Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 Gaming Desktop Assessment: A Stable Beginning Level

Stepping into PC gaming generally is a hurdle, particularly if you have not dug a lot into discovering the most effective parts or know the best way to construct a PC. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 serves as a easy and economical entry level with the best mix of parts, an affordable worth and an aesthetic exterior to get avid gamers on their approach to gaming with out all of the fuss.

At a base worth of $1,149 earlier than the various little reductions Lenovo methods normally see — in the meanwhile the entry worth is discounted right down to $990 on Lenovo’s website — the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 is already a great discount. For the cash, you get a system that is able to deal with 1080p video games with relative ease. It is probably not a ray-tracing powerhouse or 4K workhorse, however the bread and butter of gaming is served up comfortably. 

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 26IRB8 (90UT001AUS)

Value as reviewed	$1,149
Measurement	26 liter Micro ATX (8.1 x 15.6 x 16.8 in/20.5 x 39.7 x 42.6 cm)
Motherboard	Lenovo IB660ML (KB660 NM-E861 Rev 1.0)
CPU	2.5GHz Intel Core i5-14400F
Reminiscence	16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR5-4400
Graphics	8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060
Storage	1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD
Networking	2.5Gb Ethernet, Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.3
Connections	USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-A (x2 entrance, x2 rear), USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C (x1 rear), USB 2.0 Sort-A (x4 rear), 3.5mm audio connector (x2 entrance, x3 rear), HDMI 2.1a FRL (x1 on GPU), DisplayPort 1.4a (x3 on GPU)
Working system	Home windows 11 House 22H2

As a lot sense as the bottom configuration makes, choosing any of the upgraded specs could include diminishing returns, as a few of Lenovo’s selections for internals (it does not look as polished on the within as we count on from a system with a glass aspect from a serious producer) aren’t more likely to fluctuate from one configuration to a different. If you happen to’re searching for the machine that’ll get you in your approach to PC gaming, it is a good start line, however for those who’re searching for a higher-end system, then it could be time to do a little analysis on PC constructing or finances gaming PCs.   

Covers the efficiency fundamentals

The bottom configuration of the Legion Tower 5i is totally respectable for 1080p gaming. The Intel Core i5-14400F is not any powerhouse, however it carries sufficient weight to maintain body charges quick in video games that demand extra from the CPU, and the RTX 4060 proved greater than satisfactory in our benchmarks. In all of them, it hit nicely over 100fps at 1080p. In truth, for Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Guardians of the Galaxy, it pegged an nearly spot-on 144fps common, which might pair properly with the type of finances 1080p or 1440p/144Hz monitor that is more likely to discover its means onto a desk subsequent to the Legion Tower 5i. 

With entry to varied DLSS applied sciences within the RTX 4060, it is attainable to push body charges or resolutions even greater whereas nonetheless sustaining cheap efficiency. And although the RTX 4060 used is only a single-fan variant, its efficiency lined up moderately nicely with an Asus Twin RTX 4060 we examined in different {hardware}.

Outdoors of gaming, the Legion Tower 5i actually confirmed no indicators of fighting on a regular basis computing. Its 8,127.5-point rating in PCMark 10 was already a fairly robust indicator that it’d carry out common workplace duties with ease, and precise use bore that out. 

A stunning exterior, however blah inside

Lenovo has designed some great-looking desktop instances, and the Legion Tower 5i has considered one of them. Its entrance has a three-dimensional sample that appears superior, particularly with the Legion brand glowing in ever-shifting rainbow colours at one nook. That entrance panel may actually stand to have extra mud filtration although, along with the straightforward twin honeycomb-like steel cowl, as two rainbow-illuminated followers sit behind it pulling in recent air. 

These consumption followers spin quietly, blowing cool air over the CPU and GPU. I’ve seen loads of desktops that appear like their consumption followers are aimed with little calculation for airflow, however Lenovo appears to have thought issues by way of right here. The consumption followers are complemented by one other rainbow fan venting out the again. All the system followers working collectively preserve the system operating easily and quietly, with barely audible fan noise throughout a run of 3DMark’s Metal Nomad Stress Check, which the system handed with 98.5% stability. The case incorporates a glass aspect panel and even has an LED mild strip to additional illuminate the within.

All that illumination does little to make the system’s inside look something past utilitarian. Lenovo hasn’t opted for probably the most exciting-looking componentry, and a few of it’d pose longevity considerations. The motherboard options an uncovered chipset with none cooling fins or a lot as an built-in warmth spreader. The reminiscence additionally lacks any warmth spreaders, and there aren’t any warmth sinks on the voltage regulator module. The CPU has fundamental heatsink with a small, 80mm fan (higher-powered configurations get completely different cooling options). The GPU can be a tiny, single-fan mannequin with a fundamental, plastic fan shroud and no backplate. Lenovo has achieved respectable sufficient cable administration, however the insides do not encourage awe.

