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Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg with a GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q in Review

Attractive gaming laptop! Gamers rejoice! The Lenovo Legion Y740-17 offers great gaming performance and various RGB elements to complement the design. In this review, we will try to find out whether there are any drawbacks by looking at numerous measurements and benchmarks.

Lenovo's Legion series consists of gaming laptops. Thus, its devices need to deliver a decent performance. Furthermore, the Legion family devices are visually distinct due to RGB highlights.

Prospective buyers can expect to pay around 2700 Euros (~$2965) for our test configuration. In return, the device features the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, which is the highest-end GPU option. Cheaper models are equipped with either an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q or an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q. Although there are more powerful processor options available, our configuration only sports an Intel Core i7-9750. The Intel Core i9-9880H, which is both slightly more expensive and slightly faster, would be the next step. The latter even has 8 cores.

The competition includes similarly equipped devices. These laptops are listed in the following table.

Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H 6 x 2.6 - 4.5 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1095 MHz, Memory: 6000 MHz, Nvidia 442.50 DCH
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-2666, 2 out of 2 occupied, up to 32 GB
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 127 PPI, AUO_B173HAN03, IPS, glossy: no, 144 Hz
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR, 1024 GB 
, NVMe SSD, M.2 2280, 900 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek Audio
Connections
2 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
Networking
Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW) (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 25.5 x 412 x 305 ( = 1 x 16.22 x 12.01 in)
Battery
76 Wh, 4965 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Primary Camera: 1 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: Dolby Atmos speakers system, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 230-watt charger, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
3.01 kg ( = 106.17 oz / 6.64 pounds), Power Supply: 975 g ( = 34.39 oz / 2.15 pounds)
Price
2699 EUR
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
84 %
03/2020
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
3 kg25.5 mm17.30"1920x1080
86.7 %
10/2019
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
2.8 kg19.9 mm17.30"3840x2160
84.2 %
02/2020
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
i9-9980HK, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
2.6 kg20.5 mm17.30"1920x1080
81.2 %
12/2019
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
2.7 kg18.7 mm17.30"1920x1080

Case & Features - Good, but Not Perfect

The Lenovo Legion Y740-17 stands out visually as a gaming laptop. The typical design elements of the Legion series are emphasized by RGB lighting. The choice of materials is good as well, since the manufacturer uses a lot of aluminum. As a result, the base unit and the lid are quite rigid, although the keyboard center can be observed to yield slightly under pressure. However, the extent of this remains within reason. Various design elements such as the fan grilles on the base unit and the display bezels are made of plastic. The display can be opened to a maximum angle of a generous 180 °. Even then, the two hinges reliably prevent teetering. Meanwhile, since the base is heavy enough, the display can be opened one-handed. At 3 kg (~6.5 lb), the Lenovo Legion Y740-17 is significantly heavier than its competitors. For a 17-inch device, it is still not very heavy. The port selection of the laptop is solid. Most ports can be found on the back. However, there is also one USB port on each side. We still are not too happy about the Mini DisplayPort, since a normal DisplayPort would have made more sense. We also regret the absence of a card reader.

The Lenovo Legion Y740-17 is equipped with a Killer Wireless AC 1550i module. It delivers a good and stable performance in our test. However, our test device falls short of the fast Intel Wireless AC 9560, which can for example be found on the Asus ROG Zephyrus. Lastly, the Legion Y740 also comes with an RJ45 port.

Size Comparison

412 mm / 16.2 inch 305 mm / 12 inch 25.5 mm / 1.004 inch 3 kg6.64 lbs399.8 mm / 15.7 inch 295.5 mm / 11.6 inch 20.5 mm / 0.807 inch 2.6 kg5.7 lbs399 mm / 15.7 inch 272 mm / 10.7 inch 18.7 mm / 0.736 inch 2.7 kg5.89 lbs395 mm / 15.6 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 2.8 kg6.06 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Port Selection

