An unassuming workhorse gaming laptop - Lenovo Legion Y540 Review

The Lenovo Legion Y540 ticks all the right boxes that make a mid-range machine good. Find out why we adore this gaming laptop.
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[@Gworan]

I just ordered one of these, and I mostly liked the understated, cleaner design. Yes, I'm buying a gaming laptop, but I don't want it to be all black and red, and I don't want it to light up like a Christmas tree...

[@abishek5526]

@@user-fu3bv5nz6s dude rgb keyboard lightings has got nothing to do with performance increase

[@ahmedbulaja7066]

@@abishek5526 r/wooooosh

[@HarshPatel-iy5qe]

@@user-fu3bv5nz6s what's RGB is just decorate you're keyboard that's it bruh....no relation with performance

[@Neptune-or4vm]

@@user-fu3bv5nz6s No real gamers here XD

[@consume_vegetables]

this laptop tick almost all the boxes for me: incognito gamer look. great build quality. ports on the rear. Decent price. Its one of the laptops I've considered getting as an upgrade this year.

[@deniznarli2535]

ZEN ZEN im getting mine wednesday

[@consume_vegetables]

@@deniznarli2535 noice!

[@gamesfreaker123]

Buy it...i bought it alreaady....has been 4 weeks....it performs better than my gaming desktop which is rigged with gtx970 and i7-8thgen

[@brettwilson3594]

MHs' how are the fans?

[@AngkelBee]

Yep, this is my dream laptop! Very humble and underdog design no gaming and RGB design bullshit but when it games, it outperform some of the gaming laptop this is more expensive!

[@Dave_Austria]

Im a Big Fan and Love Lenovo and my Legion ❤️

[@cristiannecula2520]

Which one has good temps and which one has a good cooling system? i5 9300h + RTX 2060 = Lenovo Y540 i5 9300h + GTX 1660 Ti = ASUS ROG Strix III G531GU Good temps overall... cpu + gpu without undervolt.

[@mahadyusuf3232]

y540 has better cooling

[@cristiannecula2520]

@@mahadyusuf3232 I ve bought Strix G with 9750h and 1660 Ti. Max temp for CPU is 85 degrees and it feels cool to touch. :D

[@mahadyusuf3232]

@@cristiannecula2520 man u have cooling issue. Your pipe isnt getting heat out of it. 86c is thermalthrottle for new turing gpu (20-series and 16-series).

[@cristiannecula2520]

Mahad Mohamed it s not. The gpu it Doesn t goes after 72 degrees after some hours of intensive gaming.

[@mahadyusuf3232]

@@cristiannecula2520 i thought u said gpu xd anyways i have enough problems with asus first scar 2 rtx 2060 then Zephyrus gx601vi

[@nilobeduriajr.3071]

Watching with my Legion Y540

[@stephinjohnson1399]

What about the battery backup?

[@TheMilkinmypocket]

Deal going on right now at Lenovo.com (till Aug 14), you can get the 16gb ram, gtx 1660ti for 1,099 ($300 less than stock price)

[@kyufail]

Its on sale now on lenovo for about RM4k, I'm thinking of getting it. Thanks for the review!

[@h1ghpower]

I just bought i5-9300H + 1650 GTX + 16gm ram ----- I LOVE ITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@crosstar_xyvl_001]

how is it now? still works good as new ?

[@h1ghpower]

@@crosstar_xyvl_001 yep, a very good decision I made, no regrets! :D

[@crosstar_xyvl_001]

@@h1ghpower thank you, good to know, I brought myself one just few weeks ago

[@crosstar_xyvl_001]

@@h1ghpower one more question.. Have you played games in it ?

[@h1ghpower]

@@crosstar_xyvl_001 Of course I did, I played a few on almost ultra... The witcher 3, Battlefields 1,3,5, GTA, and a few other shooters... I didnt had any problems playing them

[@SkateOrDieX5]

Should i buy the lenovo y540 with I5 9300h + rtx 2060 Or I7 9750h + gtx 1660 ti I want it mostly for gaming

[@amartyabimantara717]

I5 9300h + rtx 2060 because you can get ray tracing for some game

[@mashy712]

I5 - 2060.

