Notebookcheck Logo

Lenovo Legion Y530 (Core i5-8300H, GTX 1050 Ti) Laptop Review

Function over form. Lenovo doubles down on their Y520 with an even more subdued, business-like design and all the latest components. With a Core i5-8300H, GTX 1050 Ti, and NVMe SSD, is the Y530 the new entry-level gaming laptop to own?

Last year’s Lenovo Legion Y520 was met somewhat positively in our review, where we lauded its comfortable input devices, dual storage capability, reasonable price tag, and good overall performance. Apart from objections about its sometimes flimsy plastic construction and subpar display, we didn’t have any major criticisms to offer, either. Especially for the price (some $1,060 at the time), the laptop represented a perfectly respectable alternative to the gaudy and overly expensive gaming PCs decorating the top of the charts.

Today, we’ll have an in-depth look at its successor, the Y530. Continuing the strategy of its predecessor, the Y530 sports a decidedly low-key, almost professional appearance, content with its muted monochromatism and focused solely on the fundamentals of performance, ergonomics, and functionality. And, like before, it’s approachably priced: just $929 (as of this writing).

Our review unit features an Intel Core i5-8300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, matte FHD display, and a dual-storage 128 GB NVMe SSD/1 TB HDD configuration. Is it a worthwhile consideration for those with more low- to mid-range mobile gaming aspirations?

Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH (Legion Y530 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-8300H 4 x 2.3 - 4 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile - 4 GB VRAM, GDDR5, 23.20.16.4973
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2666
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, B156HAN02.1, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Cannon Lake HM370
Storage
Soundcard
Realtek ALC236 @ Intel Cannon Lake PCH - cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech)
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo
Networking
Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 28 x 360 x 268 ( = 1.1 x 14.17 x 10.55 in)
Battery
52.5 Wh Lithium-Polymer
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p HD
Primary Camera: 1 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: 2.0, bottom-mounted, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.342 kg ( = 82.61 oz / 5.16 pounds), Power Supply: 582 g ( = 20.53 oz / 1.28 pounds)
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

Although it’s only slightly smaller in size and weight as compared to its predecessor, the Legion Y530 has a few aesthetic tricks up its sleeve. To start with, the bezels surrounding the screen have now shrunk to a comparably minute 8 mm (barring the bottom, to where the webcam has now been relocated). Gone are the red accents and keyboard backlight of the previous model—perhaps the last remaining bastions of any sort of conventional gaming pomp exhibited by the otherwise predominantly subdued contraption. The display lid—previously sporting an angled, semi-Alienware/ASUS ROG styling—is now perfectly flat, imbued only by a subtle spiral pattern encircling the “O” in “Legion”, a letter which also exudes the only hint of showmanship to which the device succumbs via a stylish white circumscribed star.

Casing stability hasn’t suffered in the least, and in spite of the principally plastic construction, the Legion Y530 is unmistakably stable on a hard surface, helped considerably by its long horizontal rubber feet (a la the Dell XPS 15). There is very little flex across the breadth of the base unit, with only the center (between the keyboard and touchpad) giving slightly under moderate pressure. Replacing the central large hinge are two smaller hinges out near the edges, and the exhaust vents have been relocated from the center of the rear to the corners, wrapping around to facilitate better cooling. Speaking of which, the bottom also features a much larger intake grate, emphasizing airflow from either side of the machine to be funneled toward the now larger, more horizontally distant fans.

All of these changes are for the better, but one peculiarity of the new design is the 23 mm shelf that resides behind the hinges and display lid, which is why the new design isn’t any smaller in depth than the previous one, even in spite of the shrunken bezels (this modified design does allow for single-handed opening of the display, though, regardless of the tightly-wound hinges). The lid itself can nevertheless still be opened to around 180 degrees if desired. At 360 x 268 x 28 mm, the Y530 isn’t nearly as small as its similarly bezel-less peer, the XPS 15—which steals the show with a depth of just 235 mm and a thickness of only 17 mm. It does borrow the soft-touch silicone finish of the XPS also, however, which feels terrific, but is just as prone to the collection of skin oils and fingerprints as was the XPS palm rest.

389 mm / 15.3 inch 305 mm / 12 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 3.5 kg7.75 lbs389 mm / 15.3 inch 274.7 mm / 10.8 inch 24.95 mm / 0.982 inch 2.9 kg6.29 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 265 mm / 10.4 inch 25.8 mm / 1.016 inch 2.4 kg5.29 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 249 mm / 9.8 inch 17.7 mm / 0.697 inch 1.9 kg4.19 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch 268 mm / 10.6 inch 28 mm / 1.102 inch 2.3 kg5.16 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17 mm / 0.669 inch 1.9 kg4.26 lbs355 mm / 14 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 16.8 mm / 0.661 inch 2.1 kg4.56 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

A good variety of ports occupies the edges of the Legion, though only a few remain on the left and right sides (namely, two USB ports and the audio jack). The rest of the connections are on the rear, where you’ll find two more USB ports (one of which is Type-C), HDMI and mini-DisplayPort for video output, and the charging port. While most users are fine with the idea of the majority of the ports being located on the back edge, the large exhaust vents wind up crowding the ports together such that large connectors will not be able to coexist with neighboring plugs. See our photos for a visual explanation of this (admittedly relatively minor) dilemma.

Perhaps slightly more off-putting is the complete lack of a card reader of any sort (SD or microSD).

