Gaming laptops typically cost upwards of RM5000 or so as they come with high-end processors, discrete graphic cards and better cooling, which all adds up to their more expensive price tag. The Lenovo LOQ series recently refreshed their line-up with 13th Gen Intel Core processors and NVIDIA RTX 4000 series discrete graphic cards and the Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 is one of them. Read on, to see if this 15.6-inch gaming laptop is the one for you.
We managed to get some time with the Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 featuring a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, an NVIDIA RTX 4050 discrete graphic card with 6GB, 15.6-inch WQHD display and 512GB SSD. Priced at RM5064 for these tech specs,there's also a more budget version using an Intel Core i5 processor, NVIDIA RTX 3050 graphics and 15.6-inch FHD display from RM4219 as well.
The Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 goes for a 15.6-inch display
Most of the ports are on the back in between the cooling vents
Here's all the ports
More cooling vents on the bottom
The Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 from the top
In terms of design, the Lenovo LOQ goes for the middle ground between a thinner more conventional laptop and the massive gaming laptops that are the norm for a slightly thinner form factor with light blue cooling vents on the back along with most of the connections. These include the power, 1x HDMI port, 1x RJ45 LAN port and 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports. On the right side there’s another USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A port and the webcam on/off switch while on the left there’s a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port with the 3.5mm audio/mic jack. The laptop weighs in at around 2.4kg.
There’s a full keyboard here with nicely clicky chiclet that are squeezed just a bit too close together. There’s even a somewhat sized down numeric keypad compared to slightly larger sized arrow keys below the right shift key. The trackpad below it is quite large but the slight gap when you press the right mouse trackpad button makes it look a bit flimsy even though it’s not. There’s RGB backlighting for all the keys which you can customize in the Lenovo Vantage app.
The Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 has a full but quite cramped keyboard, complete with numeric keypad
The webcam
The keys can be lit in RGB
You can control the settings from the Lenovo Vantage app
Try out the Nahimic audio settings
Audio quality through the 2x 2W speakers is pretty loud with no static but there’s a slight tinny sound on the higher registers. Audio performance improves somewhat when you turn on the Nahimic equalizer in the Lenovo Vantage app and you can also play around with other settings there too. Fan noise can get pretty loud if the laptop is being pushed. Battery life unplugged is about 2 hours or so for normal work but when gaming you can expect this to go down to just 1 hour and a bit more.
Performance-wise, the laptop gets pretty toasty around the keyboard when pushed but is able to dish out 6545 PCMark and 8222 3DMark scores. It was also able to play Halo Infinite on Ultra settings with no lag, but fan noise was quite loud and the laptop got quite hot. Not too hot to the point where you can’t touch the keys anymore mind you, but enough to be uncomfortable. Movie watching is fun and smooth as well thanks to the loud speakers but there’s not much to say about the display, which is good but not at the same level as say a MiniLED display.
PCMark 10 scores
3DMark scores
Battery life chart shows that it doesn't last long unplugged
But the Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 does manage to play Halo Infinite on Ultra settings with no lag
Asphalt 9 looks great on the Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8
You can also comfortably watch movies too
Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 gaming laptop is an apt gaming desktop replacement unit if you’re looking for something in the RM5K range. It provides solid gaming performance and should be able to handle most content creation relatively easily as well. However, we wouldn’t recommend you bring it unplugged as the rather limited battery life and massive charger don’t make it very portable.
With its top-range price tag of RM5499, the laptop has a relatively good price for a gaming laptop or desktop, while its 15.6-inch display should satisfy most uses. Unfortunately, there’s a number of other gaming laptops with similar if not better tech specs going for less like the Acer Nitro 5 (RM4899) so, we’d only recommend the Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 if you’re a Lenovo fan.
What do you think? Does the Lenovo LOQ have more to offer? Would you pick up one for your gaming needs? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below and as always, stay tuned to TechNave.com for more tech news and reviews.
Tech Specs and Features
Here are the tech specs and features for the Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 gaming laptop:
- 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13620H
- 8GB GDDR6 RAM + 512GB PCIe SSD Gen 4
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (6GB GDDR6 RAM)
- 15.6-inch WQHD display (2560 x 1440, IPS, 350 nits brightness, 16:9 aspect ratio, 165Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB, NVIDIA G-SYN)
- supports 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1x headphone/mic jack, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x DC-in (power), 2x USB3.2 Gen 2, 1x HDMI, 1x RJ45 ethernet, 2x2 WiFi 6
- Features 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard, Webcam + e-shutter switch, Xbox Game Pass (3-month trial)
- Measures 22.1-25.2mm x 359.6mm x 264.8mm | 2.4kg
- Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
Pros and Cons
Pros: Relatively affordable gaming laptop. Lag-free gaming performance. Gets toasty but not scorching.
Cons: Still quite heavy. Poor battery life.
Summary: Relatively affordable lag-free gaming desktop replacement unit for the Lenovo fan.
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