Lenovo Legion 5/5 Pro/7 2021 Discussion

Does this laptop have any of that eye tracking tech in it? I remember having this issue with the Area 51m and turning off eye tracking solved it. Long shot but it’s something to try.

 

I remember that frustration with the 51m too! The Lenovo doesn't have anything like the Tobi setup though. The missed/erratic touches feel more like an EC/firmware problem to me. Hopefully they get it figured out because these machines are really great otherwise.

 

The Legion 7 has the eye tracking feature. The issues myself and @alaskajoel are experiencing are with the 5 and 5 Pro, which do not.

 

Anyone know if 7i would support 64gb (32x2) ram? Hyper X does have a hard to find 64gb kit with the same CL20, appears OOS everywhere though.

 

Nuts. I thought I had the solution for once.

 

It looks like the LP5 supports. https://www.reddit.com/r/LenovoLegion/comments/muuamr/legion_5_pro_legion_7_2021_64gb_ram/ I saw another post at Reddit they said last years 7i supported it. You could ask in the Lenovo Legion Discord Here https://discord.gg/lenovolegion or here https://discord.gg/v8UbU559 CDW has 64gb in stock. https://www.cdw.com/product/kingsto...-260-pin-sodimm-memory-module/5958718?pfm=srh that's where I ordered my 32gb. I ordered on Aug. 2 and had it on Aug. 6. It shipped straight from Kingston.

 

I'll try it and see. Ordered from Provantage as it seems to be significantly cheaper than CDW and better return policy. Might take a while to get it. Only reason for 64gb is some stuff in VR needs up to 40gb (DCS mainly- only game that will gobble up even a 3090). I suppose +5% CPU performance is worth it too. Any CPU bound game will probably improve with the CL20 ram in frames that same 5-10%.

Also about the eye/head tracking- this included Tobii system is finally good enough to forgo Track IR for those interested in sims. Works pretty well, nice bonus. Accurate and easy to turn off and on.

 

Does anyone know if the Legion 5 ( 2021) 17inch 144hz 1080p panel supports Gsync?

 

If it doesn't explicitly say G sync, it doesn't have it. Typically laptops in that price range do not have it, although this generation even more expensive units like Alienware randomly dropped G sync support across much of their line. Additionally, the lack of G sync implies the lack of a MUX switch meaning a 10-20% performance loss when using the internal display.

 

This is not true because the 15-inch Legion 5 non-Pro does support G-Sync, despite the spec sheet not listing it. Also, all Legion laptops have a MUX.

 

MUX was a huge selling point for me

 

The 250 nit 120hz display is G sync? There is a 300 nit 165hz display option on some of the models that is clearly advertised as G sync, so you need to be specific about which display option. I did not know they all had a MUX- that is a huge leg up over all of the competition at every price range. Dell and ASUS can't be bothered to put MUX on their highest end units...

 

What memory latency does AIDA show?

 

The Legion 5 17 inch 144hz panel supports FreeSync in hybrid mode, but does not support GSync in dedicated mode. However, Nvidia FastSync does work as an alternative.

 

I stand corrected, but that display is so awful no one should be buying it in the first place.

 

Below a guide on how to clean install Windows properly on your Legion with all functions working as intended.


Clean Windows installation guide for Lenovo Legion 5, 5 Pro & 7



A Preparation

Download below drivers and save them to an external storage device of your preference.

Please note drivers without download link are the ones provided by Lenovo.



1 AMD Chipset / Intel Chipset

https://www.amd.com/en/support


2 AMD VGA Driver / INTEL VGA Driver



3 NVIDIA GPU

https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx



4 Lenovo power management

5 Keyboard FN

6 Audio

7 Ethernet

8 Intel Wifi

9 Intel Bluetooth

10 Camera

11 Vantage gaming feature

12 Windows Legion power plans:
Message 6: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Gaming...-switching-to-required-power-plan/m-p/5078868

[For Legion 7 only: 13 Corsair iCue RGB software]



Tip: Lenovo uses some kind of code language for their drivers -> rename the files to whatever they are and in installation order



B Install Windows

Important: after installing Windows and booting up for the first time don’t connect to the internet. The goal here is to avoid automatic driver installation through Windows update. Reason for this is because Windows update downloads & installs drivers in random order and multiple at a time. This could potentially cause driver failures and/or certain functions & features will not work as intended.



C Driver installation

Install the drivers from your external drive in above mentioned order. It’s recommended to reboot after each driver installation. Tip: create a new folder and rename it to ‘completed’ and drag each completed driver installation to this folder. For installation of driver 12 Windows Legion power plans please follow this guide on how to import them:

https://winaero.com/export-import-power-plan-windows-10/



These power plans are required to auto-switch between Lenovo Vantage profiles and W10 power management at the same time (installation of this feature is in step F of this guide). When you’re finished installing all drivers open Device manager if everything went correctly there should be no unknown devices. If this occurs check which driver is missing from above list and find a way to install it without connecting to the internet.



