Lenovo Legion 5 Upgrade Guide - Boost Performance!

Summary

This video demonstrates how to upgrade the Lenovo Legion 5 gaming laptop by improving its battery, RAM, storage, and WiFi. The guide covers step-by-step instructions for installing a 2.5" SSD or M.2 drive, swapping out the 60Wh battery for a larger 80Wh one, upgrading to 64GB of RAM, and replacing the WiFi 6 card with the newer WiFi 6e model. Benchmarks are also run before and after the upgrades to highlight their impact on gaming and content creation performance. The video provides practical tips and insights for maximizing the laptop's capabilities.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Lenovo Legion 5 gaming laptop can be upgraded with new battery, RAM, storage, and WiFi card, but the processor and graphics are soldered to the motherboard and cannot be upgraded.
• 😀 Opening the laptop involves removing 11 Phillips head screws, with special attention to the shorter screws in the front for reassembly.
• 😀 The laptop features a 60Wh battery and includes space for upgrading to a 2.5” SATA drive (either SSD or hard drive) alongside the M.2 SSD and WiFi 6 card.
• 😀 The 2.5” drive tray can be installed by removing four screws and connecting the SATA cable to the motherboard. Only one M.2 or 2.5” drive can be used at a time.
• 😀 The M.2 SSD can be upgraded to a higher-performance drive, such as the AData XPG SX8200 Pro, which offers speeds up to 3.5GB/s for reading and 3.2GB/s for writing.
• 😀 The battery can be upgraded from the 60Wh option to an 80Wh battery for better performance, though purchasing the larger battery can be challenging due to stock shortages.
• 😀 To replace the battery, the 2.5” drive tray must be removed first, followed by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery cable during reassembly.
• 😀 The larger 80Wh battery improves battery life significantly, with the laptop lasting over 10 hours in YouTube playback tests, compared to the smaller 60Wh battery.
• 😀 RAM can be upgraded from 16GB (2x8GB sticks) to 64GB (2x32GB sticks), although the increase offers minimal improvement in gaming performance.
• 😀 For content creators, the RAM upgrade showed a slight boost in Adobe Photoshop (8%) and Adobe Premiere (2%) performance, but not a major change for gaming.
• 😀 The WiFi 6 card can be upgraded to a WiFi 6e card for future-proofing, though the benefits are limited unless the access point supports 6GHz connectivity.
• 😀 The process for upgrading involves removing antenna cables, unscrewing the WiFi card, and reinstalling the new card with proper cable attachment.
• 😀 Thermal paste changes are not covered in the script, but the procedure involves unscrewing the heatsink and cleaning the paste if desired.
• 😀 Overall, upgrading storage, battery, and memory enhances the laptop’s capabilities, making it more suitable for content creation and expanding storage for large games.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on upgrading various components of the Lenovo Legion 5 gaming laptop, including the battery, RAM, storage, and WiFi card, along with benchmark tests before and after the upgrades.

Can the processor and graphics of the Lenovo Legion 5 be upgraded?

No, the processor and graphics are soldered to the motherboard and cannot be upgraded. The only option would be to replace the entire laptop.

How do you open the Lenovo Legion 5 laptop for upgrades?

To open the laptop, you need to remove 11 Phillips head screws, with the four screws at the front being shorter. A pry tool or a credit card can be used to open the case.

What components can be upgraded in the Lenovo Legion 5 laptop?

You can upgrade the RAM, storage, battery, and WiFi card. The processor and graphics are not upgradable as they are soldered to the motherboard.

What are the steps to upgrade the storage of the laptop?

To upgrade storage, you need to remove the 2.5” drive tray by unscrewing four smaller screws, then install the new SSD or hard drive into the tray and connect it to the motherboard using a SATA cable.

What happens when you use the 2.5” drive bay in the Legion 5?

When the 2.5” drive bay is used, the second M.2 slot becomes unavailable for use. If you want to use the second M.2 slot, you need to remove the 2.5” drive tray.

What was the result of upgrading to an 80Wh battery in the Lenovo Legion 5?

Upgrading to the 80Wh battery resulted in significantly improved battery life, achieving over 10 hours of YouTube playback, making the Legion 5 one of the best performers in battery tests.

What is the difference between upgrading to 64GB of RAM and 16GB of RAM in gaming performance?

In gaming, upgrading to 64GB of RAM did not show any performance improvements, as 16GB is typically sufficient for most games. However, for content creation tasks, such as in Adobe Photoshop and Premiere, there were slight performance improvements.

Is upgrading to WiFi 6e useful for the Lenovo Legion 5 right now?

Upgrading to WiFi 6e is not currently very useful unless you have a compatible 6GHz access point. However, it could become more beneficial in the future as more 6e-capable networks become available.

What additional components need to be removed to replace the battery in the Legion 5?

To replace the battery, you need to remove the 2.5” drive tray and unscrew three small Phillips head screws holding the battery in place. The M.2 SSD must also be temporarily removed to access one of the screws.