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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Legion 5 is a more budget-friendly option with a larger 17" screen, which makes it less portable but better for an immersive gaming experience. It has the power for general use and can handle gaming and engineering tasks but with the Nvidia RTX 3060, it may not handle the most demanding games and engineering applications as smoothly. The Legion 7, while costing slightly more, offers a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU, which improves performance in 3D rendering, machine learning, and other intensive engineering applications. It also has a higher resolution and color accuracy, enhancing the visual experience, and additional useful features like an RGB backlit keyboard. Both have similar battery life, but the Legion 7 is lighter and easier to carry around, making it more portable despite its smaller 16" screen. If budget is not a constraint and you prioritize high gaming or engineering performance, along with portability, the Legion 7 is the better choice. However, for those who want a larger screen and can trade off a bit of performance to save money, the Legion 5 is a solid option. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
- The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion 7.
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 7
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.2
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
305.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Legion 7 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for general use due to its large screen, ample RAM, and capable CPU, although it is less portable and has a shorter battery life, which may not be ideal for frequent travelers. Conversely, the Lenovo Legion 7 also suits general use with its high-resolution screen and powerful CPU, provides better portability, longer battery life, and enhanced screen quality, but it comes at a higher cost.
Engineering and Design
7.6
8.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" with an Intel i7 CPU, Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, and full HD screen is good for engineering and design, but the Lenovo Legion 7's more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU, and higher resolution screen means it performs better for those same tasks, despite being less portable due to its larger, higher-quality screen. Portability for both models is not ideal, but the tradeoff comes with better screen quality, making the Legion 7 particularly suited for intensive design work where display fidelity is crucial.
Content Creation
7.2
7.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Legion 7 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.0
7.6
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion 7 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
7.3
8.3
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
305.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 7 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 17" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize screen quality for general activities such as browsing and watching videos, choose the Lenovo Legion 7, as its higher resolution and brighter display grant crisper and more vivid visuals. For engineering and design work where color accuracy is critical, the Legion 7 stands out due to its wide color gamuts, ensuring your projects appear true-to-life. However, for gaming or 3D modeling, neither model is ideal as their lower refresh rates can result in less smooth motion and responsiveness, which is vital for these activities.
Battery
4.5 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 7 has 6.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo Legion 7 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The Lenovo Legion 7 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,200
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a price of $1,200 and the Lenovo Legion 7 costs $1,500.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
7.4
7.8
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
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How the Lenovo Legion 5 17" and the Lenovo Legion 7 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 5 17" | Lenovo Legion 7 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,200 | $1,500 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.4'' x 1'' | 14'' x 10.3'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.57 lbs | 5.5 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.7" | 14.01" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.41" | 10.27" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-11800H | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4.5 Hours | 6.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 305 nits | 469 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.8/10 | 7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion 5 17"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | February 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 5 17 is a current-gen 17-inch gaming laptop and equipped with the latest AMD CPU and a powerful GPU, that manages to reach its full potential. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600H is a very good choice for this laptop and able to maintain its performance level for long periods of time. Our test model only falls behind consistently in a direct comparison with its competitors that are often equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. Despite this, the Legion 5 17 leaves an excellent impression and is almost able to keep up with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU in synthetic benchmarks."
Lenovo Legion 7
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | September 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 7 is a fast 16-inch gamer with 165 Hz display. The new Lenovo Legion 7 is a very good gaming notebook that, despite its comparatively compact compact 16-inch case, does not have to do without the most powerful components. Thanks to good cooling, no compromises are made in terms of performance. Both the Core i9-12900HX and the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti perform at a very high level."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 5 17" or the Lenovo Legion 7
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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