Lenovo may be finest identified for the ThinkPad, nevertheless it additionally seeks out players with its lineup of Legion laptops. Last 12 months’s Legion Y730 was all about midrange gaming, however in 2019, Lenovo is again with energy.
The new 15-inch Legion Y740 now packs within the uncooked capabilities of an RTX 20-series graphics card inside a well-recognized however engaging wanting package deal. Our overview unit got here outfitted with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, in addition to the standard six-core Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD.
With our particular configuration coming in at $1,900, the Legion Y740 is a bit cheaper in comparison with different new gaming laptops just like the Razer Blade or the MSI GS65 Stealth. But how does that value equate into gaming efficiency? Does it nonetheless have what it takes to make it purchase? Let’s dive deeper to search out out.
Boy, it appears completely different
Lenovo’s design decisions have at all times been glorious. Its earlier Legion Y920 adopted the science fiction-inspired design language and likeliness of Alienware and different gaming laptop computer makers. The Legion Y740, although, is completely different. It retains appears plain and easy, with an aluminum end and slate impact that’s extra harking back to a ThinkPad than a gaming laptop computer. Coming in Iron Gray, there are additionally no angular finishes or flashy colorways. This means the Legion is a gaming laptop computer that gained’t draw a lot of consideration if you happen to take it out in public.
It is powerful too because the lid doesn’t overly flex nor does the keyboard deck press too far down into the aluminum chassis. Even the backlit Legion Logo on the lid is refined, protruding with a barely shiny end.
Arif Bacchus/Digital TrendsOther than the design, the Y740 stays fashionable. It is available in with a skinny show that chops out the general footprint of the laptop computer. Visually, the bezels are virtually on the identical ranges because the Razer Blade, an enchancment from the 17-inch Legion model which sports activities thick edges alongside the display.
This does come on the sacrifice of the webcam, although, as it’s moved to the center backside a part of the show. Once a key drawback with the older XPS 13, meaning for awkward nose-facing digicam angles throughout Skype calls. But since this can be a gaming laptop computer, it may be a worthy tradeoff for many players.
The 15-inch Legion Y730 packs within the RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics card and all the facility players want.
The Legion Y740 weighs in at round 4.8 kilos and is 0.8 inches thick at its largest level. That is only a bit heavier and thicker than most different gaming laptops this 12 months. For comparability, the Razer Blade is available in at 0.7 inches thick and 4.5 kilos, and the 17-inch Zephyrus S (GX701) at 0.7 inches and 5.95 kilos. It’s additionally larger than a traditional 15-inch laptop computer just like the XPS 15, which is available in at round 4 kilos and 0.4 inches in thickness. So, whereas it’s a bit thicker than a few of its rivals, it nonetheless looks like a reasonably transportable laptop computer, particularly in comparison with older gaming laptops.
Connectivity consists of two USB 3.1 ports, a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port, Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, mini-Display Port, and an ethernet jack. It is a pleasant combine, with a very powerful USB and ethernet ports falling within the rear for environment friendly cable administration. All ports on the rear are lit for comfort, serving to make it straightforward to search out at midnight.
A keyboard that’s not for typing in Microsoft Word
When we consider gaming laptops, we frequently consider mechanical keyboards, however that’s not one thing that may be discovered on the Y740. Instead, its keyboard is a bit mushy, with flat keycaps and a bunch of macro keys on the left-hand facet. That makes the structure a bit uncomfortable and awkward in our day-to-day typing in WordPress. Like the earlier Legion Y730, the structure of the primary keyboard is a bit shifted to the precise, so it takes time to regulate.
Arif Bacchus/Digital TrendsThings aren’t all at a loss although as Lenovo consists of touches that critical players will recognize. For occasion, the keyboard options 100 p.c anti-ghosting know-how. There is even customizable zone backlighting through Corsair’s iCUE software program. While the per key-lighting is often most popular by most players, you possibly can nonetheless use the software program to get cool results as keys are pressed down. Even the colours on the facet vents will be modified to your individual liking.
Another necessary aspect of any gaming laptop computer is the touchpad. While the one onboard the Legion Y740 is a bit tiny in comparison with what you could find on the Razer Blade, its floor is not going to register unintended inputs. Though the touchpad additionally doesn’t have the glass floor we usually search for on in gaming laptops, its mylar polyester materials continues to be loads easy. It even helps Microsoft’s precision drivers, which implies which you could get pleasure from Windows 10’s gestures.
G-Sync show for getting essentially the most out of video games
Our model of the Legion Y740 comes outfitted with a 15.6-inch 144Hz G-Sync 1080p IPS matte panel. This is at the moment the one possibility accessible from Lenovo. It just isn’t uncommon to see a laptop computer with a G-Sync show, however the mixture does imply that we by no means skilled dropped frames when gaming.
In testing with our colorimeter, brightness on the Legion Y740 will get as much as round 300 nits, which is what we count on for many laptops with a matte display. The distinction ratio can also be behind competing laptops just like the Asus ROG Zephyrus S, and the common colour error is a little bit larger than what we often like.
The Legion Y740 retains issues plain and easy, with appears harking back to a ThinkPad.
Still, when gaming, we didn’t discover reflections or glares at most angles. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, night-time scenes seemed sharp, with a number of colour and element. Outside of gaming, the panel on the Legion Y740 be problematic for content material creators who reasonably need a extra color-accurate show with a excessive distinction ratio.
