Lenovo Legion 5/5 Pro/7 2021 Discussion

I’m on the fence about keeping the 7i / 3080 order versus a ready to ship 5i Gen 6 with FHD screen and 3070. I think the combo of FHD + 3070 is the sweet spot for me gaming-wise on a laptop. I’d also flash the 5 Pro 140w vbios onto it. But that 16:10 screen on the 7 is fantastic. After taxes and all, it is a $700 difference. 1st world problems…

 

The OpenRGB devs need logs from Legion 7 users so they can add support to the machine. This will solve Corsair iCue issue.

Code:

I know there is an open issue for this on gitlab but I’m not sure that captures have been provided yet for us to work on it.

I would do it but mine unfortunately ships in 2+ months

 

They had 82N6007QUS (5900HX / 3080 / 32GB / 1TBx2 / Legion 7) ready to ship (1-2 weeks) for $2239.99 - but it looks like it is not there anymore. If you sign up for their email list you can get another $100 off.

EDIT: yeah, looks like it is "Temporarily Unavailable" - https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-7-series/legion-7-16-amd/82n6007qus.

 

Had my eyes on the x17 4k with a 3070 with the slim power brick in the future but ended up picking up a legion 5 pro for a decent deal . The 16:10 screen was a deciding factor and will wait to see if hopefully Alienware get a 16:10 screen in the r2. since I carry the laptop to work every day I didn’t want the big power brick like my 18 I just sold had but the 3080 was the better gpu for the 4k screen so I held off.

Anyhow picked up a w10pro, 3070, 32GB ram and 2x1 tb ssd. What I’m curious about is the power brick. I know it was touched up on earlier but will the slim 230 w brick work fine / be enough? Or I was thinking to pick up an Alienware 240w slim brick and soldering a Lenovo connector to it. Any thoughts on psu ?

 

That's pretty solid. I have the spec that I mentioned on order so hopefully it will be here around christmas. Another $100 would be awesome, but I'd no complain since I don't know of another 165w 3080 at just under $2400 after taxes.

 

Sign up to the email list (you can Google it to find the $100 off) and email your rep or call. Here's my final receipt if it helps:

 

I'll give it a shot.

 

Anyone know if the Legion 7i can display to a second 4k monitor using USB-C while in discrete graphics?

 

All the display outputs on the L7 are connected to the NVIDIA GPU so it doesn't matter whether you're running the laptop in hybrid mode or not.

 

Is Lenovo still working on that Advanced BIOS for Gen 6 machines? I hope they're not abandonning it before new Alder Lake laptops (possibly) start to show up at CES 2022.

 

You should post this on the GamingLaptops and LenovoLegion subreddits if you haven't done so already.

I did end up grabbing an HP Victus for $800 from Best Buy last weekend, but it went back yesterday. It's a shame because the build quality, keyboard, and trackpad were surprisingly good. Despite the screen being low-gamut, the screen's 60 Hz refresh rate meant ghosting wasn't as noticeable as it was on other Lenovo and Dell laptops that use the 120 Hz version of the same panel. The USB-C port was connected to the Intel GPU so G-Sync would not work on a monitor with the hardware module, though FreeSync would be possible. However, the main reason I had for returning it was when the laptop was connected to any external display via either Type-C to DisplayPort or HDMI, it would, and I'm not joking, take five minutes to post after a restart or cold boot. It happened even after updating to the latest system BIOS, so that was no good.

Because I'm a masochist, I ordered an L5i with a 3070. "Ready to ship" apparently means something different to Lenovo than it does to me because at the time I placed the order they claimed a shipping date of Monday, but it still hasn't gone out as of today. The product page says Thursday now. If it doesn't ship then, I'll be tempted to cancel and pick up the Gigabyte Aorus 15P with RTX 3060 that's on sale at Best Buy for $1200.

 

Wow that DP issue is a deal breaker for sure.

If I’m buying a “gaming” laptop I won’t buy one with a 3060, it couldn’t run Doom Eternal at ultra nightmare settings due to VRAM when I tried it. If you get the 15p please share impressions in that thread! Looks like a nice system overall.