Front: No connections
Front: No connections
Rear: USB Type-C Gen 1, mini DisplayPort, USB 3.0, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, charging port, Lock port
Rear: USB Type-C Gen 1, mini DisplayPort, USB 3.0, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, charging port, Lock port
Right: USB 3.0, Combo audio
Right: USB 3.0, Combo audio
Left: USB 3.0
Left: USB 3.0

Communication

The Intel Wireless-AC 9560 WLAN adapter
The Intel Wireless-AC 9560 WLAN adapter

The Legion Y530 is the latest laptop to include the Intel Wireless-AC 9560 adapter, which features 2x2 antenna design and Bluetooth 5.0. Unlike the Dell G5 15 5587, the Y530 shows no signs of struggle in achieving high connection throughput, with results of 663 MB/s and 632 MB/s in our receive/transmit wireless tests respectively. The Intel 9650 adapter can theoretically reach speeds of up to 1.73 Gbps, but our current setup is limited to 1 Gbps.

Gigabit Ethernet is also on board courtesy of the ubiquitous Realtek GBE adapter.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Gaming
  (865 - 1412, n=12, last 2 years)
1078 MBit/s +71%
Alienware 15 R4
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
692 MBit/s +9%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
642 MBit/s +2%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
632 MBit/s
Dell G5 15 5587
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
582 MBit/s -8%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
539 MBit/s -15%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
524 MBit/s -17%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
243 MBit/s -62%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Gaming
  (708 - 1700, n=12, last 2 years)
1310 MBit/s +98%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
698 MBit/s +5%
Alienware 15 R4
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
690 MBit/s +4%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
682 MBit/s +3%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
663 MBit/s
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
542 MBit/s -18%
Dell G5 15 5587
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
485 MBit/s -27%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
303 MBit/s -54%

Accessories

Included with the Y530 is a rather large 135 W AC Adapter weighing in at 582 g. No other accessories are provided.

Software

Lenovo preloads their Lenovo Vantage management software, which provides basic control over fundamentals such as fan operation, hotkeys, and system monitoring. Though it lacks a dedicated physical button, the Legion mimics some competitors (such as MSI) with the inclusion of a Cooling Boost feature that forces the fans to high RPM to improve temperatures.

 

Maintenance

Eleven Phillips-head screws secure the bottom panel to the machine. Once they’re removed, care must be taken not to damage the bottom (plastic) cover while prying around the perimeter—including the top of the rear shelf behind the screen—and carefully separating it from the rest of the base unit. Inside, both storage ports (2.5” SATA + M.2 2280/NVMe), the RAM (2 DIMMs), the WLAN adapter, the battery, the CMOS/RTC battery, and the fans are readily accessible. Well—mostly readily accessible; the RAM is behind a metal shield, which is indeed removable, but which also is very easy to bend if you aren’t careful.

Once the eleven screws are removed from the bottom...
Once the eleven screws are removed from the bottom...
...most replaceable parts are found accessible inside.
...most replaceable parts are found accessible inside.

Warranty

The Lenovo Legion Y530 ships with a 1-year depot warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices

Keyboard

The Legion Y530’s keys feature a comfortable 1.7 mm of travel punctuated by a rather soft stop, the latter of which some people may find requires a bit of adjustment. Spacing and organization is comfortable, however, and visibility is also good (black keys with white lettering and a relatively even backlight). No dedicated hotkeys exist, but the oversized arrow keys will be undoubtedly appreciated. There is also a number pad, though the keys are horizontally compressed.

Touchpad

The Legion Y530’s touchpad is on the small side (100 x 51 mm), but operation is responsive and accurate thanks to Precision Touchpad drivers. The two separate physical buttons are loud and feature shallow travel, but they’re still preferable to the integrated clickpad button implementations we find in many modern machines.

The keyboard is well organized, though feedback is a bit on the soft side.
The keyboard is well organized, though feedback is a bit on the soft side.
The Precision Touchpad is rather small with loud buttons.
The Precision Touchpad is rather small with loud buttons.

Display

Despite our complaints about the display in last year’s Legion Y520, at first glance, the Y530 version doesn’t seem to be very much improved. The matte, 15.6-inch, FHD (1920x1080) panel yields merely average brightness, and colors are notably washed out. Lenovo is said to be planning a separate, brighter (300 nits) panel option that also features a 144 Hz refresh rate, but that display as of this writing is still listed as Coming Soon. We at least didn’t notice any untoward graininess from the panel in our review unit.

