Table of Contents

2021 Legion 5, Legion 5Pro and Legion 7 FAQ

Display

Can you get G-Sync or Freesync on an external monitor?

YES – Using a USB-C to Displayport cable
You get Freesync when Nvidia Optimus is enabled, GSync when Nvidia Optimus is disabled

Can you disable Nvidia Optimus (integrated graphics)?

YES – Lenovo Legion Toolkit on Windows or in the BIOS.

Do Legions have HDMI 2.1?

Yes. But actually no. The bandwidth is shared between internal display and the external port, which in practice means you won’t be able to make full use of HDMI 2.1 specs.
More in this article

How good is “HDR”?

The display is only HDR400 and implementation in Windows 10 is bad, so not recommended as a replacement to TrueHDR TV/Monitor. Sometimes known as HDRn't.

My display has a yellow-ish tint

That means you are missing ICC profiles. See guide here
Download X-rite application here:
https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/cz/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/legion-series/legion-7-15imh05/downloads/ds543953
And profiles here
https://ulozto.cz/tamhle/S7HCuKDD5KHW/name/Nahrano-27-4-2021-v-8-32-14#!ZJZ0LmR2AzD3MQV5BJWxZGSxAwp4Z1qVFmIMAaAEEQSYMzH4AN==
Copy content of that .rar archive into “C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color” and use X-Rite to apply them.

Upgrades

Is there an SSD size limit?

Most likely not, but we aren't aware of anyone testing one of those 8TB SSDs.
Both M.2 slots are 2280 and PCIe 3.0

Is RAM upgradeable?

YES – Two DDR4 SODIMMS. Both should be populated from the factory (either 2×8 or 2x16GB sticks), running at 3200MHz.

Can I upgrade my SSD without losing warranty?

Yes. Only when sending in for repair, make sure to remove the custom drives and rams and send in with the stock ones. only then would the repair be accepted. So do not sell the SSD and RAM your laptop came with, just in case.

Other

Does it have a backlit keyboard?

YES – base models have a white baclklight with two levels of brightness, RGB backlight is optional.
Lenovo Legion Toolkit supports basic keyboard backlight controls.

My laptop has coil whine when charging (and fans are turned OFF)

Coil whine is a known issue. Some units have more of it then others, some people are more sensitive to it than others.
Sadly it isn't RMAable and nobody can do anything about it.

My fans are too loud when not doing anything

Lenovo added “Advanced Thermal Optimization” in 36WW BIOS that forces minimal fan speed in order to hide coil whine. You can disable it in the BIOS to allow the fans to switch off.

Is there manual fan control?

NO – At least not officially. Lenovo only provides three basic power profiles, toggleable either via Lenovo Vantage or by keyboard shortcut FN+Q.
Legion Fan control achieves something better to allow bit more better fan control than stock mode, to know more visit Legion Fan Control

Can I overclock the CPU/GPU?

You can only overclock the GPU, that can be enabled in bios and further controlled using bios “Advanced overclock” feature.
Alternatively MSI afterburner can be used to achieve granular overclocking with the curve using 3070 Tweak Guide

Is the logo on the back backlit?

YES – Keyboard shortcut is FN+L

How do I take the bottom cover off?

iFixit has a good tutorial.
You will need a toolkit and patience.

Does it support Resizable BAR?

YES

What is advanced thermal optimisation?

It’s a fancy name for a very simple thing: minimum fan speed. It was mainly introduced to counter the coil whine which is mainly present when fans are off.

Here is what the options mean:

Differences between Legion 5 Pro and Legion 7 (as of 2022 models)

  1. Legion 7 has better built quality
  2. RGB strips along the bottom case
  3. Per-key RGB backlit on the keyboard vs 4 zone RGB on Legion 5 Pro
  4. Less gamer-y design (though this has changed a bit on the 2022 Legion 5 Pro)
  5. Grey keyboard instead of black
  6. Glass topped touchpad vs plastic touchpad on Legion 5 Pro
  7. Rear IO labels are backlit, making it easer to connect devices at night
  8. Slightly different IO (usually means more USB-C)
  9. Intel Killer series WiFi cards
  10. Better built in speakers
  11. Hinge opens 180 degrees, ideal for vertical stands
  12. Better cooler (proper vapor chamber)
  13. RTX 3080Ti MaxQ (175W power limit), Ryzen 9 and Intel HX hardware options
  14. Much higher price tag

Advanced Optimus

Teardown videos