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All that in the specs and no backlit keyboard? Are they trying to clear out this kind of laptop chassis (135W Slim Tip (3-pin) Charging Adapter/Non-backlit Keyboard/720P Webcam) by offering discrete graphics and a decent 144Hz, 300 nit, IPS panel in a sub-$500 pricetag? Apparently so!
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https://psref.lenovo.com/Product/...E?tab=spec
This is basically an even more budget version in Lenovo's gaming line. So now you have Legion, LOQ, and LOQ Essential.
I, before owning a LOQ, used to main the L340 Gaming. (I still have it to this day.) The L340 Gaming was Lenovo's first foray into the budget gaming laptop segment before becoming the Ideapad Gaming, then finally LOQ as we know today. The new LOQ Essential looks very similar to the L340, sharing the same sleek look that doesn't scream "gamer" all over. It is good to see.
Now, I know people are going to ask the differences and such between the LOQ Essential and its normal counterpart, the LOQ 15IAX9. I will list the big ones here.
There are only two CPU options - the i5-12450HX and the i7-12650HX. The i5-12450HX is the same one found in the normal LOQ 15IAX9/15IAX9I, but the i7-12650HX is new.
The GPU options at first glance look the same as the ones offered in the normal LOQ. 2050, 3050 6GB, and 4050. However, while the 2050 has the same wattage fed to it (65W), the 3050 6GB and the 4050 in the Essential are also limited to 65W whereas the normal LOQ's 3050 6GB gets fed 95W and the 4050, 105W. So you will see a downgrade in performance despite it being called the same GPU. Buyer beware.
There is only ONE memory slot available in the LOQ Essential. This is the same in the L340. Every other Ideapad Gaming/LOQ has offered two RAM slots. Otherwise it takes a standard SODIMM DDR5-4800.
Two NVMe 2242 slots are available on the LOQ Essential. Runs at Gen4x4, nothing special.
Battery is almost identical. 57Wh on the LOQ Essential, 60Wh on the normal LOQ.
135W power adapter only.
Only one screen option available, the same 1080p 144Hz screen found in the normal LOQ. However, it is important to point out there is NO Advanced Optimus capability - meaning that is very likely the LOQ Essential does NOT have a MUX switch. In other words, when you game, the frames are rendered dGPU -> iGPU -> screen, introducing a bottleneck that will see worse FPS instead of dGPU -> screen with a MUX switch.
There are two keyboard options: white backlight, and NO backlight at all. Aim for the white backlight if you can.
The LOQ Essential is significantly lighter than the normal LOQ. 1.77kg/3.9lbs versus 2.38kg/5.25lbs.
Ports: Ports are obviously in different locations now but are mostly the same. The LOQ Essential has a new full-size SD card reader, while the normal LOQ has an extra USB port. The USB-C ports are also different; the Essential LOQ can only do 5Gbps data transfer, while the normal LOQ can do 10Gbps data transfer, as well as charging and DisplayPort 1.4 capable.
Overall, it is definitely a worse laptop at gaming than the normal LOQ - but for those that just don't game that much, it is a very tempting option.
My L340 had served me for the better part of 3 years before the GPU died. I bought my LOQ after that - and replaced the motherboard on the L340 myself, so currently it's in good working order. That said, the L340 was notorious for having a terrible cooling design that frequently saw the CPU jump to 90 degrees C and throttle quickly. That basically required an undervolt to remain stable, so beware the same thing can happen to this LOQ Essential as well. As reviews come in, we will see how the LOQ Essential performs.
Why so much hate for an economically disadvanged people machine. Sure it needs another 8BG stick of RAM, but $500 for a capable 1080p/60 gaming laptop? It's a banger.
Perfectly fine kit for fortnight/overwath/DOTA.... and other competive games, while able to play AAA games on meh settings - diff between meh and ULTRA, you notice for like 5 seconds, then you get lost in the game.
Here's the thing... don't have a lot of spare $, and yet a kid wants a rig - this is as low as you can go, so... quit making fun of other people's compromises.
Why so much hate for an economically disadvanged people machine. Sure it needs another 8BG stick of RAM, but $500 for a capable 1080p/60 gaming laptop? It's a banger.
Perfectly fine kit for fortnight/overwath/DOTA.... and other competive games, while able to play AAA games on meh settings - diff between meh and ULTRA, you notice for like 5 seconds, then you get lost in the game.
Here's the thing... don't have a lot of spare $, and yet a kid wants a rig - this is as low as you can go, so... quit making fun of other people's compromises.
You have good points. The thing you need to be careful with Nvidia cards is they often sneak by real low watt versions of cards, which can take your performance down by a whole tier.
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Why so much hate for an economically disadvanged people machine. Sure it needs another 8BG stick of RAM, but $500 for a capable 1080p/60 gaming laptop? It's a banger.
Perfectly fine kit for fortnight/overwath/DOTA.... and other competive games, while able to play AAA games on meh settings - diff between meh and ULTRA, you notice for like 5 seconds, then you get lost in the game.