[@nrnayeem583]

I7 one because both GPU almost same

[@mahadyusuf3232]

no point ot get i5 and rtx 2060. you cant get full usage of 2060. get i7 1660ti bc it will be around 2% slower than regular 2060 i7.8750h. also u will use more gpu usage with the i7.

[@LOOTLORD605]

Def RTX 2060. This I5 is a 4cores/8Threads. like an i7. You will indeed get more frames and its a bang for the buck.

[@adriansandoval4527]

just ordered the y540 with an i7, rtx 2060, 256ssd, 2 ter hd and 16gig mem for just about 1200. can't wait as now i'll be really gaming on the go! "we're visiting my mom this weekend" - wife. *packs y540, joystick and mouse* "let's do this baby." - me. "goddamn you" -wife.

[@josegoncalves7289]

Which one should be better between this one and the HP OMEN 15? I've seen that the battery life and the warmness of the laptop (from the cpu) are 2 of the downsides of this lenovo...

[@saurabhkolte3243]

If u want a professional look go for lenovo.......battery on legiony540 is not very good it's just fine (adjustable)but omens battery is even not that good.......thermal is better in omen though.......I have both.

[@alflasalle]

Just ordered the Y540-17IRH-PG0 with 256 SDD and 1000 HDD - That you have most connections at the back is just great. I hate having the cables an the sides. Really looking forward to it.

[@Dima-dc5mf]

Hey, how is your laptop? Do you satisfied with it?

[@usec5503]

Gr8 review! I bought i5 rtx2060 version its solid but fans go crazy at high load. Other than this its perfect laptop

[@meeehau]

Fans are too loud. Ive returned it to shop.

[@usec5503]

@@meeehau me too lol

[@krillansavillan]

I bought this to edit videos in Davinci Resolve, super happy!

[@kylebuhay_]

Hi! Would you also reccomend this laptop for video editing and animation?

[@krillansavillan]

@@kylebuhay_ I would. Great value for what you get - go with the rtx2060 version with 1tb ssd

[@kylebuhay_]

@@krillansavillan I see. Hopefully I could grab one soon 🙂 Thank you and keep safe ! 🙏

[@ikhmalrosdi4939]

I love the minimal look of this laptop. But between Acer Helios 300 vs Legion Y540 which laptop did you recommend?

[@lowpcfess9506]

Idk how you decide but I am getting this one beacuse predator is too flashy and in my country veeeery expensive

[@zhenying2315]

get the Helios 300 (2019), all the current Legion gaming laptops have thermal issue.

[@lowpcfess9506]

@@zhenying2315 helios expensive here and by undervolting and/or disabling turbo boost you can lower the temps on legion. Do you know any other laptops that have good cooling because many of them seem worse than legion

[@royboy6330]

@@zhenying2315 does legion y740 have thermals also?

[@royboy6330]

fesfess Acer helios 300 is good

[@atvinayak1]

Bro should i go for this or a asus tuf505dt, both have 1650 and same ram and ssd but asus have ryzen 5 but does i5's extra price signifies the performance ? If i go with the asus i will get a 120hz display and between ryzen 5 with 1650 and i5 with 1650 how much of a performance increase is seen? And what is the battery life of both (which one is better and by what margin)and what is your opinion about nitro 5 with same spec?

[@イムラン-t8l]

Just ordered this with the GTX 1660ti, 16gb Ram, I5 and 512gb SSD. Wanted the 144hz screen but the option wasn't available. Total was below RM 5K with E-Coupons. Had trouble deciding between this and the Dell G5.

[@kiaponpon]

How much is the i7 gtx 1660ti version in RM?

[@das400s]

I have the option to go with the y540 rtx2060 or the y740 gtx1660ti, both are priced same here. Which one should I consider?

