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Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH (i7-8750H, RTX 2080 Max-Q) Laptop Review

Cheapest laptop with RTX 2080 graphics. A mid-range laptop equipped with a high-end GPU. The Lenovo Legion Y740 is just as powerful as some of the popular heavy hitters in the enthusiast gaming notebook market even if it doesn't quite look or feel the part.

When we reviewed the 17.3-inch Legion Y730-17ICH late last year, we were baffled as to why Lenovo was not offering any GPU options higher than the GTX 1050 Ti. Both Core temperature and fan noise were relatively low especially for a gaming laptop to suggest that the chassis was capable of housing faster and more demanding GPUs. Fast forward to CES 2019 and now we know why Lenovo was holding back on additional GTX GPUs—it was preparing for GeForce RTX Legion SKUs all along.

Called the Legion Y740, the system sports RTX graphics compared to the GTX-powered Legion Y730 series. The Y740 is otherwise visually identical to the Legion Y730 and so both models carry the same keyboard, connectivity options, and physical features. We recommend checking out our existing review on the Legion Y730-17ICH for more details on the chassis since many of our comments still apply here for the Legion Y740.

Note that the Legion Y740 series comes in 15.6-inch (Y740-15ICH) and 17.3-inch (Y740-17ICH) SKUs just like on the Legion Y730 series. We will be checking out the 15.6-inch version at a later date.

The unit we have today sports a 17.3-inch 144 Hz IPS display, Core i7-8750H CPU, and a GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU for around $2400 USD. This is surprisingly inexpensive considering the specifications as many competing RTX 2080 laptops like the Acer Predator Triton 500, MSI GS75, Asus ROG GL704, or Razer Blade 15 can retail for $3000 or more. Did Lenovo cut any corners on its RTX offering?

More Lenovo Legion reviews:

Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH (Legion Y740-17 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-8750H 6 x 2.2 - 4.1 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 735 MHz, Memory: 1500 MHz, GDDR6, 417.38
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-2666, 19-19-19-43, Dual-Channel
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 127 PPI, AU Optronics B173HAN03.2, IPS, AUO329D, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Cannon Lake HM370
Storage
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ, 256 GB 
, Secondary: 1 TB Seagate ST1000LM049
Connections
1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW) (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 23 x 412.6 x 304.9 ( = 0.91 x 16.24 x 12 in)
Battery
76 Wh, 4840 mAh Lithium-Polymer, 4-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Additional features
Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Lenovo Vantage, Lenovo Utility, McAfee LiveSafe, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.8 kg ( = 98.77 oz / 6.17 pounds), Power Supply: 986 g ( = 34.78 oz / 2.17 pounds)
Price
2300 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The chassis remains identical to the Legion Y730-17ICH including all the customizeable rear LED lights. Surfaces feel thinner and more flexible than many competing 17-inch gaming laptops including the Asus ROG GL704, Razer Blade Pro, MSI GE75, and Alienware m17. Additionally, the system is lacking the narrow bezels of the 15.6-inch Legion Y740-15ICH and its lid tends to teeter more when adjusting the angle. Thus, chassis rigidity is the weakest aspect of the Y740-17ICH when compared to the competition.

The Lenovo laptop has the notable trait of being relatively thin but with a large footprint. For example, the system is over 30 mm longer and 10 mm wider than the competing Asus ROG GL704 and yet it is 3 mm thinner. The elongated rear and thick bezel design are responsible for the large chassis.

Interestingly, Lenovo is listing the Y740 a hair thicker than the Y730 (23 mm vs. 21.95 mm). This could just be a result from the conversion between inches and SI.

Lid can open up to 180 degrees
Lid can open up to 180 degrees
Exact same matte aluminum chassis as the Legion Y730-17ICH
Exact same matte aluminum chassis as the Legion Y730-17ICH
Hinges could have been firmer to reduce teetering
Hinges could have been firmer to reduce teetering
Protruding rear is responsible for the larger footprint of the chassis
Protruding rear is responsible for the larger footprint of the chassis
A significant portion of the rear is dedicated to airflow
A significant portion of the rear is dedicated to airflow
Smooth unicolor design is meant to appeal to both gamers and business users
Smooth unicolor design is meant to appeal to both gamers and business users
425 mm / 16.7 inch 327 mm / 12.9 inch 36.3 mm / 1.429 inch 4.9 kg10.7 lbs424 mm / 16.7 inch 332 mm / 13.1 inch 30 mm / 1.181 inch 4.4 kg9.74 lbs424 mm / 16.7 inch 281 mm / 11.1 inch 22.5 mm / 0.886 inch 3.6 kg7.94 lbs412.6 mm / 16.2 inch 304.9 mm / 12 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 2.8 kg6.17 lbs399 mm / 15.7 inch 273 mm / 10.7 inch 26.4 mm / 1.039 inch 2.9 kg6.37 lbs397 mm / 15.6 inch 269 mm / 10.6 inch 27.5 mm / 1.083 inch 2.6 kg5.83 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Port positioning will be unusual to many gamers. Whereas other gaming laptops typically have most or all of their ports along the left and right edges, the Legion Y740 has most of its ports along the rear instead. There are certainly pros and cons to this approach that gamers will either love or hate. In our opinion, having to reach around the rear of the laptop whenever we need to access commonly used ports can become bothersome.