Subpixel array
Subpixel array
Minimal backlight bleed (brightness enhanced)
Minimal backlight bleed (brightness enhanced)
254.4
cd/m²
268.1
cd/m²
248.4
cd/m²
266.7
cd/m²
282.8
cd/m²
262.5
cd/m²
264.9
cd/m²
276.8
cd/m²
252.7
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
B156HAN02.1 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 282.8 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 264.1 cd/m² Minimum: 0.06 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 282.8 cd/m²
Contrast: 673:1 (Black: 0.42 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.93 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.07
ΔE Greyscale 3.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
57% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
36% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
39.58% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
57.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
38.31% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.449
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
B156HAN02.1, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
Sharp SHP149A LQ156M1, LED IGZO IPS InfinityEdge, 15.60, 1920x1080
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
LGD05C0, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
LG Philips LGD0533, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Alienware 15 R4
LG Philips LP156WF6 (LGD0540), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Dell G5 15 5587
LGD053F, 156WF6, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
Chi Mei N156HHE-GA1 (CMN15F4), TN LED, 15.60, 1920x1080
Display
70%
65%
3%
60%
-0%
111%
Display P3 Coverage
38.31
66
72%
64.4
68%
39.53
3%
65.7
71%
38.13
0%
91.6
139%
sRGB Coverage
57.3
96.5
68%
93.4
63%
59.2
3%
86.4
51%
56.8
-1%
100
75%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
39.58
66.7
69%
65.5
65%
40.86
3%
63.1
59%
39.47
0%
86.6
119%
Response Times
-3%
66%
11%
20%
25%
78%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
43.6 ?(19.2, 24.4)
49 ?(25, 40)
-12%
13.6 ?(7.6, 6)
69%
42 ?(22, 20)
4%
37.6 ?(18.8, 18.8)
14%
33 ?(16, 17)
24%
10.4 ?(6, 4.4)
76%
Response Time Black / White *
32.4 ?(18, 14.4)
30 ?(16, 14)
7%
12 ?(7.6, 4.4)
63%
27 ?(17, 10)
17%
24 ?(13.2, 10.8)
26%
24 ?(14, 10)
26%
6.6 ?(4.4, 2.2)
80%
PWM Frequency
961 ?(10)
24900 ?(90)
20830 ?(99)
25510 ?(25)
Screen
52%
38%
-3%
23%
-7%
44%
Brightness middle
282.8
413
46%
304.3
8%
243
-14%
292
3%
229
-19%
269
-5%
Brightness
264
378
43%
293
11%
231
-12%
278
5%
224
-15%
254
-4%
Brightness Distribution
88
86
-2%
80
-9%
87
-1%
88
0%
87
-1%
85
-3%
Black Level *
0.42
0.29
31%
0.38
10%
0.24
43%
0.29
31%
0.28
33%
0.21
50%
Contrast
673
1424
112%
801
19%
1013
51%
1007
50%
818
22%
1281
90%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.93
2.44
51%
1.79
64%
6.36
-29%
4.9
1%
6.1
-24%
3
39%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
17.65
4.46
75%
3.69
79%
12.76
28%
10.08
43%
12.2
31%
5.62
68%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4.07
2.48
39%
6.51
-60%
2.27
44%
6.12
-50%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.8
2.48
35%
1.1
71%
5.63
-48%
4.89
-29%
5.68
-49%
3.18
16%
Gamma
2.449 90%
2.43 91%
2.27 97%
2.47 89%
2.36 93%
2.4 92%
2.25 98%
CCT
6112 106%
7006 93%
6665 98%
7411 88%
7598 86%
6989 93%
7274 89%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
36
62
72%
59.8
66%
38
6%
56
56%
36
0%
77
114%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
57
96
68%
92.8
63%
59
4%
86
51%
57
0%
100
75%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
40% / 48%
56% / 47%
4% / -0%
34% / 30%
6% / -1%
78% / 62%

* ... smaller is better

The average measured brightness of our Y530 display came to 264.1 cd/m², which is just 20 cd/m² brighter than last year’s dim Y520 panel. The contrast ratio has actually been reduced to just 673:1—which isn’t great—due to a rather high measured black value of 0.42 cd/m². A brightness distribution of 87% does make for a relatively consistent luminosity across the panel, however.

Color coverage is indeed poor. Managing just 57% of sRGB and 36% of AdobeRGB, the Y530 matches the Dell G5 15 5587 for worst color reproduction of the bunch. Last year’s Y520 was basically the same as well, though it scores a couple of percentage points higher in our measurements. The rest of the competitors do much better, with the lowest performer (the Alienware 15 R4) still hitting 86% of sRGB.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. Lenovo Legion Y520
vs. Lenovo Legion Y520
vs. Dell XPS 15
vs. Dell XPS 15
vs. MSI GS63VR
vs. MSI GS63VR
vs. Razer Blade 15
vs. Razer Blade 15

CalMAN’s color accuracy measurements resulted in decent overall DeltaE averages for Greyscale/ColorChecker of just 3.8 and 4.93, respectively, though Blue is particularly off the charts with a reading of 17.65. This doesn’t change much post-calibration, though the average DeltaE values do drop to 0.7 and 4.07. Gamma (2.449) and CCT Average (6112) are both reasonably close to their ideal values without any additional calibration performed.

Color analysis (pre-calibration)
Color analysis (pre-calibration)
Saturation sweeps (pre-calibration)
Saturation sweeps (pre-calibration)
Grayscale analysis (pre-calibration)
Grayscale analysis (pre-calibration)
Color analysis (post-calibration)
Color analysis (post-calibration)
Saturation sweeps (post-calibration)
Saturation sweeps (post-calibration)
Grayscale analysis (post-calibration)
Grayscale analysis (post-calibration)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
32.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 18 ms rise
↘ 14.4 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 86 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
43.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 19.2 ms rise
↘ 24.4 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 69 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Response times from the panel are unfortunately rather slow—among the slowest of the entire bunch, in fact. The Razer Blade and MSI GS63 perform much better here.

Viewing angles are great from any side thanks to the IPS panel. Meanwhile, outdoor use is rarely comfortable (except in the most heavily shaded areas) due to the weak brightness and contrast of the panel. The matte finish does help to reduce obstructive reflections though.

In the sun
In the sun
In the shade
In the shade
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

The Lenovo Legion Y530 is available in a variety of different configurations, with processors ranging up to the 6-core Core i7-8750H, up to 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, and the choice of either a GTX 1050 or GTX 1050 Ti for the GPU (both featuring 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM).

Our review unit arrived with a Core i5-8300H, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, and a GTX 1050 Ti. It seems a sensible mid-range configuration for those interested in some moderate gaming but not willing to splurge for the highest-end components.

