Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 (16″) Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i9 13900HX, Nvidia RTX 4070) 2023

Here is my review of the newly released Lenovo Legion Pro 5i with an Intel Core i9 13900HX and Nvidia RTX 4070. I try to cover areas and topics not covered in other reviews. My 2021 legion is still holding up great! It is a real workhorse and is solidly built. I expect the same from this new model. It is a bit disappointing that it lacks a thunderbolt port so no eGPU. I'll be testing advanced optimus, Reternal, Destiny 2, Jedi Survivor (note: I was capturing on the same machine so expect a bit better performance than shown), and 100w Power Delivery charger.
I hope you find this video informative.
NOTE: This is the second time I'm positing this video. The first version was up for about 24hrs before I pulled it. It had issues because the laptop was stuck in some weird low power mode that invalidated all my benchmarks. It is confirmed fixed now with MUCH better results.
Mentioned Links (prices at time of purchase):
Legion Pro 5i (starts at $1450, as configured: $1950): www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptop...
Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe Gen4 ($120): www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09...
iFixit Toolkit ($70): www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Powertoys: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/win...
Info on mux and advanced optimus: / whats_the_difference_b...
www.reddit.com/r/LenovoLegion...
Jarrod'sTech review: • Lenovo’s Legion Pro 5i...
Tobii Horizon: • Get Started - Lenovo L...
how to start windows in safe mode: support.microsoft.com/en-us/w...
ddu: www.guru3d.com/files-details/...
furmark: geeks3d.com/furmark/
cpuz: www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z...
gpuz: www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
hwinfo: www.hwinfo.com/
Voltage reliability limiter:
• High Power RTX 4050 / ...
www.notebookcheck.net/Nvidia-...
related videos:
Legion 5 Pro 2021 review:
• Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Re...
Nekteck 100W PD Charger:
• Nekteck 100W USB C GaN...
blog.arogan.com/
Index:
00:00 - Start
00:08 - Intro, Unboxing
01:35 - Fix stuck in lower power mode
03:59 - Specs, Physical Comparison
05:02 - Bios
05:53 - Disassembly, NVME Upgrade
07:18 - CPU-Z, GPU-Z, SSD Benchmarks
07:42 - Bloatware, startup apps
08:21 - Mux, Advanced Optimus (background info)
10:51 - Mux, Advanced Optimus Testing
14:21 - Display Mode Summary
15:07 - Reliability Volatage Limiter
16:19 - Temps, Power, and Efficiency
19:13 - 100w PD
24:22 - Hybrid-Auto Mode
25:53 - Jedi Survivor
31:18 - Destiny 2 performance comparison, Conclusion, Final Thoughts
33:46 - Bonus!
Intro and Outro music composed by me.
Intro background video provided by RoyaltyFreeTube:
• Synthwave City Animati...
Outro background video provided by RoyaltyFreeTube:
• Outrun Grid Animation ...

[@portman8909]

Gaming laptops are the consoles in the PC world. What I mean by that is the power efficiency is unparalleled. So at a time where electricity bills are high, this can save you a lot of money per year.

[@elplagiato]

Thank you for that great and informative video!!!

[@arogantech]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ethannguyen7562]

Thanks for the detailed review :) The moment I saw Core i9 13900HX, I thought this's equivalent to the Y9000P Extreme version in China but it's not the case

[@zeeshansindhu]

Nicely explained everything.

[@zy7465]

I love people reviews who showing the charged brick

[@ChadKenova]

Great video i just ordered the same laptop and its hard to find certain info sometimes on laptops and your videos covered them for me. My last 3 laptops have been 8750h 16gb’s ram 1070 120hz 1080p display, 10875h 16gb’s of ram 2070S 144hz 1080p gsync display and now the legion that has the 13900hx 32gb’s or 5600mhz ram 4070 and the screen is the 2560 x 1600 240 Hz IPS display with gsync. The only thing i wish it had was thunderbolt 4 ports the helios has 2 i think it was between 3 laptops i was looking at. I almost got an hp omen that had a 12900k 32gb’s of ram and a 3080ti having 16gb’s of vram was very tempting and the acer has a 13700hx 16gb’s of ram and a 4070. I just wish they would’ve done at least 12gb’s of vram on the 4070. It came down to the cpu and the newer architecture and power efficiency of the 4070 but i know the ti would’ve been faster. I got the legion 16 for $1550. And I didn’t need a crazy gpu because i have a gaming oc 4090 amd a nitro 7900xtx on my desktop rigs. You can undervolt the cpu right? I know some manufacturers let you and others dont? And hows the laptop so far any problems? As you can tell i love pc hardware and talking about it.

