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For gamers and content creators: Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Notebook Review – NotebookCheck.net Reviews

July 29, 2022

Husky i7 outclasses the competition With up to 120 W of constant CPU power consumption, the i7-12700H is even challenging the more expensive i9 CPUs. And with 16 GB of RAM, 2 TB of NVME storage and an unleashed RTX 3060, gamers and content-creators have all manner of performance reserves at their disposal. Does the 16-inch QHD display, and over-the-top connectivity deliver that convincing overall package? That’s what we aim to clarify here.

Alexander Wätzel, 👁 Sebastian Jentsch, ✓ Brian Burriston (translated by John Stroh), 07/28/2022 🇩🇪

Last year, Lenovo delivered an exceptionally impressive and extremely popular high-end gaming laptop in the Legion 5 Pro. We have already tested the Nvidia’s RTX 3070 Ti version, so we thought we’d now take a closer look at the slightly cheaper 120W RTX 3060 version. For gamers who prioritize value for money and who are satisfied with running at 60 FPS on the latest games in QHD, or creatives who focus on CPU performance, Lenovo has put together a convincing combination here. Competitors will include both other RTX-3060 laptops with comparable Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs, such as the recently tested HP Omen 16, or significantly more expensive notebooks such as the Gigabyte Aero 16 with an i9 on board. The latter will be hard pressed to develop its performance potential to the same degree.

Processor

Intel Core i7-12700H 14 x 1.7 – 4.7 GHz, 120 W PL2 / Short Burst, 100 W PL1 / Sustained, Alder Lake-P

Memory

16384 MB

, DDR5-4800, Dual-Chanel-Mode, two memory slots (both in use)

Display

16.00 inch 16: 10, 2560 x 1600 pixel 189 PPI, BOE CCQ_NE160QDM_NY1, IPS, glossy: no, HDR, 165 Hz

Mainboard

Intel Alder Lake-P PCH

Connections

3 USB 3.1 Gen2, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 20Gbps, 1 Thunderbolt, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 1 HDMI, 3 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 1 Audio Combo Port

Networking

Intel I210 Gigabit Network Connection (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth 5.1

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 27 x 359 x 264.4 ( = 1.06 x 14.13 x 10.41 in)

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 11 Home

Camera

Webcam: 720p with E-Shutter

Additional features

Speakers: 2 x 2W , Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 24 Months Warranty, X-Rite Pantone factory color calibration

Weight

2.55 kg ( = 89.95 oz / 5.62 pounds), Power Supply: 1.05 kg ( = 37.04 oz / 2.31 pounds)

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

Lenovo provides a solid metal case for the Legion 5 Pro. Its workmanship is flawless, the 16-inch gaming laptop oozes quality, and neither casual or deliberate handling results in flexing surfaces or evokes any untoward creaking noises. Even the lid, which is often an Achilles heel in many competitive laptops, tested firm leaving the display rigidly in the desired position.

In terms of weight, the heavy use of metallic materials is noticeable. The Legion is one of the heaviest of any comparable devices. The cooling vents are spread right across the base of the unit. Lenovo is bucking the trend of presenting ever thinner and smaller devices and has clearly focused on robustness and cooling potential for this potent exposition of hardware.

HP Omen 16-c0077ng HP Omen 16-b1090ng Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 370 mm / 14.6 inch 245 mm / 9.65 inch 26 mm / 1.024 inch 2.3 kg4.96 lbs369 mm / 14.5 inch 248 mm / 9.76 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 2.3 kg5.05 lbs359 mm / 14.1 inch 264.4 mm / 10.4 inch 27 mm / 1.063 inch 2.6 kg5.62 lbs356 mm / 14 inch 248.5 mm / 9.78 inch 22.4 mm / 0.882 inch 2.3 kg5.05 lbs321.5 mm / 12.7 inch 262.77 mm / 10.3 inch 14.5 mm / 0.571 inch 1.8 kg3.95 lbs

Lenovo also sets a good example in terms of both the type and number of ports and slots that are distributed over three sides of the case. Ergonomically it favors right-handed users providing just a single USB-A port (USB 3.2 Gen 1) on the right-hand side of the case. This reduces the risk of getting tangled up in display or network cables with a mouse. By way of example, this port is ideal for wireless dongles for peripheral devices.

To the left there are two state-of-the-art USB-C ports, one is Thunderbolt 4 and the other conforms to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard with full 20 Gbit/s and Displayport 1.4 support. The rest of the ports can be found on the back of the case, where Lenovo has fully exploited the available space. In addition to two other USB-A 3.2 Gen-1 ports, there is a third USB-C port, via which the laptop can also be charged at up to 135 W. Connectivity is topped off by an HDMI port and an RJ45 port for wired networks. The power plug slot is also at the back of the case.

Given the variety and placement of ports and slots, the Legion 5 Pro can be readily deployed as a desktop replacement device with multiple monitors and peripherals, and as a mobile device it is equipped for any situation. There’s also the opportunity to limit the use of dongles to the DisplayPort adapter.

The Legion 5 Pro is equipped with the extremely popular Intel AX211 WLAN module. With Wi-Fi 6E on board it doesn’t just provide the most current Wi-Fi standard. The card delivers up to its full potential and occupies top position among comparable devices. It’s not just that data transfer speeds are impressive, but also that it doesn’t disappoint as a gaming notebook in everyday use. With stable and fast transfer rates, even large game downloads are of no consequence. A Gigabit Ethernet port is available for wired connections. Here we would have preferred the faster 2.5 GbE port, given that it is already installed in many competing devices. The speed advantages in commensurate networks or when connecting to NAS systems are enormous and would have been well matched to the rest of the hardware configuration.

Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211	1410 (1239^min – 1603^max) MBit/s ∼100%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (1003 – 1501, n=4)	1320 MBit/s ∼94%
Average of class Gaming (450 – 1603, n=141, last 2 years)	1154 MBit/s ∼82%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng RealTek Semiconductor RTL8852AE	904 (826^min – 950^max) MBit/s ∼64%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (1178 – 1623, n=4)	1409 MBit/s ∼100%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211	1371 (1221^min – 1483^max) MBit/s ∼97%
Average of class Gaming (90 – 1743, n=141, last 2 years)	1231 MBit/s ∼87%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng RealTek Semiconductor RTL8852AE	720 (664^min – 751^max) MBit/s ∼51%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211	1696 (853^min – 1723^max) MBit/s ∼100%
Average of class Gaming (1461 – 1857, n=7, last 2 years)	1653 MBit/s ∼97% -3%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (1277 – 1857, n=15)	1567 MBit/s ∼92% -8%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211	1567 (549^min – 1655^max) MBit/s ∼100%
Average of class Gaming (1348 – 1648, n=6, last 2 years)	1501 MBit/s ∼96% -4%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (1210 – 1851, n=15)	1493 MBit/s ∼95% -5%

When it comes to the webcam, Lenovo offers standard fare; unfortunately, no better than we have been accustomed to with gaming laptops for years. The image quality is undoubtedly acceptable for one or the other zoom call, but here we would have liked to see across the board improvements in color rendition, resolution and dynamic range.

Apart from the laptop itself, only the power supply is in the box. This has been standardized for all Legion 5 Pro configurations, so our RTX-3060 model also gets the somewhat oversized 300 W power supply. The additional 1 kg (~2.2 lb) weight just for the power supply should be taken into account if you plan to be on the road with the Legion.

For repairs or upgrades, the Legion requires ten Philips head screws to be loosened. Lenovo uses three different sizes, so you should take care to remember where the different screws belong. Removing the base plate requires more effort than we would like. Particularly the plastic elements in the back third of the plate are secured very tightly. We progressively worked our way from front center to the back of the plate with appropriate aids. To loosen the plastic covers, it might be best to use appropriate tools from iFixit (affiliate link). Alternatively, one could use a plastic credit card with deftly applied force until they come loose.

Inside the case, we can expect a tidy picture and above all an insight into the elaborate cooling solution for the powerful hardware. In principle, users have access to the two M.2 slots and RAM. To cool them, massive heat sinks cover the fast drives, and the RAM is under a plastic cover.

In Germany, the Legion 5 Pro Lenovo is covered by a basic 2-year carry-in warranty.

Keyboard performance for intensive gaming sessions is nothing less than outstanding on this sixteen-inch device. The chiclet keys with their somewhat unusual shape and curvature offer a palpable pressure point, pleasant resistance as well as solid stroke. The RGB key backlights can be adjusted for four zones on the keyboard and illumination works well. Visually, the slightly smaller keys on the numeric pad and the regular-sized arrow keys are not quite as well defined as they might be, but there is no reason for complaint in purely functional terms.

Good for prolific writers as well as gamers: the Legion 5 Pro keyboard

The touchpad is sufficiently large for a gaming laptop and allows for smooth gliding across its surface. Haptic properties when scrolling and clicking are of high-quality. The mouse touchpad is offset slightly to the left, which on occasion leads to right-clicking instead of left-clicking when used too casually. As a result of the high 165 Hz refresh rate using the Legion seemed very smooth and precise. Although most gamers will use a mouse, no one should have any issues navigating in Windows or scrolling through websites.

16-inch displays are becoming more and more standard in the latest gaming notebooks, and the Legion version is an excellent example. There’s quite a lot on offer here for gamers, content writers as well as for everyday use. The matte display offers typical IPS contrast and excellent readability from virtually any angle. Compared to the competition, the Lenovo has the highest maximum brightness level, although display luminance at only about 85% could be better.

The QHD resolution in the 16: 10 version with 2,560 by 1,600 pixels provides a clear image in every usage scenario, and the combination of the matte display and its high brightness level even make outdoor use feasible. Gamers will appreciate the high refresh rate of 165 Hz and the pleasantly fast response times. Although this display doesn’t pose a serious challenge for the 360 Hz 4 ms screen on the recently tested MSI Vector GP76, it still cuts the mustard for fast shooters.


465 cd/m²	455 cd/m²	454 cd/m²
470 cd/m²	515 cd/m²	438 cd/m²
510 cd/m²	492 cd/m²	472 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

BOE CCQ_NE160QDM_NY1

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 515 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 474.6 cd/m² Minimum: 5 cd/m²

Brightness Distribution: 85 %

Contrast: 1144:1 (Black: 0.45 cd/m²)

ΔE Color 2.38 | 0.59-29.43 Ø5.3, calibrated: 1.1

ΔE Greyscale 2.71 | 0.64-98 Ø5.6

70.45% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)

98.38% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)

68.53% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)

Gamma: 2.49

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H

BOE CCQ_NE160QDM_NY1, IPS, 2560×1600, 16.00

HP Omen 16-b1090ng

BOE09E5, IPS, 2560×1440, 16.10

HP Omen 16-c0077ng

BOE09E5, IPS, 2560×1440, 16.10

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5

Samsung SDC416B, AMOLED, 3840×2400, 16.00

Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060

SHP154D, IPS, 1920×1080, 14.00

Display P3 Coverage

68.53

68.8

99.6

45%

sRGB Coverage

98.38

97.9

96.9

-2%

100

AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage

70.45

73.3

71.1

87.6

24%

Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *

With solid values for common color spaces and good factory calibration, color reproduction on the Legion 5 Pro is unquestionably suitable for everyday use. With an average color difference of around 2.5 DeltaE ex works, the color rendition on the 16-inch device is immediately ready for semi-professional image editing, while professionals can get even more out of the display with some manual calibration.

Our calibration with professional equipment reduces the DeltaE to less than 1 (the profile is available above for download) and thus delivers excellent color reproduction within the limits of sRGB. In order to be able to do without an external monitor for professional and color-critical applications, we would have liked to have better coverage in the AdobeRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces. In this regard, especially photographers and image editors come off somewhat short. For videographers who primarily produce for the web, however, the display is more than adequate.

The X-Rite color application on the Lenovo allows it to offer several additional presets for frequently used color spaces, something that is enormously helpful for everyday creative content work. For example, sRGB mode may be of interest for online design, while videographers using the Rec709 profile can even colorize video material with some degree of confidence.