[@adjiegi]

Nice review sir. Please review Acer Nitro 7 with i7 9750h gtx1660ti 144hz screen.

[@Rambabu-dk5dg]

Hi dude, What is the motherboard used in this laptop.

[@IluSsIoNnN]

Is this good for programming? Web design? I'm just starting out and I need a laptop.

[@jiggswut1124]

I would like to know as well

[@brandonwilson7231]

Dude this computer is extremely overkill if you're just doing web design and programming. I do most of my programming on a cheap $350 dell laptop and have 0 issues most of the time.

[@barrywatson754]

Plenty good. I upgraded to this from an old Y580 which I used for heavy character modeling in C4D.

[@shahruliqram6161]

Hey .. im interested in getting this model. But is this laptop suitable for video editing

[@suorsodavit7421]

YES.. but if you''re a heavy video editor, consider go for a better one

[@hahatdog5863]

is the camera tolerable?

[@klgadgettv]

The webcam is positioned right below the screen, giving you that up-the-nostril view. The video quality is mediocre so a secondary webcam is definitely recommended

[@hahatdog5863]

KLGadgetTV thanks for the info

[@pinoyozzyworld]

9750h with rtx2060 yet it only has 8gb ram? That's a weird configuration by Lenovo. Lol 16gb ram should be the standard with that spec.

[@zikky6]

Thristan Selma there is obviously pricier variant with 16GB

[@cmatej91]

You can always add more its a dual slot. Anyways 8gb for gaming is perfect. I took the 16 gb ram because i do cad work

[@brett19890]

I also ordered the 16 gb version with the rtx 2060. The price for it was still budget friendly.

[@adamdurham16]

the single 8gb is holding this rig back ALOT. 16gb would give it way better scores as the guy said.

[@Justwhynot101]

@@cmatej91 are your cad work and autocad, work smoothly in the legion y540 rtx 2060 with 16gb? Do you recommend me to buy that laptop for gaming and 3d designing with autocad (engineering work)?

[@Koolandklassik]

Good review ! could you give us the name if the song at 2:30 ! Thanks

[@aimansahaja5981]

darud - sandstorm

[@scriss6401]

Does it have many bloatwares

[@anirudhtangirala9294]

When you got this laptop, did windows come pre-installed on ssd or the hard drive?

[@MuhdImran99]

Normally on the fastest drive, which is ssd

[@klgadgettv]

It's pre-installed on the SSD my dude. Boot time was speedy!

[@robivde1]

@@klgadgettv beautiful revieuw! now i have a question what is the best? the new L340 gaming also for normal daily internet use gaming I sometimes do not always! whether this y530 legion also housing and keyboard what is the best please? then i want to order an thank you

[@ЯрославМороз-я2с]

Removing RAM without unplugging battery? wow, thats not very good. ))

[@Dima-dc5mf]

I do it all the time and no problem for more than 2 year's

[@leafqi]

Can you tell me the windows is installed on the m.2 or on the hdd, I’m buying one but I’m confusing on this, thanks!

[@luigi6835]

obviously on the m.2 for speed, the hdd would be for your data

[@leafqi]

non't thanks a lot !

[@muhdzubair496]

Admin which one is better? Acer nitro 5 vs Lenovo legion y540

[@lazycat836]

What's the specs though?

[@dharmang]

lenovo, confirmed with other tech youtuber and myself :D ( better cooling system in lenovo and also the youtube own the nitro 5 but he said go for the lenovo) rn the price of legion is 69k only!

[@satyam9256]

@@dharmang I recently bought legion y540 @71k 256ssd + 1tbb variant

[@dharmang]

@@satyam9256 nice u bought for the same price but 128 gb The prices have dropped

[@satyam9256]

@@dharmang bro i bought 256gb sad variant

[@ThePhilipone]

I must be too old or too broke if 1300$ is now considered midrange...

[@adziup]

There are versions of this laptop of price around 1k $

[@ThePhilipone]

@@adziup still.... 1000$ midrange?