D Windows update

When step C is completed connect to the internet and download/install all Windows updates.


E Optional drivers/utilities

Below a list of drivers and utilities these are not required but can be helpfull.



1 X-Rite Color assistent

For Legion 5 Pro and Legion 7 the software can be found here:

https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/cz/en/...on-series/legion-7-15imh05/downloads/ds543953



2 Nahimic app

Audio console for Legion devices -> download from Windows store



3 MSI Afterburner

GPU Tuning & system monitor software:

https://www.msi.com/Landing/afterburner/graphics-cards



4 Core temp

Resource friendly CPU monitor software:

https://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/



Tip: in settings menu enable system tray icons of your liking (temperature/cpu usage/power etc.) and drag them to taskbar.



5 Intel Driver & Support Assistant

Automatic update tool for Intel hardware:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/intel-driver-support-assistant.html



6 Microsoft Visual C+ package

Consists all the frameworks in one simple installer:

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/visual-c-redistributable-runtime-package-all-in-one/



7 Ninite

Web based batch installer for popular apps:

https://ninite.com/


8 Dolby Vision

Profile for HDR video content -> download in Windows store


F Lenovo Vantage

Head over to the Windows store and install in below order (1 by 1):



1 Lenovo Hotkeys app -> this app adds Fn hotkey screenoverlay icons and Fn hotkey shortcuts.

2 Lenovo Vantage app -> after installing open windows power manager if you switch between Vantage profiles (battery/balanced/performance) the Windows power plan should change as well.


Finished

 

What I'm mostly missing as far as fan control goes is the ability to easily set the fans to max, preferably with a keyboard shortcut. Would you happen to know if LegionFanControl supports this? I don't see a direct option for it in the screenshot?

 

I don't know a way to do that. You might ask the dev and see. Maybe its something he could add in if he needs to.

 

The Mods didn't give me access to the LegionFanControl Discord channel, because I don't own a legion laptop, but I had short DM conversation with the app developer. He said that a max fan option is available in the current version of the software, although he didn't specify which option should be used. A shortcut key is not something he plans on implementing, due to the powerful EC commands. All in all good news, since the option appears to be available

Edit: wait, I see it now, it's the bottom left greyed out setting in the screenshot, called "Flat Maximum Fan Speed"

 

Great, good to know next time I want to try some benching.

 

I installed Windows again and got all the steps right by default had problems with activation because it came with win home and I already had pro. So 3rd time did the charm. But I just noticed that Im missing power plans and this is the reason why! Could someone be so kind and export their power plans for legion 7? I have the amd version if it makes any difference

 

Got them from discord

 

Some reviews on the 7i
https://www.ultrabookreview.com/48715-lenovo-legion-7-review/
also

 

Hi all!!

Two questions hybrid Mode related on the 5 pro.

1. When this mode is activated, dedicated graphics card's performance is slower? Maybe TDP related!?

2. How could I force using the integrated graphics for gaming? Tried with Nvidia control panel but Everytime I run a game still uses the dedicated videocard. The same with Windows settings for video card preferences.

Thank you!

 

Disable the nvidia card in device manager perhaps

 

So, that's the only way to make the integrated graphics card run games?

 

When you look in the Nvidia control panel, does it show, Auto, Optimus and Nvidia? Optimus should be the selection for the integrated graphics. I think hybrid mode chooses the graphics best suited for what you are doing. I assume that would be like Auto in the Nvidia control panel. I've only ever used mine with hybrid turned off in Lenovo Vantage and rebooted (to use mux switch) to use only the 3080.

 

I can see the typical videocard select setting, Nvidia control panel allows me to choose generally or for specific apps whether I want to use integrated or Nvidia video card.

But no matter which option I select, it will always run 3d programs with the dedicated card.

 

What's mux switch?

 

When you turn off Hybrid in Lenovo Vantage and reboot that uses a mux switch to only use the Nvidia graphics card.

 

1. In Hybrid mode, all graphics data is routed through the integrated GPU before it gets to your display. This introduces a performance penalty, which is most noticeable in esports and other CPU-limited games.

2. Windows settings is what controls what GPU a program runs on. It seems to work best when you set each individual executable on a game-by-game basis instead of as one universal option.

 

I didn’t say that. It was just an idea.

