By In every way, the Lenovo LOQ 15 with AMD Ryzen 5 technology is a low-cost gaming laptop. This 15-inch computer can run the newest games on low settings for $799 or less. However, even though Lenovo has provided a fair bundle, the machine’s low-end GPU and CPU cannot be avoided.
It is commendable that this equipment can perform the task. Lenovo provided several connectors and good build quality. However, the battery life is abnormally short, and the CPU and GPU are approximately the bare minimum of what would be considered acceptable in a gaming laptop by the end of 2024.
Specification
The Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 is a 15.6-inch gaming laptop with an AMD CPU. Lenovo sells this computer in some models. With a four-core AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS CPU, 12 GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU with 6 GB of VRAM, and a 512 GB SSD, the Lenovo LOQ that we evaluated costs $799.
- Number of models: 15ARP9
- AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS CPU, 12 GB DDR5 RAM, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 6GB graphics/GPU
- Display: 15.6-inch IPS 1920×1080 screen with a refresh rate of 144 Hz
- 512 GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD for storage
- 720p webcam
- Three USB Type-A (USB 3.2), one USB Type-C (USB 3.2), one HDMI 2.1, and one combination audio jack are all connected. One Ethernet and one DC power source
- Networking: Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6
- Biometrics: Not used
- Capacity of battery: 60 Watt-hours
- 0.94 x 14.17 x 10.19 inches in size
- 5.39 pounds in weight
- MSRP as tested: $799
Design and build quality
The 15.6-inch gaming laptop Lenovo LOQ 15 makes extensive use of black and gray. It lacks the “gamer look” that is typical of gaming laptops. The “LOQ” branding on the lid and the fact that it is quite bulky in comparison to the typical thin and light notebook are the only obvious indicators that it is a gaming laptop. Unsurprisingly for a low-cost gaming laptop, the Lenovo LOQ 15’s chassis is made of a lot of plastic. It is also a bit heavy for a gaming laptop of this size, weighing in at 5.39 pounds.
Aside from the weight and plastic, Lenovo has done a fantastic job with the build quality here. It does not have any strange flexing and is sturdy and well-made. The laptop is easy to open with one hand, and the hinge feels nice. It is exceptionally outstanding considering the price range. A significant quantity of bloatware comes preinstalled here; McAfee is among the several pop-up notifications that appear right out of the box. Of course, you can uninstall these things.
Keyboard and trackpad
The full-size keyboard of the Lenovo LOQ 15 includes a number pad on the right side. There is a white backlight on the keyboard. The keyboard on this laptop is roomy and comfortable to type on. When you bottom out each key, it has a slightly “soft” feel, but it is not mushy. For instance, a mechanical keyboard or a high-end ThinkPad would have a more crisp activation. Again, though, we are not expecting the nicest feel from the keys here because this is a $800 gaming laptop. I had no trouble using this keyboard to play PC games, and they are fairly nice.
The trackpad is a good size — on the larger side, but it doesn’t feel too large. While it’s plastic like the rest of the laptop, it feels nice and smooth and very responsive, with a click-down action that also feels great. This is a great trackpad for the price point.
Display and Speakers
The Lenovo LOQ 15 has a 15.6-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1920×1080 and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. The biggest problem with the display is its low maximum brightness. At 300 nits, this is a dim display and I had to crank it way up to enjoy playing games on it. Aside from that, the display looks okay, but, naturally, just okay. You won’t find the vivid colors of an OLED here nor will you find the more accurate color reproduction of a more expensive IPS panel.
Performance
An AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS CPU, 12 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU are all included in the Lenovo LOQ 15. This computer contains a GeForce RTX 3050 GPU with 6 GB of VRAM, which is a significant improvement over the less expensive 4 GB model. There is no denying that this is low-cost gear, though. With only 12 GB of system RAM (many gaming laptops now start at 16 GB), it is an entry-level GPU. Additionally, this AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS CPU only has four cores. It is inexpensive hardware at an affordable cost.
Lenovo LOQ 15 15.6” Gaming Laptop FHD 144Hz AMD Ryzen 7-7840HS 16GB RAM 512GB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060Â
It did fairly well in real-world gaming. The challenging new Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was playable (at low settings) when I fired it up. That demonstrates that this machine is capable of finishing the task. The cooling appears to function properly as well. I adore that the laptop’s fans expel heated air from the back rather than the sides. To the touch, the keyboard remains comparatively chilly. Furthermore, even if the fans may be heard, they are not too noisy, especially for a low-cost gaming laptop.
To gauge the overall performance of the machine, we first run PCMark 10. When it comes to gaming laptops, this device is at the bottom of the field with an overall PCMark 10 score of 6,059. This machine is $50 less expensive than the Acer Nitro V 15, which has a bit more performance. We then do Cinebench R20. This benchmark is highly multithreaded and concentrates on CPU performance overall. Since it is a fast benchmark, cooling during prolonged workloads is irrelevant. Nevertheless, because of its heavy multithreading, CPUs with more cores are far more advantageous.
We also use Handbrake to run an encode. Although it runs for a long time, this benchmark is also significantly multithreaded. Under load, many laptops choke and slow down, requiring the cooling system to kick in.
It took the Lenovo LOQ 15 1,934 seconds, or more than 32 minutes, to finish the encoding procedure. Once more, the CPU’s low core count results in poor performance on a massively multithreaded benchmark.
Battery life
The battery of the Lenovo LOG 15 is 60 watt-hours. This is a somewhat small battery for such a huge laptop, and gaming laptops are not often recognized for having extended battery life. That makes sense because Lenovo focuses on price and gaming performance rather than lengthy battery life, and larger batteries are more expensive.
We play a 4K version of Tears of Steel repeatedly in the Movies & TV app on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled to measure the battery life until the laptop suspends itself. For our battery benchmarks, we adjusted the screen brightness to 250 nits, which required turning up the brightness on this system significantly. Since local video playback is so effective, this is the best-case situation for any laptop; in actual use, day-to-day battery life will always be lower than this.
In our typical battery test, the Lenovo LOQ ran for 196 minutes, or slightly more than three hours, before shutting off. That is quite low, even for a laptop used for gaming. This is the reason: There are no built-in graphics on this AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS processor. This implies that the computer always uses the power-hungry Nvidia GeForce 3050 GPU when it is running on battery power. This leads to a short battery life when combined with a small battery.
Battery life is simply not a top priority for this system. Look elsewhere if it is important to you, and make sure the computer of your choosing has a GPU built in.
Conclusion
The Lenovo LOQ 15 is not a very fast gaming laptop, as evidenced by its benchmarks. However, considering that it is only $799, the build quality is high for the cost. Even at low detail settings, it is difficult to disagree with a $799 15-inch gaming laptop that can run the newest games. With Lenovo’s unusually high build quality, it is particularly difficult to argue with this computer.
However, if you can, I would advise you to invest a little more money on a gaming laptop. Right now, bestcomputerfinder’s top pick for a gaming laptop under $1,000 is the Acer Nitro V 16. Although it costs a little more, the performance is far superior. Additionally, I advise monitoring gaming laptop sales. If you shop the laptop sales, you can get a speedier gaming laptop for under $800. bestcomputerfinder has a terrific, frequently updated guide to laptop discounts.
On the other hand, this laptop may also be on sale. While you read this, you could be able to save hundreds of dollars! That would be a thrilling transaction. The answer to the question of whether this machine can perform the task is yes. If the price continues to drop and your gaming needs are not very demanding, it can be an extremely good deal.
