The Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 15 (2021) is a lower mid-range gaming laptop. It's a step above the budget-oriented Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (2021) but sits below the Legion 5 Pro and the Legion 7 in Lenovo's lineup. It's very similar to the IdeaPad Gaming 3 in design, user experience, and configuration options; however, it has an additional QHD display option and GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M GPU. Unlike IdeaPad Gaming 3, the Legion 5 sports a MUX switch, and its GPUs run at a higher wattage, allowing for better performance.
Our Lenovo Legion 5 has an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (95W) dedicated GPU, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. If you need better multi-thread performance, you can upgrade the CPU to an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, which has more cores and threads. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the lowest-end GPU option and can provide a 60 fps gaming experience at 1080p, though you'll have to play at low settings in most games. The RTX 3050 and 3050Ti are very similar and will get you around or slightly above 60 fps with medium or high settings, with the 3050Ti being only marginally better. The RTX 3060 is faster than the RTX 3050, providing a 35 to 40% performance boost over the RTX 3050. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M is roughly the equivalent of an RTX 3060; the performance will vary depending on each game's optimization. The RTX 3070 is the highest-end GPU available and the best option to pair with the QHD 165Hz display.
Our Verdict
The Lenovo Legion 5 is okay for school use. Its AMD Ryzen CPU and dedicated GPU can handle all student workloads, including demanding tasks like graphic design and 3D animation. The keyboard feels comfortable to type on for long periods, and the touchpad tracks well. The 1080p display is decently sharp and provides enough space for multitasking, and you can also configure the laptop with an even sharper QHD panel if you prefer. Unfortunately, it's a bulky device that's hard to carry around, and its battery lasts only about 4 hours of light productivity.
- AMD Ryzen CPUs can handle demanding workloads.
- Keyboard doesn't cause fatigue over an extended period.
- Good webcam video quality.
- Hard to carry around due to size and weight.
- Display doesn't get bright enough to combat intense glare.
- Battery lasts only about 4 hours of light productivity.
The Lenovo Legion 5 is great for gaming. It's available with AMD Ryzen CPUs as well as various NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, all of which can deliver smooth gameplay at 1080p. You can also configure the laptop with a QHD 165Hz display, though you'll have to pair it with the top-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 to get the best experience. The fans get pretty loud under load; however, there's no noticeable throttling on the CPU or GPU, so you won't experience any performance loss when gaming for an extended period. It's a little hard to access the internals, but on the upside, the memory and storage drive are user-replaceable.
- AMD Ryzen CPUs can handle demanding workloads.
- Available with powerful GPU options, up to an RTX 3070.
- MUX switch.
- User-replaceable memory and storage.
- No noticeable throttling on CPU and GPU.
- Loud fan noise under load.
- Slow response time causes noticeable ghosting.
- Hard to access internals.
The Lenovo Legion 5 is mediocre for media consumption. It isn't very portable as it's a bulky and heavy device, and its battery lasts less than 4 hours of video playback, so you'll have to bring the charger with you. The 120Hz display looks washed out and doesn't get bright enough to combat intense glare, but you can get the laptop with a brighter and more colorful panel. Although the speakers are good overall, they still have no bass whatsoever, so they aren't ideal for music or movies.
- 100% sRGB and QHD panel options.
- Flicker-free backlight helps reduce eye strain.
- Speakers are well-suited for spoken content.
- Hard to carry around due to size and weight.
- 120Hz panel looks washed out.
- Display doesn't get bright enough to combat intense glare.
- Battery lasts only a little over 3 hours of video playback.
- Blacks look gray in dim settings.
- Speakers lack bass and sound quiet.
The Lenovo Legion 5 is excellent as a workstation. It's available with powerful CPUs and GPUs that can handle demanding tasks like video editing, programming, or 3D rendering. The fans get pretty loud under load, but there's no noticeable throttling on the CPU or GPU, which is great for heavy, sustained workloads. It has a wide port selection that includes an HDMI 2.1 and plenty of USB ports, so you likely won't need a dock to plug in all of your peripherals. The memory and storage drive are user-replaceable, though it isn't easy to access the internals.