Left: Exhaust vent, combo audio, USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 w/ Thunderbolt 3 (supports DisplayPort 1.4)
Left: Exhaust vent, combo audio, USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 w/ Thunderbolt 3 (supports DisplayPort 1.4)
Right: USB 3.1 Gen 1, exhaust vent
Right: USB 3.1 Gen 1, exhaust vent
Back: Exhaust vent, Mini DisplayPort 1.4a, HDMI 2.0, USB 3.1 Gen 2, RJ45, USB 3.1 Gen 1, power connector, security keyhole, exhaust vent
Back: Exhaust vent, Mini DisplayPort 1.4a, HDMI 2.0, USB 3.1 Gen 2, RJ45, USB 3.1 Gen 1, power connector, security keyhole, exhaust vent
Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
1110 MBit/s ∼100% +61%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
691 (668min - 703max) MBit/s ∼62%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
647 (652min) MBit/s ∼58% -6%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
496 (459min - 531max) MBit/s ∼45% -28%
iperf3 receive AX12
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
924 MBit/s ∼100% +36%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
681 (655min - 689max) MBit/s ∼74%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
655 MBit/s ∼71% -4%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
638 (625min - 645max) MBit/s ∼69% -6%
04080120160200240280320360400440480520560600640680Tooltip
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø680 (655-689)
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø691 (668-703)
ColorChecker
20.4 ∆E
26.4 ∆E
27.4 ∆E
21.4 ∆E
27 ∆E
19 ∆E
32.1 ∆E
31.7 ∆E
25.3 ∆E
12.8 ∆E
18.4 ∆E
23.8 ∆E
22.6 ∆E
28.7 ∆E
26.1 ∆E
14 ∆E
25.1 ∆E
25.1 ∆E
2.3 ∆E
10.7 ∆E
15.2 ∆E
16.7 ∆E
9.7 ∆E
12.8 ∆E
ColorChecker Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE: 20.61 ∆E min: 2.33 - max: 32.1 ∆E

Input Devices

Lenovo has fitted the Legion Y740 with a 6-row chiclet keyboard with an RGB backlight. It can be controlled for example, with Corsair's iCue software, which can be used to display certain effects. The keys are comfortably sized. However, the numpad requires some getting used to, since the key layout is unusual. The keys offer shallow travel and a somewhat dull feedback with a distinct actuation point.

The integrated touchpad should only be used as a mouse substitute when it is absolutely necessary. While the surface is smooth and responsive all the way to the edges and corners, the surface area relative to the laptop's size is quite small. The two buttons on the bottom offer fairly deep travel. Furthermore, their clicks are rather quiet. That being said, the actuation point is still very distinct, which makes for a satisfying feedback.

Keyboard
Keyboard
Keyboard (backlit)
Keyboard (backlit)
Touchpad
Touchpad

Display - 144 Hz and G-Sync

Subpixel array, Legion Y740-17IRHg
Subpixel array, Legion Y740-17IRHg
Noticeable backlight bleeding around the edges
Noticeable backlight bleeding around the edges

Lenovo has fitted our Legion Y740 with a matte Dolby Vision panel with 144 Hz and Nvidia G-Sync. The 17-inch IPS display has a native resolution of 1920x1080 for a theoretical pixel density of 127 PPI.

According to our measurements, the installed panel does not quite reach its advertised maximum brightness. On average, we observed only 281 cd/m². However, it even exceeds the specified 300 cd/m² with 310 cd/m² in the center. The contrast ratio of 1000:1, matches our expectations for an IPS panel. Since some competing laptops offer more in terms of brightness or lower black values, they tend to be able to achieve better results.

Since the Lenovo Legion Y740-17 does not use PWM to control the display's brightness, users will not have to worry about eyestrain or similar issues. However, our device suffers from some amount of backlight bleeding. In dark scenes, it is quite noticeable around the edges.

