The God Tier Gaming Laptop of 2024: Legion 9i Gen 9 i9-14900HX
TLDRThe Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 9 gaming laptop is a powerful device featuring the latest 14th gen Intel Core i9 processor and RTX 49 GPU. It boasts a 16-inch mini LED display with a 3200x2000 resolution, 64GB LPDDR5 RAM, and a unique self-contained water cooling system co-engineered with Cooler Master. Despite its hefty price tag, the laptop offers a premium experience with impressive specs, making it a top contender in the 2024 gaming laptop market. However, its battery life remains a concern, and the decision to upgrade from the Gen 8 model depends on the value users place on the increased processing power and AI enhancements.
Takeaways
- 🚀 The Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 9 is a flagship gaming laptop with impressive specs, including the latest 14th generation Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU and RTX 49 GPU with discrete graphics.
- 💻 It features 64GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a unique Next Level cooling system, setting it apart from other gaming laptops in the market.
- 🌟 The display is a large 16-inch mini LED with a 3200x2000 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio, offering superior clarity and brightness compared to competitors.
- 🔋 The laptop has a 99.9Wh battery, which is the maximum allowed for aircraft, indicating good travel compatibility.
- 🏎️ The Legion 9i Gen 9 is the first commercially released gaming laptop with a self-contained water cooling system, co-engineered with Cooler Master, enhancing its performance.
- 🌈 The laptop comes with two 2280 NVMe slots for storage expansion, but there were some issues with detecting the second SSD that might be resolved in retail units.
- 🖥️ It supports Wi-Fi 7 and has multiple ports including 3 USB-C Thunderbolt 4.0, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a USB-A port.
- 🎮 The laptop also features a full-size SD card slot, a shutter slider for the webcam, and an RGB lid with a fingerprint reader that doubles as a power button.
- 🛠️ Legion Advantage is the laptop's proprietary centralized hub for system monitoring, software updates, and performance optimization with AI features.
- 🔋 Battery life is not the laptop's strongest point, with around 1.5 hours of heavy AAA gaming and up to 3 hours for less intensive tasks.
- 💡 The decision to upgrade from the Gen 8 model depends on the value user places on the increased processing power and other enhancements, with the option to wait for potential price drops or consider alternatives like the Asus Strix Scar and Zephrus.
Q & A
What is the Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 9's processor specification?
-The Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 9 features the latest 14th generation Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU.
What graphics card does the Legion 9i Gen 9 use?
-It uses the RTX 49 GPU with discrete graphics.
How much RAM does the Legion 9i Gen 9 have?
-The laptop comes with 64 gigs of LPDDR5 RAM.
What type of cooling system is the Legion 9i Gen 9 equipped with?
-It has Next Level cooling and is the first commercially released gaming laptop to leverage a self-contained water cooling system co-engineered with Cooler Master.
What is the display specification of the Legion 9i Gen 9?
-The laptop has a 16-inch Mini LED display with a 3200x2000 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio, and it's G-Sync compatible with a refresh rate of 165Hz and a max brightness of 12,000 nits.
How does the Legion 9i Gen 9 compare to its predecessor, the Gen 8?
-The Gen 9 model has upgraded from the Gen 8 to the latest Intel Core i9 14900HX processor and features a self-contained water cooling system, among other improvements.
What are the battery specifications for the Legion 9i Gen 9?
-The laptop carries over a 99.9-watt-hour battery, which is the max allowed for an aircraft.
How does the Legion 9i Gen 9 perform in gaming?
-The laptop performs exceptionally well in gaming, with the ability to chew through AAA titles like a dedicated PC rig. It has a high FPS boost feature that optimizes for Max FPS.
What are the connectivity options on the Legion 9i Gen 9?
-The laptop features Wi-Fi 7 support, three USB-C Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, one rear proprietary RJ45 power input, an HDMI 2.1 port, a USB-A port, and a full-size SD card slot.
What software does the Legion 9i Gen 9 use for system management?
-It uses Legion Advantage, a proprietary centralized hub similar to backend software seen with many PC handhelds, which allows for monitoring system status, accessing system tools, and customizing performance modes.
What are the trackpad and keyboard features of the Legion 9i Gen 9?
-The laptop has a built-in trackpad with limited surface area and a responsive keyboard with individually addressable RGB keys. The keyboard also features a shutter slider that disables the webcam on the right side.
What are the author's thoughts on the Legion 9i Gen 9's value proposition compared to the Gen 8?
-The author suggests that if you already own the 9i Gen 8, it might be worth holding onto it. If not, and the Gen 8 is available from a reputable source, that might be a better option due to potential price drops for the Gen 9 over time.
Outlines
💻 Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 9 Overview
The paragraph introduces the Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 9, a flagship gaming laptop that is among the new tech releases for Q2. It is the successor to the Gen 8 model from 2023 and comes with significant upgrades including the latest 14th generation Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU and RTX 49 GPU with discrete graphics. The laptop features 64 gigs of LPDDR5 RAM and a unique cooling system not found in other gaming laptops. It is designed to handle AAA games like a dedicated PC rig and has an impressive physical design with an intuitive RGB color tracking feature. The video aims to provide an in-depth review covering hardware, specs, performance benchmarks, comparisons with competing models, and subjective critiques to help viewers make an informed decision about this top-tier gaming laptop for 2024.
