I tried Lenovos new gaming PC and its build and performance are top-tier but another aspect impressed me even more
Date:
Mon, 27 Oct 2025 21:36:22 +0000
Description:
The Legion Tower 5 stays cool and composed no matter what you throw at it
but can it match the best gaming PCs for performance?
FULL STORY ======================================================================Lenovo Legion Tower 5: Two-minute review
The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 is a high-end gaming PC with a formidable spec designed to handle modern games without sacrificing much in the way of graphical fidelity.
It looks understated yet elegant as far as tower PCs go, thanks in no small part to the matte finish and rounded corners. The vibrant yet tasteful RGB lighting on the fans and through the front panel logo also adds to its
allure.
Whats more, its premium appeal is more than skin deep: the Legion Tower 5 can lay claim to having one of the best gaming PC cases in terms of build
quality. Every material feels solid and durable, including the glass side cover.
The only aspect I disliked was the top ventilation panel, since its sharp undulating design is uncomfortable to hold. Thankfully, theres a grab handle at the front for when you need to move the Legion Tower 5; and youll
certainly need the purchase it provides, since its a monstrously heavy unit.
Theres some scope to expand the potential of the Legion Tower 5, but not by much. Three M.2 drives and one HDD can be installed simultaneously, but 32GB is the maximum RAM allowance. I could see two spare SATA ports and one PCIe slot free, but thats all. (Image credit: Future)
The usual ports can be found on the Legion Tower 5, with plenty of USB-A
ports and audio ports on the rear. The front panel is quite sparse though,
and the inclusion of a USB-C port at this end might be disappointing to some, depending on the peripherals they have.
As you would expect given its components, the general performance of the Legion Tower 5 is excellent. Its also free from bloatware, with Lenovos bundled software proving unintrusive and even useful. Lenovo Vantage offers some useful system functions and details, while LegionSpace is a simple and effective way to adjust performance settings and fan speeds.
Gaming with the Legion Tower 5 is a joy. It effortlessly runs AAA titles with fps figures in the hundreds. Whats more, it does so in near-silence and without approaching temperatures beyond the mildly tepid.
All this quality and performance does come at a price, but its not as eye-watering as some rivals. There are cheaper 5070 builds, but considering the quality of the case and components, not to mention its exceptional
cooling abilities, the Legion Tower 5 might just be worth it for those after top-draw performance without sacrificing peace and quiet. Lenovo Legion Tower 5: Price & availability (Image credit: Future) Starts from $1,449.99 / 1,395
/ AU$2,069 Available now Decent value
The Legion Tower 5 is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $1,449.99 / 1,395 / AU$2,069 for the AMD Ryzen 10th Gen builds, while the Intel-based Tower 5i Gen 10 starts at $1,319.99 / 1,116 / AU$2,519.
For the AMD builds, numerous configurations are available, peaking at builds with a Ryzen 9 7950X3D and an RTX 5070 Ti, while the Intel builds feature up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F and an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti. Maximum capacities for RAM and storage are 32GB and 2TB, respectively although the latter is expandable with separately purchased drives, thanks to its three M.2 slots
and an extra space for a HDD (although storage bays are only available on
some models).
This isnt a bad price considering whats on offer, but there are still cheaper alternatives. The HP Victus 15L and HP Omen 16L cost significantly less, but you will have to settle for much lower specs. However, we found their performance capable enough for 1080p gaming and their relatively small size and generous front port selection add to their appeal.
A more closely-matched rival to the Legion Tower 5 is the NZXT Player PC, which is similarly priced to the Legion Tower 5 and likewise features an RTX 5070. Like the Legion Tower 5, its built to a very high standard, yet it just about undercuts it on price in some regions. Value: 4 / 5 Lenovo Legion Tower 5: Specs (Image credit: Future) Lenovo Legion Tower 5 (30L, Gen10) review specs
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (8 cores), 4.2GHz
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, 12GB
RAM
32 GB DDR5-5600MT/s (UDIMM) - (2 x 16 GB)
Storage
1TB NVMe M.2 SSD
Ports
Front I/O: 1x USB-A (5Gbps), 1x USB-C (5Gbps), 1x combo audio
Back I/O: 1x RJ45, 1x USB-C (10Gbps), 2x USB-A (5Gbps), 4x USB-A (hi-speed USB), 3x audio
Wireless
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Lenovo Legion Tower 5: Design (Image credit: Future) Superb case Very heavy Limited expandability
The Legion Tower 5 makes a good first impression, with its steely but elegantly designed case. The bright RGB lighting of the fans and front Legion logo livens up the unit without being brash.
Its built to a high standard, too. The materials feel as premium as they
look, and every panel feels sturdy and durable, even the glass side cover.
The downside, however, is that the Legion Tower 5 is quite large and very heavy, so moving around can be difficult.
And you wont want to grab it from the top, as the ventilation mesh has a spiked design that can dig uncomfortably into the hand. Fortunately, theres a useful grab handle just behind the front ports you can hold instead.
Theres some scope for expanding components, but not much. There are four DDR5 memory slots, but only a maximum of 32GB is supported. Up to three M.2 SSDs and one HDD can be installed simultaneously, and there are two spare SATA ports and a spare PCIe 4x slot.
On the rear youll find the usual selection of ports. There are six USB ports, although only two of them utilize the SuperSpeed standard. There are also the obligatory headphone, microphone, and line-in connections. (Image credit: Future)
Oddly, the PSU is located at the top, resulting in a dangling power cable: this is never ideal, but here it can potentially obscure other rearside connections, too. Whats more, this placement effectively shortens the length of the cable if your outlet is close to the floor.