The system still lacks an integrated SD reader. Thankfully, both Thunderbolt 3 and mini-DisplayPort are present.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: Lenovo reset button, USB 3.0
Right: Lenovo reset button, USB 3.0
Rear: DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, 2x USB 3.1 Gen. 1, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter, Kensington Lock
Rear: DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, 2x USB 3.1 Gen. 1, Gigabit Ethernet, AC adapter, Kensington Lock
Left: 3.5 mm combo audio, Thunderbolt 3
Left: 3.5 mm combo audio, Thunderbolt 3

Communication

Removable Killer 1550i WLAN module sits adjacent to the M.2 2280 SSD
Removable Killer 1550i WLAN module sits adjacent to the M.2 2280 SSD

WLAN and Bluetooth 5 are provided by a Killer 1550i which is an upgrade from the RealTek RTL8822BE on last year's Legion Y730. Users with Killer WiFi benefit from gaming-specific features and controls.

Theoretical transfer rates (1.73 Gbps) are faster than what we've recorded below since our server setup is limited by a 1 Gbps line.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
683 MBit/s +13%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
605 MBit/s
Alienware 17 R5
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1435 Wireless Network Adapter
553 MBit/s -9%
Razer Blade Pro 2017
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
528 MBit/s -13%
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
356 MBit/s -41%
iperf3 receive AX12
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
674 MBit/s +13%
Razer Blade Pro 2017
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
671 MBit/s +12%
Alienware 17 R5
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1435 Wireless Network Adapter
668 MBit/s +12%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
599 MBit/s
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
598 MBit/s 0%

Accessories

There are no extras in the box for a barebones unboxing experience.

Maintenance

Serviceability is identical to last year's Legion Y730. We can notice no obvious changes to the motherboard layout between the two generations aside from the additional cooling over the chipset adjacent to the covered RAM slots.

Legion Y740-17ICH
Legion Y740-17ICH
Legion Y730-17ICH
Legion Y730-17ICH

Warranty

The standard one-year limited warranty applies. Lenovo offers a wide range of optional extensions including accidental damage protection and onsite support for up to three years.

Input Devices

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard and trackpad are identical to the Y730 and so all our existing comments still apply here. In summary, we find key feedback to be too weak and travel too short especially for a gaming laptop. The keyboards of the Gigabyte Aero 15, MSI GS65, and Alienware 17 feel stronger and firmer. On the bright side, clatter is quiet, the directional keys are large, and the numpad is an uncommon feature for its category.

The trackpad is relatively small but accurate nonetheless with no cursor jumping. Responsiveness is very smooth because of the native 144 Hz refresh rate.

Per-key RGB lighting returns
Per-key RGB lighting returns
The shallow and light key travel may take some getting used to
The shallow and light key travel may take some getting used to

Display

Lenovo has upgraded the 60 Hz 1080p IPS panel on the Legion Y730 to the 144 Hz 1080p IPS panel we have here. Both contrast ratio and response times have improved significantly while other characteristics like brightness and color coverage remain largely the same. The high quality AU Optronics B173HAN03.2 panel is common on enthusiast gaming laptops including the Asus ROG G703GI. Note that Lenovo is not offering any 4K UHD or touchscreen options for its Y740 series as of this writing.

We can notice some minor graininess on the matte panel that would otherwise be absent on a glossy panel. It's not severe enough to be distracting, but it's present nonetheless. Heavy backlight bleeding is present along the edges of our test unit that's even worse than what we saw on the Legion Y730. We're hopeful that this is not a widespread issue.