[@adziup]

@@ThePhilipone in comparison with other gaming laptops, yes. Because graphics cards are expensive so gaming laptops are also and when you compare their prices, this lenovo legion y540 looks very attractive

[@ThePhilipone]

@@adziup @Adziu Pusz gaming laptop is an oximoron. You know very well that any gaming laptop is actually a compromise between performance and mobility. I agree that Lenovo y540 is probably better built comparing to Asus Rog/Tuf or Acer Helios 300. But still...a T540 will outlast those by years and still be upgrade-able. I know you get it.

[@adziup]

@@ThePhilipone i do understand and I agree with you ;) but if someone is one the move, then he needs laptop. And since release of gtx 10 laptops have whole graphics card, not just part of it like they used to.

[@i3looi2]

Was it hard to add FULL SPECS in video description ?

[@Dcypher]

Hey are you able to overclock the RTX 2060 to a decent clock speed as compared to the factory one i.e. 900Mhz??

[@reeve7929]

Typing this on my Y540, i have my 2060 overclocked to 1500mhz. Cpu is undervolted 115mv

[@flinskikun]

What is the website?

[@mahattvakashyap8278]

If I upgrade y540 wifi card to wifi6 then lenovo will void the warranty

[@kiaponpon]

How much is this now in your country?

[@klgadgettv]

It is currently priced at RM3,296.82 in Malaysia,. Here's the link to Lenovo's official website to know more: lnv.gy/3eY7kHW

[@phyzL]

please please please compare legion y540 with legion y7000

[@AT-su7kc]

Does it have backlit keyboard

[@Naveenkumar-pp3iu]

Yes it has white backlit keyboard

[@malalynx2932]

Is it compatable archlinux? Does it available in DOS mode!?

[@axltm5138]

Yes, when you buy it online, you can "build it yourself" and choose the DOS model, this'll also save you approx. 100€ (idk how much in other countries/continents).

[@DoubleZOfficial]

Does anyone know a stable undervolt for the i5-9300H variant of the legion y540??? It would be a great help

[@Balkeet007]

130-137mv

[@mattiadambrogio5178]

I succeeded to push it to -150mV. So far no problems with either stress test, gaming and normal use

[@Balkeet007]

@@mattiadambrogio5178 whats the gaming temperatures in games like apex legends, pubg etc

[@mattiadambrogio5178]

@@Balkeet007 I don't have them and I haven't tried, so I don't know. I play MWO and Battletech and temps are varying 75-85 °C with 28° ambient temperature (hot summer here). It still throttles with heavy benchmarks like cinebench and prime95

[@Balkeet007]

@@mattiadambrogio5178 playing on balanced thermal mode should lower temperatures than on performance mode

[@Stv.Dinesh]

Bought it already 😅

[@moezmosbahi]

Do you recommend it ?

[@vlogadda8266]

Do you recommend it?

[@sorceress]

Do you recommend it?

[@Stv.Dinesh]

Expect the fan noise and battery life everything is great I would recommend you all to go fr it

[@sorceress]

Dinesh aight thanks dude :)

[@RohanKumar-th5dl]

How is the colour reproduction of the panel?

[@stefanhean1765]

Where did you buy this?

[@klgadgettv]

If you're from Malaysia, you can purchase it from their website here: www.lenovo.com/my/en/laptops/legion/legion-y-series/Lenovo-Legion-Y540-15/p/88GMY501214 Plus, the coupons mentioned in the video are still available!

[@S3qu3ntia1]

2:16 Whoa, who forgot to snap that in there? :/

[@S3qu3ntia1]

Got the 17" 2060 version. Very very good laptop. I love it and the fans are not that loud. 10/10

[@telohollow]

How about the temperature/cooling performance?

[@klgadgettv]

On heavy loads, we experienced about 70 degrees on GPU, while the CPU got up to 90-ish. Overall good cooling performance - WASD side of the keyboard remains cool. Reasonable fan noise even while gaming is a plus.

[@cmatej91]

I got a cooling pad for mine and it barely hits 90 degrees now.