Sucks about Lenovo’s shipping, hopefully you’ll receive it before Thanksgiving.

FYI, that 20% off coupon that we used is no longer valid. I priced out a ready to ship 5i with 3070 and 3 year warranty for about $2020 before tax. At that price it’s a hard pass, will wait for another coupon. Please share impressions if you receive yours.

 

$1665 at Walmart.com via LENOVO US - 11800H/16GB/512GB/3070 - no 3 year warranty but you can always add it on later. I'd just use an AMEX and get yourself peace of mind that way.

 

I'm a sucker. Just bought it, figured what the heck. It'll be a 3 horse race between my Alienware, L5i, and the L7i if that ever arrives, and I'll call it a day. Thanks so much for posting this! I much prefer this compared to the L5 Pro.

 

So Lenovo was unable to cancel my order with them. Now I have two laptops en route. Guess I'll see which one has the better thermals and return the other...or both if each one ends up being poor. FML

 

When did you order and what laptops? My Legion 7s are both still waiting to be shipped (82N6007QUS, 11/12 order; and BTO 82K6CTO1WWUS1 (32GB, 3080), 11/12 order). Not expecting the latter one until late this year or early next - will likely cancel.

 

Legion 5i/RTX 3070

 

Nice - how long ago did you order? Direct from lenovo.com or from another source? Just wondering how long I will be waiting. I guess it's not apples to apples though.

 

The ones I ordered were "ready to ship" configurations. The first was supposed to have gone out Monday but didn't leave until today. The one I purchased through Lenovo's Walmart storefront yesterday shipped then as well.

 

FYI, there is an odd glitch perhaps on Lenovo's site right now when ordering a 7i / 11980HK / 3080 ready to ship model. There are two identical systems but one is $3479 and the other is $3199. Maybe the cheaper one is supposed to be for the 11800H and they made a mistake?

I couldn't resist, especially since the 20% off coupon code is back + Rakuten cash back. I canceled my prior order for the 11800H model that ships in 1+ month and was $3103 all in. Will leave the 5i that will be delivered Monday unopened and return it back to Walmart.

I snagged the i9 11980HK / 3080 / 32gb RAM / 2 TB SSD, added on the 3 year ultimate support warranty and next day shipping. Grand total all in is $2873 which is fantastic for this config. Go get it while the potential glitch lasts!

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/compare_product.html

 

Nice - what code(s) did you use?

Just remember - Alder Lake drops in Jan/Feb and looks to blow the doors off of the 11th series and AMD's latest - so you may want to reconsider investing too much into improving the CPU beyond the already great 11800h.

 

I used LEGIONDEALS20.

I’d wait until Alder Lake but I need a laptop now. I was set on keeping the Alienware but the Command Center utility is complete trash. Lots of issues and auto updates, registry tweaks, and I can’t get the GPU to perform at the highest performance mode no matter what I do. It is a royal pain to uninstall the utility and even after doing it the fan profiles remain and can’t be adjusted at all. It is infuriating.

I’m getting rid of my desktop so the Legion 7i for now ticks all my boxes. If I’m blown away by Alder Lake I can always sell the Legion down the road.

 

Fantastic deal for the specs, and because you're replacing your desktop, the config makes a lot of sense. Since my use case has the laptop as a supplemental device, I can't justify that kind of expense, as tempting as it is.

Just FYI, because the Legion 5 you ordered was shipped from Lenovo themselves, I think you'll need to contact them to arrange a return as opposed to simply taking it to a Walmart store.

 

First of two Legion 5i models showed up today. Got it unpacked, and it suffers from the same high-pitched fan whine that I've observed on other versions of the L5. The other one I ordered through Lenovo's Walmart store is scheduled to arrive Monday, but it'll go back immediately without even opening the box. I'll own my hypocrisy here, but I'm opting for the Legion 7i with the 3070. The 2560x1600 screen upgrade and metal chassis is definitely worth the inconvenience of having to deal with disabling/uninstalling iCue since it only cost about $50 more than what I paid for the 5i with otherwise identical specs. This was possible thanks to the LEGIONDEALS20 coupon code, which stacked with HOLIDAYOFFERS that gave an additional $75 off a $1500 purchase.