Here's the thing... don't have a lot of spare $, and yet a kid wants a rig - this is as low as you can go, so... quit making fun of other people's compromises.
Quote
from damnrebates
:
boycott if soldered ram because a) rams sometimes goes bad b) more ram slots = my right to upgrade!! ram drive, etc. bad deal.
There is only ONE slot of RAM that is currently taken up by the 8GB. Again, only ONE. Lenovo says 16GB max BUT don't believe them - it will handle a 48GB stick FINE.
Ive got this similar version from MC 16GB ram and backlit keyboard for the same price earlier this year. Its been great no complaints. It does get hot and loud. My son likes it.
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank NeatCable281
This is basically an even more budget version in Lenovo's gaming line. So now you have Legion, LOQ, and LOQ Essential.
I, before owning a LOQ, used to main the L340 Gaming. (I still have it to this day.) The L340 Gaming was Lenovo's first foray into the budget gaming laptop segment before becoming the Ideapad Gaming, then finally LOQ as we know today. The new LOQ Essential looks very similar to the L340, sharing the same sleek look that doesn't scream "gamer" all over. It is good to see.
Now, I know people are going to ask the differences and such between the LOQ Essential and its normal counterpart, the LOQ 15IAX9. I will list the big ones here.
There are only two CPU options - the i5-12450HX and the i7-12650HX. The i5-12450HX is the same one found in the normal LOQ 15IAX9/15IAX9I, but the i7-12650HX is new.
The GPU options at first glance look the same as the ones offered in the normal LOQ. 2050, 3050 6GB, and 4050. However, while the 2050 has the same wattage fed to it (65W), the 3050 6GB and the 4050 in the Essential are also limited to 65W whereas the normal LOQ's 3050 6GB gets fed 95W and the 4050, 105W. So you will see a downgrade in performance despite it being called the same GPU. Buyer beware.
There is only ONE memory slot available in the LOQ Essential. This is the same in the L340. Every other Ideapad Gaming/LOQ has offered two RAM slots. Otherwise it takes a standard SODIMM DDR5-4800.
Two NVMe 2242 slots are available on the LOQ Essential. Runs at Gen4x4, nothing special.
Battery is almost identical. 57Wh on the LOQ Essential, 60Wh on the normal LOQ.
135W power adapter only.
Only one screen option available, the same 1080p 144Hz screen found in the normal LOQ. However, it is important to point out there is NO Advanced Optimus capability - meaning that is very likely the LOQ Essential does NOT have a MUX switch. In other words, when you game, the frames are rendered dGPU -> iGPU -> screen, introducing a bottleneck that will see worse FPS instead of dGPU -> screen with a MUX switch.
There are two keyboard options: white backlight, and NO backlight at all. Aim for the white backlight if you can.
The LOQ Essential is significantly lighter than the normal LOQ. 1.77kg/3.9lbs versus 2.38kg/5.25lbs.
Ports: Ports are obviously in different locations now but are mostly the same. The LOQ Essential has a new full-size SD card reader, while the normal LOQ has an extra USB port. The USB-C ports are also different; the Essential LOQ can only do 5Gbps data transfer, while the normal LOQ can do 10Gbps data transfer, as well as charging and DisplayPort 1.4 capable.
Overall, it is definitely a worse laptop at gaming than the normal LOQ - but for those that just don't game that much, it is a very tempting option.
My L340 had served me for the better part of 3 years before the GPU died. I bought my LOQ after that - and replaced the motherboard on the L340 myself, so currently it's in good working order. That said, the L340 was notorious for having a terrible cooling design that frequently saw the CPU jump to 90 degrees C and throttle quickly. That basically required an undervolt to remain stable, so beware the same thing can happen to this LOQ Essential as well. As reviews come in, we will see how the LOQ Essential performs.
AV1 hardware decoding?
Max supported RAM?
Perfectly fine kit for fortnight/overwath/DOTA.... and other competive games, while able to play AAA games on meh settings - diff between meh and ULTRA, you notice for like 5 seconds, then you get lost in the game.
Here's the thing... don't have a lot of spare $, and yet a kid wants a rig - this is as low as you can go, so... quit making fun of other people's compromises.
Perfectly fine kit for fortnight/overwath/DOTA.... and other competive games, while able to play AAA games on meh settings - diff between meh and ULTRA, you notice for like 5 seconds, then you get lost in the game.
Here's the thing... don't have a lot of spare $, and yet a kid wants a rig - this is as low as you can go, so... quit making fun of other people's compromises.
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AV1 hardware decoding?
Max supported RAM?
Perfectly fine kit for fortnight/overwath/DOTA.... and other competive games, while able to play AAA games on meh settings - diff between meh and ULTRA, you notice for like 5 seconds, then you get lost in the game.
Here's the thing... don't have a lot of spare $, and yet a kid wants a rig - this is as low as you can go, so... quit making fun of other people's compromises.
I know there're for desktop, but haven't seen any for laptop yet.
BIOS can be a limitation btw. you never know until smbd actually tries.
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I know there're for desktop, but haven't seen any for laptop yet.
BIOS can be a limitation btw. you never know until smbd actually tries.
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