Lenovo Legion 5: Ryzen 5600H & RTX 3060 Review

by Jhon Lennon 47 views

Hey guys! Today, we're diving deep into the Lenovo Legion 5, specifically the model rocking the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. This laptop has been making waves in the gaming and content creation communities, and for good reason. It promises a sweet spot of performance, features, and price. So, let's break it all down and see if it lives up to the hype.

Design and Build Quality

First impressions matter, and the Lenovo Legion 5 makes a solid one. The design is understated but sleek, avoiding the over-the-top gamer aesthetic that some laptops go for. The chassis is primarily made of high-quality plastic, which feels robust and durable. There's minimal flex in the keyboard deck, which is a huge plus for those intense gaming sessions or long typing stints. The hinge is sturdy, allowing for smooth opening and closing of the lid without any annoying wobble. Port placement is well thought out, with most ports located on the rear of the device, keeping cables out of your way. You'll find USB ports, HDMI, and Ethernet conveniently situated at the back, while the sides house additional USB ports and a headphone jack for easy access. Overall, the design is practical and functional, blending in well in both gaming and professional environments. It's a laptop that doesn't scream "gamer" but still looks and feels premium. The weight is reasonable for a gaming laptop, making it portable enough to carry around without breaking your back. This makes it a great option for students or professionals who need a powerful machine on the go. Plus, the minimalist design means it won't look out of place in a classroom or office setting. The Legion 5 strikes a great balance between aesthetics and practicality, making it a winner in the design department. The matte finish is also a great touch, as it helps to minimize fingerprints and smudges, keeping your laptop looking clean and professional.

Display and Audio

The display is a crucial aspect of any laptop, especially for gaming and content creation. The Lenovo Legion 5 typically comes with a 15.6-inch or 17.3-inch IPS display with a refresh rate of 120Hz or 165Hz. The higher refresh rate is a significant advantage for gamers, providing smoother and more responsive gameplay. The color accuracy is generally good, covering a decent portion of the sRGB color gamut, making it suitable for casual content creation and media consumption. However, professional content creators might want to consider an external monitor for more color-critical work. The brightness levels are adequate for indoor use, but the display might struggle a bit in direct sunlight. Viewing angles are wide, thanks to the IPS panel, ensuring that the image remains clear and vibrant even when viewed from the side. The anti-glare coating helps to reduce reflections, making it easier to see the screen in brightly lit environments. As for audio, the Lenovo Legion 5 features dual speakers that provide decent sound quality. The volume is sufficient for most scenarios, and the sound is relatively clear. However, bass response is lacking, so you might want to use headphones or external speakers for a more immersive audio experience. The speakers are adequate for casual listening and video conferencing, but they're not going to blow you away with their audio fidelity. Overall, the display and audio on the Legion 5 are solid, providing a good experience for both gaming and everyday use. The high refresh rate display is a standout feature, making it a great choice for gamers who want a competitive edge.

Performance: Ryzen 5 5600H and RTX 3060

Now, let's get to the heart of the matter: performance. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 is a powerhouse for gaming and other demanding tasks. The Ryzen 5 5600H is a six-core, twelve-thread processor that delivers excellent performance in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. It's more than capable of handling modern games, content creation tasks, and everyday productivity. The RTX 3060 is a mid-range graphics card that offers impressive performance at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. It can handle most games at high settings with smooth frame rates, and it also supports ray tracing and DLSS, which can further enhance the visual quality and performance of games. In gaming benchmarks, the Legion 5 with this configuration performs admirably. You can expect to see frame rates well above 60fps in most AAA titles at 1080p with high settings. Even at 1440p, the RTX 3060 can deliver playable frame rates in most games. For content creation, the Ryzen 5 5600H and RTX 3060 can handle video editing, photo editing, and 3D rendering with ease. The 16GB of RAM (typically included in this configuration) is sufficient for most tasks, but you can always upgrade to 32GB if you need more memory. The NVMe SSD provides fast storage speeds, ensuring that your games and applications load quickly. Overall, the performance of the Lenovo Legion 5 with the Ryzen 5 5600H and RTX 3060 is excellent, making it a great choice for gamers and content creators alike. This laptop can handle just about anything you throw at it, from the latest games to demanding creative applications. The efficient cooling system also helps to maintain consistent performance, even during extended gaming sessions.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The keyboard on the Lenovo Legion 5 is comfortable to type on, with decent key travel and a satisfying tactile feedback. The keys are well-spaced, and the layout is standard, so you shouldn't have any trouble adjusting to it. The keyboard is also backlit, which is a nice touch for gaming in low-light conditions. The backlighting is customizable, allowing you to choose from different colors and effects. The trackpad is smooth and responsive, providing accurate tracking and multi-finger gesture support. It's large enough to comfortably navigate the screen, and the integrated buttons are easy to press. Overall, the keyboard and trackpad on the Legion 5 are well-designed and functional, providing a good user experience for both gaming and everyday use. The keyboard is especially noteworthy, as it's one of the best you'll find on a gaming laptop in this price range. It's comfortable, responsive, and customizable, making it a pleasure to use. The anti-ghosting technology ensures that all your key presses are registered, even when you're pressing multiple keys at once. This is crucial for gaming, as it allows you to execute complex commands without any missed inputs.

Battery Life and Thermals

Battery life is often a concern with gaming laptops, and the Lenovo Legion 5 is no exception. While it's not going to last you all day on a single charge, it's respectable for a gaming laptop. You can expect to get around 4-6 hours of battery life with light use, such as web browsing and document editing. However, when gaming or doing other demanding tasks, the battery life will drop significantly. Thermals are also an important consideration, as a laptop that gets too hot can suffer from performance throttling. The Lenovo Legion 5 features an efficient cooling system that does a good job of keeping temperatures under control. The laptop uses a combination of heat pipes and fans to dissipate heat, and it also has vents on the bottom and sides to allow for good airflow. During gaming, the laptop can get warm to the touch, but it doesn't get uncomfortably hot. The fans can also get a bit noisy under heavy load, but it's not excessive. Overall, the battery life and thermals on the Legion 5 are decent, but they're not exceptional. The cooling system is effective at preventing thermal throttling, ensuring that you get consistent performance even during extended gaming sessions.

Pros and Cons

To summarize, here's a quick rundown of the pros and cons of the Lenovo Legion 5 with the Ryzen 5 5600H and RTX 3060:

Pros:

  • Excellent performance for gaming and content creation
  • Comfortable keyboard and responsive trackpad
  • Good display with high refresh rate
  • Efficient cooling system
  • Understated and sleek design

Cons:

  • Mediocre battery life
  • Speakers lack bass
  • Display brightness could be better

Conclusion

So, is the Lenovo Legion 5 with the Ryzen 5 5600H and RTX 3060 worth buying? Absolutely! It offers a fantastic combination of performance, features, and price, making it one of the best gaming laptops in its class. Whether you're a gamer, content creator, or student, this laptop has something to offer. It's powerful enough to handle the latest games, versatile enough to tackle demanding creative tasks, and portable enough to take on the go. While it's not perfect, the pros far outweigh the cons. If you're looking for a gaming laptop that won't break the bank, the Lenovo Legion 5 is definitely worth considering. It's a solid all-around performer that delivers excellent value for the money. You won't be disappointed!