No edge-to-edge glass option. Thicker top bezel for the webcam
No edge-to-edge glass option. Thicker top bezel for the webcam
Thick display bezels can be an eyesore
Thick display bezels can be an eyesore
Heavy uneven backlight bleeding
Heavy uneven backlight bleeding
Matte subpixel array (127 PPI)
Matte subpixel array (127 PPI)
274.9
cd/m²
298.6
cd/m²
286.7
cd/m²
272.1
cd/m²
299.1
cd/m²
284
cd/m²
246.1
cd/m²
253.2
cd/m²
243.7
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B173HAN03.2 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 299.1 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 273.2 cd/m² Minimum: 0.06 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 299.1 cd/m²
Contrast: 1108:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.07 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 3.31
ΔE Greyscale 6.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
89.9% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
58.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
64.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
90.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.46
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
AU Optronics B173HAN03.2, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
B173HAN04.0 (AUO409D), AHVA, 17.30, 1920x1080
Razer Blade Pro 2017
Sharp LQ173D1JW33 (SHP145A), IGZO, 17.30, 3840x2160
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
CMN N173HCE-G33 (CMN175C), AHVA, 17.30, 1920x1080
Alienware 17 R5
JYWWF_B173QTN (AUO1496), TN, 17.30, 2560x1440
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
LP173WF4-SPF6, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080
Display
-3%
35%
-2%
-3%
-2%
Display P3 Coverage
64
62.9
-2%
88.9
39%
60.6
-5%
63.4
-1%
66.4
4%
sRGB Coverage
90.4
87.1
-4%
100
11%
91.2
1%
86.1
-5%
84.9
-6%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
64.8
63.7
-2%
99.7
54%
62.6
-3%
62.9
-3%
62.1
-4%
Response Times
-1%
-245%
39%
10%
-112%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
15.6 ?(8, 7.6)
17.6 ?(8.4, 9.2)
-13%
60.8 ?(28.8, 32)
-290%
8 ?(4, 4)
49%
20.8 ?(11.6, 9.2)
-33%
36.8 ?(18.8, 18)
-136%
Response Time Black / White *
12.8 ?(7.6, 5.2)
11.2 ?(6.8, 4.4)
12%
38.4 ?(22, 16.4)
-200%
9.2 ?(4.8, 4.4)
28%
6 ?(4, 2)
53%
24 ?(14, 10)
-88%
PWM Frequency
204.9 ?(20)
26040 ?(17)
Screen
19%
7%
24%
-1%
-8%
Brightness middle
299.1
295
-1%
230
-23%
363
21%
398
33%
328.7
10%
Brightness
273
291
7%
207
-24%
342
25%
367
34%
318
16%
Brightness Distribution
81
96
19%
83
2%
86
6%
86
6%
91
12%
Black Level *
0.27
0.24
11%
0.2
26%
0.27
-0%
0.51
-89%
0.51
-89%
Contrast
1108
1229
11%
1150
4%
1344
21%
780
-30%
645
-42%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.07
3.2
37%
5.62
-11%
2.29
55%
5.45
-7%
4.91
3%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
10.55
6.64
37%
10.24
3%
4.54
57%
10.36
2%
10.15
4%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
3.31
2.52
24%
2.45
26%
2.56
23%
4.27
-29%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
6.8
2.16
68%
4.54
33%
3.02
56%
5.4
21%
3.9
43%
Gamma
2.46 89%
2.46 89%
2.36 93%
2.38 92%
2.4 92%
2.13 103%
CCT
7805 83%
6872 95%
6625 98%
7048 92%
7453 87%
6911 94%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
58.5
57
-3%
88
50%
58
-1%
56
-4%
55.6
-5%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
89.9
87
-3%
100
11%
91
1%
86
-4%
84.7
-6%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
5% / 12%
-68% / -21%
20% / 21%
2% / -0%
-41% / -20%

* ... smaller is better

Color space covers approximately 59 percent and 90 percent of AdobeRGB and sRGB standards, respectively. This is narrower than the Sharp IGZO display of the Razer Blade Pro but with significantly less ghosting when playing fast-paced games.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB

Further measurements with an X-Rite colorimeter reveal inaccurate colors and an overly cool color temperature out of the box. Our calibration directly addresses these shortcomings for a noticeably better picture. Average grayscale DeltaE in particular drops dramatically from 6.8 to 1.9. We recommend an end-user calibration if possible to get the most out of the display.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after 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
12.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7.6 ms rise
↘ 5.2 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 28 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
15.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 8 ms rise
↘ 7.6 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 24 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better 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.

The 300-nit backlight is average for a 17-inch gaming laptop and so outdoor visibility is unimpressive. The heavier Alienware 17 R5 has a 33 percent display if outdoor visibility is priority. Even so, these large gaming laptops are not designed to be away from AC outlets for very long.

Viewing angles are excellent as expected from an IPS panel. Viewing from extreme and unrealistic angles will impact both contrast and brightness slightly.

Outdoors on cloudy day
Outdoors on cloudy day
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors on cloudy day
Outdoors on cloudy day
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

The Legion Y740 can be configured with an RTX 2060, 2070 Max-Q, or 2080 Max-Q in contrast to the GTX options on the Y730 series. Lenovo says future SKUs are ready to support the next generation of Core ix CPUs following Coffee Lake-H whenever Intel is ready to announce it.

Interestingly, the Core i7-8750H CPU comes standard on all current SKUs with no Core i5-8300H option in sight.

Another important difference between the Y730 and Y740 is the lack of Optimus graphics switching on the latter. Lenovo decided to include G-Sync this time instead which we find to be more appropriate for the target hardcore gamer.