📱 Display and Hardware Comparison
This paragraph delves into the specifics of the Legion 9i Gen 9's 16-inch mini LED display with a 3200x2000 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. It compares the display with its competitors, the ROG Strix Scar 16 and the Asus Zephyrus G16, highlighting the superior resolution, refresh rates, and maximum brightness. The laptop's weight, battery capacity, CPU specifications, and cooling system are also discussed. The 9i Gen 9 is noted as the first commercially released gaming laptop with a self-contained water cooling system, co-engineered with Cooler Master. The paragraph also touches on the laptop's SSD detection issues and the retail units' expected resolution.
🔌 Connectivity, Design, and Software Features
The focus of this paragraph is on the Legion 9i Gen 9's connectivity options, design elements, and software features. It mentions the laptop's support for Wi-Fi 7, its multiple USB-C and Thunderbolt ports, and the inclusion of an HDMI 2.1 port and an RJ45 power input. The design is discussed, including the laptop's RGB lid fingerprint reader that doubles as a power button, the large intake vent, and the smaller-than-desired trackpad. The paragraph also covers the Legion Advantage software, a centralized hub for system monitoring and customization, and the AI thermal features that optimize performance. The laptop's performance in 3D Mark benchmarks is highlighted, showcasing its capabilities in various gaming scenarios.
🎮 Gaming Performance and Battery Life
This paragraph discusses the gaming performance of the Legion 9i Gen 9 at different resolutions and with various settings, including the impact of AI FPS boost and overclocking on performance. The gaming experience with different games like Horizon Forbidden West and Cyberpunk 2077 is detailed, providing specific FPS averages. The paragraph also touches on the laptop's battery life, which is noted as not being very impressive, especially during intensive gaming. The benefits of the newer Intel processors and the laptop's premium feel are mentioned, but the paragraph concludes with a consideration of whether the upgrade from the Gen 8 model is worth the investment, suggesting that potential buyers might want to wait for a price drop or consider the alternatives available in the market.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Legion 9i Gen 9
💡CES
💡Mini LED Display
💡RTX 49 GPU
💡lppdr5 RAM
💡Self-Contained Water Cooling System
💡AI Software
💡Wi-Fi 7
💡Thunderbolt 4.0
💡Legion Advantage
💡FPS Boost
Highlights
Lenovo's flagship gaming laptop, the Legion 9i Gen 9, is among the new tech products revealed at CES and is now shipping for customer orders.
The Legion 9i Gen 9 is the successor to the Gen 8 model released in 2023, featuring the latest 14th generation Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU and RTX 49 GPU with discrete graphics.
This gaming laptop boasts 64GBs of LPDDR5 RAM and a next-level cooling system that is unrivaled by any other gaming laptop to date.
The Legion 9i Gen 9 features a large 16-inch mini LED display with a 3200x2000 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio, making it a strong contender among gaming laptops for 2024.
The laptop's display is GC compatible with a refresh rate of 165Hz and has a max brightness of 12,000 nits, surpassing its competitors in resolution and brightness.
The Legion 9i Gen 9 is lighter than its predecessor, weighing approximately 5 lbs, and carries over the 99.9-watt-hour battery, the max allowed for an aircraft.
The new model is upgraded with the Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU, mirroring the 2024 ROG Strix Scar 16in, and can utilize the GeForce RTX 490 GPU for high-performance gaming.
The Legion 9i Gen 9 is the first commercially released gaming laptop to use a self-contained water cooling system co-engineered with Cooler Master, enhancing its performance.
Lenovo's AI software, leveraging the LA3 chip, activates the water cooler pump before performance can be affected, optimizing the cooling process.
The laptop features Wi-Fi 7 protocol and has three USB-C Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a USB-A port, providing a range of connectivity options.
The Legion 9i Gen 9 includes an RGB lid, fingerprint print reader that doubles as a power button, showing thermal power status at a glance.
Lenovo's Legion Advantage software is a centralized hub for system monitoring, tool access, and customization, offering a user-friendly interface.
The AI thermal features within Legion Advantage allow for fine-tuning of performance metrics and the creation of custom thermal presets for optimized gaming experiences.
In benchmarks, the Legion 9i Gen 9 achieved high scores in 3D Mark tests, showcasing its powerful performance capabilities.
The laptop's performance in gaming is impressive, with high FPS averages across various resolutions and settings, particularly when utilizing the AI FPS boost feature.
Battery life is a drawback for the Legion 9i Gen 9, offering only 1 to 3 hours of gameplay on a full charge, reflecting a common challenge with high-performance laptops.
The trackpad is on the smaller side, and the internal speakers are average, suggesting some potential areas for improvement in the laptop's design.
Despite its premium features and powerful internals, the decision to purchase the Legion 9i Gen 9 may be influenced by the existence of its predecessor and competitive alternatives.