Display Response Times

ℹ

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession – a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 21569 (minimum: 5 – maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

As already mentioned, the high brightness level of over 500 cd/m² helps outdoors. Direct sunlight should still be avoided, but that applies to the majority of all laptop displays. The matte coating certainly prevents you from seeing more of yourself than the screen content.

While Lenovo has been able to deliver more than most of its competitors so far (a plethora of ports, an excellent case and a great display), the performance it delivers is virtually unrivalled. The i7 outclasses its competition, even though it is partly equipped with i9 processors. The RTX 3060 also delivers thoroughly impressive performance. To achieve such stellar system performance, Lenovo underpins its core components with 16 GB of state-of-the-art DDR5 4800 RAM and a responsive 2 TB RAID-0 NVME SSD array.

The Vantage software that comes with the unit may be somewhat of an overkill but does offer three different performance modes. All our performance tests were conducted in power mode, which lives up to its name and provides the i7 with up to 120 W for peak and 100 W for constant power. The colored LED in the power button changes, serving as a visual indicator (red: power mode, white: balanced, blue: silent). Silent mode also lives up to its name: After an initial 120 W peak, the processor consumes 65 W, and the fans sound pleasantly restrained. If you are not necessarily looking for the highest Cinebench scores, then balanced mode is also a good choice for CPU-intensive computing. The power consumption is about 85-90 W, but compared to power mode, the fan noise is a little quieter.

It’s mid-2022 and the i7-12700H has become a familiar acquaintance. It has become the Intel standard for fast content creators and gaming notebooks. Performance varies greatly from device to device and is dependent on both the manufacturer’s configuration as well as the cooling management for a specific device.

The i7 is the mainstream powerhouse of Intel’s latest Alder Lake generation and delivers six performance cores with hyper-threading support and clock rates of 2.4 to 4.7 GHz. Background tasks or multi-core support are provided by the eight efficiency cores (1.8-3.5 GHz) and complete the 14 cores delivering a total of 20 threads.

Lenovo allows the CPU to work unrestrained in the Legion, allowing the 16-inch notebook to easily reach the top of the leader table as soon as multi-core performance is a requirement. Some notebooks deliver slightly more single-core performance, and notebooks with the i9 have a slight lead here. However, single-core performance is relevant for very few applications nowadays and such performance advantage is virtually undetectable in everyday usage.

The Legion 5 Pro cuts an excellent figure especially under constant load: While many notebooks can only maintain performance of their hardware for the renowned first or second Cinebench run, the Legion 5 Pro delivers persistent performance without fluctuations. There is always enough power for gaming as well as for creative-content applications.

In addition to our standardized test sequences, we also used the laptop with our YouTube channel. We cut, colorized and exported our videos with BlackMagics DaVinci Resolve 17. In contrast to the common Adobe applications, that mainly use just the processor, the CPU and GPU are used equally in this editing software. Due to generous power levels, our source material (4k, BlackMagic RAW) was processed without any issues and without dropped frames. Furthermore, the image editing in PhaseOnes Capture One and the class leader Photoshop did not cause us any problems.

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

2884 Points

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

190.1 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

99.6 %

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

250 Points

Help

The system performance of this top-drawer laptop is irrefutable, and despite the ‘small’ Ampere graphics card, our test configuration is very well positioned relative to other laptops. As shown by both our PC Mark results and our own observations, the Legion masters everyday tasks at lightning speed and nothing will shift it out of its stride. It’s easy to edit an image in Photoshop, jump across to a video editing program, and watch a 4k vlog on YouTube along the way; and then there’s still ample capacity even with a ton of open browser tabs.

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	7816 Points ∼100% +4%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	7531 Points ∼96%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	7322 Points ∼94% -3%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	7170 Points ∼92% -5%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Radeon RX 6600M, R7 5800H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	7150 Points ∼91% -5%
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (5986 – 7531, n=5)	7082 Points ∼91% -6%
Average of class Gaming (4077 – 8426, n=185, last 2 years)	6650 Points ∼85% -12%

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	11053 Points ∼100%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	10945 Points ∼99% -1%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Radeon RX 6600M, R7 5800H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	10479 Points ∼95% -5%
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (9289 – 11053, n=5)	10380 Points ∼94% -6%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	10294 Points ∼93% -7%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	10249 Points ∼93% -7%
Average of class Gaming (7148 – 11205, n=184, last 2 years)	9906 Points ∼90% -10%

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	10050 Points ∼100% +7%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	9602 Points ∼96% +3%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	9549 Points ∼95% +2%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	9358 Points ∼93%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Radeon RX 6600M, R7 5800H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	9231 Points ∼92% -1%
Average of class Gaming (6161 – 10785, n=184, last 2 years)	8836 Points ∼88% -6%
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (6161 – 9602, n=5)	8715 Points ∼87% -7%

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	11777 Points ∼100% +5%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	11207 Points ∼95%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	10888 Points ∼92% -3%
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (10118 – 11672, n=5)	10721 Points ∼91% -4%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Radeon RX 6600M, R7 5800H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	10257 Points ∼87% -8%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	10118 Points ∼86% -10%
Average of class Gaming (3670 – 13707, n=184, last 2 years)	9226 Points ∼78% -18%

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	2113 Points ∼100% +20%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	1910 Points ∼90% +9%
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (1649 – 1910, n=4)	1799 Points ∼85% +3%
Average of class Gaming (974 – 2169, n=39, last 2 years)	1771 Points ∼84% +1%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	1755 Points ∼83%

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	2031 Points ∼100% +20%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	1797 Points ∼88% +7%
Average of class Gaming (907 – 2062, n=39, last 2 years)	1714 Points ∼84% +2%
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (1536 – 1797, n=4)	1694 Points ∼83% 0%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	1686 Points ∼83%

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	2161 Points ∼100% +18%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	2072 Points ∼96% +13%
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (1835 – 2084, n=4)	1989 Points ∼92% +8%
Average of class Gaming (1027 – 2328, n=39, last 2 years)	1864 Points ∼86% +2%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	1835 Points ∼85%

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	2228 Points ∼100% +29%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	1798 Points ∼81% +4%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	1731 Points ∼78%
Average of class Gaming (1029 – 2230, n=39, last 2 years)	1691 Points ∼76% -2%
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (1210 – 1798, n=4)	1611 Points ∼72% -7%

PCMark 10 Score		7531 points
Help

LatencyMon test results of our review device are in part much better than those of the competition, but the Legion is not the device of choice when it comes to real-time audio editing. However, given that it’s essentially a gaming laptop, and given that our YouTube video dropped just a handful of frames, the LatencyMon results may be acceptable. However, the CPU/GPU load during 4K video playback was indeed quite high and we would have liked to see a somewhat more effective deployment of system resources.