 

Processor

CineBench R15
CineBench R15

CineBench R15 Multi-Thread results are 11 percent higher than the average Core i7-8750H in our database taken from 70 other laptops. This suggests excellent Turbo Boost performance when under high load much like what we discovered on the Legion Y730. CPU performance is even better than the stock Core i9-8950HK found on the XPS 15 9570.

We can measure performance sustainability by running CineBench R15 in a loop as shown below. The initial high score of 1233 points drops to 1139 points by the second loop to represent a performance dip of only 7.6 percent. Results are consistently faster than the same CPU as found on the Gigabyte Aero 15X and Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX.

See our dedicated page on the Core i7-8750H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

065130195260325390455520585650715780845910975104011051170Tooltip
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1139 (1122.59-1232.82)
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1187 (1126.76-1226.54)
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø922 (913.2-999)
Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1112 (1090.93-1218.55)
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1095 (1087.31-1156.25)
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i7-9700K, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-9700K
208 Points +25%
Dell XPS 15 9570 Core i9 UHD
Intel Core i9-8950HK
190 Points +14%
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
Intel Core i7-8750H
173 Points +4%
Alienware m15 GTX 1070 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-8750H
172 Points +3%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H
  (163 - 177, n=86)
172 Points +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS5DU00
Intel Core i7-8550U
167 Points 0%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
Intel Core i7-8750H
167 Points
Lenovo Legion Y730-15ICH i5-8300H
Intel Core i5-8300H
166 Points -1%
Lenovo Ideapad 720S-15IKB 81AC001AGE
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
161 Points -4%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
150 Points -10%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Intel Core i7-9700K, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-9700K
1433 Points +16%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
Intel Core i7-8750H
1233 Points
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
Intel Core i7-8750H
1230 Points 0%
Dell XPS 15 9570 Core i9 UHD
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1230 Points 0%
Alienware m15 GTX 1070 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-8750H
1218 Points -1%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H
  (863 - 1251, n=93)
1113 Points -10%
Lenovo Legion Y730-15ICH i5-8300H
Intel Core i5-8300H
821 Points -33%
Lenovo Ideapad 720S-15IKB 81AC001AGE
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
683 Points -45%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
661 Points -46%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS5DU00
Intel Core i7-8550U
653 Points -47%
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
167 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1233 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
120 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help

System Performance

PCMark ranks our Legion Y740 just a few percentage points ahead of last year's Y730 with the exception of the Digital Content Creation test where the Y740 scores significantly higher. This particular benchmark favors PCs with high performance GPUs like our RTX 2080 Max-Q. We experienced no software or hardware issues during our time with the test unit.

PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 10
Score
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
6053 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
5816 Points -4%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (5492 - 6053, n=6)
5721 Points -5%
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
5555 Points -8%
Alienware 17 R5
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, SK hynix PC401 HFS256GD9TNG
5443 Points -10%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5416 Points -11%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
5353 Points -12%
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5290 Points -13%
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
4982 Points -18%
Essentials
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
9607 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (9042 - 9607, n=6)
9316 Points -3%
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
8989 Points -6%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
8968 Points -7%
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
8780 Points -9%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
8600 Points -10%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
8517 Points -11%
Alienware 17 R5
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, SK hynix PC401 HFS256GD9TNG
8462 Points -12%
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
7646 Points -20%
Productivity
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
7759 Points +5%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7547 Points +2%
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
7513 Points +2%
Alienware 17 R5
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, SK hynix PC401 HFS256GD9TNG
7410 Points 0%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
7397 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (7236 - 7487, n=6)
7395 Points 0%
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
7331 Points -1%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
7315 Points -1%
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
7057 Points -5%
Digital Content Creation
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
8470 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
7697 Points -9%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (6690 - 8470, n=6)
7394 Points -13%
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
7227 Points -15%
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
6992 Points -17%
Alienware 17 R5
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, SK hynix PC401 HFS256GD9TNG
6980 Points -18%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
6708 Points -21%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
6618 Points -22%
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
5290 Points -38%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5221 Points +2%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5107 Points
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
4918 Points -4%
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
4861 Points -5%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (3979 - 5107, n=3)
4454 Points -13%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
4338 Points -15%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4150 Points -19%
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
4148 Points -19%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5882 Points
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
5663 Points -4%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
5645 Points -4%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5607 Points -5%
Average Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (5289 - 5882, n=3)
5596 Points -5%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
5574 Points -5%
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5450 Points -7%
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
5340 Points -9%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
5107 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5882 points
PCMark 10 Score
6053 points
Help

Storage Devices

Two internal storage bays are available (1x M.2 2280 + 1x 2.5-inch SATA III). Our specific test unit is equipped with a 256 GB Samsung PM981 NVMe SSD and a secondary 1 TB Seagate ST1000LM049. The SSD in particular is a huge upgrade from the Toshiba in our Legion Y730.