Performance unplugged is, as expected, somewhat below that while operating on AC power: a second run of 3DMark 11 resulted in a Graphics Score of 6245 (versus the 9909 points we recorded during our normal run). On the topic of DPC latencies, LatencyMon revealed no such issues even with all wireless radios active.

CPU-Z CPU
CPU-Z CPU
CPU-Z Caches
CPU-Z Caches
CPU-Z Mainboard
CPU-Z Mainboard
CPU-Z Memory
CPU-Z Memory
CPU-Z RAM SPD
CPU-Z RAM SPD
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
JetStream
JetStream
LatencyMon
LatencyMon

Processor

Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15

The Core i5-8300H in our Y530 is a quad-core CPU with a 45 W TDP that we’ve covered numerous times before already. Performance is great, though obviously below the six-core CPUs such as the Core i7-8750H (which is an option for the Y530) and Core i9-8950HK. Clock rates range from 2.3 GHz up to 4 GHz (3.9 GHz with 4 cores active) and Hyper-Threading technology is supported.

Our Y530 review unit manages scores which are slightly above the average for this CPU, though not quite as high as those of the XPS 15 (the configuration of which features this same CPU in our tests, as shown in the graphs below). 818 points in Cinebench R15 multi-CPU is a very good result however (versus the i5-8300H CPU average of 788 points), and the score of 171 in single-CPU is exactly what we’d expect to see.

We were pleased to discover that sustained performance also was not a problem in our Cinebench loop test; scores only dropped from 829 down to 804 on the seventh run, after which point they climbed back into the 815 – 817 range semi-permanently—still above average for this CPU.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (79.2 - 318, n=245, last 2 years)
265 Points +55%
Alienware 15 R4
Intel Core i9-8950HK
197 Points +15%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
Intel Core i7-8750H
176 Points +3%
Dell G5 15 5587
Intel Core i5-8300H
172 Points +1%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
Intel Core i5-8300H
171 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8300H
  (151 - 174, n=17)
168.6 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
Intel Core i5-8300H
167 Points -2%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
158 Points -8%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
147 Points -14%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (400 - 5663, n=246, last 2 years)
2988 Points +260%
Alienware 15 R4
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1083 Points +30%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
Intel Core i7-8750H
1008 Points +21%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
Intel Core i5-8300H
840 Points +1%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
Intel Core i5-8300H
830 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8300H
  (609 - 850, n=17)
793 Points -4%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
735 Points -11%
Dell G5 15 5587
Intel Core i5-8300H
735 Points -11%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
501 Points -40%
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
171 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
830 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
109.1 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help
0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450460470480490500510520530540550560570580590600610620630640650660670680690700710720730740750760770780790800810820830Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit

System Performance

Despite featuring an NVMe SSD, the Y530 can barely keep up with the rest of its NVMe-equipped brethren. We’ll discover in the next section that this is mostly due to the drive’s below-average speeds for its class, but before we get to that, have a quick look at our PCMark results below. In PCMark 10, the score of 4812 isn’t bad, but it’s slightly below the gaming class average and some 25% below the Alienware 15 R4’s 6008. Even the Dell G5 15 (and, to a lesser extent, the Razer Blade 15) fare better here, but in reality it’s rather difficult to notice the difference anyway. Barring some slowdowns during program/game installations, the device wasn’t really ever sluggish during our time with it, though (again) as we’ll see below, the true weakness is in the realm of writing rather than reading from the SSD.

PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
5541 Points +34%
Average of class Gaming
  (3570 - 6657, n=37, last 2 years)
5218 Points +26%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4650 Points +13%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
4331 Points +5%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
4257 Points +3%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
4193 Points +2%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
4129 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (3931 - 4253, n=4)
4106 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
4030 Points -2%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Gaming
  (4622 - 7085, n=36, last 2 years)
6071 Points +13%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5705 Points +6%
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
5632 Points +5%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
5369 Points
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
5339 Points -1%
Average Intel Core i5-8300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (5208 - 5369, n=4)
5322 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
5271 Points -2%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
5176 Points -4%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
4700 Points -12%
PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Gaming
  (4477 - 9852, n=206, last 2 years)
7540 Points +57%
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
6008 Points +25%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
5483 Points +14%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5184 Points +8%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
4812 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (4527 - 4812, n=3)
4682 Points -3%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
4542 Points -6%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
4479 Points -7%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
3700 Points -23%
Essentials
Average of class Gaming
  (7334 - 12334, n=205, last 2 years)
10673 Points +27%
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
9189 Points +9%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
8418 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (8085 - 8457, n=3)
8320 Points -1%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
8051 Points -4%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
7922 Points -6%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
7916 Points -6%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
6850 Points -19%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
5678 Points -33%
Productivity
Average of class Gaming
  (6282 - 11833, n=205, last 2 years)
9687 Points +34%
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
8586 Points +18%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7390 Points +2%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
7246 Points
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
6897 Points -5%
Average Intel Core i5-8300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (6385 - 7246, n=3)
6887 Points -5%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
6592 Points -9%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
6549 Points -10%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
5366 Points -26%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Gaming
  (5288 - 18475, n=205, last 2 years)
11338 Points +129%
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
7461 Points +50%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
6355 Points +28%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
5808 Points +17%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
5670 Points +14%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
4959 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (4665 - 4980, n=3)
4868 Points -2%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
4672 Points -6%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
4514 Points -9%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4129 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5369 points
PCMark 10 Score
4812 points
Help

Storage Devices

The Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G, a rather unconventional M.2 2242-sized drive, requires an adapter bracket to span the full length of the M.2 2280 slot. It’s also not a very impressive drive in context with its NVMe peers; it’s the slowest of the bunch, with especially poor write speeds. We recorded an AS SSD Score of 838, hampered by very poor sequential/4K-64 write speeds of 131.64 MB/s and 78.92 MB/s respectively. Read speeds are much better, though still below averages for an NVMe drive. Subjectively, the speed discrepancies are really only noticeable during write-heavy activities such as program and game installations—but the drive isn’t too difficult to swap out for a different SSD if the user decides to do so aftermarket anyway.