HP Omen 16-c0077ng Radeon RX 6600M, R7 5800H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	2098 μs ∼100% -222%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	1140 μs ∼54% -75%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	717.4 μs ∼34% -10%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	650.7 μs ∼31%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	623 μs ∼30% +4%

… smaller is better

The latest PCI-E Gen 4 NVME SSDs are in effect already so fast that their performance differences in everyday usage hardly play a role and are almost imperceptible. Nevertheless, Lenovo has decided to include two of their fastest exponents in a RAID-0 array on the Legion 5i Pro.

While each of these SSDs scores well individually and top our performance tables, they almost double their read and write rates in a double array. Around 12 GB in peak measurements sounds extremely impressive on paper, but there are probably not many applications that will benefit from such break-neck speeds. Of course, this is by no means a complaint, given that there’s 2 TB of total storage space available for games, pictures or high-resolution video data. Especially in everyday work, the annoyance of having to work with various external hard drives becomes avoidable. The SSD endurance test does show repeated drops after longer periods. This could be an indication of excessively high temperatures, which occur under high constant SSD load.

DiskSpd seq_q8t1_read:
12143MB/s

DiskSpd seq_q8t1_write:
10203MB/s

DiskSpd seq_read:
5544MB/s

DiskSpd seq_write:
7667MB/s

DiskSpd 4k_q32t16_read:
1982MB/s

DiskSpd 4k_q32t16_write:
1842MB/s

DiskSpd 4k_q1t1_read:
90.6MB/s

DiskSpd 4k_q1t1_write:
237MB/s

DiskSpd Loop seq_q8t1_read:
12096MB/s

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	5544 (5525.64^min – 5543.85^max) MB/s ∼100%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (2514 – 5544, n=27)	3961 MB/s ∼71% -29%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	3928 (3889.8^min – 3927.66^max) MB/s ∼71% -29%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	3922 (3902.75^min – 3922.43^max) MB/s ∼71% -29%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	3819 (3405.77^min – 3819.33^max) MB/s ∼69% -31%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	2746 (2728.19^min – 2745.84^max) MB/s ∼50% -50%
Average of class Gaming (170 – 5544, n=181, last 2 years)	2460 MB/s ∼44% -56%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	7667 (7620.91^min – 7667.19^max) MB/s ∼100%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	4457 MB/s ∼58% -42%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	4033 (3953.13^min – 4032.82^max) MB/s ∼53% -47%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	3931 (3911.33^min – 3931.01^max) MB/s ∼51% -49%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (2436 – 7667, n=27)	3892 MB/s ∼51% -49%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	2786 (2776.21^min – 2785.86^max) MB/s ∼36% -64%
Average of class Gaming (174 – 7889, n=180, last 2 years)	2673 MB/s ∼35% -65%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	12143 (11574.5^min – 12143^max) MB/s ∼100%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	7028 (6634.28^min – 7027.76^max) MB/s ∼58% -42%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	6867 (6210.3^min – 6866.91^max) MB/s ∼57% -43%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	6858 (6042.6^min – 6858.23^max) MB/s ∼56% -44%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (3421 – 12143, n=27)	6527 MB/s ∼54% -46%
Average of class Gaming (144 – 13195, n=181, last 2 years)	4100 MB/s ∼34% -66%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	3503 (3178.09^min – 3503.42^max) MB/s ∼29% -71%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	10203 (10182.9^min – 10203.3^max) MB/s ∼100%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	5412 (5265.32^min – 5411.99^max) MB/s ∼53% -47%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	5168 (5037.36^min – 5167.53^max) MB/s ∼51% -49%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (2877 – 10203, n=27)	5016 MB/s ∼49% -51%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	5004 (4980.32^min – 5004.43^max) MB/s ∼49% -51%
Average of class Gaming (86.2 – 10203, n=181, last 2 years)	3221 MB/s ∼32% -68%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	3016 (2902.04^min – 3015.7^max) MB/s ∼30% -70%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	90.6 (90.17^min – 90.55^max) MB/s ∼100%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	88.7 MB/s ∼98% -2%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (55.7 – 97.4, n=27)	81.6 MB/s ∼90% -10%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	79.3 (77.62^min – 79.29^max) MB/s ∼88% -12%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	77.1 (76.91^min – 77.11^max) MB/s ∼85% -15%
Average of class Gaming (0.53 – 97.4, n=181, last 2 years)	57.8 MB/s ∼64% -36%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	48.8 (47.91^min – 48.76^max) MB/s ∼54% -46%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	373 (371.9^min – 373.21^max) MB/s ∼100% +57%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	237 (232.48^min – 236.93^max) MB/s ∼64%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	222 (216.3^min – 221.72^max) MB/s ∼60% -6%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (49.9 – 275, n=27)	209 MB/s ∼56% -12%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	205 (195.73^min – 204.56^max) MB/s ∼55% -14%
Average of class Gaming (0.79 – 421, n=180, last 2 years)	177.1 MB/s ∼47% -25%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	144 (143.57^min – 144.35^max) MB/s ∼39% -39%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	3555 (3552.55^min – 3555.1^max) MB/s ∼100% +79%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (544 – 4185, n=27)	3191 MB/s ∼90% +61%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	1982 (1800.55^min – 1982.03^max) MB/s ∼56%
Average of class Gaming (1.1 – 4260, n=180, last 2 years)	1887 MB/s ∼53% -5%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	1798 (1787.41^min – 1797.64^max) MB/s ∼51% -9%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	1528 (1477.56^min – 1527.59^max) MB/s ∼43% -23%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	839 (826.17^min – 839.11^max) MB/s ∼24% -58%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	3612 (3585.78^min – 3612.01^max) MB/s ∼100% +96%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (373 – 3559, n=27)	2446 MB/s ∼68% +33%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	2142 (2133.48^min – 2142.48^max) MB/s ∼59% +16%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	1842 (1678.82^min – 1841.75^max) MB/s ∼51%
Average of class Gaming (1.15 – 4249, n=180, last 2 years)	1835 MB/s ∼51% 0%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	585 (555.77^min – 584.61^max) MB/s ∼16% -68%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	573 (461.98^min – 572.89^max) MB/s ∼16% -69%

