We’ve seen quite a number of gaming laptops coming into Malaysia this week, and Lenovo also introduced its latest gaming machine on our shores, the Lenovo Legion Y540. What makes the Y540 particularly unique is its level of customisability; something that is not typically offered by big brands.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time gaming with the Legion Y540, and while it’s not the most impressive gaming laptop I’ve come across, its customisability – and relatively competitive pricing – may appeal to certain folks.
Unlike gaming laptops from other established PC makers, Lenovo allows you to customise the Legion Y540 to your heart’s content on its website. In fact, it’s similar to Illegear and Level 51’s concept of offering a ton of customisation with their gaming laptops. The options are not quite as elaborate, of course, but the ability to customise certain parts of the laptop is still an attractive selling point.
Looking at the Y540’s official page on Lenovo’s website, the base model can be purchased for RM4,188.55 (after discount). For that kind of money, you’re getting a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display, an Intel Core i5-9300H processor paired with 8GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, and a 1TB 5400rpm HDD.
That’s quite a steep price tag for a GTX 1650 gaming laptop, but if you opt for the higher-end models, it makes a lot more sense. I’ve configured the Y540 on Lenovo’s website with a 144Hz Full HD IPS display, a Core i7-9750H processor paired with 8GB of RAM, an RTX 2060 GPU, and a 512GB SSD – how much does this cost? RM5,846.30. That’s really quite a good price to performance ratio.
Beyond its list of specifications, other aspects of the Legion Y540 aren’t so bad either. Design wise, the slim bezels of the display give it a modern look. Unfortunately, however, there’s no space for a webcam at the top of the display. Instead, it’s placed right at the bottom, making for an awkward camera angle.
Nonetheless, the Y540’s display itself is quite good. I’ve tried the 144Hz 1080p IPS display, and it looks great with vibrant colours and wide viewing angle. Motion clarity is, as expected, excellent for the 144Hz display. Even though I’ve only played a couple rounds of Dota 2 with this gaming laptop, the high refresh rate is very noticeable.
Same goes for the RTX 2060 GPU. Yes, Dota 2 is not a very demanding game at all, but you will be able to play most – if not all – modern games with high graphics settings with that GPU. If you’d like to know more about the RTX 2060’s gaming performance, check out this review.
Build quality of the Y540 is good too. The laptop as a whole feels robust, the palm rest area is nice to the touch, and I quite dig the metal lid. Even the hinge feels solid, which is always a good thing – it holds the screen securely enough for it to not wobble when I’m gaming with the laptop.
When it comes to connectivity, the Legion Y540 has a pretty complete selection of ports. Most of the ports are located at the back of the laptop, and only two USB-A slots and a 3.5mm headphone jack are located at the sides, for better or worse.
Anyway, on the back of the Y540 is where you’ll find a USB-C connection, a mini DisplayPort, an HDMI 2.0 output, another USB-A slot, as well as an RJ45 port. Unfortunately, there’s no card reader of any kind here.
Input devices of the Y540 are also reasonably good. Even though the keyboard only has white backlighting, it has more than enough key travel for a pleasant typing and gaming experience. I also appreciate the full size navigation keys, though I do think the numpad is placed in a rather awkward position.
As for the trackpad, it’s decent. I don’t quite like the fact that I can’t click on it, but it can track my fingers accurately. Gestures, unsurprisingly, also work well on this trackpad.
The Lenovo Legion Y540 is a good gaming laptop with a ton of customisability, and the higher-end model offers relatively good value for money too. Given the laptop’s good build quality, sleek design, and great gaming performance, you should definitely check it out if you’re looking to get a new gaming laptop.
You can start customising your own Legion Y540 over here. There aren’t that many RTX 2060 gaming laptops under the RM6,000 mark now, and that is one of the biggest selling points of the Y540.