There is also a mechanical 1 TB 7200 RPM storage drive in our review unit—a Western Digital WD10SPZX—so there’s plenty of room for game downloads on board.

CrystalDiskMark (SSD)
CrystalDiskMark (SSD)
AS SSD
AS SSD
CrystalDiskMark (HDD)
CrystalDiskMark (HDD)
The internal storage drives
The internal storage drives
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Alienware 15 R4
Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
Dell G5 15 5587
SK hynix SC311 M.2
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN 80WK0042GE
Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW128HEGR
Average Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
 
AS SSD
-17%
550%
111%
16%
392%
138%
0%
Copy Game MB/s
465.9
882
130.9
892
197.3
122.3 ?(105.5 - 134.6, n=3)
Copy Program MB/s
117.2
370.7
95.7
317.5
127.3
122.6 ?(78 - 182.9, n=3)
Copy ISO MB/s
632
1452
146.6
1698
497.6
174.8 ?(108.2 - 273, n=3)
Score Total
838
750
-11%
4095
389%
1416
69%
557
-34%
3848
359%
1434
71%
656 ?(479 - 838, n=4)
-22%
Score Write
128
58
-55%
1955
1427%
435
240%
199
55%
1185
826%
368
188%
149 ?(86 - 200, n=4)
16%
Score Read
497
492
-1%
1407
183%
714
44%
240
-52%
1795
261%
746
50%
360 ?(286 - 497, n=4)
-28%
Access Time Write *
0.287
0.889
-210%
0.037
87%
0.053
82%
0.066
77%
0.03
90%
0.032
89%
0.27 ?(0.234 - 0.324, n=4)
6%
Access Time Read *
0.626
0.086
86%
0.05
92%
0.116
81%
0.128
80%
0.039
94%
0.07
89%
0.3803 ?(0.106 - 0.626, n=4)
39%
4K-64 Write
78.9
19.19
-76%
1664
2009%
310.5
294%
112.4
42%
932
1081%
158.6
101%
75.1 ?(31.4 - 98.2, n=4)
-5%
4K-64 Read
335.3
301.8
-10%
1177
251%
437.4
30%
164.1
-51%
1506
349%
463.2
38%
222 ?(168.6 - 335, n=4)
-34%
4K Write
35.74
5.12
-86%
99.2
178%
94.8
165%
62.2
74%
124.7
249%
127.9
258%
60.8 ?(35.7 - 90, n=4)
70%
4K Read
38.71
32.5
-16%
48.56
25%
32.87
-15%
24.44
-37%
51
32%
46.98
21%
30.3 ?(19.7 - 38.7, n=4)
-22%
Seq Write
131.6
340.3
159%
1917
1357%
300.4
128%
243.7
85%
1281
873%
814
519%
122.4 ?(115.4 - 131.6, n=4)
-7%
Seq Read
1231
1574
28%
1820
48%
2441
98%
511
-58%
2382
94%
2362
92%
1074 ?(979 - 1231, n=4)
-13%

* ... smaller is better

Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 1262 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 151.4 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 308 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 105.3 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 736 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 349 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 41.03 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 71.8 MB/s

GPU Performance

The GPU in our Legion Y530—the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB—has been evaluated dozens of times already at Notebookcheck. The Y530’s performance is roughly in line with the average scores we have in our database for this adapter, so there aren’t any major surprises to explore here. Scores of 7740 in 3DMark Fire Strike and 50387 in Cloud Gate are perfectly reasonable, however, and suggest a machine which can easily handle most games at medium (and some on high) settings. It’s worth noting that these scores are nearly identical to those we received from the GTX 1050 Ti-equipped Y520 from last year, which is what we’d expect to see here if temperatures are kept reliably in check.

Our Witcher 3 Ultra sustained performance analysis shows consistent frame rates (day/night cycles and other factors always provoke some anticipated dips) and temperatures.

3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark 11
3DMark 11
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Gaming
  (1029 - 72070, n=244, last 2 years)
39642 Points +300%
Alienware 15 R4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
23308 Points +135%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
18205 Points +84%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
14180 Points +43%
Dell G5 15 5587
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H
13871 Points +40%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H
9909 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (8304 - 10402, n=36)
9591 Points -3%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ
8345 Points -16%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
7790 Points -21%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Average of class Gaming
  (1251 - 26759, n=243, last 2 years)
19642 Points +167%
Alienware 15 R4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
10700 Points +45%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
8935 Points +21%
Dell G5 15 5587
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H
8788 Points +19%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (6104 - 9172, n=35)
7823 Points +6%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
7607 Points +3%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
7573 Points +3%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H
7363 Points
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ
5933 Points -19%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (15902 - 193851, n=155, last 2 years)
134902 Points +168%
Alienware 15 R4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
117493 Points +133%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
95118 Points +89%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
80748 Points +60%
Dell G5 15 5587
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H
79420 Points +58%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H
50387 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (43721 - 53978, n=37)
50013 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
39896 Points -21%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ
36528 Points -28%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (781 - 53059, n=248, last 2 years)
29013 Points +275%
Alienware 15 R4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
17675 Points +128%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
14394 Points +86%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H
11315 Points +46%
Dell G5 15 5587
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H
10970 Points +42%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (6792 - 8376, n=38)
7743 Points 0%
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H
7740 Points
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H
6216 Points -20%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ
5738 Points -26%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (46258 - 613731, n=20, last 2 years)
323443 Points
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
191265 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (71804 - 221173, n=18)
128005 Points
Dell G5 15 5587
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H
117579 Points
3DMark 11 Performance
9285 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
22978 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
6809 points
Help
01234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738Tooltip
The Witcher 3 ultra

Gaming Performance

Just as we’d expect, our game benchmarks reveal that the Y530 can handle most games at least at medium settings with smooth frame rates—though bumping it up to the native resolution in games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Metro: Last Light does see dips to rates quite a bit lower. Again, this is more of an entry-level gaming machine, so there are no surprises here.