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	9380 Points ∼100%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (4522 – 9147, n=26)	7570 Points ∼81%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	5985 Points ∼64%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	5866 Points ∼63%
Average of class Gaming (910 – 9279, n=170, last 2 years)	5422 Points ∼58%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	4984 Points ∼53%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	3634 Points ∼100%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (1267 – 3469, n=26)	2829 Points ∼78%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	2363 Points ∼65%
Average of class Gaming (389 – 3587, n=170, last 2 years)	2025 Points ∼56%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	1994 Points ∼55%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	1631 Points ∼45%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	3991 Points ∼100%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (1230 – 4043, n=26)	3361 Points ∼84%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	3093 Points ∼77%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	2658 Points ∼67%
Average of class Gaming (335 – 4414, n=170, last 2 years)	2383 Points ∼60%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	2325 Points ∼58%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	5588 MB/s ∼100%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	5404 MB/s ∼97%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	5396.69 MB/s ∼97%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (2834 – 5588, n=26)	4815 MB/s ∼86%
Average of class Gaming (252 – 6562, n=170, last 2 years)	3324 MB/s ∼59%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	3148 MB/s ∼56%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (1625 – 4180, n=26)	3386 MB/s ∼100%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	3267 MB/s ∼96%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	2667.04 MB/s ∼79%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	2565 MB/s ∼76%
Average of class Gaming (308 – 7663, n=170, last 2 years)	2549 MB/s ∼75%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	2236 MB/s ∼66%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	109.4 MB/s ∼100%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	76.3 MB/s ∼70%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (50.6 – 88.1, n=26)	75.4 MB/s ∼69%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	73.81 MB/s ∼67%
Average of class Gaming (20 – 108, n=170, last 2 years)	56.3 MB/s ∼51%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	52.1 MB/s ∼48%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	321.6 MB/s ∼100%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	272.6 MB/s ∼85%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	247.26 MB/s ∼77%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (148.7 – 241, n=26)	192.9 MB/s ∼60%
Average of class Gaming (18 – 364, n=170, last 2 years)	155.3 MB/s ∼48%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	136.8 MB/s ∼43%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	2966 MB/s ∼100%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (730 – 2854, n=26)	2272 MB/s ∼77%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	1996 MB/s ∼67%
Average of class Gaming (216 – 2959, n=170, last 2 years)	1637 MB/s ∼55%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	1380.56 MB/s ∼47%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	1014 MB/s ∼34%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	3342 MB/s ∼100%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (808 – 3451, n=26)	2829 MB/s ∼85%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	2579.14 MB/s ∼77%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	2161 MB/s ∼65%
Average of class Gaming (191.8 – 3859, n=170, last 2 years)	1984 MB/s ∼59%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	1931 MB/s ∼58%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	0.066 ms ∼100%
Average of class Gaming (0.018 – 0.23, n=163, last 2 years)	0.06401 ms ∼97%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	0.056 ms ∼85%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	0.045 ms ∼68%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (0.02 – 0.08, n=26)	0.03742 ms ∼57%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	0.029 ms ∼44%
Average of class Gaming (0.012 – 0.588, n=170, last 2 years)	0.06624 ms ∼100%
Average Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR (0.018 – 0.085, n=26)	0.03377 ms ∼51%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	0.027 ms ∼41%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng WDC PC SN810 1TB	0.016 ms ∼24%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 WDC PC SN810 1TB	0.013 ms ∼20%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Phison ESR01TBMFCT	0.012 ms ∼18%

… smaller is better

As with the CPU, modelling tools are no longer adequate to reliably assess the performance of graphics cards. Nvidia leaves a lot of leeway for manufacturers in terms of power consumption, and so it is sometimes difficult to predict how a graphics chip will perform in modern laptops. Once again, Lenovo is setting a good example here: The mid-range RTX 3060 uses a continuous 120 W in the Legion 5 and maxes out at around 140 W. While the 3070 Ti in its sister model (see our review here) is about 20% faster, the 3080 Ti in the Gigabyte Aero 16, for example, is just a few percentage points ahead. The smaller Ampere card also performs well compared to laptops with the same GPU. The Legion 5 Pro with the RTX 3060 lies a good 14% above the category average, and even outperforms the 3060 in the Alienware x14 by 20%.

HP Omen 16-b1090ng NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	144658 Points ∼100% +24%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Radeon RX 6600M, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H	127549 Points ∼88% +9%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	117269 Points ∼81% 0%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	117064 Points ∼81%
Average of class Gaming (16443 – 192950, n=167, last 2 years)	111839 Points ∼77% -4%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (33126 – 136275, n=26)	101418 Points ∼70% -13%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HK	73574 Points ∼51% -37%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 G7 i7 RTX 3070Ti NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	29630 Points ∼100% +36%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	25891 Points ∼87% +19%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HK	24580 Points ∼83% +13%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Radeon RX 6600M, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H	24460 Points ∼83% +12%
Average of class Gaming (1360 – 34993, n=231, last 2 years)	22787 Points ∼77% +5%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	21792 Points ∼74%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (16354 – 23109, n=34)	20191 Points ∼68% -7%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	19277 Points ∼65% -12%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 G7 i7 RTX 3070Ti NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	11577 Points ∼100% +25%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	9980 Points ∼86% +8%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HK	9488 Points ∼82% +3%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	9235 Points ∼80%
Average of class Gaming (429 – 13455, n=232, last 2 years)	8836 Points ∼76% -4%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Radeon RX 6600M, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H	8207 Points ∼71% -11%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (6285 – 9235, n=34)	7969 Points ∼69% -14%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H	7425 Points ∼64% -20%

3DMark 11 Performance		27368 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		55891 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		20491 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score		10399 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		9640 points
Help

Synthetic benchmarks aside, the exceptionally good impression persists for gaming. Performance is excellent and enables around 60 FPS in high detail in almost all current titles. If the native refresh rate of the QHD display runs out of steam, resolution should be reduced to Full HD and possibly even HD.

