Thoughts on the Lenovo Legion quality

[MatteRB26]

So I'm looking at getting a decent laptop for work which will consist on some pretty intensive programming workloads requiring a decent CPU, all the rams etc. I was initially looking at the ThinkPad P16s with decent specs:
- Ryzen 7 PRO 7840U
- 64gb ram
- No GPU (not really an issue)

The main let-down here is that the screen is only 1920x1200 60hz which okay but not great, and I now detest using 60hz displays.

For a lower cost I can get a Lenovo Legion. My main concern with the Legion is they're a very different audience and I've heard a couple stories of the "consumer-grade quality". The legion specs would be:
- Ryzen 7 8845HS (about the same)
- 32gb ram
- RTX 4060

The main thing drawing me to the legion is the fact that the display is 2560x1600 165/240hz & brighter. The Legion also has a much bigger battery.

What are people's opinions/experiences with opting for the Legion over the ThinkPad? I can add 4 years of Lenovo premium support to the Legion and the cost is about the same as the ThinkPad (which had 3 years included) as well.

 

[MatteRB26]

I'm looking at the Legion 5 Slim Gen 9, which I think is the 2023 model. From googling it sounds like it's a little flimsy, but I've had worse... One of my old HP laptops caved in every time you pressed a key...

I'm feeling like I may as well grab the Legion to be honest.

 

[MatteRB26]

If you don't need a GPU why get one with a 4090?

It's a 4060, and the Legion also has the (slightly) better CPU and far better display for a lower cost, hence why I'm curious about the shortcomings, such as potential build quality.

It's mostly going to be sat in the home office, occasionally used around the house and very occasionally used on the go. There's also the potential to retire it later as a work laptop and become a personal one.

Lenovo are OK, made to a cost - more towards the upper end of lifespan for a mass market device but long term durability isn't something which weighs heavily in the design.

One co-worker swears by his Lenovo X1 Carbon's build quality - but I'm also not down for spending that much on an initial business purchase. His wife's Legion broke "easily" but she also commutes a lot, which I won't be doing nearly as much.

I would go with the Legion 5 Slim out of those 2 and in the right spec they are great (screen, weight, battery life) but seems to be lots of variations on spec at mo depending on exact model and release date.

Assuming productivity focused however, I wouldn't necessarily go for either but depends on budget.

Screen is a deal breaker for me these days too.

Once you have had the latest crop of 2.8k/3k OLED (inc touchscreens) then anything else disappoints.

The main thing that the ThinkBook has over the Legion is the extra ram as I'll fill up 32GB relatively easily but still have enough to spare. The 64gb would provide more longevity, but in 2 or 3 years time I'll likely get a replacement anyway and retire this one. The screens on the ThinkBook around the £1,600 mark are not great, especially as I'm used to my monitor that's 3440x1440 165hz. I can't stand my wife's 1080p 60hz.

 

[MatteRB26]

Workstation laptops are better for that, they have cooling systems that are better for sustained work since they are designed with work in mind. So the P16 is better for you and just dont worry about the screen.

Couldn't similar be said for the Legion though? Surely the Legion requires even better cooling considering it's dealing with a GPU as well?

 

[MatteRB26]

I've got a Legion which has come with me on my many work travels for some time now. I've found it to be pretty exceptional.

So much so that I'll be looking almost exclusively at Lenovo to replace it in the next year or so.

I'm pretty set on Lenovo, haven't heard a bad story (that they didn't resolve quickly and well). Just a little stuck on the P16 and Legion as the Legion is cheaper and seemingly far better specs. Wondering where the shortcomings are, I know they can be quite... Flexible but stuff like the keyboard flexing didn't bother as much as maybe a bump taking out the motherboard which happened on my wife's old Samsung years ago!

 

[MatteRB26]

After much umming and ahhing (indecisiveness is one of my worst traits) I settled for the AMD P16s. £1110 ex VAT for a Ryzen 7840U, 64gb ram and 2TB SSD was a hard price to pass on. Should last a few years of .NET and Node abuse