Lenovo Legion 5i 16" 2025, Core Ultra 9 275HX, 32GB, 512GB SSD, RTX 5060, Gray

A 24-core monster with a stunning 240Hz display at a price that makes competitors look silly. Just don't expect to game on battery.

The Core Ultra 9 275HX is the real story here. It sits in the 96th percentile for CPUs in our database, which means it's trading blows with chips that cost twice as much in laptops that weigh the same. The RTX 5060 at 105W TGP is no slouch either, landing in the 83rd percentile for GPUs. What surprised us most is the display. 500 nits, 100% DCI-P3, 240Hz, G-SYNC, Dolby Vision. That's a creator-grade panel hiding in a gaming chassis. The 512GB SSD is the one spec that feels like an afterthought, especially when the RAM is already at 32GB.

Against the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, the Legion 5i gives you a bigger screen, more RAM, and a faster CPU for similar money, but the G14 is dramatically more portable at nearly half the weight. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 is another thin-and-light competitor that can't match the Legion's raw CPU muscle. If you're cross-shopping the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max, you're paying double for better battery life and a quieter chassis, but the Legion wins on pure gaming performance per dollar. The MSI Prestige is a creator-focused machine that's lighter but gives up the high-refresh gaming panel.

At $1,649 to $1,729, this is a steal for what you're getting. The CPU alone would cost you hundreds on its own, and the display is genuinely premium. The 512GB SSD stings a bit, but you can swap in a 2TB drive for under $150 and still come out way ahead of comparable machines. If you want maximum frames per dollar, this is it.

The Lenovo Legion 5i is a spec monster that punches way above its price class. You're getting a 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, an RTX 5060 with 8GB of GDDR7, 32GB of DDR5, and a gorgeous 16-inch 240Hz display. The one thing to know? This is a desktop replacement that happens to have a battery, not a portable laptop that happens to game.

If you need all-day battery life or something you can actually carry around campus without a backpack, this isn't it. Go grab an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 or a MacBook Pro instead. The Legion 5i is for people who park it on a desk and let it rip.

Buy it if you want a desktop replacement that can game, create, and compile without breaking a sweat. The Legion 5i delivers flagship-level CPU performance and a top-tier display at a mid-range price. Just budget for a bigger SSD and keep the charger nearby.