At the front, port selection is more scarce. There are two USB ports,
although one is type-C, which could prove contentious depending on what youre connecting. Personally, I wouldve preferred both to have been type-A, given most of my peripherals use this standard and I suspect many others do as well.
My Legion Tower 5 review unit came with a mouse and keyboard: basic affairs that were perfectly functional, but clearly designed for productivity rather than gaming. The keys short travel and lack of feedback make them better for typing than WASD use, while the mouse has no DPI selector or even side buttons. Needless to say, Lenovo certainly hasnt provided the best gaming keyboard or the best gaming mouse here. Design: 4.5 / 5 Lenovo Legion Tower
5: Performance (Image credit: Future) Excellent AAA performance Impressively cool and quiet Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 (30L AMD) CPU benchmarks:
Benchmark
Score
Geekbench 6.4 Single-core
2,594
Geekbench 6.4 Multi-core
13,554
Crossmark Overall
1,846
Crossmark Productivity
1,734
Crossmark Creativity
2,127
Crossmark Responsiveness
1,454
Cinebench R23 Single Core
1,693
Cinebench R23 Multi Core
17,376
Cinebench R24 Single Core
104
Cinebench R24 Multi Core
934
The performance of the Legion Tower 5 is excellent, with the RTX 5070 in my review unit delivering on its promises.
As you would imagine, everyday tasks are handled equally well. Document and spreadsheet workloads are processed instantly, while 4K streaming is
seamless, lacking the significant buffering times that can plague less
capable machines. Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 (30L AMD) GPU benchmarks
Benchmarks
Score
3DMark Fire Strike
43,845
3DMark Steel Nomad
5,495
3DMark Solar Bay
107,638
3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited
105,290
3DMark Speed Way
5,960
3DMark Port Royal
14,302
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
43,652
3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited
42,947
More impressive, however, is just how quiet the Legion Tower 5 is. During my entire time with it, the fans never rose above a gentle whir, even when the system was set to Performance mode.
Whats more, the unit remained remarkably cool throughout, never exceeding lukewarm temperatures. The Legion Tower 5 is exclusively air-cooled,
utilizing six fans that offer up to 180W of power and they certainly seem effective. Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 (30L AMD) gaming benchmarks
Game
Average FPS
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra)
72
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest, 1080p)
208
F1 2024 (Max, 1080p)
119
Total War: Warhammer III (Ultra, 1080p)
172
Thankfully, the Legion Tower 5 isnt saddled with bloatware. In fact, the two included utility apps, LegionSpace and Lenovo Vantage, are unobtrusive and quite useful; the former for viewing detailed system specs and performing functions such as BIOS updates, and the latter for adjusting performance and fan settings.
The Wi-Fi card was also exemplary. My connection speeds were fast, and I experienced no dropouts or instability. Performance: 5 / 5 Should I buy the Lenovo Legion Tower 5? (Image credit: Future)
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The Legion Tower 5 is expensive, but the value is good considering the performance and build quality.
3.5 / 5
Design
The case feels very premium and durable, although its very heavy. Its not the most expandable, either.
4.5 / 5
Performance
The Legion Tower 5 tears through AAA titles without breaking a sweat. Its
also eerily quiet.
5 / 5
Average rating
The Legion Tower 5 is a top-tier gaming desktop that delivers superb gaming performance. Its large and heavy, and not the most expandable, but the
premium design and its hushed operation might be enough to justify its cost.
4.34 / 5 Buy it if...
You want great build quality
The case is as premium as they come, looking smart and seeming very durable.
You want excellent gaming performance
The 5070 in my review unit blasted through AAA games without issue, all the while staying perfectly cool and incredibly silent. Don't buy it if...
You want plenty of expandability
You can only have up to 32GB of RAM, and there arent many other slots left spare for upgrading.
You want minimal real estate
The Legion Tower 5 is no mini PC; its large and heavy, and the sharp vent panel on the top doesnt exactly help with ergonomics. Lenovo Legion Tower 5: Also Consider
Here are some equally desirable alternatives to the Lenovo Legion Tower 5:
NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition)
Despite having the same RTX card and the same RAM capacity, but twice the installed storage, the NZXT Player PC is a little cheaper than the Legion Tower 5. It doesnt skimp on quality, either: we were impressed with its ample ventilation and smart, solid construction. The lack of visible expansion
slots was about the only drawback we could find.
Read the full NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) review
Alienware Aurora (ACT1250)
The Alienware Aurora ACT1250 offers an excellent experience at 1440p and beyond, as well as a host of configuration options that allow you to build up the perfect gaming PC for performance needs. It's not great on expandability, though.
Read the full Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) review How I tested the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Tested for two days Used for gaming and benchmarked Plentiful PC gaming experience
I tested the Legion Tower 5 for a couple of days, during which time I used it for a variety of tasks.
I used it for working, browsing, streaming video, and, of course, gaming. I played AAA titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 at various settings, including the highest preset. I also ran TechRadars series of benchmarks, to assess various aspects of its performance.
Ive been PC gaming for over a decade, and have used a variety of systems and components during that time, and have built my own machines. Ive also
reviewed plenty of gaming hardware and laptops. First reviewed October 2025
======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/computing/gaming-pcs/lenovo-legion-tower-5-2025
--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)