AS SSD returns an unusually slow sequential read rate of 1152.78 MB/s whereas the Lenovo Ideapad 730S equipped with the exact same SSD returns a sequential read rate of 2323.41 MB/s. Meanwhile, CrystalDiskMark 5.5 shows a read rate of 2089 MB/s. We're unsure why this is, but we otherwise didn't experience any drive issues during our time with the test unit.

Competing 17-inch gaming laptops like the Alienware 15 or Asus ROG G703 have more internal storage options than the Legion Y740.

See our table of SSDs and HDDs for more benchmark comparisons.

Lenovo "anti-tamper" tape over the M.2 SSD. Removing the pre-installed drive may affect your manufacturer warranty
Lenovo "anti-tamper" tape over the M.2 SSD. Removing the pre-installed drive may affect your manufacturer warranty
2.5-inch SATA III bay sits directly underneath the right palm rest
2.5-inch SATA III bay sits directly underneath the right palm rest
CDM 5.5 (Primary SSD)
CDM 5.5 (Primary SSD)
CDM 5.5 (Secondary HDD)
CDM 5.5 (Secondary HDD)
AS SSD
AS SSD
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
Razer Blade Pro 2017
2x Samsung SSD PM951 MZVLV256HCHP (RAID 0)
Alienware 17 R5
SK hynix PC401 HFS256GD9TNG
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
AS SSD
-21%
11%
-29%
13%
Seq Read
1153
1315
14%
2599
125%
2203
91%
2352
104%
Seq Write
1328
927
-30%
588
-56%
559
-58%
1145
-14%
4K Read
35.05
52.4
50%
37.57
7%
38.74
11%
44.81
28%
4K Write
96
122.8
28%
104.4
9%
92.7
-3%
116.2
21%
4K-64 Read
727
326.5
-55%
1116
54%
447.2
-38%
967
33%
4K-64 Write
1212
727
-40%
513
-58%
279.1
-77%
798
-34%
Access Time Read *
0.063
0.11
-75%
0.051
19%
0.091
-44%
0.05
21%
Access Time Write *
0.04
0.045
-13%
0.036
10%
0.065
-63%
0.032
20%
Score Read
878
510
-42%
1414
61%
706
-20%
1248
42%
Score Write
1441
942
-35%
676
-53%
428
-70%
1029
-29%
Score Total
2784
1715
-38%
2715
-2%
1424
-49%
2862
3%
Copy ISO MB/s
1487
1834
23%
Copy Program MB/s
608
492.1
-19%
Copy Game MB/s
1162
983
-15%

* ... smaller is better

Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3471 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1380 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 445.5 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 380 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 2089 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 1385 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 40.81 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 99.8 MB/s

GPU Performance

3DMark benchmarks rank our RTX 2080 Max-Q about 9 percent behind the last generation GTX 1080 and just 5 to 10 percent ahead of the RTX 2070 Max-Q. Due to the wide TDP range of the mobile RTX 2080 family, however, some laptops with the same RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU may perform even faster than our Lenovo. The Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX, for example, scores about 15 to 20 percent higher than our Lenovo.

Performance is slower than a standard mobile RTX 2080 by about 30 percent. In comparison, the GTX 1080 Max-Q is just 10 percent behind the standard mobile GTX 1080. It's a bit disappointing to see an even wider performance deficit for this latest generation of Max-Q GPUs.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
Port Royal
Port Royal
Time Spy
Time Spy
3DMark DLSS (1920 x 1080)
3DMark DLSS (1920 x 1080)
3DMark DLSS (2560 x 1440)
3DMark DLSS (2560 x 1440)
3DMark DLSS (4K UHD)
3DMark DLSS (4K UHD)
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Asus ROG G703GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
26223 Points +42%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
25203 Points +36%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (18048 - 23032, n=19)
20658 Points +12%
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
20307 Points +10%
MSI GS75 8SG Stealth
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
19875 Points +7%
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H
19236 Points +4%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
18520 Points
Alienware 17 R5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H
17792 Points -4%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
17598 Points -5%
Alienware m15 GTX 1070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
16010 Points -14%
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
7860 Points -58%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R7 2700U
6262 Points -66%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Asus ROG G703GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
10364 Points +44%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
9816 Points +36%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (6464 - 8844, n=19)
7903 Points +10%
MSI GS75 8SG Stealth
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
7587 Points +5%
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H
7431 Points +3%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
7202 Points
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
6606 Points -8%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
6562 Points -9%
Alienware 17 R5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H
5689 Points -21%
2560x1440 Port Royal Graphics
Asus ROG G703GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
5649 Points +41%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (3698 - 5295, n=19)
4531 Points +13%
MSI GS75 8SG Stealth
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
4193 Points +5%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
4009 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
3557 Points -11%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Asus ROG G703GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
36478 Points +42%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
33741 Points +31%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (23386 - 30910, n=20)
27852 Points +8%
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
27109 Points +5%
MSI GS75 8SG Stealth
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
26449 Points +3%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
25765 Points
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H
24172 Points -6%
Alienware 17 R5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H
23414 Points -9%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
22089 Points -14%
Alienware m15 GTX 1070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
20573 Points -20%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R7 2700U
8451 Points -67%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Asus ROG G703GX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
11888 Points +2%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (9212 - 14894, n=20)
11726 Points 0%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
11670 Points
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H
11597 Points -1%
Alienware m15 GTX 1070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
11407 Points -2%
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H
11339 Points -3%
Alienware 17 R5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H
11288 Points -3%
MSI GS75 8SG Stealth
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
10893 Points -7%
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
10020 Points -14%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
9349 Points -20%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R7 2700U
5792 Points -50%
3DMark 11 Performance
20177 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
37537 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
16302 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
8104 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
7153 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Real-world gaming performance is most similar to the the mobile RTX 2070. It's possible to reach a stable 144 FPS at 1080p to take advantage of the native 144 Hz refresh rate with most settings turned to Medium.

