Lenovo LOQ 15 review: Surprisingly affordable gaming laptop

Price When Reviewed

From $949.99

Best Prices Today: Lenovo LOQ 15

$669.99

$849.99

One of the nice features of a PC producer like Lenovo is that it doesn’t make a single design of something and its LOQ 15-inch gaming laptop computer isn’t any exception. While this evaluate covers an Intel-based possibility that begins round a grand, there are extra highly effective decisions and designs with different GPU configurations and as much as 16-inch shows.

The mannequin reviewed right here is £1,069 within the UK (15IHR8) and an analogous mannequin begins at $1,029.99 within the USA. That outlay will get you a 13th-Gen Intel CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU and a 15-inch 1080p show with a 144Hz refresh price. While this specification doesn’t supply 4K gaming, even linked to an exterior show, it has greater than sufficient horsepower for some fluid 1080p gaming on the transfer.

However, it is a crowded a part of the market and this LOQ competes in opposition to a minimum of fourteen different laptops on this collection made by Lenovo, the Asus TUF A15, the up to date Acer Nitro 5, and so forth. How will the LOQ compete in opposition to such competitors? Read on to seek out out.

Looking for different choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best gaming laptops.

Lenovo LOQ 15: Specs

• Model examined: 82XV00C0UK/15IHR8.
• OS: Windows 11 Home
• Display: 15.6in IPS 1920×1080 144Hz
• CPU: Intel Core i5-13500H
• Memory: 16GB DDR5 onboard
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 6GB
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.s SSD
• Webcam: 1080p with twin microphones
• Connectivity: 1 x USB-C with DisplayPort, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x audio, 1x LAN
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
• Battery capability: 60Wh
• Dimensions: 265.8 x 359.6 x 22.1mm
• Weight: 2.4kg, 5.29 lbs
• Warranty: 1yr RTB

Lenovo LOQ 15: Design and construct

Where Asus likes the navy look with its gaming machines, Lenovo has pitched for a barely sci-fi motif with the LOQ. The rear of the machine has a distinctly Star Trek vibe. Vents on the rear have an impulse engine styling, however regrettably, Lenovo didn’t deploy warp nacelles.

Interestingly, the display hinge place has been moved away from the again line by about 23mm, leading to simpler entry to the central port space on the backbone. When folded flat, this creates a particular shelf on the rear quarter.

What isn’t in proof is any metallic, with your entire exterior of the LOQ completed in numerous shades of gray plastic. Not that this seems to be low cost, as high-quality moldings have been used, however given how a lot plastic was used, the LOQ is surprisingly heavy. At 2.4kg, that’s one other 200g greater than the Asus TUF Gaming A15 and even 50g greater than the hefty HP Omen 16.

Where this machine is considerably missing is in respect of the ports offered. A gaming machine that solely has a single USB-C port and never even USB 4.0 or Thunderbolt is a disappointment.

The offered port is situated on the left aspect alongside the audio jack whereas the proper edge has a single USB 2.0 port and a curiously positioned digital camera disabling swap.

Most ports are on the again, however it solely affords two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (Type-A), a single HDMI 2.1 out and a gigabit LAN port. That the LAN isn’t 2.5GbE isn’t a shock, however a minimum of the interior Wi-Fi is 2×2 AX specification.

Ideally, this machine wanted a second USB-C for charging and connecting a docking station, however as a substitute, Lenovo went with a proprietary rectangular energy connector and a 170W PSU. The scale of the PSU hints at why they didn’t select USB-C for the facility since these usually peak at round 100W.

Overall, the perimeters of the LOQ are massively underutilized for ports, and the mass makes it extra of a luggable desktop with an built-in display than a laptop computer. However, it has different virtues, as we’ll uncover.

Lenovo LOQ 15: Keyboard and trackpad

While the keyboard on this design is a membrane construction, the size of the keys and the inclusion of many enhancements make this an honest typing expertise.

