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| Display of the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 |
We often find laptop manufacturers shifting the functions and characteristics of high-end products to a lower level, one of which we find in the newest Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 laptop that we are reviewing this time.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 we tested combines an AMD Ryzen 5000H series processor and a discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series GPU. This is interesting because the previous IdeaPad gaming series only used the GeForce GTX series.
This combination is even more special because this laptop uses a 100% sRGB screen with a 165Hz refresh rate as we saw on the Lenovo Legion 5.
The Most Important Information
AMD Ryzen 5 5600H
Code name - Cezanne
CPU Architecture - Zen 3
Manufacturing - 7 nm
6-core/12-threads
Total L3 Cache - 16MB
With an AMD Radeon Graphics 448 Stream processor
By default, the laptop allocates 2GB of system memory for the integrated graphics
Fortunately, the backup size can be reduced to 512 MB or 1 GB in the BIOS menu
Memory/RAM
8GB DDR4 3200MHz single channel
There is only one empty SO-DIMM slot left, so it can be upgraded without disturbing standard RAM
512GB SSD M.2 NVMe PCIe
Funnily enough, this main SSD drive location covers space for adding 2.5" SATA storage.
Although the retail package includes brackets and cables to mount the 2.5" SSD/HDD.
This laptop actually has another M.2 slot.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 portable graphics card with 4GB GDDR6
The maximum graphics performance is 85 watts, slightly above the value set by NVIDIA.
Of course, the Resizable BAR feature is active on this laptop, which can improve gameplay in certain games
Wireless Connection
Using the Mediatek MT7921 module
Supports Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi Axe
Supports Bluetooth V5
Battery capacity
45Wh
Operating system
Windows 11
Design
This gaming PC has a clamshell design with polycarbonate material. The body shape and curves of this laptop are actually not much different from its predecessors.
However, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 still maintains its distinctive design, which is stylish and far from gaming. This certainly makes the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 suitable for those looking for a high-performance laptop.
The color it carries is Shadow Black, with dimensions of 35.9 cm long, 25.1 cm wide and 2.42 cm thick. The weight is 1.97 kg combined with the weight of the 170 watt charger of 442 grams, bringing the total weight carried by the user to 2.41 kg.
As for the screen, this laptop has a 15.6-inch screen with Full HD resolution. The refresh rate is 165 Hz. This is the latest refresh rate for modern gaming laptops and is higher than the previous Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 which was only 60Hz or 120Hz. The panel used is IPS, and according to Lenovo, the brightness is 300 cd/m² with a color gamut of 100% sRGB.
However, based on the measurements of our tool, the results look different, as shown below.
Maximum brightness level - 347 nits
Coverage area - 96.9% sRGB | Volumes - 103.9% sRGB
Delta E 2000 maximum value - 1.07
Even though the previous Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 was IPS, its color space is only 45% NTSC, still less than 100% sRGB. So this laptop screen is good for gaming and content creation
The screen also has an antiglare surface which makes it more comfortable to use because there are no annoying reflections.
There is already a thin design on the right and left of the screen frame. The top is still a bit thick because it has a 720P@30FPS camera. Of course, this camera is equipped with a physical cover that can be moved so that it is protected from the risk of being monitored.
In terms of sound, this laptop is equipped with two speakers whose output is directed to the bottom of the laptop. Like the Legion, this laptop includes Nahimic software for configuring audio profiles that enable audio tracker and surround sound features. The sound produced is quite loud and the quality is good enough for this price.
Available connectors include:
Left :
1X DC IN
1X Gigabit Ethernet
1xHDMI
1X USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps)
Right :
1 x 3.5mm audio combo jack
2X USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
Looking at the keyboard, the design and layout of the keys are similar to its predecessor's numpad keys. However, when we tried pressing the keys, we experienced a feeling similar to that of a Legion keyboard. The keys themselves have 1.5mm of travel and support 100% N-key rotation. The arrow keys are the same size as the other buttons and are placed in a separate area.
The backlit keyboard inherits the Legion series with four RGB color ranges. Three backlight profiles are available, whose color, effect, and brightness can be changed in Lenovo Vantage software. When Fn + Space is used to switch between backlight profiles. Then the position of the touchpad parallel to the spacebar makes typing more comfortable because your palms don't easily reach the touchpad area.
According to Lenovo, the size of the touchpad has now increased by 30% compared to its predecessor. Surely he is already using Windows Precision Driver
Regarding the cooling system, changes were made to the layout of the CPU and GPU on this laptop, which completely changed the design of the cooling system.
Previously, the processor and GPU were placed just below the left keyboard area, while the two fans were at the back. Such a design makes the temperature of the ASDW button area, which is often used for gaming, quite high. The latest Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 inherits the Legion series in its cooling system design, where the CPU and GPU are placed in the middle area. This protects the ASDW area from high temperatures.
The new cooling system is equipped with four heat pipes and two fans. The previous cooling system was equipped with only two heat pipes. At the same time, hot air exhaust pipes lead to the right, left and rear left.
Performance Test
1 This laptop is equipped with three performance profiles, namely:
2 Power mode (This mode is active when the charger is in use)
3 Balanced mode
4 deserted places
Performance profiles can be changed in Lenovo Vantage software or by pressing Fn + Q keys
Interestingly, in performance mode, there is an option to overclock the RTX 3050.
Under standard conditions, the GPU clock is boosted by 100 MHz and 200 MHz by the VRAM clock
The maximum allowed values are 150MHz for GPU clock and 300MHz for VRAM clock
Gaming
Game tests were run on a dual-channel 16GB configuration with a discrete GPU, overclocked as follows:
DOTA 2
1080P | Fastest | Image scale 1000-150 FPS
CSGO
1080P | Low
210-350FPS
helplessly dead
1080P | Very high | DLSS quality
80-100FPS
Shadow of the Tomb Raiders
1080P | Height | Raytrace Shadow Quality – Medium | DLSS quality
80-100FPS
Red Dead Redemption 2
1080P | Height | DLSS quality
40-70FPS
Cyberpunk 2077
1080P | Average size | Mass Density - High | Ray tracing - disabled | DLSS quality
40-60FPS
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
1080P | Middle
55-75FPS
Memory Test
Crystal Disc Mark
Read speed - 1952MB/s
Write Speed - 1156MB/s
This activity indicates that the SSD used is included in the entry-level category. Of course it's still faster than a SATA SSD.
Battery
Using balanced mode with 50n brightness volume 2580p gaming:
7 hours 7 minutes
Charging
Fast charging - disabled
30 minutes - 42 minutes - 78 minutes - 98D44 Full 100% - 1 hour 41 minutes
In general, charging takes less than two hours to enable fast charging. Fast Charging - On
30 minutes - 76 minutes - 98D44 full 100% - only 1 hour 6 minutes
This download is very fast
That's how Legion usually loads fast