Running Witcher 3 results in stable frame rates throughout with no interrupting dips or performance throttling.

See our dedicated page on the GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q for more gaming benchmarks and our review on mobile Turing for more technical information.

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Asus ROG G703GX
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile
99.7 fps +36%
MSI GS75 8SG Stealth
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
75.4 (62min) fps +3%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
73.1 fps
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
71.8 fps -2%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
68.9 fps -6%
HP Omen X 17-ap0xx
Intel Core i7-7820HK, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
65 fps -11%
Alienware 17 R5
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
60.8 fps -17%
Alienware m15 GTX 1070 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
54.2 fps -26%
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
26 fps -64%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
20.6 fps -72%
051015202530354045505560657075Tooltip
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ: Ø69.7 (63-76)
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 316.8 283.4 239.6 161.5
The Witcher 3 (2015) 305.4 222.4 144.2 73.1
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 253.4 182.8 138.8 109

Emissions

System Noise

We were anticipating the Legion Y740 to run louder than the Legion Y730-17ICH since the RTX 2080 Max-Q is much more powerful than the GTX 1050 Ti. To our surprise, however, fan noise is almost identical. Fan noise is in the low-to-mid 40 dB(A) range when running Witcher 3 compared to over 50 dB(A) on enthusiast gaming laptops like the Alienware 17 or MSI GE75.

The fans are almost always active even during low processing loads, but they thankfully remain relatively quiet with no sudden or acute changes to RPM. System noise will never be truly silent if a secondary HDD is installed much like what we have here.

We can notice no coil whine on our test unit.

Twin ~50 mm fans
Twin ~50 mm fans
Only three heat pipes, but each are quite long
Only three heat pipes, but each are quite long
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8
Razer Blade Pro 2017
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK, 2x Samsung SSD PM951 MZVLV256HCHP (RAID 0)
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ
Alienware 17 R5
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, SK hynix PC401 HFS256GD9TNG
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
Noise
-14%
-13%
-18%
-12%
3%
off / environment *
28.3
29
-2%
30
-6%
30
-6%
30
-6%
28
1%
Idle Minimum *
31.5
29
8%
30
5%
30
5%
32
-2%
28
11%
Idle Average *
31.6
32
-1%
31
2%
34
-8%
33
-4%
28
11%
Idle Maximum *
31.6
40
-27%
33
-4%
37
-17%
34
-8%
31.3
1%
Load Average *
32.3
46
-42%
43
-33%
52
-61%
43
-33%
33.4
-3%
Witcher 3 ultra *
43
51
-19%
55
-28%
53
-23%
51
-19%
42.8
-0%
Load Maximum *
45.5
52
-14%
58
-27%
54
-19%
51
-12%
46.2
-2%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
31.5 / 31.6 / 31.6 dB(A)
HDD
31.6 dB(A)
Load
32.3 / 45.5 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.3 dB(A)

Temperature

Four sets of exhaust grilles
Four sets of exhaust grilles

Surface temperatures were relatively cool on the last generation Legion Y730 and this remains true for the Legion Y740. When gaming, the keyboard hotspot is only 33 C to 36 C compared to 40 C on the Asus ROG G703GX equipped with the full-fledged RTX 2080. The wider chassis design and superfluous ventilation along the rear, bottom, and sides make this Lenovo laptop run surprisingly cool considering the hardware inside.

The bottom rear of the notebook can become as warm as 43 C and so it's important to not impede the fans or airflow when gaming.

System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Maximum stress (top)
Maximum stress (top)
Maximum stress (bottom)
Maximum stress (bottom)

Stress Test

We stress the system with synthetic loads to identify for any potential throttling or stability issues. When running Prime95, the CPU can be observed operating at 3.9 GHz for the first few seconds until reaching a core temperature of 82 C. Thereafter, the processor stabilizes at 3.4 to 3.5 GHz to maintain a cooler core temperature of 70 C. Since the base clock rate of the Core i7-8750H is 2.2 GHz, the Y740 is able to sustain relatively high levels of Turbo Boost that coincide with our CineBench test results above.