[@rogerbacon394]

This was a really awesome video for me. I own a 2022 Legion 5i pro with the 3070 so it was nice to see how much gains I may have going with the 2023 4070 model in destiny 2. Also I think my 2022 12700H 3070 goes just a little bit better than your 2021 amd 3070 5 pro. Thanks for the destiny 2 info on this laptop :)

[@arogantech]

Glad you found it informative!

[@Midnight200]

great job

[@ahmeddwaellll]

My dream laptop ❤❤❤❤❤

[@technology4314]

Goated youtuber for suggesting to watch JarrodTech

[@esfsefes]

Thank you very much for testing it in Destiny 2. I don't understand why benchmarks and temp test are not being run in this game too. Like come on, there are x100 more people playing destiny 2 than GTA V or GoW rn.

[@arogantech]

Agreed!!!!

[@nrogo]

Hi , what you will choose between Slim 5/7 and Pro 5 if prices are similar,I don’t mind battery and portability,thanks 😊

[@aleksandarpetkov7987]

I just purchased the same laptop

[@Siiimon426]

How’s the fan noise? In quiet mode and balanced

[@hang10wannabe]

Yea, I use a USB C 140w charger at work just to keep my laptop charged and running in normal mode (not battery saver)... trying to play games, I'd rather unplug the cable and run off battery and use the cable to recharge... (if I played games at work... ^_^ ).

[@ConsciousSonder]

Pretty thorough testing and review. Great to see some more in-depth bios stuff and troubleshooting the wattage issue. Waiting on the AMD version to get here. While mine has the slower screen 165hz, it’s rocking the AMD 7745HX and 4070. Wondering how it compares to the intel spec’d 5i in terms of gaming and thermals. Couple of coupon codes got me down to about 1450 pre tax from Lenovo direct

[@arogantech]

Thanks. Yeah I'm super curious about the 7745HX too. Should draw significantly less power under full load and less heat too. I expect gaming performance to be pretty close and maybe just a tad lower in multicore loads. Lenovo prices have never been better that's for sure.

[@blynyt]

the amd version is far cheaper than the intel version so i really want to know if it really worth it to pay 500 more dollars for slight to little performance difference

[@aleksandarpetkov7987]

@@arogantechI chose 13900HX for the 7945HX amd !!!

[@HankFuller333]

Hello, thank you for the video. Is it possible to undervolt the i9 for cooler temps and more silent operation? In the gaming video you showed. The intel ship is hitting 93 celcius with %10 utilization? Thats insane!

[@beardeddragon9255]

You don't have to undervolt. The best thing to do without going into bios is to adjust the power attributes in the registry key editor then adjust the boosting mode in the edit power plan menu. Believe me, this works. I have an Acer predator i9 13900hx 4080 and of all the brands, everyone knows that acer has thermal issues. I did to it what I described above by turning off aggressive boosting and enabling normal boosting. Temps went to an acceptable level. I baby my laptops and am very strict when it comes to temperatures. If you ever have thermal issues, give this a try. If you need help, just comment me back here.

[@CDMOpro]

great in-depth review - I am seeing the 80w situation in Furmark and it was after I used a USB-C to trickle charge overnight to see if that worked. I tried the battery disable/bios reset approach, as well as the device security/ddu/nvidia reinstallation in safe mode methods, and I'm still seeing only 80w or less during Furmark. Any other suggestions to remedy this weird limitation?

[@arogantech]

Sorry, those were the only solutions I came across in my research. Also make sure you update to the latest bios through lenovo vantage. There was one for me out of the box. Hopefully a future bios update will come out soon to fix this bug permanently.