On the plus aspect, there are some user-upgradable choices inside. There’s an additional m.2 drive slot to fill and two empty reminiscence slots. Hidden beneath the facility provide shroud, Lenovo has included a tough drive cage and even prerouted two SATA knowledge cables (although you may need to wrangle the facility cables your self).

The highest of the case has a less complicated however nonetheless slick-looking grille. There is a small space the place you possibly can set down dongles or adapters, and there is a pair of USB-A 5Gbps ports, headphone and mic jacks and an influence button close to the entrance of the lid. Round again, there’s nothing too thrilling. The motherboard I/O is fundamental, with a handful of USB-A ports, a single USB-C port (at the least providing 10Gbps speeds) and a 2.5-gigabit Ethernet jack. The motherboard consists of three extra audio connections. For the reason that CPU lacks built-in graphics, the motherboard has no video outputs. As an alternative, these all stay on the GPU, which presents three DisplayPort connections and one HDMI port. For wi-fi connectivity, you get Wi-Fi 6E, which proved quick and steady related to a Wi-Fi 6 router.

It isn’t the flashiest or greatest performer, however the Legion Tower 5i is not a foul purchase for those who’re searching for a price entry level for PC gaming.

Efficiency 

Geekbench 6 (multicore)

Lenovo Legion T5 26IRB8 (90UT001AUS) 12,097Acer Nitro 14 AN14-41R74Z 12,127Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 13,312

Shadow of the Tomb Raider gaming check (1080p)

Origin PC M-series (RTX 4060 8GB) 147Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 26IRB8 148Origin PC M-series (RTX 4060 Ti) 178

3DMark Time Spy

Acer Nitro 14 AN14-41R74Z 9,496Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 26IRB8 10,963Origin PC M-Sequence (RTX 4060 8GB) 11,185

3DMark Fireplace Strike Extremely

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 4,802Acer Nitro 14 AN14-41R74Z 5,570Origin PC M-Sequence (RTX 4060 8GB) 6,040Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 26IRB8 6,239

Guardians of the Galaxy (Excessive @1920 x 1080)

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 26IRB8 144Acer Nitro 14 AN14-41R74Z 116Origin PC M-Sequence (RTX 4060 8GB) 161Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 165

SpecViewPerf 2020 SolidWorks (1080p)

Origin PC M-series (RTX 4060 8GB) 247.49Lenovo Legion Tower 5i 26IRB8 273.16Origin PC M-Sequence (RTX 4060 TI) 293.01

3DMark Pace Means (DX12 Final)

Origin PC (RTX 4060) 2,359Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 26IRB8 2,707

Procyon Secure Diffusion 1.5

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 26IRB8 1,140Alienware m16 R2 1,327Alienware Aurora R16 1,998Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 34IRZ8 3,590

Configurations

Acer Nitro 14 AN14-41R74Z	Microsoft Home windows 11 House 23H2; AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS; 16GB DDR5-6400; Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (8GB); 512GB SSD
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71	Microsoft Home windows 11 House 22H2; Intel Core i5-13500HX; 16GB DDR5 4,800MHz RAM; Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics @ 140W; 512GB SSD
Alienware Aurora R16	Microsoft Home windows 11 Professional 22H2; 3.2GHz Intel Core i9-14900KF; 32GB DDR5-5600; 12GB GDDR6x Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070; 1TB SSD
Alienware m16 R2	Microsoft Home windows 11 House 23H2; 1.4GHz Intel Core 7 Extremely 155H; 16GB DDR5 5,600MHz RAM; 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU; 1TB SSD
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 26IRB8	Microsoft Home windows 11 House 22H2; Intel Core i5-14400F; 16GB tk; Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (8GB); 1TB SSD
Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 34IRZ8	Microsoft Home windows 11 Professional 22H2; 3.2GHz Intel Core i9-14900KF; 32GB DDR5-5600; 16GB GDDR6x Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Tremendous; 1TB SSD
Origin PC M-Sequence (GPU check system)	Microsoft Home windows 11 Professional (22H2/23H2); 3.2GHz Intel Core i9-12900K; 32GB DDR5-4800; 2x Corsair MP600 Professional SSD; Corsair HX1200 80 Plus Platinum PSU, MSI MPG Z690 Pressure Wi-Fi motherboard, Corsair 4000D Airflow midtower case