 

1. Understood.

2. But setting Windows preference doesn't work, still using always Nvidia graphics card. Any suggestion?

 

Great video on the big 3. He came to the same conclusion we all did. For TLDW- L7i had best overall performance, best potential headroom for OC (always minimal in laptops but there is a decent amount on most of these L7s, best CPU temps (MSI had better GPU temps). L7i had best FPS in games particularly after ram upgrades (they used Crucial- not hyper X??). Comes down to X17 lacking MUX on most display choices. MSI lacks G sync which he does not mention in the video- huge negative IMO. L7 display is the best overall choice too.

 

Bob knows best:



Manufacturers can also add GSYNC, like Lenovo does, to their displays so you have the best of both worlds

 

I just ordered the 3080 prebuilt. Should I upgrade the ram?

Will i see a perf bump (specifically in the 1% lows of games) if I upgrade?

Ram in question: https://www.amazon.com/HyperX-Kingston-Technology-HX424S14IBK2-32/dp/B07BGLKD4M?th=1

 

I don't really know how it would affect the 1%. The stock ram is good. Upgrading I think helps mostly in benchmarks. You might want to wait and see if Lenovo adds XMS to the bios. Right now we don't have any way to get to the advanced bios. Mine feels a little snappier with the Hyperx but that may just be in my head. If you do decide to get some, get it from CDW. Its about $30 cheaper than when I ordered a week ago and a lot cheaper than Amazon. I also got it 4 days after I ordered. https://www.cdw.com/product/hyperx-...6-gb-so-dimm-260-pin-3200-mhz/6263304?pfm=srh
Nevermind. Right after I posted it shows it on backorder.

 

Here is someone that tested both in Tomb Raider benchmark on the Legion 5 Pro.

 

Across the board better CPU performance by 5-10%, but doesn't matter as this game benchmark is GPU limited. A few games are CPU bound but they do exist. Essentially in most games ram upgrade will buy you 0% improvement, but in a CPU bound situation (rare) 5-10%.

What would be interesting would be a Legion 7 with a 6800M OC'd- also would lower the price by about $1k. I think they could make a legion 7 with 6800M and 5900HX for $2k even- and I'd bet it would match or exceed the 7i in most games without DLSS.

 

The 1% lows improve a lot with the lower latency RAM when you drop the resolution to 1920x1200 but probably most users use the native resolution anyway.
And, offcourse, in CPU heavy workloads you can also see a big improvement.
Maybe something else is causing this but when I upgraded the RAM I also noticed the system boots and shuts down faster.
To me the price premium over the CL20 Kingston kit is not worth it what matters the most is the better tRFC timing.
I would opt for the cheapest 3200mhz kit that offers this improvement

 

It would be fun to try better RAM, but real life improvements don't seem to be so huge. Olden days I would have jumped to the gun, but now..

 

Yup. most laptops should have a MUX switch at the minimum and there is no excuse for not having one in 2020-21 and beyond.

 

Saw this in one of the Legion Discords. I uninstalled iCUE but might give it another chance. Although I'm rarely on battery.

Legion 7 iCUE Battery Drain FIX The iCUE battery drain issue can be easily fixed by doing the following. no need to uninstall iCUE if you wish to continue using the application to customize your keyboard lighting patterns:

-Press Windows key + R. -Type services.msc and press enter to open up the Services snap-in.
-Scroll down to the C's and locate three Corsair services (Corsair Gaming Audio Configuration, Corsair LLA Service, Corsair Service).
-Right click each service and select properties.
-Change start up type value to disabled. -Press Apply. -Press the Stop button to stop the service.

You need to perform the above action for each service. This will prevent the services from running in the background and spiking the CPU clockrate every time their service polls hardware status information. Bear in mind that you will have to repeat the above steps every time you let the iCUE software update itself. Once the services are off your battery life should return to normal, and you'll still be able to use keyboard lighting if you wish.

 

@tiner does this help any with your problem?

Problem: dGPU is always active when in Hybrid mode, and battery drains too fast.
Solution: 1. Click on Start > Control Panel > Nvidia Control Panel.
2. Click on the Desktop menu > Display GPU Activity Icon in Notification Area.
3. On the taskbar, in the right corner, there will be a new icon. Point your mouse over it and find out which application is using the dGPU
4. Open Nvidia Control Panel
5. Go to 3D settings -> Manage 3D settings
6. Set the guilty app to use iGPU instead

 

Why not just configure icue to not start with Windows if you don’t want to uninstall it?

 

Dunno .. maybe it would start some services anyway? I don't like iCUE much anyway. Too much effort to do simple things like I could do with MSI.

 

I was playing Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Ultra, 2k and saw this after. How does the cpu MHz get that high?

 

Probably a bug HWmonitor is not the best software out there.
MSI Afterburner is better.

 

Maybe you won the silicon lottery