 

Good luck! When does the 7i arrive? The L7i I ordered yesterday already shipped and will arrive on Monday. I missed the chance to cancel and add that additional $75 off, oh well. Can’t complain about a machine arriving the next business day after ordering. Hopefully this’ll be it for me.

 

Wow congrats! Can you link to the model?

 

I can’t direct link to the specific system it just adds to cart if you click on it. It’s the ready to ship model 11980HK / 3080 for $3199.

 

Thanks I’ll check it out. Paying the $15 for expedited must be the secret. I did ShopRunner free 2 day and still waiting…

 

I paid the $25 for next day shipping. Didn’t want Thanksgiving to possibly get in way of shipping time.

 

Got it! $320 more to get it way sooner and a single 2TB SSD versus 2x1TB SSDs (nevermind the faster CPU (vs 5900HX), Thunderbolt, PCIe 4.0, guaranteed Intel WiFi6, etc.). Thanks for the tip!



EDIT: link to this model - https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-7-series/legion-7i-gen-6-(16″-intel)/82k6005sus

 

Damn! Great deal. Mine cost $500 more and with windows home.

 

Yep that's the one I got. Congrats!

 

I just cancelled my custom build and went with the AMD 5900HX model. Everything else was the same. I don't need the faster cpu or thunderbolt so the cheaper price was worth it. LEGIONDEALS20 still worked and was able to use the $100 off email offer. So it came out cheaper than the one I custom built and has alot more storage and RAM. So this should be fun. Hopefully it ships soon as it says 4-7 days unlike the intel models.

 

Nice! Good luck.

Was it this one?

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-7-series/legion-7-16-amd/82n6007qus

I was on day 8 (got the same 20% plus $100 off) when I canceled and went with the 7i ready-to-ship one for $320 more ($2,139.99 vs. $2,459.99). Hopefully the queue clears up!

 

Yes that’s the one. Came out to be $2358 with an additional year added to the warranty. Figured since that was on sale too I might as well for some peace of mind. Still about $20 cheaper than my last build.

 

Depends on when Lenovo ships it. They claim Monday, but that's what they said for the L5i last week. It didn't leave their fulfillment center until Thursday, however. Also, when they say Monday, they probably aren't printing the shipping label it until after UPS has made its collection for the day, meaning it won't actually depart until Tuesday. That would put arrival on Wednesday, where the odds are 50/50 that I'll be able to get out to my post box to pick it up. If not, I'll likely be waiting until next week to actually use it. It would be disappointing but not the end of the world since Lenovo's holiday return policy would be in effect so I have until January 17 to decide whether or not I want to keep it.

Even with the massive discounts you all are getting with the 11980HK/RTX 3080, it still ends up being 25-30% more expensive than the 11800H/3070 config I ordered. Jarrod just did a full-power 3070 vs 3080 comparison and the performance difference favors the latter only by 8-15% depending on game and resolution. So while $2500 and change for the flagship laptop is a phenomenal deal, I still think the one I ordered is the better value for money, at least for most folks.

 

Absolutely. There is no "value" at the top end. Just the best.

I actually ended up here because I had the $2k MSI GE76 11800h/3070 from Costco..saw that for "a few dollars more" I could max it out (loved the GE76 - hoping the Legion 7 is as impressive as everyone says) figured why not. The 3080 is barely faster than the 3070 (if both are full power laptop GPUs). But for under $500 more I can get top-of-the-line everything and have some fun playing with it. We will see what happens, maybe I'll be back to GE76.

I am hoping the Legion 7i can replace my ASUS Zephyrus GA503 that I use for travel gaming. The bulk of the GE76 plus the slim of the GA503 would be perfect.

 

It is showing up in my UPS app that it’ll be delivered Monday, it’s already en route. Of course I’ll be out of town until Tuesday haha.

I agree 100% re: value, 3080 is horrible value. I’ll have to watch his latest video.