270
cd/m²
290
cd/m²
263
cd/m²
280
cd/m²
310
cd/m²
270
cd/m²
291
cd/m²
276
cd/m²
278
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AUO_B173HAN03
X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 310 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 280.9 cd/m² Minimum: 3.6 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 310 cd/m²
Contrast: 1000:1 (Black: 0.31 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.86 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 4.48 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
93% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
60% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
92.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
63.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.5
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
AUO_B173HAN03, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
AU Optronics B173ZAN03.3, IPS, 3840x2160, 17.30
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Chi Mei 173HCE, CMN175F, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
AU Optronics B173HAN05.1, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Display
31%
9%
8%
Display P3 Coverage
63.8
84.8
33%
70.8
11%
70
10%
sRGB Coverage
92.7
99.9
8%
98.5
6%
96.6
4%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
65.3
98.6
51%
72.2
11%
72.3
11%
Response Times
5%
-3%
48%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
16 ?(8, 8)
15.2 ?(8.4, 6.8)
5%
17.2 ?(8.8, 8.4)
-8%
5.6 ?(2.4, 3.2)
65%
Response Time Black / White *
11 ?(6, 5)
10.4 ?(5.2, 5.2)
5%
10.8 ?(6, 4.8)
2%
7.6 ?(3.4, 4.2)
31%
PWM Frequency
26320 ?(25)
Screen
4%
31%
18%
Brightness middle
310
346.7
12%
384.2
24%
288
-7%
Brightness
281
332
18%
357
27%
276
-2%
Brightness Distribution
85
91
7%
90
6%
93
9%
Black Level *
0.31
0.27
13%
0.29
6%
0.24
23%
Contrast
1000
1284
28%
1325
33%
1200
20%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.86
5.62
-46%
1.35
65%
1.92
50%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.8
9.36
-20%
3.45
56%
4.57
41%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.48
5.5
-23%
1.2
73%
3.08
31%
Gamma
2.5 88%
2.25 98%
2.23 99%
2.42 91%
CCT
7542 86%
6175 105%
6580 99%
7055 92%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
60
87.2
45%
65.5
9%
65
8%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
93
100
8%
98.5
6%
96
3%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
3.81
1.42
1.14
Total Average (Program / Settings)
13% / 10%
12% / 22%
25% / 20%

* ... smaller is better

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
11 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6 ms rise
↘ 5 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. » 22 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.9 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
16 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 8 ms rise
↘ 8 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 23 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (34.5 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: 54 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18982 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Even though almost all competitors achieve better results, display is good in all respects. Ex-factory, DeltaE-2000 grayscale and color values are only slightly higher than their sRGB reference points. At 93% and 60%, respectively, the sRGB and AdobeRGB color space coverage cannot match competitors, either. However, these values are still sufficient for semi-professional photo editing.

The outdoor usability of the Legion Y740-17 is limited. If outdoor use is unavoidable, users should remain in the shade. In our viewing angle test, the result we observed matches our expectations for a normal IPS panel. Only the four corner images appear to be covered by a faint veil. However, this has not proven to be distracting during normal use.

Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg vs. sRGB (93%)
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg vs. sRGB (93%)
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg vs. AdobeRGB (60%)
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg vs. AdobeRGB (60%)
CalMAN: Grayscale
CalMAN: Grayscale
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: Saturation sweeps
CalMAN: Saturation sweeps
Legion Y740 in sunlight
Legion Y740 in sunlight
Legion Y740 in the shade
Legion Y740 in the shade
Legion Y740 viewing angles
Legion Y740 viewing angles

Performance - Sufficient Performance for Current Games

A modern gaming laptop demands the use of fast and recent hardware. Lenovo appears to have had the same idea and has equipped the laptop with an Intel Core i7-9750H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q. With 16 GB, the RAM is sufficient as well and the storage capacity should last users a while. Thankfully, the individual components also work well together when it comes to running software. In our test, LatencyMon did not detect any problematic latencies.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWiNFO
DPC latencies
Intel Extreme Utility
Intel Extreme Utility (benchmark)
 

Processor

The laptop relies on an Intel Core i7-9750H with 6 physical Hyper-Threading cores for computational tasks. The CPU is able to process up to 12 threads simultaneously. In our tests, the Intel Core i7-9750H performs well. The performance of the SoC in our test sample is on a similar level as its competition. Only the Alienware m17 R2 with its faster Intel Core i9-9980HK surpasses the other devices in our comparison by a significant margin.