What’s barely totally different is how the cursor cluster is projected down in entrance of the primary keyboard line, making these keys simpler to seek out throughout a firefight. However, this leaves a sliver of open house between the trackpad and the house bar.

The keytops are smaller than the remainder, however a full numeric pad and a whole row of operate keys are included.

The whole keyboard is RGB backlit, and when booting, it shows a rainbow preset to point out off the chromatics accessible.

The keys have a really optimistic motion, however the trackpad is far much less responsive, and whereas the pointer strikes easily sufficient, clicking on it may possibly often go unnoticed. For gaming, built-in mouse buttons to the trackpad might need been a greater possibility. Lenovo believes that together with the right-side USB 2.0 port reveals that the majority players will use a mouse.

Compared with many laptops, the LOQ is ergonomically sound. Plenty of palm house is beneath the keyboard, and the spacing of the keys isn’t excessively cramped. And, whereas the no-mans-land between the trackpad and keyboard is somewhat odd, it avoids bashing the house bar and having it register as a mouse motion.

Lenovo LOQ 15: Screen and audio system

There are a number of panels that gaming system makers are interested in, presumably because of worth, and the LOQ has a type of. Using IPS expertise and with a pure refresh price of 144Hz, this display affords a peak brightness of simply 350 nits.

What’s curious in regards to the brightness is that it doesn’t ramp in a linear trend, because the 120nits stage that we use for video playback testing comes at round a 70 % setting. Those selecting a brightness of 50 % will expertise about 50 nits, which is darkish.

The colours on this panel additionally aren’t extremely saturated or consultant. Perhaps I’ve seen too many screens designed for artistic use, however this one has a gamut that doesn’t method 100 % of sRGB on its finest day. Around 70 % of sRGB is the most effective it may possibly handle.

Equally unimpressive is the audio expertise, as the 2 down-firing 2W audio system mounted on the LOQ have a restricted vary that doesn’t prolong to delivering a lot bass, if any. Maximum quantity appears remarkably low and unlikely to trigger complaints from an adjoining room.

In quick, if you wish to hear higher, purchase some cheap exterior audio system or headphones.

Lenovo LOQ 15: Performance

The headline act right here is the GeForce RTX 4060 in our evaluate {hardware}. This discrete graphics card has 8GB of devoted GDDR6 reminiscence and makes use of the most recent Nvidia GPU expertise utilizing the Ada Lovelace structure. Working alongside that’s Integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU, a graphics platform we wouldn’t usually advocate for correct gaming.

Depending on the LOQ mannequin chosen, it may possibly include both the RTX 3050, RTX 4060, or RTX 4050. Based on our expertise, we’d keep away from the lower-level playing cards and go for the significantly better RTX 4060 possibility.

What’s uncommon in regards to the RTX 4060 is that the desktop half and the one used for cell platforms are the identical die, the place these chips are sometimes branded the identical however have wildly totally different specs.

That is true of the 4070 and 480 cell elements, however the 4060 is a desktop GPU shoehorned right into a laptop computer. However, it’s price noting that the cell AS107 GPU used within the RTX 4060 has a decrease enhance clock, barely slower reminiscence, and marginally much less reminiscence bandwidth.

But the true constraint on the cell RTX 4060 is the quantity of energy that the laptop computer will sanction for the GPU, and the place on the desktop that is all the time 115W, on the cell variant, this ranges between 35W and 115W. As dangerous as which may sound, with so many elements in play, the precise distinction between the desktop and cell elements is just about 8-10 %, making the RTX 4060 one of many higher decisions for cell players.

The different significant factor in these outcomes is the Intel Core i5-13500H, a twelve-core CPU with 4 efficiency P-Cores and eight effectivity E-Cores. The 4 P-Cores have hyperthreading, boosting the variety of simultaneous threads to sixteen. This Raptor Lake-H design with a most energy envelope of 95W and a base energy of 45W is taken into account to be on par with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D and Ryzen 7 5800X.