BioShock Infinite
1280x720 Very Low Preset (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
238 fps
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
274.4 fps +15%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
88.6 fps -63%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
264 fps +11%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
239.4 fps +1%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (168.9 - 271, n=18)
231 fps -3%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
201 fps
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
226.1 fps +12%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
75.3 fps -63%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
233.1 fps +16%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
173.8 fps -14%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (154.1 - 217, n=20)
188.9 fps -6%
1366x768 High Preset (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
155 fps
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
211.6 fps +37%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
70.1 fps -55%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
213.3 fps +38%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
161.5 fps +4%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (147 - 195.4, n=21)
170.1 fps +10%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
61 fps
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
67.5 fps +11%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
109.8 fps +80%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
40.05 fps -34%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
107.5 fps +76%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
109.6 fps +80%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (61 - 97, n=23)
73.2 fps +20%
Metro: Last Light
1024x768 Low (DX10) AF:4x (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
115 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (113 - 115, n=2)
114 fps -1%
1366x768 Medium (DX10) AF:4x (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
108 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (106 - 108, n=2)
107 fps -1%
1366x768 High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
98 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (87 - 98, n=2)
92.5 fps -6%
1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
47 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (47 - 59, n=3)
51.7 fps +10%
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
37 fps
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
22.7 fps -39%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
37 fps 0%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
20.7 fps -44%
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
59.5 fps +61%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
34.9 (29min - 39max) fps -6%
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
50.2 fps +36%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (14 - 38, n=31)
26.4 fps -29%
Average of class Gaming
  (8.61 - 216, n=243, last 2 years)
114.3 fps +209%
Rise of the Tomb Raider
1024x768 Lowest Preset (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
88 fps
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
51.8 fps -41%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
160.9 (127min - 174max) fps +83%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (83.8 - 134.9, n=9)
112.3 fps +28%
Average of class Gaming
  (205 - 205, n=2, last 2 years)
205 fps +133%
1366x768 Medium Preset AF:2x (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
60 fps
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
73.2 fps +22%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
47.4 fps -21%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
128.1 (116min - 142max) fps +114%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (60 - 95, n=12)
77.2 fps +29%
Average of class Gaming
  (161 - 161.2, n=2, last 2 years)
161.1 fps +169%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
33 fps
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
40.6 fps +23%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
35.1 fps +6%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
72.7 (67min - 82max) fps +120%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (33 - 51.3, n=14)
44.3 fps +34%
Average of class Gaming
  (121 - 121.4, n=2, last 2 years)
121.2 fps +267%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
29 fps
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
33.2 fps +14%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
27.8 fps -4%
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
60.5 (53min - 68max) fps +109%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
  (27.8 - 40.7, n=16)
36.3 fps +25%
Average of class Gaming
  (95.9 - 95.9, n=2, last 2 years)
95.9 fps +231%
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 238 201 155 61
Metro: Last Light (2013) 115 108 98 47
The Witcher 3 (2015) 37
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 88 60 33 29

Stress Test

Full CPU stress sees the CPU at first managing a full 3.9 – 4.0 GHz before eventually settling down to 3.7 GHz, with temperatures stable at 94 – 95 °C. GPU stress using FurMark provokes clock rates of around 1450 – 1500 MHz with temperatures ebbing and flowing in the 60 – 67 °C range.

Combined CPU and GPU stress results in the machine predictably favoring GPU performance, which manages to remain stable at around 1733 MHz (with occasional drops) alongside GPU core temperatures of 67 – 68 °C. CPU, on the other hand, toggles wildly between 2.3 GHz and 3.8 GHz with temperatures in the 90 – 96 °C range.

Full CPU stress
Full CPU stress
Full GPU stress
Full GPU stress
Combined CPU + GPU stress
Combined CPU + GPU stress
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.7 - 94 -
FurMark Stress - 1440 - 67
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.0 1700 90 67
Witcher 3 Stress 3.8 1600 75 63

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise profile
Fan noise profile

While idling, the Y530 is basically silent—with only a very slight increase in noise—0.5 dB(A)—recorded on the high end. Under load, averages are still quite low—just 34.9 dB(A), which is a mere 6.9 dB(A) above ambient noise levels—though we did record a max value of 49.6 dB(A) while both fans were running at the highest RPM levels.

The two fans have been further separated...
The two fans have been further separated...
...leading to better cooling performance.
...leading to better cooling performance.