[@sasuke_u8688]

​@@arogantechhave they fixed it yet

[@vimalnt]

I need this laptop for my studies but not available in india😭 What is the price and which region?

[@pranavpradyumnagurulingamu8566]

hey wonderful review im planning to purchase a laptop for architectural purposes i cant seem to figure out which one to zero down on the lenovo legion pro 5i or the lenovo legion slim 7i with the same specs as your gen 8 legion pro 5i

[@shrey522]

what did you end up buying?

[@angelguerrero7439]

Ey i got exact same laptop and its happening to me tha performance when i plug in external monitor to play jedi survivor in the exact same settings you do, fps only reaches 45 fps, please make a tutorial where you explain how to unlock full power.

[@albertputra6220]

Hi, have you tried undervolting the cpu and gpu? Saw bunch of users on reddit managed to decrease the wattage and temps significantly, while retains the same perf Seems like the efficiency on 13th gen and rtx 40 series are pretty good this year

[@arogantech]

No I haven't yet but that's a great idea. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@albertputra6220]

@@arogantech Good to hear, all the best. Hopefully you'll make an update video tuning it.

[@viniciuscordeiro4362]

Congratulations for the video, really good! You have gained a subscriber. Do you think this computer is worth USD1699 (before tax) or should I go last gen with a 3070ti for less USD 300? I'm not pretty sure if it's worth it or if I should wait and maybe get some news about voltage limiting in the future

[@arogantech]

Thanks for the sub! Yeah $300 savings is pretty significant percentage wise. It’s probably the better value. I think a lot depends on how much you value dlss 3 frame generation and hardware av1 encoding. $300 could buy a 4tb nvme and more ram. But if you have disposable income it’s nice knowing the 4070 is a bit more future proof. Tough choice.

[@SalemBenabdallah-rz7ew]

about the 100W PD, this laptop should support up to 140W PD, so i guess it would perform much better and thank you, this is a great review

[@arogantech]

Indeed. I still need to pick up a 140w pd to test it out.

[@fabianggs6241]

@@arogantechcan you please make a short video on 140w pd trying to get the most out of my Lenovo legion but don’t know what pd charger to get

[@arogantech]

@@fabianggs6241 You'll need the lenovo C140 140w pd charger. I don't have one to test. I do use these 100w chargers which work well: kzbin.infodr1PNqD8d7s

[@lordequacc847]

Awesome review, im considering buying this but not sure if i should get rtx 4070 or rtx 4060

[@arogantech]

I’ve been really happy with the performance of the 70 series but a lot depends on the kind of games you play.

[@angelguerrero7439]

Is he really playing 4k +60fps jedi survivor on that laptop?, i got exact same laptop, same power consumption and i barely reach 45fps on that settings

[@Aygcgegduwabai]

What settings do you recommend when playing games? I don’t like tinkering on bios. I just wan’t to play games like straight out of the box. I don’t mind having higher refresh rate like 165-240. In fact 60-120fps is already good for me.

[@arogantech]

It really depends on the game. You can pretty much never have to go into the bios and do everything from Lenovo Vantage and nvidia control panel. I usually always shoot for native resolution of the display and then use dlss if available or fsr 2 if not and adjust some quality settings to hit the target framerate I'm going for (min 60fps)

[@NitinSawant3]

I don't have much technical knowledge. Just last week have bought Legion 5 pro 2023, 32 GB DDR5 RAM, 4070 8gb, i7 1300HX for 1500 USD. Haven't done any settings in Vantage for dgpu/hybrid. Every setting is on default and It's giving good performance.

[@Deevs]

Hi! Care to share where you bought this specific one? I am on the lookout on those exact same specs (just i7, 4070)

[@alejandromarcelomorales5778]

For 1,450 is recommended?

[@keyable]

Thanks for very detailed video! I have just bought 5i Pro 13900HX 4070 version. It came with 35WW Bios version, now there is 38WW available, should I update it? What bios version do you use? Thnx! Could you please make a quick video about CUSTOM PERFORMANCE settings in Lenovo Vantage software in THERMAL MODE? Also while tasting games which THERMAL MODE did you use, BALANCE or PERFORMANCE?

