Lenovo’s Legion 5 gaming laptop is now available with AMD’s RX 6600M graphics, so let’s
test it in 15 different games and find out how it compares against other laptops!
This Legion 5 has an 8 core Ryzen 7 5800H processor, Radeon RX 6600M graphics, 16 gigs
of memory in dual channel and a 15.6” 1080p 165Hz screen with FreeSync.
AMD lists the 6600M with a 100 watt power limit, and I found that the one in this laptop
ran at 100 watts regardless of whether or not the CPU and GPU were active at the same
time, so basically we’re dealing with a full powered 6600M here.
Lenovo’s Vantage software can be used to change performance modes.
All testing here has been done with the highest performance mode enabled for best results,
and like the Nvidia version of the Legion 5, this all AMD model does have a MUX switch,
so this means we can either choose to leave the integrated graphics enabled for best battery
life, or disable the integrated graphics for better gaming performance, and this means
that the Legion 5 is the first all AMD gaming laptop I’ve ever seen that has a MUX switch.
I was starting to think there wasn’t going to be one!
So as it’s got that option I think it only makes sense to test with the integrated graphics
disabled to get the best performance in games.
The MUX switch is toggled on or off through the Vantage software, hybrid mode on means
the integrated graphics is active, while hybrid mode off means the iGPU is disabled.
Just before we get into the games, let’s check out the screen, given it’s what you’re
going to be staring at while playing games on this thing.
We’re looking at a 7.5ms average grey-to-grey screen response time, so not amazing for a
165Hz screen which would need to be a bit faster for all transitions to occur within
the refresh window at about 6ms, but it’s not too bad and close to the Nvidia based
Legion 5 despite using a different panel model.
The total system latency is pretty average compared to others.
This is the total amount of time between a mouse click and when a gunshot fire happens
on the screen in CS:GO.
Unfortunately, like many of Lenovo’s other gaming laptops, this Legion 5 did ship to
me with the slower x16 memory, which I guess is just due to global supply shortages, so
an upgrade to x8 sticks would likely help boost performance.
Alright so with all of that in mind, let’s finally find out how the 6600M performs in
games!
Cyberpunk 2077 was tested the same on all laptops, and I’ve got this Legion 5 highlighted
in red.
The 6600M is pretty much right in the middle of the Nvidia RTX 3060 results, just a couple
of frames behind the Nvidia based Legion 5 with the same processor a few positions ahead
of it, though we’re talking less than a 3 FPS difference.
The 3060 in the Legion does have a higher GPU power limit though, at least assuming
AMD and Nvidia measure these in a comparable manner which may not be the case.
Interestingly the higher tier 6700M in the MSI Delta 15 was right above the Legion 5,
essentially scoring the same, and that’s despite the Delta shipping with faster x8
memory, but the Delta doesn’t have a MUX switch so I’m guessing that’s why the
6600M is so close.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was tested with the game’s benchmark, and this time the 6600M
in the Legion 5 was ahead of all of the RTX 3060 results.
It’s even ahead of the RTX 3070 in the HP Omen 15 just below it, though that 3070 is
a lower 100 watt variant.
The 6600M is pretty much scoring the same as the higher tier RX 6800M just above it.
The Strix G15 Advantage Edition has the same slower x16 memory, but it doesn’t have a
MUX switch like the Legion 5 which I suspect is why it’s not higher.
It’s a bit of a different story in Control, but this is an Nvidia sponsored title, so
Radeon graphics don’t tend to do quite as well here.
The 6600M was now basically matching the lowest RTX 3060 results now.
It’s still able to maintain above 60 FPS at max settings, so it’s playing perfectly
fine, it’s just that many of those higher tier 3060 laptops like the Legion 5 are able
to reach a 26% higher average frame rate.
This game, and the last two for that matter have DLSS support, so technically those 3060
laptops could all get a further speed boost in these titles with that enabled, as the
6600M can not use this feature.
Now all of these laptops have been compared with their stock memory, as I want to show
you the results that you would actually see if you were to buy one of these laptops and
run it straight out of the box.
I will upgrade this laptop to faster x8 memory when I compare it in the dedicated 6600M vs
3060 comparison which is coming soon.
I’ll be using the Legion 5 for both laptops so I’m going to be able to fairly compare
pretty much everything including thermals, battery life and we’re going to check out
18 different games at both 1080p and 1440p resolutions.
So if you’re new to the channel definitely make sure you’re subscribed for that upcoming
comparison, it’s going to be epic!
Alright so now that we have a rough idea of where the 6600M fits in compared to other
laptops, let’s see how well it performs in even more games at all setting levels.
Far Cry 6 was tested with the game’s benchmark.
I’ve tested with FSR set to balanced mode in the red bars, while the purple bars are
just regular stock settings without FSR.
Interestingly there’s no real difference here.
I actually originally tested with FSR set to quality mode and had the same results so
lowered FSR down to balanced, but again basically the same deal.
So far I’ve only really found FSR to help in this game at higher resolutions like 1440p.
Apex Legends was tested in the world’s edge map.
I’ve tested with all settings at maximum or minimum as it doesn’t have setting presets,
but there wasn’t much difference between them anyway, so might as well have it looking
a bit nicer.
Call of Duty Warzone was tested with maximum or minimum settings for the same reason, and
again there’s not that big of a difference.
Max settings were still able to hit 120 FPS in my test.
Fortnite was more or less able to make good use of the 165Hz screen with high settings,
as the average frame rate was close to the screen’s refresh rate, though max settings
was still able to hit 100 FPS, and even higher is possible at lower settings if you’re
playing competitively.
We compared control earlier, but now I’ve also tested ray tracing in the green bars,
which honestly wasn’t doing that well.
To be fair in many cases it doesn’t do that well on Nvidia laptops either, but at least
those have the option of DLSS to boost performance.
Cyberpunk was also compared earlier, but again now we’ve got some ray tracing presets up
the top of the graph, though again they’re doing quite poorly.
This is another game with DLSS support, but that’s also an Nvidia feature and the game
doesn’t have FSR built in, so no extra boost for the 6600M.
Microsoft Flight Simulator was running above 60 FPS with the high-end setting preset, and
close to 100 FPS if you’re fine with prioritizing smoothness over visual quality at low settings.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was tested with the games benchmark, and the results were
quite good here compared to Nvidia alternatives, as this is a game I’ve found to typically
favor Radeon graphics.
Watch Dogs Legion was also tested with the game’s benchmark.
Ultra settings wasn’t quite hitting 60 FPS, but we can get a fairly large 32% boost to
average FPS simply by lowering to very high settings.
CS:GO was doing quite well, I’ve found that games like this that can hit super high frame
rates generally see larger gains with the integrated graphics disabled, as more frames
seems to bottleneck the iGPU harder.
Rainbow Six Siege was also hitting super high frame rates.
In the game’s benchmark even the 1% low at the highest ultra setting preset was well
above the screen’s 165Hz refresh rate, so no problem here.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was compared earlier, though we only looked at high settings.
Maxed out at ultra was a fair bit lower compared to low, medium and high presets, but hey it
was still able to reach above 60 FPS.
We’ll just skip through a handful of older games.
I'll replace the older Battlefield V with the newer 2042 once it’s fully launched
soon.
Again you’re definitely going to want to make sure that you’re subscribed for my
upcoming comparison between the 6600M and the RTX 3060, I’ll be using the Legion 5
for both laptops so it should be very interesting.
Otherwise for now while you wait you can check out some of my other laptop videos over here
next, I’ll see you in one of those.