Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 16ARH7 laptop review: Ryzen 5 6600HS meets good 16:10 display

[Redaktion]

With the IdeaPad 5 Pro 16ARH7, Lenovo creates a very exciting overall package. Until now, we did not have a Ryzen 5 6600HS with an integrated Radeon 660M in our test. In addition, there is a bright 16:10 display with a high sRGB coverage.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-IdeaPad-5-Pro-16ARH7-laptop-review-Ryzen-5-6600HS-meets-good-16-10-display.654318.0.html

[Proxymo]

Please consider reviewing its beefier counterpart, the 14ARH7 sporting the ryzen 6800HS. I can see that being an easier recommendation but one that is hard to make seeing as it hasn't been reviewed by any outlets as of yet.

[igpumastera]

There is 16ARH7 variant with 6800HS + 16GB RAM.

RX 680M is best iGPU there is at the moment for low power usage.

[Adam222222]

Last year IdeaPad 5 Pro had terrible touchpad, barely usable. Maybe Lenovo fixed it this year.

[NikoB]

Many test results are abnormal. I recommend the author to double-check everything and update the data with real, correct ones.
AIDA64 memory benchmarks, NOISE data at least.

Lenovo should sell this model exclusively with 2 on-board memory configuration options - 32 and 64GB (1100-1150 and 1200-1250 euros). The 16GB version should simply be cancelled.

I note, as always, that despite the nameplate "120Hz", the response of the matrix to G2G is not even close to the value corresponding to the real support for such a frame rate - 1/120 sec maximum. I would like the contrast to be higher, but still it is acceptable.

Once again I emphasize the stupidity of the lack of RJ45 at 1-2.5Gb / s. This model "Pro" and in offices are connected to the network most often for stable speed and pings at work. There is plenty of space on the left, and behind the edge you could find it and provide food access there, which again completely excludes the comfortable use of the model of the house reclining on the couch for the right-hander.

[NikoB]

and provide food access there

Again "artificial intelligence" from Google. I beg your pardon, of course we are talking about a power plug sticking out idiotically on the left perpendicular to case from usb-c, which breaks out with your feet elementarily for a right-handed persons on couch...

[NikoB]

Аuthor of the review misleads potential buyers. Intel and AMD models are NOT equal - Intel have  TB4.0 port, AMD version DOES NOT have a USB40 port (as anologue for TB4.0). Thus, playing on this model with an eGPU will not possible, unlike the model with Intel.

Second, the author claims that the set of ports is good. And this is also not true. Lenovo itself in psref is clearly lying about the presence of even outdated HDMI 2.0, because in the notes it itself writes about supporting only 4k@30Hz, and this 100% means antique HDMI 1.4b overgrown with moss and nothing more. And so no one checks in the reviews on NB that the ports comply with full standards, in fact no one knows this info, except for corrosive buyers.

So buyers of this series with AMD cannot connect a two 4K monitor at the same time. And buyers from Intel can, because there is TB4.0, and it must by specification TB4.0 support two 4k monitors.

The buyers of the AMD version are completely deprived of the quality of the ports, with which I congratulate them, who, out of ignorance, have already bought the version with AMD ..

[Bananapeel]

I don't see a reason for this review, there is a version of the ideapad pro 5 with the same cpu and an rtx 3050 for quite literally the same cost. Why would anyone buy this system instead of that one?

[NikoB]

Then, that the world is many-sided and somewhere the version with 3050 costs +$200-300. Imagine...

In general, there are many buyers who do NOT need a discrete card. Under the following conditions:
1. The memory on board is minimum 32GB and it is as fast as possible and by standart and by tuning in bios.
2. Cooling WITHOUT a discrete card is EXACTLY the same as with it. Which dramatically improves either processor performance (you can raise PL1/PL2) or greatly reduces noise, the choice of the buyer. What is often absurd and deliberately negligent and greedy manufacturers is not carried out, and some even reach complete nonsense - remember the summer review of Huawei D16 2022 - in the version with a hot and a lot of eating 12700H, they removed 1 cooler and a heat pipe, compared to the version with cold AMD 2021 , instead of adding +2 heat pipes and increasing the diameter of the coolers. What were the engineers smoking when the marketing morons told them to do this? Rhetorical question...
3. There is no difference in video technologies between the built-in video part of the processor and the discrete one, or it is not important.