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 G7 i7 RTX 3070Ti Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	103 (89^min, 97^P1) fps ∼100% +17%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	97.7 (83^min) fps ∼95% +11%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Intel Core i9-12900HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU	92.2 (19.1^min, 45.8^P0.1, 67.7^P1) fps ∼90% +5%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	88.2 (84^min, 85^P1) fps ∼86%
Average of class Gaming (8.61 – 130.4, n=231, last 2 years)	87.1 fps ∼85% -1%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, AMD Radeon RX 6600M	84 fps ∼82% -5%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (58.2 – 91.5, n=34)	76 fps ∼74% -14%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	69.8 (66^min, 66^P1) fps ∼68% -21%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	58.2 (30^min, 47^P1) fps ∼57% -34%

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 G7 i7 RTX 3070Ti Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	117 (5.59^min, 55.6^P1) fps ∼100% +9%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Intel Core i9-12900HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU	113 (20.6^min, 76.9^P1) fps ∼97% +5%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	110.2 (10.6^min, 76.9^P1) fps ∼94% +2%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	107.8 (9.09^min, 66.7^P1) fps ∼92%
Average of class Gaming (4.18 – 139.2, n=182, last 2 years)	90 fps ∼77% -17%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	88.6 (8.39^min, 58.8^P1) fps ∼76% -18%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (69.2 – 107.8, n=31)	86.8 fps ∼74% -19%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, AMD Radeon RX 6600M	71 (9.84^min, 50^P1) fps ∼61% -34%

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 G7 i7 RTX 3070Ti Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	107 fps ∼100% +23%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	99.6 (59^min) fps ∼93% +14%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	87.2 (49^min) fps ∼81%
Average of class Gaming (9.94 – 140.6, n=180, last 2 years)	87.1 fps ∼81% 0%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Intel Core i9-12900HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU	85.8 fps ∼80% -2%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, AMD Radeon RX 6600M	77.8 fps ∼73% -11%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (64.4 – 91.9, n=28)	77.8 fps ∼73% -11%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	74.1 fps ∼69% -15%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 G7 i7 RTX 3070Ti Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	82.3 fps ∼100% +29%
Average of class Gaming (10.9 – 105.8, n=80, last 2 years)	73.7 fps ∼90% +16%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Intel Core i9-12900HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU	64.8 fps ∼79% +2%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	63.8 (42^min) fps ∼78%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (48.3 – 65.4, n=14)	57.9 fps ∼70% -9%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, AMD Radeon RX 6600M	54.8 fps ∼67% -14%

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 G7 i7 RTX 3070Ti Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	130 (112^min, 92^P1) fps ∼100% +15%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	112.8 (95^min, 74^P1) fps ∼87%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Intel Core i9-12900HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU	103 (76^min, 83^P1) fps ∼79% -9%
Average of class Gaming (14.2 – 160.6, n=78, last 2 years)	99.1 fps ∼76% -12%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	94 fps ∼72% -17%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (67 – 112.8, n=6)	92.4 fps ∼71% -18%

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 G7 i7 RTX 3070Ti Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	199 fps ∼100% +24%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	160.7 (62.8^min, 121^P1) fps ∼81%
Average of class Gaming (10.9 – 221, n=173, last 2 years)	155.4 fps ∼78% -3%
HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, AMD Radeon RX 6600M	155 fps ∼78% -4%
Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Intel Core i9-12900HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU	151 (35.4^min, 116^P1) fps ∼76% -6%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	146.6 (72.6^min, 102.4^P1) fps ∼74% -9%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (113 – 160.7, n=29)	135 fps ∼68% -16%
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	127 fps ∼64% -21%

HP Omen 16-b1090ng Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	115 fps ∼100% +12%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	102.73 fps ∼89%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (94.8 – 102.7, n=2)	98.8 fps ∼86% -4%
Average of class Gaming (12.4 – 128.9, n=11, last 2 years)	88.9 fps ∼77% -13%
HP Omen 16-b1090ng Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	89.8 fps ∼100% +12%
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	80.51 fps ∼90%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (72.3 – 80.5, n=2)	76.4 fps ∼85% -5%
Average of class Gaming (9.7 – 104.3, n=11, last 2 years)	70 fps ∼78% -13%

The RTX 3060 can also maintain constant performance, as our benchmarks and especially our Witcher 3 test show. In the 30-minute test, the refresh rates only drop by a few frames at the beginning and can then be maintained permanently without further drops.

For maximum performance on the internal display, Lenovo equips the Legion 5 Pro with an MUX switch and Advanced Optimus to bypass the GPU. Using Lenovo’s Vantage software, the GPU can also be overclocked with the switch. In our tests, this was noticeable with an average 50-100 MHz higher core clock speed.

Although Lenovo provides a very generous allowance for power consumption for both the CPU and the GPU, the Legion 5 behaves unremarkably when compared to the competition in the noise test. Although the fans also run during simple activities, we did not find this annoying. Since the fans do not pulsate and register their deployment with a slow increase in speed and without annoying interference frequencies, you can also cut videos or edit images without your headphones on. As soon as the CPU and graphics card run at up to 120 W, the resulting waste heat must be dispelled from the case. When this occurs, the fans kick in but maintain their unobtrusive characteristics even at higher speeds.

However, you should keep your headphones or the headset on stand-by when cranking it up, this applies to pretty much every gaming laptop in 2022, even when the hardware is not as effectively exploited as in the Legion 5 Pro.

