LEGION T5 REVIEW - GOOD GAMING PC VALUE, NOT GREAT FOR ENTHUSIAST – (T5-26AMR5)

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REVIEW: Lenovo - Legion Tower 5 AMD Gaming Desktop - AMD Ryzen 7-3700X - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super - 256GB SSD+ 1TB HDD - Phantom Black Model:90RB000EUS

GOOD GAMING PC VALUE, NOT GREAT FOR ENTHUSIAST – (Legion T5-26amr5)

The LEGION T5-26AMR5 (being specific as there are many variants), is a good all-around computer and an acceptable gaming computer for medium to casual gaming.   [I can benchmark at 80 FPS (frames per second) ultra settings 1080p 60hz] The price to performance ratio is pretty good, especially considering RAM and GPU shortages (as of APR 2021).    Boot time and program loads are zippy.  Storage speed is competent.   Features are great (such as GTX 1660 Super, PCIe v4, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, WiFi AX 2x2, and lots of pretty lights).    I’ve looked hard at 3rd party motherboards for AMD and only a few have both USB-C 3.2 and WiFi AX built in. 

My advice, is to get it for what it is, use it as is, and don’t try to make it into a foundation for an enthusiast gaming machine.   You really can build your own from scratch for the same price range.

PRO’s

-              Attractive enough, Lots of lights

-              Feature Packed

-              Great overall value

-              Good GPU – GTX 1660 Super

 

HOWEVER

-          RAM does not overclock and has high latency (22)

-          Low RAM compatibility (must use only a few types of RAM or speed dropped by 50%)

-          Build Quality is pretty bad (inside) lots of loose wires, taped on parts that come off, bare contacts too close to other metal (sometimes covered with tape, sometimes not)

-          Cramped interior means you have to remove GPU to get to NVME (slot 2) Storage and the NVME (slot 1 for PCIe V4) is mostly under the CPU heat sync.  Since NVME drives pump out a lot heat this mean the heat is going directly into your GPU or CPU, neither are great.

-          Power Supply is just barely enough for what is in the system. 400 Watts.  Don’t add anything or you will probably have problems.

-          Lenovo support (website) has really gone downhill these past few years and I use Lenovo everywhere (30 at work, 5 at home, 5 recommended to relatives)

 

THE ORIGINAL PLAN

My plan was to use this as a foundation for a pretty good gaming rig.  To do that justice, I need to upgrade the GPU, Upgrade the RAM, Upgrade the Power Supply, Upgrade the Storage, etc.   Due to the GPU shortage, I’ll still head down that path, but with the assumption that this is a stop gap solution for about a year until there is better GPU availability, at which time, I’ll move all my “good” components into a more enthusiast build, once prices stabilize.

 

SUMMARY / CONCLUSION / RECOMMENDATION

The LEGION T5-26AMR5 is not a great enthusiast gaming computer.  I would not judge it as such (although Lenovo does try to sell it as such, so maybe some criticism is justified).   It is the best bang for the buck as of this review, and does a good enough job for casual gaming.   I would not invest heavily in upgrading this, unless you already have the parts, and (like myself) are a glutton for punishment.    I mainly got it because I got greedy and sold my GPU on ebay before I had a replacement GPU so I grabbed the first computer I could find that had a GPU.

Overall I’m happy enough with it, and I like to dork around on projects like this anyway.

I wanted PCI v4 support for my NVME.   I wanted a dedicated GPU.   I wanted Upper/Mid-Tier CPU performance.   I wanted USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 support for my backups to external NVME storage.

It delivers on all of these fronts.   Once I upgrade the Power Supply, it should be fine for a while as my primary computer.

I got mine openbox at Bestbuy for $850, so I’m very happy with that and happy to play around upgrading it to fit my needs.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-legion-tower-5-amd-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-7-3700x-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-super-256gb-ssd-1tb-hdd-phantom-black/6424472.p?skuId=6424472

Stay Tuned for upgrade Tips as they come along.

I will be upgrading the RAM, FANS, POWER SUPPLY, DRIVES, and GPU (in short, everything except MB and CPU).   As I explained I am a glutton for punishment and like to tinker.   I kind of like the looks of the Legion case, and once I'm done fussing, I'll leave it all alone.   I don't want to mess with the MB and CPU they are working just fine.












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