When running Witcher 3, the CPU and GPU stabilize at 71 C and 64 C, respectively, which are warmer than on last year's Legion Y730 but otherwise still relatively cool for a gaming laptop. In comparison, the same CPU and GPU in the Acer Triton 500 stabilize at warmer core temperatures of about 84 C and 78 C, respectively, when running the same game.

Running on batteries will impact CPU and GPU performance even when set to the High Performance and Prefer Maximum Performance power profiles. 3DMark 11 Physics and Graphics scores when running on batteries are only at at 15893 and 8863 points, respectively, compared to 25765 and 12623 points when on mains.

System idle
System idle
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Witcher 3 stress
Witcher 3 stress
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle -- -- 41 39
Prime95 Stress 3.4 - 3.5 -- 70 --
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.0 750 80 68
Witcher 3 Stress 3.9 1290 71 64
Max. Load
 32.8 °C
91 F
38.6 °C
101 F
30.8 °C
87 F
 
 28.8 °C
84 F
35 °C
95 F
27.6 °C
82 F
 
 24.6 °C
76 F
22.6 °C
73 F
23.4 °C
74 F
 
Maximum: 38.6 °C = 101 F
Average: 29.4 °C = 85 F
43.4 °C
110 F
43.6 °C
110 F
40.4 °C
105 F
30.2 °C
86 F
37.6 °C
100 F
32.4 °C
90 F
27.2 °C
81 F
28 °C
82 F
27.6 °C
82 F
Maximum: 43.6 °C = 110 F
Average: 34.5 °C = 94 F
Power Supply (max.)  38 °C = 100 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 29.4 °C / 85 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 38.6 °C / 101 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 43.6 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.1 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.6 °C / 85 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 27 °C / 80.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+1.9 °C / 3.4 F).

Speakers


Dedicated subwoofer. Audio quality is identical to the Legion Y730-17ICH
Dedicated subwoofer. Audio quality is identical to the Legion Y730-17ICH
Pink noise at maximum volume
Pink noise at maximum volume
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2039.238.42535.535.63136.836.44036.436.85035.7366335.536.98033.634.710032.933.112532.331.816030.635.520031.54525030.556.831529.465.740029.374.350028.77363028.665.280028.866.2100029.865.6125028.470.5160028.470.3200028.265.9250027.966.431502863.240002867.4500027.767.4630027.567.4800027.467.91000027.464.51250027.359.81600027.248.6SPL40.479.9N3.849.7median 28.4median 65.7Delta0.76.435.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo Legion Y740-17ICHApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (74.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 21.1% lower than median
(-) | bass is not linear (16.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.3% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 82% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 65% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 28% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The system demands anywhere between 20 W to 29 W when idling on desktop compared to just 6 W to 12 W on last year's Legion Y730. This significantly impacts battery life as our next section below will show. Results are not unlike other enthusiast gaming notebooks equipped with GTX 1070/1080 or RTX 2070/2080 level graphics.

When gaming, the Y740 draws a constant 152 W to be 33 percent more demanding than the Legion Y730 under similar conditions. More impressively, the system is 39 percent more power efficient than the Razer Blade Pro with GTX 1080 graphics while performing up to 13 percent faster in the DX12 Time Spy benchmark. The performance-per-Watt from the RTX 2080 Max-Q is quite impressive when compared to the RTX 2070 as well.

Running Prime95 will demand a constant 80 W without any sharp dips since Turbo Boost performance is relatively stable. We're able to record a maximum draw of 165 W from the large (~20 x 10 x 2.7 cm) 230 W AC adapter. This adapter is noticeably larger than the 135 W adapter that shipped with the Legion Y730.