In our stress test, during which we run the Cinebench R15 multi-thread benchmark test in a loop, the Lenovo Legion Y740-17 achieves a relatively good result. The maximum boost clock speed is no longer available by the second loop, which leads to an overall performance deficit. Subsequently, the performance level stabilizes, making the Legion Y740 about as fast on average as the Razer Blade Pro 17 in its first loop.

More comparisons and benchmarks can be found in our CPU comparison table.

05010015020025030035040045050055060065070075080085090095010001050110011501200125013001350140014501500155016001650Tooltip
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE Intel Core i7-9750H, Intel Core i7-9750H: Ø1123 (1105.49-1224.89)
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz Intel Core i7-9750H, Intel Core i7-9750H: Ø1024 (1016.29-1117.57)
Alienware m17 R2 P41E Intel Core i9-9980HK, Intel Core i9-9980HK: Ø1640 (1625.22-1699.96)
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR Intel Core i7-9750H, Intel Core i7-9750H: Ø912 (890.85-1097.33)
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Core i9-9980HK
195 Points ∼59% +11%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (170 - 194, n=82)
183.7 Points ∼56% +5%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
Intel Core i7-9750H
175 Points ∼53% 0%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
175 Points ∼53%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Intel Core i7-9750H
173 Points ∼53% -1%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Core i9-9980HK
1754 Points ∼18% +43%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
1225 Points ∼13%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (952 - 1306, n=85)
1182 Points ∼12% -4%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Intel Core i7-9750H
1097 Points ∼11% -10%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
Intel Core i7-9750H
1094 Points ∼11% -11%
Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Core i9-9980HK
478 Points ∼55% +11%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (416 - 486, n=55)
443 Points ∼51% +3%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
Intel Core i7-9750H
431 Points ∼50% 0%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
429 Points ∼49%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Intel Core i7-9750H
422 Points ∼49% -2%
CPU (Multi Core)
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Core i9-9980HK
4136 Points ∼18% +51%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
2738 Points ∼12%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (2017 - 3133, n=55)
2564 Points ∼11% -6%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Intel Core i7-9750H
2357 Points ∼10% -14%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
Intel Core i7-9750H
2328 Points ∼10% -15%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
Intel Core i9-9980HK
15496 Points ∼42% +14%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
13605 Points ∼37%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
Intel Core i7-9750H
13020 Points ∼35% -4%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (9704 - 14337, n=80)
12766 Points ∼35% -6%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Intel Core i7-9750H
12580 Points ∼34% -8%
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (342 - 495, n=21)
433 Seconds * ∼3% -11%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
389.5 Seconds * ∼3%
Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (4440 - 5511, n=27)
5238 Points ∼54% +1%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Intel Core i7-9750H
5174 Points ∼53% 0%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
5163 Points ∼53%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
22951 Points ∼26%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Intel Core i7-9750H
22153 Points ∼25% -3%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (17054 - 25043, n=27)
22076 Points ∼25% -4%
7-Zip 18.03
7z b 4
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
33364 MIPS ∼21%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (28512 - 35174, n=21)
32357 MIPS ∼20% -3%
7z b 4 -mmt1
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (4580 - 5090, n=21)
4846 MIPS ∼58% +6%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Intel Core i7-9750H
4585 MIPS ∼55%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R11
Cinebench R11
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R20
Cinebench R20
Jetstream 1.1
Jetstream 1.1
Octane V2
Octane V2
Mozilla Kraken 1.1
Mozilla Kraken 1.1
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 32Bit
1.76 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 32Bit
11.86 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 32Bit
80.7 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.99 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
13.04 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
78.4 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
175 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1225 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
131.8 fps
Help

System Performance

Thanks to the powerful hardware, the system performance is very high. However, the Lenovo Legion Y740-17 does fall short in a few individual tests. Subjectively, the overall performance is still very good and working with the device is a smooth and pleasant experience.

PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Gaming
  (4477 - 9331, n=196, last 2 years)
7408 Points ∼70% +25%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
6202 Points ∼59% +5%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
6049 Points ∼57% +2%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
5922 Points ∼56%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (5374 - 6202, n=9)
5842 Points ∼55% -1%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK, 2x SK Hynix PC601 NVMe 512 GB (RAID 0)
5502 Points ∼52% -7%
Essentials
Average of class Gaming
  (7334 - 12176, n=195, last 2 years)
10594 Points ∼51% +20%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK, 2x SK Hynix PC601 NVMe 512 GB (RAID 0)
9933 Points ∼48% +13%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
9927 Points ∼48% +12%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
9405 Points ∼45% +7%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (8791 - 9927, n=9)
9356 Points ∼45% +6%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
8827 Points ∼42%
Productivity
Average of class Gaming
  (6161 - 11833, n=195, last 2 years)
9576 Points ∼76% +24%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK, 2x SK Hynix PC601 NVMe 512 GB (RAID 0)
8253 Points ∼65% +7%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
7749 Points ∼61%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
7654 Points ∼61% -1%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (7180 - 8200, n=9)
7640 Points ∼61% -1%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
7357 Points ∼58% -5%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Gaming
  (5288 - 16424, n=195, last 2 years)
10948 Points ∼53% +33%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
8862 Points ∼43% +8%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
8344 Points ∼41% +1%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
8240 Points ∼40%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (6675 - 8862, n=9)
7594 Points ∼37% -8%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK, 2x SK Hynix PC601 NVMe 512 GB (RAID 0)
5514 Points ∼27% -33%
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
5539 Points ∼83%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
5319 Points ∼80% -4%
Average of class Gaming
  (3570 - 6657, n=39, last 2 years)
5121 Points ∼77% -8%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (4207 - 5539, n=9)
4603 Points ∼69% -17%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK, 2x SK Hynix PC601 NVMe 512 GB (RAID 0)
4384 Points ∼66% -21%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
4255 Points ∼64% -23%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
5539 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
8491 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5949 points
PCMark 10 Score
5922 points
Help

Storage Solution

1 TB NVMe SSD
1 TB NVMe SSD
Unoccupied 2.5-inch bay
Unoccupied 2.5-inch bay

For the Legion Y740, Lenovo has opted for a fast Samsung SSD. The installed model offers 1 TB of storage space and uses the M.2 PCIe interface for transferring data. In our tests, this combination achieves convincing results in terms of absolute performance and even outperforms the competition. Users who need more storage space in the long term can install an additional 2.5-inch drive.

More comparisons and benchmarks can be found in our comparison table.

AS SSD
AS SSD
CDM 3
CDM 3
CDM 5
CDM 5
CDM 6
CDM 6
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
2x SK Hynix PC601 NVMe 512 GB (RAID 0)
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
Average Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
 