The benchmark numbers this GPU can generate we’d seen earlier than within the Asus A15 and its potential to method 90 frames-per-second in Cyberpunk 2077 with extremely settings hints that it’s doable to activate much more eye-candy, akin to Ray Tracing with out it changing into unplayable.

Conversely, for many who use the LOQ with a 1440p monitor, this decision isn’t past the skills of the RTX 4060 to drive that decision with medium element settings.

The 3DMark Night Raid rating of 51,283 is extremely respectable, particularly in comparison with this processor utilizing the built-in Iris Xe, which delivers a typical rating of between 16,500 and 17,000.

While 16GB of RAM is sufficient, factoring that the graphics card has its personal devoted reminiscence, what barely lets the LOQ down is the 512GB of storage that Lenovo contains with most fashions.

However, for these prepared to take the underside off their machine, a free and unused M.2 SSD slot is obtainable, permitting for a comparatively cheap improve path (verify our chart of the most effective SSDs). These are each M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 slots and the one caveat to utilizing them is that they must be drives that don’t have an built-in cooler, as there isn’t vertical house contained in the case for these.

Lenovo LOQ 15: Benchmarks

Lenovo LOQ 15: Battery Life

The drawback with placing a robust processor and a demanding GPU in a laptop computer is that they demand loads of energy. Unless the machine has an enormous battery, it can eat by what’s accessible briefly order. And after I say quick, I’m not kidding.

Using our traditional battery video loop, the LOQ barely made it by one loop of our film earlier than it needed to close down, managing a disappointing three hours and 58 minutes. Based on this efficiency, I think that enjoying a recreation would final not more than a few hours on a single cost.

The quoted battery life by Lenovo is bigger than 5 hours, which appears wildly optimistic. The system additionally has a high-performance mode that, if activated, reduces battery life much more.

The solely upside to this less-than-stellar battery efficiency is that the battery will recharge shortly, hitting 100 % energy from virtually exhaustion in over an hour. However, in case you insist on utilizing it whereas charging, it may take longer.

Lenovo LOQ 15: Price and availability

In the US, the Lenovo LOQ 15 comes with both an RTX 3050, an RTX 4050, or an RTX 4060 discrete video. Lenovo does the standard mixture of pre-configured SKUs and fully customizable methods the place virtually each side is adjustable.

US costs begin at $1,209.99 for a LOQ with an i5-13500H CPU, an RTX 3050 GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. A system with RTX 4060 graphics begins at $1,319.99. You additionally get the choice of AMD Ryzen models beginning at $949.

Lenovo LOQ 15: Conclusion

There are issues to love right here and others which might be a lot much less compelling.

What’s finest about it’s the CPU and GPU mixture, which may ship playable body charges on most trendy titles at 1080p resolutions at a really enticing worth level. And, in case you join an exterior monitor, it can work at 1440p with some changes in texture high quality.

However, to get essentially the most from the CPU and discrete GPU requires energy and that’s the one a part of this method that Lenovo curated, most likely due to how heavy it was already. The 60Wh battery capability doesn’t go far in gaming or enjoying video. And it gained’t take the LOQ by a working day. That’s the standard actuality of gaming laptops and the compromise that those that personal them confront.

However, the opposite factor that’s not nice about this machine is fully addressable, particularly the software program detritus that Lenovo thickly utilized to the Windows set up. How usually this method tried to push one thing at me whereas we tried to benchmark was disturbing and every time I eliminated one software program drama queen, one other was desperate to take its place.

It takes lengthy sufficient to get the truckloads of Microsoft updates onto this laptop computer with out making the prep to be used even longer by including the additional hours to throw all this unrequested rubbish off it. How significantly better the system runs when it’s gone is a reward worthy of the trouble of that train, however it’s a disgrace that performing it is a requirement.

This evaluate initially printed on techadvisor.com.