[@navaokamotoluiskenjiro1326]

@@cmatej91 Hi I have the same laptop, wich cooling pad did you got ?

[@cmatej91]

Got the havit 5 fans... 1 year warranty... hopefully it lasts me more than 6 months.. unfortunately they're all made with cheap plastic so try and stick to a company that's willing to give a warranty. It was 26$

[@navaokamotoluiskenjiro1326]

@@cmatej91 oh alright, thanks man i'll keep looking some others as you said

[@nishanthsuresh4166]

How much is it's brightness

[@klgadgettv]

The panel pushes about 300 nits. We've found that it does well to shine through sunlight at its brightest setting.

[@zyadshrin]

Guys I want to get one but does anyone know if the model with (i7-9750H, 16 Gb Ram, RTX 2060, 1 Tb HDD and 256 SSD) have a 60 Hz screen or 144 Hz? I cant find it anywhere

[@zyadshrin]

@Lotte I think its a y540-15IRH

[@urielhernandez5266]

Watching this on mine y540.

[@atvinayak1]

Bro should i go for this or a asus tuf505dt, both have 1650 and same ram and ssd but asus have ryzen 5 but does i5's extra price signifies the performance ? If i go with the asus i will get a 120hz display and between ryzen 5 with 1650 and i5 with 1650 how much of a performance increase is seen? And what is the battery life of both (which one is better and by what margin)and what is your opinion about nitro 5 with same spec?

[@AndreasInGreer]

Too much tech specs without references to explain whether any given spec is good or not good. Not enough information to make a decision on what to buy.

[@manameajeff8058]

Does anyone know if the screen can be overclocked or not, if yes, untill how many hz?

[@lazycat836]

Yup screen can be overclocked. As I talk to their support (at least in Australia), overclocking the screen won't void the warranty so chill. Also overclocking the screen depends on panel to panel, like lottery, you can add quite a lot more (10~20hz more) or sometimes just 1 extra hz (laugh in agony)

[@manameajeff8058]

@@lazycat836 ooh.. Thanks for the info man

[@riebeck1986]

If I try to use hybrid mode, I just a blank screen, can someone help out?

[@furqan8275]

up

[@Moonface00z]

best choice for the price still rog gaming laptops where they provide 512gb ssd which is miles better than 256gb

[@MrMikkeldk7]

Dont forget SSD and RAM is really easy to replace

[@santonamanna9507]

Dude there is also 1tb ssd variant of y540 I have it and it works with lightning speed

[@ij6708]

Best deal I could find at the moment for the 144hz panel, i7-9750H, 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD & RTX 2060 version in the US and Canada for $1299 www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1462365-REG/lenovo_81sx000fus_15_6_legion_y540_gaming.html/specs

[@shahzan99]

you should upgrade your ram at least 16gb before did this review

[@klgadgettv]

We don’t do that as we prefer to review the laptop based on as-is, unless this is our personal unit.

[@saikit3647]

Y545 is out?

[@lazycat836]

You should still go for Y540. Dave Lee did a review between Y545 & Y540. Though similar in specs, the Y540 has better thermal treatment to keep it cooler than Y545. Still if you into Y545 design then it's a different story

[@jurgenkk]

8gb ram with those specs is dumb af

[@ohaiderepeeps828]

I'm a simple guy. Talk the price first and THEN you can talk everything first. I'm preferring a budget gaming laptop around 500$ since I'm still in high school.

[@sheikhrayan9538]

500 dollars for gaming laptop? U should probably wait for 2 more years for that

[@lazycat836]

Sure what kind of game you wanna play? You can't expect it to play the most heavy games at the moment at High settings and max fps with $500 laptop

[@ohaiderepeeps828]

@@lazycat836 I'm not expecting it to play games like crysis. I'm just saying I just want to play games over 40 fps and no lag.

[@hhh-ho4zk]

@@ohaiderepeeps828 then.. get acer nitro 5 when there is promotion..but you can only get gtx1050 for that price