Noise Level

Idle		28.7 / 32 / 32 dB(A)
Load		45.2 / 54.4 dB(A)

	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 24.6 dB(A)

	Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR	HP Omen 16-b1090ng GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB	HP Omen 16-c0077ng Radeon RX 6600M, R7 5800H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HK, Phison ESR01TBMFCT	Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, WDC PC SN810 1TB
off / environment *	24.6	26 -6%	25 -2%	25 -2%	24.7 -0%
Idle Minimum *	28.7	30 -5%	25 13%	30 -5%	24.7 14%
Idle Average *	32	31 3%	31.2 2%	32 -0%	24.7 23%
Idle Maximum *	32	33 -3%	33.8 -6%	33 -3%	30.9 3%
Load Average *	45.2	49 -8%	55.4 -23%	45 -0%	40 12%
Load Maximum *	54.4	57 -5%	56 -3%	52 4%	51.5 5%
Witcher 3 ultra *		53		50	51.5

… smaller is better

The top metal surfaces of this 16 inch unit heat up moderately under load. It can also get very warm near the display, but neither the keyboard nor the wrist rest were unpleasantly warm during our tests. On the bottom and in the vicinity of the cooling elements on the back of the laptop, it can get reasonably hot. Let’s just say, the Legion would rather be perched on a desk while gaming.


45.1 °C 113 F	45.8 °C 114 F	42.6 °C 109 F
40.9 °C 106 F	42.6 °C 109 F	41.3 °C 106 F
29 °C 84 F	28.9 °C 84 F	27.4 °C 81 F

Maximum: 45.8 °C = 114 F

Average: 38.2 °C = 101 F


54.5 °C 130 F	66.3 °C 151 F	48 °C 118 F
37.1 °C 99 F	46.3 °C 115 F	35.5 °C 96 F
35.1 °C 95 F	33.8 °C 93 F	35 °C 95 F

Maximum: 66.3 °C = 151 F

Average: 43.5 °C = 110 F

Power Supply (max.) 49.8 °C = 122 F | Room Temperature 23.3 °C = 74 F | Fluke t3000FC (calibrated), FIRT 550-Pocket

(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 38.2 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.

(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 45.8 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.6 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.

(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 66.3 °C / 151 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F

(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.8 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.

(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29 °C / 84.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.

(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 29.1 °C / 84.4 F (+0.1 °C / 0.2 F).

	Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	HP Omen 16-b1090ng Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU	HP Omen 16-c0077ng AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, AMD Radeon RX 6600M	Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5 Intel Core i9-12900HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU	Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060 Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
Maximum Upper Side *	45.8	41 10%	40.6 11%	49 -7%	51.3 -12%
Maximum Bottom *	66.3	62 6%	36 46%	55 17%	44.4 33%
Idle Upper Side *	30.4	25 18%	31.3 -3%	33 -9%	27.2 11%
Idle Bottom *	30.4	26 14%	36 -18%	33 -9%	26.6 12%

… smaller is better

	CPU Clock (GHz)	GPU Clock (MHz)	durchschnittlich. CPU-Temperatur (°C)	durchschnittliche GPU-Temperatur (°C)
System Idle	3.910	210	46	48
Prime95 Stress	3.352	210	91	61
Prime95 + FurMark Stress	2.773	1.568	93	86
Witcher 3 Stress	3.800	1.810	79	86

In our one-hour stress test using Prime 95 and FurMark, we wanted to explore extreme case heat and/or power consumption issues. Not even in a contrived scenario that would generally never occur under normal usage patterns did the Legion 5 Pro fold. While the temperatures were high, they were within the Intel and Nvidia specifications and the clock rates were still acceptable. Neither the i7 nor the RTX 3060 fell below their base clock rates, and the clock rates of the processor and graphics card remained consistently high in normal gaming.

The integrated speakers do their job more than appropriately for the odd YouTube video or even for a movie night. The quality is really quite outstanding, and unfortunately not typical for laptops. That’s something where we would like to see a little more attention from almost all manufacturers.

In the Legion 5, the mid frequencies and trebles are completely satisfactory and deliver a clear sound, while the volume might need to be slightly higher for larger rooms or groups of people. Unfortunately, we almost completely miss basses, but that’s not at all uncommon for laptops. In contrast to the other product categories, this 16 inch device offers only standard fare. But for a gaming laptop, which the likely gamer probably uses with a headset most of the time, this is acceptable in our opinion.

Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (72.7 dB)

Bass 100 – 315 Hz

(-) | nearly no bass – on average 21.7% lower than median

(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.8% delta to prev. frequency)

Mids 400 – 2000 Hz

(±) | higher mids – on average 5% higher than median

(+) | mids are linear (3.4% delta to prev. frequency)

Highs 2 – 16 kHz

(+) | balanced highs – only 1.7% away from median

(+) | highs are linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)

Overall 100 – 16.000 Hz

(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.9% difference to median)

Compared to same class

» 49% of all tested devices in this class were better, 13% similar, 39% worse

» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 17%, worst was 37%

Compared to all devices tested

» 28% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 64% worse

» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%

HP Omen 16-b1090ng audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83 dB)

Bass 100 – 315 Hz

(-) | nearly no bass – on average 24.4% lower than median

(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.8% delta to prev. frequency)

Mids 400 – 2000 Hz

(+) | balanced mids – only 1.9% away from median

(+) | mids are linear (2.8% delta to prev. frequency)

Highs 2 – 16 kHz

(+) | balanced highs – only 2.2% away from median

(+) | highs are linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)

Overall 100 – 16.000 Hz

(+) | overall sound is linear (14.5% difference to median)

Compared to same class

» 32% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 63% worse

» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 17%, worst was 37%

Compared to all devices tested

» 16% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 80% worse

» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%

The high power targets for the installed hardware are noticeable in power consumption: Even in idle, the Legion sometimes consumes more than twice as much energy compared to the competition. Under load, it turns out that the large 300 W power supply is a bit oversized, but certainly not over-specified. The Legion undoubtedly leads the field in power consumption with a maximum consumption of 240 W, but in view of the delivered performance that’s absolutely acceptable.

