and enjoyable experience.
Tl;dr:
FC 24, tuned to its maximum Ultra graphical setting, is absolutely unplayable on Quiet Mode. Balanced Mode is better but still unsatisfactory, with Performance Mode providing the best experience. With this particular title, it’s best to compromise with High (not Ultra) settings to get the most out of the game.
*FPS was observed through Steam’s in-game FPS counter
The verdict
Based on our time with the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, we found this to be a high-performer in the gaming laptop field. The combination of the top-line Core i9-14900HX CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU puts you in great shape for intense gaming. Thermal performance is on par, and the display is vibrant, catering to high-resolution gaming.
The only real con is its subpar speakers which detract rather than enrich the experience. However, this can be solved with a good pair of headphones or external speakers.
Gaming laptops are going to sting the wallet, even if they’re mid-rangers; this is no different. What we will say is that if you plan on adding the Legion to your gaming rig, it may serve you well to monitor the pricing on Lenovo Malaysia’s official website.
Prices fluctuate substantially, rising above RM9,000, then falling again to the ~RM8,000 region. In fact, the lowest price tag we’ve seen is RM8550.02, which strikes us as a pretty good deal.
Either way, you’ll have a reliable gaming powerhouse with the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i.
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