[@arogantech]

I don't have the laptop anymore since I bought it for my son who is at college now. But as a rule I always update the bios on laptops especially a model as new as this. I did do a bios update right before he left a few weeks ago but didn't have time to retest anything.

[@keyable]

@@arogantech Thanks for the info, could you please tell me what THERMAL MODE did you use while making game tests? Performance or Balance mode?

[@arogantech]

@@keyable performance

[@keyable]

​@@arogantech Thanks! by the way I put it on Balance, because if I put on Performace CPU TEMP runs between 90-100, any suggestions about fixing it?

[@arogantech]

@@keyableif it's under heavy load (say cinebench) 95c is actually normal for 13th gen intel cpu's. In my testing destiny 2 hangs around 80c and reternal on epic will touch off of 95c.

[@rcruise8610]

Its 2200 cad right now with 240hz 500 nits screen

[@hemendraravi4787]

165 hz 300 nits -> 240hz 500 nits is a 20$ upgrade. atm

[@juaneduardoperezyabar4121]

I got i9 4060 240hz and 32 ram at 1600usd. 4070 was 1800 but I read it was no worth the bucks

[@vzuzukin]

If new Legion Pro 5i and 7i are both offered with 13900HX CPU, then what is the deciding difference between them for purchase?

[@arogantech]

5 tops out at rtx 4070, You have to go to 7 for 4080 or 4090.

[@Jrekt]

Ordered the i9-13900hx / 32gb ddr5 5600 ram / 1tb nvme / 4070 for $2141 CAD from B&H!

[@goldwally1428]

HOW WAST IT ??

[@Jrekt]

@@goldwally1428 its awesome

[@Fatima_33]

after taxes? And how much were the import/customs fees?

[@Jrekt]

@@Fatima_33 after taxes yes, no import fee’s.

[@Fatima_33]

@Jrekt what? How? There's two options, did you select the "manual" option for paying customs? In that case sometimes you get lucky.

[@user-km5zq6sh3v]

Hey, were u testing jedi survivor with 4k resolution?

[@arogantech]

Native 1600p with FSR 2.0 on quality. This was a while back before all the patches.

[@toddthagod2330]

Man I’ve got the same setup except I have the i7. I’m constantly getting DXGI Error crashes on games like Destiny, BF 2042, ESO… should this be an issue with this laptop? I’m about ready to throw in the towel

[@arogantech]

It's been rock solid so far. My son hasn't reported any crashes or issues with heavy use in the last month. You might need to dig deeper. analyze mini dumps, check system logs, etc.

[@Now_Fall]

how long you charge it before it turned on?

[@roggalv5797]

Do you happen to know if the hdmi port takes input?

[@arogantech]

It does not.

[@Architectmohammadi2439]

I bought this laptop legion 5i pro Intel core i7 gen 8. The promlem is that the charge last 2hour and 40minute on time saver mode. And about 1 hour and 20 minutes on balanced With our using dgpu. Does the problem is with my laptop or at all same laptops?

[@arogantech]

Not sure of what kind of cpu workloads you are doing but those times do seem really short. According to this review it should be closer to 5hrs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5yken94h62Fprs

[@Fuyukori]

Watching this on the same laptop but 4060 hahah

[@nebsys]

How much battery life do you get for simple web browsing, youtube, etc. TY

[@arogantech]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5yken94h62Fprs

[@AnthonyGarcia-nk7wj]

Can you turn off the power limiter for the gpu if you want?

[@arogantech]

Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like it.

[@alexandrusimciuc819]

How do you activate the 240hz? Mine is limited to 165 even though i bought the new Legion 5i Pro gen 8...