Noise Level

Idle
28 / 28 / 28.5 dB(A)
Load
34.9 / 49.6 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28 dB(A)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-8300H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8300H, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
Dell G5 15 5587
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-8300H, SK hynix SC311 M.2
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL
Noise
-4%
-9%
-3%
-26%
-7%
-12%
off / environment *
28
30.3
-8%
28.1
-0%
30.3
-8%
29
-4%
30.3
-8%
30
-7%
Idle Minimum *
28
30.3
-8%
28.1
-0%
31.3
-12%
32
-14%
31.1
-11%
31
-11%
Idle Average *
28
30.3
-8%
33
-18%
31.3
-12%
33
-18%
31.1
-11%
34
-21%
Idle Maximum *
28.5
30.3
-6%
33.5
-18%
31.3
-10%
50
-75%
34.2
-20%
35
-23%
Load Average *
34.9
37.1
-6%
42.2
-21%
32.8
6%
50
-43%
34.9
-0%
42
-20%
Witcher 3 ultra *
40
43.3
-8%
45.3
-13%
41.2
-3%
51
-28%
42.7
-7%
44
-10%
Load Maximum *
49.6
43
13%
45.7
8%
39
21%
51
-3%
44
11%
46
7%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Thermal profile, side (Witcher 3)
Thermal profile, side (Witcher 3)

The device also does a good job overall of managing temperatures, though idle values are a bit on the high side at 27.4 °C / 33.2 °C (against an environmental temperature of 20 °C). Under load, it remains cooler than most competitors (thanks in part to its lower-performance GPU, of course). We recorded averages of 31.9 °C / 35.9 °C on top/bottom (environment: 22 °C), with hot spots of 42.8 °C / 52 °C in the rear center of the unit. The upper left quadrant of the underside also heats up rather noticeably to 46 °C, but as usual, gaming with the unit resting on the lap is not recommended.

Cooling is helped by the fact that the dual fans are now larger than before and also more distant, allowing for more effective independent heat displacement for CPU and GPU. The large intake grate spanning nearly half of the bottom of the machine coupled with the spacious corner-mounted exhaust vents also provides for uninhibited airflow.

Max. Load
 35.2 °C
95 F
42.8 °C
109 F
31.6 °C
89 F
 
 29.8 °C
86 F
39.2 °C
103 F
32 °C
90 F
 
 23.6 °C
74 F
26.2 °C
79 F
27 °C
81 F
 
Maximum: 42.8 °C = 109 F
Average: 31.9 °C = 89 F
32.6 °C
91 F
52 °C
126 F
46 °C
115 F
28.4 °C
83 F
48.6 °C
119 F
27.8 °C
82 F
33.2 °C
92 F
27.8 °C
82 F
26.4 °C
80 F
Maximum: 52 °C = 126 F
Average: 35.9 °C = 97 F
Power Supply (max.)  52.8 °C = 127 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.9 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 42.8 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 52 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.4 °C / 81 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.9 °C / 88 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31 °C / 87.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-2.1 °C / -3.8 F).
Thermal profile, base unit (idle)
Thermal profile, base unit (idle)
Thermal profile, base unit (max load)
Thermal profile, base unit (max load)
Thermal profile, underside (idle)
Thermal profile, underside (idle)
Thermal profile, underside (max load)
Thermal profile, underside (max load)
Thermal profile, base unit (Witcher 3)
Thermal profile, base unit (Witcher 3)
Thermal profile, underside (Witcher 3)
Thermal profile, underside (Witcher 3)

Speakers

The Y530’s two front bottom-mounted speakers are reasonably loud with average linearity and balanced highs and mids, but they’re hamstrung by a conspicuous lack of bass (not surprising given the absence of a subwoofer). We noticed a bit of distortion and minor case reverberation at max volume levels, but it was relatively minor. Overall, the results aren’t bad, and for most purposes it will suffice. Headphones are (naturally) always a superior option.

A view from the outside...
A view from the outside...
...and inside.
...and inside.
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2039.339.239.32536.338.436.33134.134.734.14034.333.234.35034.333.234.36335.232.135.28032.23132.210031.429.831.412532.228.832.216044.228.144.220055.427.955.425061.926.761.931562.426.962.440062.126.162.15006025.46063059.124.759.180062.724.762.7100058.624.758.6125061.52461.5160064.923.764.920006223.762250059.123.459.1315058.823.558.840005623.256500054.823.254.8630063.723.163.7800070.42370.41000066.82366.81250063.622.963.6160006822.868SPL75.13675.1N36.12.636.1median 61.5median 24median 61.5Delta4.41.14.438.833.738.841.234.141.242.635.742.64230.54244.437.644.446.328.746.346.426.246.447.32647.348.326.748.35024.85052.223.652.255.123.255.159.222.659.261.922.761.965.42065.472.119.372.173.718.773.769.118.169.169.61869.672.617.972.671.21871.27217.97272.518.272.562.918.562.960.518.660.561.518.761.564.818.964.861.31961.363.919.163.959.519.459.581.73181.7491.449median 62.9median 19median 62.9828hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo Legion Y530-15ICHDell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (75.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 14% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.8% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (10% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 59% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 32% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 38% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 54% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (73 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 10.9% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (4.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.8% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 36% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 57% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 24% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 71% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Power consumption, Prime95
Power consumption, Prime95