[aadumaadu]

This laptop looks really promising, especially for the reasonable pricetag of $850 USD with an RTX 3050 (Good for casual gaming). Only wish that there was upgradable ram in a 16" device (DDR4 lower clockspeed not an issue with dGPU compared with just iGPU like here). And lenovo should definitely make the ports modern (although I'd say it's better than an XPS 15 for an average consumer who doesn't use TB). I hope that the trackpad in this does not cause issues like my previous inspiron 13. Don't know how the keyboard compared to say, a thinkpad t14s

[NikoB]

This laptop looks really promising, especially for the reasonable pricetag of $850 USD with an RTX 3050 (Good for casual gaming).

This is not gaming series, it's "Pro" office series with small soldered ram pool.

For "casual" games today, something less than 3070 can not even be considered, especially in 2.5k resolution. And in fhd everything will be guaranteed to be muddy there and still low fps in high quality. So if you don't need the 3050 for a specific purpose, it's pointless there.

[aadumaadu]

This is not gaming series, it's "Pro" office series with small soldered ram pool.

I never said it was a gaming laptop. Just a regular 16 inch laptop with a GPU slapped on it. Compared to previous iGPUs (intel UHD, XE, Vega), it is still miles faster.

You say anything less than 3070ti cannot be considered for casual gamers, then why is the ASUS g14 with the RTX 3060 Max-Q the number 1 selling gaming laptop at bestbuy? Not everyone needs to run Minecraft shaders @4K 120Hz. There is a reason why people were excited for AMD's new RDNA 2 iGPU (AYANEO 2).

[ExternalMonitorJoke]

Connecting external monitor should be part of the test. This laptop is in that area really embarrassing. HDMI 4K only 30Hz. Over usb c 4K 60Hz.
Massive joke.

[raul]

Lenovo Bets on AMD and very soon AMD ZEN 4 Phoenix = DDR5 + RDNA 3 + USB 4.0 + HDMI 2.1 + AI with artificial intelligence and everything at 5nm vs 10nm from Intel
Intel has fallen asleep or rather hibernated. Intel has been 4 long years with their unevolved integrated Xe graphics that you can only play minesweeper with, while AMD has gone from Zen 2 with Vega 8 --> Zen 3+ with RDNA2 and now with Zen 4 --> RDN3+ AI I just read The graphics of the Core 13 disappoints, it does not surpass the AMD Vega 8.

AMD Phoenix CPUs will surpass Apple M2 in performance and efficiency and that is what the portable public expects with ZEN 4 Phoenix

[NikoB]

then why is the ASUS g14 with the RTX 3060 Max-Q the number 1 selling gaming laptop at bestbuy?

Because the majority of the world's population and in the United States are poor. Or just stupid people who do not understand that for games you need to take only top-end laptops or video cards.

This laptop is in that area really embarrassing. HDMI 4K only 30Hz.

Some bloggers on YouTube claim that 2.0b is real there, but they did not provide real checks to the public.

And so it's really a shame for the Zen3 + processor, where AMD assured a year ago in an advertisement that there was HDMI 2.1 and DP2.0 ...

And also USB40.

Compare with Acer Travelmate P4 - even with AMD there are two USB40/TB4.0 ports from 6650/6850U. And which has HDMI 2.1 and 2 memory slots up to 64GB and M.2.
Two disgusting things about the Travelmate P4 are a disgusting 1920x1200 screen with poor color reproduction and 60Hz high response instead of the normal 4k@120Hz and a disgraceful keyboard with a broken numeric keypad as well as a shutdown button inside the keyboard.

If Acer marketers had brains, they would have started to install full-fledged keyboards in TravelMate 15.6+ series like in Thinkpad T16 long ago and even better - with Esc, F1..F12 and IPS Black (from LG) 4k@120Hz 16:10 of normal height .

And this series with a 3-year warranty - they would have enough in millions of batches, because their ports are well located. And the power is supplied by an angular plug convenient for right-handed and left-handed people (unless to increase its diameter for strength).

I can bet with any of the Acer executives that after the modifications I suggested, the TravelMate series would be sold in the tens of millions a year, especially with AMD processors.

Ideapad 5 Pro - no Pro, it's rubbish in this performance. The memory must be at least 32 GB, the screen is only 4k, USB40 / HDMI 2.1 and an angled round power plug on the side or another usb-c BACK, so that it is convenient on the couch with it for both right-handers and left-handers when working from an outlet.