[@arogantech]

First, make sure you did select the $30 upgrade when you bought the laptop. Then just right click anywhere on desktop, display settings, advanced display, choose refresh rate

[@alexandrusimciuc819]

@@arogantech did that, and bought the 240hz laptop... only can select 165hz and 60 hz

[@hemendraravi4787]

@@alexandrusimciuc819 maybe they made a mistake , try to submit a tiket to lenovo

[@jamalmixon9518]

chinese versions of the 2023 model still has that letter "Y" logo at the back of the panel

[@arogantech]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@manzilkarmacharya1478]

Can you tell me 3D mark test and cinebench result

[@arogantech]

cinebench: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5yken94h62Fprs 3dmark: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5yken94h62Fprs

[@Scorge120]

@@arogantech Any ideas why 5i has a much higher CPU score in Cinebench R23 than the 7i when using balance or quiet modes?

[@angelguerrero7439]

Is he really playing 4k?

[@majkellaliu3169]

Jedi was a little laggy

[@dante5197]

Does this laptop have rgb keyboard or single light

[@arogantech]

rgb by zones, not individual keys.

[@MnemonicCarrier]

So it's not possible to use an external monitor with the iGPU because all the video output ports are hard-wired to the dGPU?

[@arogantech]

Yes, I believe this is true. It is definitely is this way on my 2021 model.

[@MnemonicCarrier]

@@arogantech Nice one - thanks! I'll probably still buy one. I'm not a gamer, I'm a developer. I have the 5th gen AMD model, and love it! I use them as Linux workstations. Anyway, thanks so much for the video.

[@djerinich]

frame drops are realy crazy ill buy when they fix it

[@sy0635]

It won’t be fixed, the 4070 has terrible 1% lows due to lower bandwidth and bus size compared to 3070ti. You’re better off w 3070ti for best gaming performance

[@brodylockwood14]

​@@sy0635So 3070ti is slightly lower fps but way more stable?

[@brodylockwood14]

​@@sy0635I want to get the Strix G15 with 6900hx and 3070ti, it's on sale for $2399 AUD, is that a good deal? The Lenovo in this video would cost me close to $2800. Or can you tell me what the best 3070ti laptop is?

[@samu7278]

is it damaging to have the cpu run at 85C°+?

[@arogantech]

Max temp is 100c so I assume it's fine. Also it is about the same as what Jarrod got: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5yken94h62Fprs

[@sy0635]

Hows battery life?

[@arogantech]

Sorry I didn't test that but check this out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5yken94h62Fprs

[@soulblaster2246]

Is the voltage limit still a thing?

[@arogantech]

Good question! I'll try to retest and get back to you. It might be a few weeks.

[@user-qh5nm7di2r]

@@arogantechFigure out answer to voltage limit yet on Legion Pro 5i?

[@stardomplays1386]

I've seen reports elsewhere that some 4070 models have been unlocked. Is this true?​@@arogantech

[@therealbilaal8758]

whats the battery life like when not gaming?

[@arogantech]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5yken94h62Fprs

[@arogantech]

@Bluecast hmm that seems a bit shorter than expected. I haven’t personally tested though. Good to know.

[@dsswooshy]

I bought the 7i but downgraded the rtx 4080 to 4070. In a lenovo flash sale and got over 300 off in discount. Mine come with a 300w power supply, i wonder if I'll get better performance than a 100w? Waiting for it to be delivered, can't wait !!

[@arogantech]

100w PD is really just for productivity work or some really light gaming. 300w will unleash the full power of the 4070 and is a night and day difference.

[@iMaGicTeflon]

Just bought this laptop for 1200EUR

[@311fran311]

What specs?

[@joevettecarpio7570]

can i put 64gb RAM?

[@arogantech]

specs sheet say only 32gb offering. I think that just means what they sell as equipped: psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/Legion/Legion_Pro_5_16IRX8/Legion_Pro_5_16IRX8_Spec.pdf Reddit says 64gb: www.reddit.com/r/LenovoLegion/comments/17rzufg/max_ram_legion_pro_5_16arx8/

[@mdsahinurrahaman2139]

Not performing well... Lagging!

[@tomisu117]

That can be cause of the game, survivor is not well optimised yet, if you mean this performance

[@niazahmed9535]

Really?

[@niazahmed9535]

​@@tomisu117i mean all legions laps of 2023 has the lagging issues I heard and saw

[@kimdahyun2893]

FPS too low plus temps too high

[@VERTEXyt01]

1399$ 😮