Average of class Gaming
 
AS SSD
-10%
-25%
-7%
-5%
36%
Seq Read
2800
1881
-33%
1938
-31%
1662
-41%
1993 ?(870 - 3002, n=26)
-29%
4634 ?(1473 - 12763, n=184, last 2 years)
66%
Seq Write
2424
2354
-3%
2094
-14%
2266
-7%
2036 ?(1220 - 2424, n=26)
-16%
3358 ?(495 - 11316, n=184, last 2 years)
39%
4K Read
42.77
43.42
2%
25.88
-39%
46.86
10%
46.4 ?(27 - 56.8, n=26)
8%
67.3 ?(28.8 - 112.1, n=184, last 2 years)
57%
4K Write
94.8
104.1
10%
100.8
6%
101.1
7%
109.7 ?(10.3 - 146, n=26)
16%
206 ?(59 - 364, n=184, last 2 years)
117%
4K-64 Read
1406
1805
28%
1217
-13%
1419
1%
1502 ?(693 - 1873, n=26)
7%
1922 ?(312 - 3395, n=184, last 2 years)
37%
4K-64 Write
1697
1775
5%
1137
-33%
1746
3%
1625 ?(992 - 1882, n=26)
-4%
2446 ?(277 - 4533, n=184, last 2 years)
44%
Access Time Read *
0.05
0.049
2%
0.051
-2%
0.047
6%
0.05158 ?(0.033 - 0.089, n=26)
-3%
0.05192 ?(0.02 - 0.163, n=182, last 2 years)
-4%
Access Time Write *
0.039
0.106
-172%
0.107
-174%
0.037
5%
0.05581 ?(0.026 - 0.208, n=26)
-43%
0.05395 ?(0.011 - 1.028, n=184, last 2 years)
-38%
Score Read
1729
2037
18%
1437
-17%
1632
-6%
1747 ?(966 - 2221, n=26)
1%
2454 ?(528 - 3980, n=184, last 2 years)
42%
Score Write
2034
2115
4%
1447
-29%
2074
2%
1942 ?(1323 - 2249, n=26)
-5%
2987 ?(515 - 5339, n=184, last 2 years)
47%
Score Total
4630
5215
13%
3624
-22%
4576
-1%
4588 ?(2742 - 5565, n=26)
-1%
6637 ?(1923 - 10783, n=184, last 2 years)
43%
Copy ISO MB/s
2148
1877
-13%
1926
-10%
1398
-35%
2280 ?(1375 - 3193, n=18)
6%
2454 ?(201 - 5781, n=146, last 2 years)
14%
Copy Program MB/s
582
539
-7%
626
8%
438.9
-25%
558 ?(198.2 - 874, n=18)
-4%
671 ?(196.5 - 1407, n=146, last 2 years)
15%
Copy Game MB/s
1278
1368
7%
1533
20%
996
-22%
1302 ?(865 - 1677, n=18)
2%
1575 ?(92.7 - 3532, n=146, last 2 years)
23%

* ... smaller is better

Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
Sequential Read: 2109 MB/s
Sequential Write: 2262 MB/s
512K Read: 1243 MB/s
512K Write: 2331 MB/s
4K Read: 50.7 MB/s
4K Write: 93.6 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 325.2 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 284.2 MB/s

GPU Performance

Our test device relies on Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q for graphics calculations. This is the most powerful GPU model available on the Lenovo Legion Y740. In our synthetic tests, our test sample performs slightly worse than its competitors.

More comparisons and benchmarks can be found in our GPU comparison table.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Gaming
  (1029 - 72070, n=232, last 2 years)
37614 Points ∼100% +38%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
29436 Points ∼78% +8%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i9-9980HK
29220 Points ∼78% +7%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
29052 Points ∼77% +7%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (23386 - 30910, n=20)
27852 Points ∼74% +2%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
27203 Points ∼72%
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (781 - 53059, n=240, last 2 years)
27773 Points ∼100% +47%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i9-9980HK
22391 Points ∼81% +19%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
22260 Points ∼80% +18%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
20917 Points ∼75% +11%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (18048 - 23032, n=19)
20658 Points ∼74% +9%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
18877 Points ∼68%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (15902 - 193851, n=158, last 2 years)
130868 Points ∼100% +14%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
129506 Points ∼99% +13%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i9-9980HK
124815 Points ∼95% +9%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
118058 Points ∼90% +3%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
114826 Points ∼88%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (38256 - 129506, n=17)
111063 Points ∼85% -3%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (224 - 22547, n=240, last 2 years)
11077 Points ∼100% +46%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i9-9980HK
8479 Points ∼77% +12%
Razer Blade Pro 17 4K UHD 120 Hz
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
8299 Points ∼75% +9%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
8036 Points ∼73% +6%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
  (6464 - 8844, n=19)
7903 Points ∼71% +4%
Lenovo Legion Y740-17IRHg-81UJ001VGE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Intel Core i7-9750H
7597 Points ∼69%
3DMark 11 Performance
20810 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
181500 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
38493 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
16706 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
8320 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
7475 points
Help

Gaming Performance

When it comes to gaming, the Legion Y740's performance is average. Here, the Razer Blade Pro 17 is the laptop to beat. That being said, even modern games can be played smoothly at the native resolution and maximum quality settings. During our stress test, which consists of running "The Witcher 3" on the ultra preset, the performance drops slightly. However, users will not have to worry about unplayable frame rates.