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H

i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR, IPS, 2560×1600, 16.00

HP Omen 16-b1090ng

i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, WDC PC SN810 1TB, IPS, 2560×1440, 16.10

HP Omen 16-c0077ng

R7 5800H, Radeon RX 6600M, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, IPS, 2560×1440, 16.10

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5

i9-12900HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Phison ESR01TBMFCT, AMOLED, 3840×2400, 16.00

Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060

i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, WDC PC SN810 1TB, IPS, 1920×1080, 14.00

Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro

M1 Pro, M1 Pro 16-Core GPU, Apple SSD AP1024R, Mini-LED, 3456×2234, 16.20

Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

Average of class Gaming

Idle Minimum *

22.8

82%

47%

-14%

7.9

65%

78%

9.56

; Witcher 3 ultra: Ø194.7 (188.5-206)

; 1280×720 Prime95 28.10 and Furmark 1.25: Ø233 (193.3-274)

; Prime95 V28,10 Stress (external Monitor): Ø171.5 (164-196.4)

; Cinebench R15 Multi (external Monitor): Ø168.3 (100.8-179.3)

; 1280×720 FurMark 1.19 GPU Stress Test (external Monitor): Ø176 (172.3-207)

; 1920×1080 The Witcher 3 ultra (external Monitor): Ø191 (186.1-207)

Our test shows the shadow side of high energy demand without being plugged in to a wall socket. Here, the competition leaves the Legion for dust. Lenovo did not win an endurance prize for the 3.5 hours it managed in our web surfing test with a fixed screen brightness of 150 nits. 30 minutes runtime under load are also just not competitive. Approximately 2 hours of gaming gives the Legion a few consolation points. But here too we think that the results need to be considered in the context of likely everyday usage. You probably don’t buy such a powerful gaming notebook to write emails all day in a café or to host a series marathon while camping.

Battery Runtime

Witcher 3 ultra 150cd		2h 06min
WiFi Websurfing		3h 34min
WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness		3h 13min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p		4h 06min
Gaming		0h 00min
Load (maximum brightness)		0h 36min

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H

i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, 80 Wh

HP Omen 16-b1090ng

i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, 83 Wh

HP Omen 16-c0077ng

R7 5800H, Radeon RX 6600M, 70 Wh

Gigabyte Aero 16 YE5

i9-12900HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, 99 Wh

Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060

i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, 80 Wh

Average of class Gaming

H.264

246

419

70%

452

84%

561

128%

385

Pros

+ High-quality, solid case

+ Consistently superior performance

+ Fast, 165 Hz QHD display

+ Huge range of ports and slots

Cons

– Large footprint

– Comparatively heavy

– Short battery life

– Color space coverage for AdobeRGB and DCI P3 could be better

Great gaming and creative all-rounder: the Legion 5 Pro from Lenovo

Lenovo is again doing a lot right this year after having delivered the Legion 5 Pro that was one of the most popular gaming notebooks on the market last year. The case is clearly aimed at the gaming market, but the eye-catching logos have been tastefully de-emphasized, thus providing easy passage for this 16-inch device as a performance workhorse.

Both gamers and image editors/videographers will be pleased about the enormous variety of connectivity options. It’s refreshing to see Lenovo resisting the trend to forgo essential ports and slots in favour of slimmer cases. The 16-inch 16: 10 QHD display also provides little reason for criticism. For games, it is beyond reproach and is more than just fired up by the RTX 3060. While we would have liked more AdobeRGB coverage for professional image editing or photographers, video editors will also get their money’s worth here. The X–Rite software included is available with turnkey sRGB and Rec.709 profiles – that’s one huge bonus.

The standout feature of the Legion 5 Pro is its performance. The installed components are deployed with finesse and provide a showcase of what they are capable of. This applies to both the exceptionally powerful i7-12700H as well as the high-end RTX 3060. It’s hard to imagine that one might require more and, as such, it’s future proof for a few years yet.

It took quite some effort to come up with any flaws of substance at all, and even when we did, they are negligible in the context of a gaming laptop (viz. battery life); or they contribute to other strengths in some way. The Legion 5 Pro may be slightly larger, heavier, and bulkier than its competitors, but that’s what paves the way for an effective cooling system and heaps of connectivity. If you’re really after something a little lighter, you might want to take a look at the HP Omen 16 (YouTube review). Its CPU performance is far from that of the Legion, but with an RTX 3070 Ti you get significantly better GPU performance and a slimmer case. If your everyday life has more to do with actual work, you might want to take a look at the Gigabyte Aero 16. Although the i9’s higher price is barely worth it (in our Cinebench R23 test it’s even beaten by the i7 on the Legion 5 Pro), the RTX 3080 Ti and the great OLED panel are shoe-in for video and photo editing.

With a price of around 1,800 Euros (US$ 1,825) for the 1 TB SSD unit, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is an almost perfect all-rounder for every application and can confidently nix the competition’s 3070 Ti surcharge with its RTX 3060.

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H
–
07/25/2022 v7

Alexander Wätzel

Connectivity

75 / 80 → 94%

Application Performance

98%

Gaming – Weighted Average

Usually my first coffee is accompanied by photoshop on my pc for the majority of my workday. After an average of 5 cups and about 8-10h later I switch from the adobe suite to steam or the xbox game pass. I startet my career as a professional retoucher more than 10 years ago still on a mac. After a few years I transitioned back to windows machines for a number of reasons. The new found freedom when it comes to hardware got me into building my own workstations and also allowed me to get familier with professional grade laptops and well, it also got me gaming again. Since my job only requires a speedy laptop and reliable internet connection, I took full advantage of it and travelled all over the world while working remotely. I always like a challenge and try to push myself whenever possible. Lately that meant getting more familiar and proficient
with video production and of course starting to write for Notebookcheck.

Translator: John Stroh – Translator – 7 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022

I was born into an English American family in Berlin and attended Primary School in England and Secondary School and University in Vienna. I was bilingual from an early age and left Europe to live in Australia, and subsequently New Zealand. My early career with IBM was followed by years running my own small IT business ventures. My passion for technology is more about the impact it has on human behaviour rather than the gadgets themselves. Understanding the latter well is a prerequisite.

Alexander Wätzel, 2022-07-28 (Update: 2022-07-29)

Display Response Times

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IAH7H audio analysis

HP Omen 16-b1090ng audio analysis

Pros

Cons

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