Absolutely nothing surprising arises from our power consumption measurements; the Y530 sits just in between units equipped with a GTX 1050 and GTX 1060, and requires somewhat more power than the RX 560-equipped Legion Y520 configuration. The included AC adapter provides 135 W.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.35 / 0.46 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.5 / 10 / 13.8 Watt
Load midlight 92.5 / 123.2 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
i5-8300H, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
i5-8300H, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11, LED IGZO IPS InfinityEdge, 1920x1080, 15.60
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
i5-7300HQ, Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Alienware 15 R4
i9-8950HK, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell G5 15 5587
i5-8300H, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, SK hynix SC311 M.2, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, Samsung SM961 MZVPW256HEGL, TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Power Consumption
29%
-63%
17%
-143%
4%
-53%
Idle Minimum *
4.5
2.9
36%
14.9
-231%
4.7
-4%
23
-411%
4.9
-9%
12
-167%
Idle Average *
10
5.8
42%
17.5
-75%
7.8
22%
26
-160%
8.5
15%
16
-60%
Idle Maximum *
13.8
7.5
46%
19.2
-39%
8.4
39%
30
-117%
9.1
34%
21
-52%
Load Average *
92.5
77.5
16%
103.2
-12%
76.5
17%
111
-20%
90.7
2%
85
8%
Witcher 3 ultra *
108.1
84
22%
123.1
-14%
93
14%
182
-68%
110
-2%
128
-18%
Load Maximum *
123.2
107
13%
132.7
-8%
106
14%
222
-80%
144
-17%
162
-31%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The 52.5 Wh battery provides only brief runtimes while unplugged.
The 52.5 Wh battery provides only brief runtimes while unplugged.

The 52.5 Wh internal battery in the Y530 provided just 4 hours and 5 minutes of life in our standardized web surfing battery test. This is among the lowest of any of the candidates in today’s comparison field, with only the MSI GS63V (also with a 52 Wh battery) doing worse. The older Y520 equipped with the weaker AMD Radeon RX 560 GPU does manage to last quite a bit longer, but obviously at the sacrifice of graphical capability.

Battery life is of minimal importance on a gaming PC at any rate; 4 hours should be plenty to move around the house from room to room or to commute to and from destinations where the actual gaming presumably will take place.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
4h 05min
Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH
i5-8300H, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 52.5 Wh
Dell XPS 15 2018 i5 FHD 97Wh
i5-8300H, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, 97 Wh
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, 80 Wh
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBA-80WY001VGE
i5-7300HQ, Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), 45 Wh
Alienware 15 R4
i9-8950HK, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 99 Wh
Dell G5 15 5587
i5-8300H, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, 56 Wh
MSI GS63VR 7RG-005
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, 52.4 Wh
Battery Runtime
284%
64%
36%
24%
60%
-5%
WiFi v1.3
245
942
284%
402
64%
333
36%
304
24%
391
60%
232
-5%
Witcher 3 ultra
62

Pros

+ stable CPU and GPU operation under load
+ great CPU performance
+ GPU capable of playing most modern games at medium settings
+ unobtrusive noise levels
+ reasonable load temperatures
+ affordably priced

Cons

- mediocre display with poor, washed-out color
- M.2 2242 NVMe SSD among the slowest around
- small touchpad with loud buttons
- no card reader
- disassembly is a bit nerve-wracking

Verdict

In review: Lenovo Legion Y530. Test model provided by Lenovo US
In review: Lenovo Legion Y530. Test model provided by Lenovo US

The Lenovo Legion Y530 is a terrific starting point for consumers in search of a basic gaming laptop that addresses most of the fundamentals without splurging on pomp and luxury. It doubles down on the philosophy of last year’s Y520 by removing the last remnants of any sort of flashy colorful accents and replacing them with a much more professional (or, at least, subdued) white-on-black palette. Although it’s equipped with a relatively low-end GPU (the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti) and “merely” a Core i5-8300H quad-core CPU, performance is uncommonly steady and temperatures (along with, pleasingly, noise levels) never really get out of hand. It can thus easily handle most games at medium settings, and some on high at native resolution.

The Lenovo Legion Y530 is a terrific starting point for consumers in search of a basic gaming laptop that addresses most of the fundamentals without splurging on pomp and luxury.

Speaking of which, the display is the first item on our list of complaints. It offers no real benefits over the previous Y520 panel, with slightly better brightness but lower contrast and the same pitiful washed-out color reproduction. Apart from this, the Toshiba M.2 2242 NVMe SSD offers write speeds which pale in comparison to even many SATA drives, and although this configuration includes dual storage (with a 1 TB 7200 RPM HDD also installed), aftermarket maintenance and upgrades are rendered unnecessarily challenging via a somewhat finicky bottom panel that feels as though it might break if the user is not extremely careful while disengaging the numerous perimeter clips. The plastic construction overall does seem appropriately stable, but it’s unquestionably lower-grade than the sort of thing you’ll find in category leaders, not to mention the ultra-premium Dell XPS 15 and Razer Blade 15.

Those with deeper pockets might also consider those two alternatives as well, though they both come with their own unique limitations: the XPS is quite expensive, and the Razer Blade struggles to maintain turbo frequencies and runs rather hot (among other things).  But compromise is the name of the game when it comes to purchasing just about any laptop, especially portable gaming machines. And it just so happens that, provided users can overlook the disappointing display, the Y530’s assortment of strengths emphasizes those traits which are most appealing to anyone either interested in a first-time gaming laptop purchase, or perhaps just a reasonably-capable gaming machine that doesn’t look like a gaming machine.

Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH - 11/30/2018 v6(old)
Steve Schardein

Chassis
80 / 98 → 82%
Keyboard
85%
Pointing Device
89%
Connectivity
54 / 81 → 67%
Weight
61 / 10-66 → 91%
Battery
76%
Display
83%
Games Performance
89%
Application Performance
95%
Temperature
87 / 95 → 92%
Noise
88 / 90 → 98%
Audio
70%
Camera
50 / 85 → 59%
Average
78%
84%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

Read all 14 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo Legion Y530 (Core i5-8300H, GTX 1050 Ti) Laptop Review
Steve Schardein, 2018-07-30 (Update: 2019-03- 9)