As for audio, it’s supplied by a Dolby Atmos speaker system. The two audio system are situated on the underside left and proper sides of the system and make for an immersive audio expertise. When we pumped up the quantity to most ranges and through our gameplay, the audio system by no means crackled or blew out. This meant we didn’t at all times want to achieve for headphones when gaming.
Speedy quick processor and storage
The uncooked energy contained in the Legion Y740 just isn’t solely supplied by Nvidia’s RTX 2070 graphics card, but additionally with Intel’s Core i7-8750H CPU, which options six cores. This is kind of frequent in most different high-performance laptops, and it leads to glorious leads to day-to-day duties like internet looking and multi-tasking.
Our unit is paired with 16GB RAM, however a most of 32GB is supported and storage will be pushed as much as a 512GB SSD if configured with Lenovo. Both are nonetheless upgradable after buy, which simply requires undoing some screws on the rear of the laptop computer.
But sufficient about specs. Geekbench 4 single-core scoring, provides a peek at how highly effective Legion Y740 really is. It manages to edge out each the Asus ROG Zephyrus S, in addition to the Razer Blade. It can’t come near the Acer Predator Helios 500, nevertheless, which contains a extra highly effective Intel Core i9-8950HK processor. The Legion additionally festivals properly in multi-core benchmarks, which is extra consultant of extra intensive computing actions. It and edges out on prime with a rating over 22,000.
When it involves storage, the 256GB NVMe Samsung PCIe stable state drive stuffed contained in the Legion hits learn speeds of 3,422 megabytes per second. That beats out most different gaming laptops we’ve reviewed to this point. And, in our most demanding encoding video exams, the Legion Y740 edges out to processes a 4K video in 145 seconds. It is near the 138 second document set by the ROG Zephyrus S GX701.
Arif Bacchus/Digital TraitsThis all signifies that the Legion Y740 is a properly succesful multi-tasking machine and may get any of your duties achieved with out challenge.
Everything for Battlefield, Fortnite, and extra
With costs beginning at $1,670, the Legion Y740 will be configured with both the RTX 2060 or RTX 2070 with Max Q graphics card. So, contemplating assist for each ray tracing and DLSS on these GPUs, we had been excited to see how the RTX 2070 Max-Q inside our overview unit would carry out. When heading into our check set of video games, we had been very impressed with easy and quick gameplay.
We began first with Fortnite. Playing on Epic settings on 1080p led to a 142 FPS framerate – forward of each the ROG Zephyrus S, in addition to the Razer Blade. In the far more graphics intensive Battlefield V, 1080p Medium settings resulted in a 106 FPS studying – barely forward of the 103 FPS recorded by the Razer Blade. Likewise, in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, 1080p excessive settings resulted in a 49 FPS on Ultra. The solely exception is Civilization VI, the place 1080p Ultra settings led to 101 FPS – behind the ROG Zephyrus.
All these video games not solely performed easily, however the system was capable of keep cool with no throttling due to Lenovo’s “Coldfront Cooling.” With followers which have 70 particular person blades per channel, this technique retains each the CPU and the GPU cool individually. The areas close to the palm relaxation weren’t uncomfortable, and airflow is directed in the direction of the rear of the system, as a substitute of the entrance. The temperatures of the CPU peaked at round 60 levels Celsius, and the GPU hit a most of 88 levels.
Where’s the battery life?
Inside the Legion Y740 is a 57 watt-hour battery. That’s turn out to be commonplace on laptops just like the Dell XPS 13, which is a bit stunning, because the Legion Y740 is a gaming laptop computer. Paired with a power-hungry G-Sync show, all of it signifies that the Legion is about up for failure in battery life.
When looped by our least demanding video loop check, the Legion Y740 lasted roughly two and a half hours. That places it in keeping with different G-Sync laptops just like the Asus ROG Zephyrus S, however behind the Razer Blade 2019 and the MSI GS75 Stealth. When internet looking, the Asus ROG solely lasted for roughly one hour, which is much off the 5 hours seen on the MSI GS75 stealth.
Lenovo Legion Y740 15 Compared To
Still, enabling Optimus switchable graphics and disabling the Nvidia GPU in favor of the built-in Intel graphics results in some enhancements. It is a comparatively straightforward activity that may be achieved both by the Nvidia GeForce expertise, or through a settings web page on the Bios begin up.
Once enabled, looping a video lasted roughly double as earlier than to a complete of 5 hours. Web looking additionally improved as much as 4 hours That nonetheless places it behind the six hours we recorded with the Razer Blade, which leads RTX 2070 collection powered laptops within the battery life class.
Our Take
With a novel design and the facility of the RTX 2070 Max-Q, the Legion Y740 is a strong laptop computer. Priced at $1,900, it is also inexpensive in comparison with most different laptops with RTX graphics, however solely poor battery life holds it again from being the right contender.
Is there a greater various?
Yes, however provided that you’re keen to spend a bit extra. Configured to the very same specs, the main possibility consists of the $2,400 Razer Blade. Adding in the identical RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics card, in addition to barely larger 512GB SSD, an alternative choice is the $2,500 MSI GS65 Stealth.
The Razer Blade is thinner and lighter than the Legion, and the MSI GS65 Stealth gives up extra room for SSD storage, in addition to improved thermals. Just barely costlier at $2,500, there’s even a 17-inch model of the Legion Y740, which packs in a way more highly effective RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics card.
Should you purchase it?
Yes, with costs beginning at $1,680, if you happen to’re seeking to purchase an inexpensive gaming laptop computer with RTX-20 collection graphics playing cards, the Legion Y740 is for you.