Constant power consumption when running Witcher 3
Constant power consumption when running Witcher 3
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 20s mark. Power consumption remains constant even in the face of extreme processing loads to suggest no major throttling issues
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 20s mark. Power consumption remains constant even in the face of extreme processing loads to suggest no major throttling issues
Prime95 initiated at 20s mark. The small spike at the 1-minute mark may have been due to sudden background activity
Prime95 initiated at 20s mark. The small spike at the 1-minute mark may have been due to sudden background activity
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.48 / 0.88 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 20.2 / 27.2 / 28.7 Watt
Load midlight 90.8 / 165.4 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 Y740-17ICH
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8, AHVA, 1920x1080, 17.30
Razer Blade Pro 2017
i7-7820HK, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 2x Samsung SSD PM951 MZVLV256HCHP (RAID 0), IGZO, 3840x2160, 17.30
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ, AHVA, 1920x1080, 17.30
Alienware 17 R5
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, SK hynix PC401 HFS256GD9TNG, TN, 2560x1440, 17.30
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Power Consumption
-9%
-42%
7%
-29%
41%
Idle Minimum *
20.2
19
6%
31
-53%
7
65%
28
-39%
6.3
69%
Idle Average *
27.2
22
19%
36
-32%
15
45%
32
-18%
11
60%
Idle Maximum *
28.7
29
-1%
44
-53%
22
23%
37
-29%
11.5
60%
Load Average *
90.8
102
-12%
107
-18%
92
-1%
112
-23%
89.8
1%
Witcher 3 ultra *
152.1
190
-25%
212
-39%
207
-36%
192
-26%
102
33%
Load Maximum *
165.4
231
-40%
258
-56%
254
-54%
231
-40%
130.7
21%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Runtimes are significantly shorter when compared to last year's Legion Y730. When running the same WLAN stress test, the Y740 lasts for just over 3 hours or less than half the runtime of the Y730. We attribute this to both the 144 Hz panel and RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics which indubitably demand more power than the 60 Hz panel and GTX 1050 Ti GPU on last year's model. The lack of Optimus graphics switching is another hard hit on battery life.

When compared to other enthusiast gaming laptops like the Asus ROG GL704GW or Razer Blade Pro, however, WLAN runtime is where we expect it to be.

Charging from empty to full capacity takes about 1.5 hours.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
3h 10min
Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 76 Wh
Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 66 Wh
Razer Blade Pro 2017
i7-7820HK, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 99 Wh
MSI GE75 8SG Raider
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, 65 Wh
Alienware 17 R5
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 99 Wh
Lenovo Legion Y730-17ICH, i7-8750H
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 76 Wh
Battery Runtime
24%
4%
48%
15%
112%
WiFi v1.3
190
235
24%
197
4%
281
48%
218
15%
402
112%
Reader / Idle
372
253
468
268
789
Witcher 3 ultra
52
50
Load
67
81
53
64
52

Pros

+ relatively inexpensive for an RTX 2080 laptop
+ relatively cool CPU and GPU temperatures
+ 144 Hz IPS display with minimal ghosting
+ great CPU Turbo Boost performance
+ 2x internal storage bays
+ per-key RGB lighting
+ relatively quiet fans
+ Thunderbolt 3
+ NumPad
+ G-Sync

Cons

- poorly calibrated display out of the box
- heavy backlight bleeding on our unit
- keyboard feedback could be firmer
- short battery life; no Optimus
- base and lid could be firmer
- unusual port arrangement
- relatively large footprint
- thick display bezels
- no SD card reader
- large AC adapter

Verdict

In review: Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH. Test model provided by Lenovo US
In review: Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH. Test model provided by Lenovo US

Most OEMs normally reserve the high-end GeForce 80-class GPUs for their enthusiast flagship models. This used to be the Legion Y900 family for Lenovo, but the manufacturer has since put that series on hold leaving the mid-range Legion Y700 series as the highest-end offering. The result is a mid-range gaming laptop with a high-end GeForce GPU at much more affordable prices than competing "super" gaming laptops like the Alienware m17, Asus ROG G703, MSI GT75, or Acer Triton 700. The Lenovo laptop offers the same gaming performance as these enthusiast alternatives for hundreds of dollars less largely because its chassis design is simpler and less eccentric.

CPU performance is faster than the average Core i7-8750H due to excellent Turbo Boost sustainability. Both core temperatures and fan noise are lower than expected as well considering the thin form factor and high performance.

Because the Legion Y740 carries a mid-range chassis, however, first impressions are not as strong as the aforementioned high-end alternatives. The Lenovo is more prone to flexing and teetering than the more rigid (and pricier) MSI GT75 or Asus ROG G703. Our specific unit also suffers from moderate-heavy backlight bleeding and inaccurate colors. Its keyboard keys are softer and generally poorer for gaming, too. Gamers won't lose out on performance, but the weaker chassis and keys will put a dent on the overall gaming experience.

The mid-range Legion Y740 retails for much less than a competing enthusiast 17.3-inch gaming laptop while sporting the same high-end CPU and GPU. It has excellent bang-for-the-buck in terms of performance so long as you're ok with its modest design and more flexible chassis.

Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH - 03/01/2019 v6(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
74 / 98 → 75%
Keyboard
83%
Pointing Device
83%
Connectivity
57 / 81 → 70%
Weight
58 / 10-66 → 85%
Battery
70%
Display
84%
Games Performance
99%
Application Performance
98%
Temperature
91 / 95 → 95%
Noise
85 / 90 → 94%
Audio
80%
Camera
42 / 85 → 50%
Average
77%
86%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo Legion Y740-17ICH (i7-8750H, RTX 2080 Max-Q) Laptop Review
Allen Ngo, 2019-03- 1 (Update: 2019-03- 1)