 

What you lose in bulk from the Legion relative to the GE76, you gain right back with the former's 300W power supply. Traveling with that comically oversized monstrosity is a real pain, and I wouldn't trust the available 230W slim-line PSU to power an 11980HK/3080 at full tilt without it also draining the battery.

 

Why does it take so long for laptop manufacturers to adopt GaN tech to shrink the size of their power bricks? I remember seeing the Asus ProArt 300W GaN charger 2 years ago. That thing fit inside the palm of your hand.

 

Depending how you look at it the added ram and ssd with the 3080 configurations helps make the higher price tag a touch easier to swallow too. Unless you have you’re own parts lying around waiting to go into a build.

If my brain wouldn’t keep nagging me “You could’ve had the 3080” I’d definitely be happy with the 3070. Jarrod definitely showed it runs better than most of the 3080 laptops on the market. So it’s definitely one of the best if not THE best bang for the buck performance machine with these discounts. I don’t see 4000 series gpus coming out next year so I think either way we all will be happy. ((I try to not pay much attention to tech news these days to keep myself from wanting to buy more stuff. ))

I think we can charge these laptops with a usb-c charger correct? So that would help with the on the go weight if it was a trip to the coffee shop or work. But atleast it’s not two 280w bricks. THAT is impossible to lug around.

 

Yeah, ugh. I'm sure it is like the GE76 one. Massive. The good side of that is I can put it in my larger carry-on luggage versus my laptop bag. But that does stink because it separates your stuff and in case you have to check the luggage you run the risk of not having power.

Yeah, NVIDIA really caused a lot of confusion with the 3xxx series. The full power 3070 is kick butt - with the full power 3080 just a tiny bit faster (just one game, but great illustration here).

Then you have the 80 watt 3070 in my Zephyrus G15 or any similar "slim & light" gaming laptops - still good for games but nowhere near the 140W+ behemoths (or the 95W variant).

 

That’s what I like about my M15r5. The 240w power brick that came with it is the same size as the 300w from Lenovo. But they sell a slim 240w adapter which is much more travel friendly.

I’m so tired of CPU throttle and tinkering with bios or XTU or registry. My hope is that it’ll be easier with the 11980HK in that I can just undervolt or set to a lower frequency, set it, and forget it.

Already sent back the 5i unopened that got delivered from Walmart, was a simple drop off at FedEx and that was it. Got emails from Lenovo and UPS that the 7i will arrive tomorrow, bummer I’ll have to wait until Tuesday.

 

So, I just snagged an in-stock 5800h/16Gb/1Tb/3080 Legion 7 for about US$1900 before taxes here in Sweden (I'm American, but live here). It was about $300 more than the otherwise identical 3070 model, but I figured I'd splurge, even though I probably won't need the extra VRAM and the performance won't be that much better than the 3070.

Anyway, I'm about to order an SSD to add to the second slot, and I'm just wondering if I should go ahead and order some Kingston Fury RAM while I'm at it. It seems pretty hit and miss whether the higher-end 7's come with decent RAM or the crappy stuff, so I don't really know what to expect. Any suggestions?

 

They really should’ve just been honest and called the 165w 3080 a 3070. And just mention that it’s as good as it gets in a laptop and leave it. That would clear up so much if they labeled them all like that. Though I guess being able to overcharge on a 3070 by labeling it a laptop 3080 is what they care about.

 

You should be able to! The 11980HK is just a binned 11800H so it'll be top tier in terms of easy tweaking!

Next up - the laptop 3080 Super! I am sure that'll launch with Alder Lake - adding another 5% GPU performance gain.

 

Oh good lord not again!

 

Apparently the 16gb models come with worse RAM, don’t quote me on that though, I thought I read that before. May as well just wait and see how it performs and order at that point?

 

Or they add the Ti moniker to make it more appealing. Look at the beauty in the rumors... Or is it disgusting? NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU.

 

The RAM in the 32 GB all-AMD L5 I returned a couple months back was x16, but the 16 GB L5 Pro I got from Walmart was x8. It's pretty much luck of the draw at this point.

Apparently my L7i will actually go out tomorrow and will arrive Tuesday. Hopefully I can get to my box that afternoon to get it so I don't need to worry about going out of my way on Wednesday.