28 April 2022 7:35 AM GMT
The Legion 5i Pro is a beautiful machine. (Image credit: Anirudh Regidi)
Manufacturer: Lenovo
The Intel vs AMD debate has raged for nearly as long as the two companies have existed, and for years, Intel maintained a commanding lead over its rival. That lead no longer exists, at least in the laptop space, and the recently launched Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is testament to that.
Essentially, the Legion 5i Pro is the Legion 5 Pro, but with a more expensive Intel CPU powering it. The CPU appears to be so much more expensive that the similarly specced Legion 5 Pro is Rs 20,000 cheaper. You could also pay the same 1.6 lakhs and get a more powerful RTX 3070 GPU in the AMD machine.
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is a large but relatively slick 16 incher with a gorgeous 2560×1600 165 Hz display and a white chassis that I really like. It’s powered by an Intel i7-11800H and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, 16 GB RAM, one of the fastest laptop SSDs I’ve used, and an excellent cooling system that doesn’t get too loud under load.
As expected from Lenovo, the keyboard and trackpad are well designed. (Image credit: Anirudh Regidi)
While the laptop is heavy and I found it difficult to squeeze into my backpack, I really do love its design. The white chassis is simple yet elegant and a nice change from the boring black bodies and glitzy RGB lighting that is the norm for gaming laptops.
That 500-nit display is especially good with excellent colour accuracy and a fast refresh rate. I also love the 16:10 aspect ratio and WXGA resolution of 2560×1600. That display is great for gaming, but the taller display and colour accuracy make it even better for productivity, especially when editing photos and video. The speakers could use some work, however, as they’re not powerful enough to drown out ceiling fans and the like when gaming or watching quieter shows.
Most of the ports are around the back and the selection is generous, including a couple of 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1, and an always-on USB-A port for charging mobile devices.
Given its size and power requirements, the laptop is clearly meant to be used on a desk. You can use it on your lap, but it will get too hot to be comfortable very quickly.
The same goes for the Legion 5 Pro.
I like the simple elegance of the design, and the absence of garish RGB LEDs. (Image credit: Anirudh Regidi)
To put it simply, the AMD powered Legion 5 Pro is cheaper and more powerful than the Legion 5i Pro. The 5 Pro offers a more powerful and more efficient AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, and more powerful RTX 3070 GPU for the same 1.6 lakhs that the Legion 5i Pro retails for.
On paper, the 5800H is «slower» than the 11800H, but only by an insignificant amount. More importantly, it’s far more efficient than Intel’s 11800H, allowing the GPU to really stretch its legs and take a commanding lead over the Legion 5i Pro in gaming and productivity.
At 1080p and max quality, the Legion 5i Pro pushed out 97 fps in F1 2019, 170 in CS: GO, 74 in Horizon: Zero Dawn, and 60+ in Red Dead Redemption 2. Pushing the resolution to 1600p and enabling features like DLSS and FSR where available resulting in similar performance at that resolution.
In the same scenario, the Legion 5 Pro managed 135 fps (F1 2019), 188 fps (CS: GO), and 79 fps (Horizon: Zero Dawn). I don’t have figures for Red Dead Redemption 2, unfortunately.
Oh, and the Legion 5 managed 83 fps in Metro Exodus EE to the 5i’s 61.
Even on battery power, an area where Intel CPUs traditionally take the lead over AMD CPUs, the difference in performance is not significant.
Given what I’ve seen from Intel CPUs thus far, I just can’t understand why Intel demands a premium for its chips. As is evident from Lenovo’s own line-up, AMD-powered devices are significantly cheaper and far more efficient. The only reason to go for Intel — until its 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs arrive on Indian shores — is if there are specific Intel features you need (like AVX 512) for your workflow.
If you’ve got Rs 1.6 lakhs to spend on a gaming laptop, avoid the 5i Pro and get the AMD-powered Legion 5 Pro.
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