- AMD Ryzen CPUs can handle demanding workloads.
- Available with powerful GPU options, up to an RTX 3070.
- Wide port selection.
- User-replaceable memory and storage.
- No noticeable throttling on CPU and GPU.
- Loud fan noise under load.
- Hard to access internals.
The Lenovo Legion 5 is good for business use. Its AMD Ryzen processors can easily handle productivity tasks like web browsing, text formatting, and spreadsheets, as well as heavy multitasking with a large number of apps open simultaneously. The display provides plenty of room for multitasking, the keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and the webcam captures a good image for video calls. That said, it's hard to carry around as it's a bulky and heavy laptop, and its battery only lasts about 4 hours.
- AMD Ryzen CPUs can handle demanding workloads.
- Wide port selection.
- Keyboard doesn't cause fatigue over an extended period.
- Good webcam video quality.
- Hard to carry around due to size and weight.
- Display doesn't get bright enough to combat intense glare.
- Battery lasts only about 4 hours of light productivity.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 07, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.2.
- Updated Nov 03, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
- Updated Sep 12, 2023: Added mention of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023) as an NVIDIA 40-series alternative with support for Frame Generation in the GPU section.
- Updated Mar 09, 2023: Added mention of the ASUS TUF Dash F15 (2022) as an alternative with a faster CPU in theGeekbench 5 section.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Lenovo Legion 5 (model 82JWCTO1WW) with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 dedicated GPU, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. The screen, CPU, GPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below. Our review applies to variants with a model number starting with '82JW', '82JU', and '82NW'.
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Our display and performance results are only valid for the configuration we tested. If you come across a different configuration option not listed above, or you have a similar Lenovo Legion 5 gaming laptop that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update it. Some tests, like black uniformity and color accuracy, may vary between individual units.
You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Lenovo Legion 5 is among the best gaming laptops in its class. It has a sturdy build, a wide port selection, and proper cooling to allow the GPU to run at high wattage. It's also one of the few gaming laptops in its price range with a MUX switch.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023) is better than the Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 15 (2021). The Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 is available with newer and faster AMD CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs, which can deliver higher frame rates in demanding games. Also, its NVIDIA 40-series GPUs support Frame Generation, an AI-based feature that can dramatically boost performance in supported games. The Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 has a faster 240Hz QHD+ display option, a better 1080p webcam, and a larger 78Wh battery.
The Dell G15 (2022) and the Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 15 (2021) are fairly similar. The Lenovo comes out ahead in user experience because it has a much sturdier build, a better keyboard and touchpad, and a wider port selection. However, the Dell has higher-end display and GPU configurations, like a 1440p 240Hz panel with 400 cd/m² of brightness and 99% DCI P3 coverage, as well as an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU. The Dell laptop's Intel 12th Gen. CPUs also perform better than the AMD Ryzen 5000-series processors on the Lenovo.
The Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 15 (2021) is better than the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (2021). They have similar configuration options; however, you can get the Legion 5 with a QHD 165Hz panel and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, which aren't available on the IdeaPad Gaming 3. With the same configuration, the Legion will perform better and push out higher frame rates as it has a MUX switch, and its GPUs run at a higher wattage. The Legion 5 also has a sturdier build, a wider port selection, and better thermals.
The Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 15 (2021) and the HP Victus 16 (2021) are very similar gaming laptops. The Lenovo has AMD Ryzen CPU options, while the HP has Intel 11th Gen CPUs. The Lenovo has higher-end GPU options like an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU and an AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which aren't available on the HP. The overall user experience is similar between the two laptops; however, the HP has a larger and more responsive touchpad, while the Lenovo has a wider port selection. The HP doesn't have a MUX switch, but the Lenovo does.
Test Results
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