A midrange gaming rig with room for improvement
It’s a tricky thing to balance affordability and performance, and nowhere is that more difficult than in the world of gaming laptops. The midrange Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 (starts at $1,179.99, $1,299.99 as tested) is the latest in a long line of solid gaming machines from Lenovo, but while the Legion line has delivered more than its share of top performers and great deals, this one doesn’t quite hit the sweet spot. With looks that are nearly identical to those of the premium Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8, the Pro 5i had us excited for this review, but we came away slightly disappointed by the performance and overall value proposition. Our top budget pick remains the Gigabyte Aorus 15 BMF.Midrange Configuration Options, Familiar and Functional Design
Base models of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 cost $1,179.99 with an Intel Core i5-13500HX processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB solid-state drive. Just one model in a range of configurations, our review unit (at $120 more) stepped up to a Core i7-13700HX CPU (eight Performance cores, eight Efficient cores, 24 threads) and an 8GB GeForce RTX 4060 mobile GPU. You can go wild with a Core i9-13900HX, a GeForce RTX 4070, and up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage; Lenovo doesn’t currently offer that config on its website, but we’ve seen it at retailers for $2,499.
Lenovo keeps its gaming-laptop designs pretty low-key. Sure, there’s a shiny chrome Legion logo on the lid and an RGB rainbow of keyboard backlighting, but compared with systems that cram extra bling everywhere they can—adding RGB to the front of the palm rest, the back of the chassis, even across the lid or the touchpad—the reserved look is a nice change. It makes the dark gray laptop one you could carry into an office or classroom without it lighting up like a slot machine when you open it to take notes.
Whether or not you want to haul the Legion around with you is a bigger question. Measuring more than an inch thick and weighing 5.6 pounds, it’s a bit much for everyday portability—a common issue with gaming laptops. With aluminum across the lid and chunky plastic making up the rest of the chassis, the Pro 5i is really meant to stay put once your gaming station’s set up, though it’s not too heavy to take with you occasionally.
The 16-inch display contributes to both the size and weight, but if you aren’t worried about portability that’s far from a bad thing. The 16:10 aspect ratio gives the notebook a taller profile than past models, like this one’s predecessor, the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 7 from 2022. But while the screen shape may be a bit different, many of the best features of the display remain the same, from the 165Hz refresh rate to the slim bezels surrounding the IPS panel. Nvidia G-Sync leverages the higher refresh rate for exquisitely smooth gaming, and fingerprint smudges on the screen aren’t a worry, since touch input isn’t supported.
Above the display is a 1080p webcam with an e-shutter to keep things private when you’re not in a conference. Other niceties like stereo sound and dual microphones offer good-enough audio for everything from Netflix movies to Zoom calls, but most gamers will still opt for a headset to enjoy immersive 3D audio from the SteelSeries Nahimic sound.The Port Mix: Capable and Convenient
It’s an increasingly common trend in gaming machines to place most of the ports on the back edge of the chassis, which can make for a cleaner setup with a deskbound system connected to monitors and other peripherals.
