The Intel Arc A530M makes perfect sense for a gaming laptop in Lenovo’s affordable LOQ range.
If you find the LOQ 15IAX9I on sale, that’s the time to buy.
Impressive performance with well-optimized AAA PC games running DirectX.
Forza Horizon 5 joins a short list of AAA games that run surprisingly well on Intel’s low-end Arc GPU.
Great for lightweight games like Minecraft.
Auto switch to 144Hz on AC power for smooth gameplay.
SO-DIMM RAM allows manual memory upgrades.
Heavy and ugly with restricted port selection.
High temperatures are made worse by poor intake fan placement.
CPU performance is lacking against modern alternatives.
No, this power button is not a fingerprint reader, but the LEDs can change color.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Lenovo’s own Legion Go handheld offers better value for gamers.
1.Price, availability, and specs2.Design and setup3.Benchmarks4.Thermals and battery life5.Gaming performance6.Competition7.Score card8.Should you buy?
This review was made possible with a review unit provided by Lenovo.
Strangely aligned arrow keys aside, the cheap keyboard isn’t too bad.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
The company did not see the contents of the review before publishing.
LOQ 15 laptops with more varied components, like 13th-generation Intel Core CPUs, are available from Best Buy.
8GB RAM is a drop, but it is replaceable.
A dedicated Copilot feels strange with a 12th Gen Intel Core CPU lacking a NPU.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Adedicated Copilot keysits just along the right side of the space bar.
I manually downloaded the latest Intel Arc driver, upgrading from 31.0.101.4679, preinstalled, to 31.0.101.5382.
However, Intel’s mobile Arc chip beats the integrated GPU in theAMD Z1 Extremementioned earlier.
The full numberpad should have been dropped in favor of better ventilation or larger speakers.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
That said, I expect a better performance than the LOQ managed in my testing.
Choosing thebest laptop for playing Minecrafthas flexible options.
Nevertheless, Minecraft runs perfectly and can handle mods if you want to customize the game.
A single USB-C and USB-A port pairing is enough for most wireless keyboard and mice dongles.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Still, despite the low prefs, it’s a playable experience with surprisingly competent visuals.
Pair that with unreliable refresh rates, and it’s far from ideal.
Plus, it still looks great on the ‘low’ graphical preset while running at 1080p.
Absolutely nothing to be found on the left side of the LOQ 15.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Decidingwhich portable rig you should choose for PC gamingwill relate more closely to your needs in a versatile machine.
I’d recommend the Lenovo Legion Go for those purely investing in a gaming machine.
LOQ 15IAX9I: Score card
LOQ 15IAX9I: Should you buy it?
The rear I/O holds a dedicated Ethernet port for reliable wired networking.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Lighter titles like Minecraft shine here, but mega-hits like Counter-Strike 2 do not.
Two intake fans match almost perfectly to where your thighs rest.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Without the LOQ logo, this would look like most unassuming Lenovo laptops.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
The rear I/O is, thankfully, clearly labeled from above.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
The FHD IPS panel scored 97% of sRGB, 83% of AdobeRGB, and 84% of P3 with a Datacolor Spyder X Pro colorimeter.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Datacolor SpyderX Pro tone response test results on the screen show gamma close to 2.2.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Datacolor SpyderX Pro brightness test results show a maximum of 324 nits.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
A white hotspot above the keyboard is visible with a thermal FLIR camera.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Rear vents push out uncomfortably hot air on your lap, but a desk fares better.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
The intake fans appear cold in thermal imaging, sucking in room temperature air.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
In an elevated position, the hot spots are slightly reduced during gameplay.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
PCMark 10 tests battery life by emulating device usage in Windows.
If you’re only interested in lightweight PC games like Minecraft, the LOQ 15IAX9I is a good choice.
Dropping into Fortnite’s play area is an unstable experience.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Things don’t get much better on the ground in Fortnite, as the framerate repeatedly drops.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Minecraft offers plenty of behind the scenes jargon, including the 116 FPS framerate in the top left.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Flying in creative mode to view more blocks doesn’t negatively affect the performance.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Apex Legends provided one of the best experiences among the most popular online shooters with the LOQ 15.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Anything above 60 FPS is good enough for competitive gameplay.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
While it’s playable, the competitive nature of Counter-Strike 2 will leave you wishing it performed much better.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Jagged edges make it difficult to spot hints of enemies peeking around corners.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Driving around Night City and surrounded by its citizens, Cyberpunk 2077 holds strong on low-end hardware.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Even at low settings, the game looks fantastic.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Flames and carnage never stop in Helldivers 2, which doesn’t help the performance.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Even standing on your ship, motionless, the components struggle to keep up.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Forza on PC continues to be a triumph in optimization.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
With the graphics set to a high preset, a 75 FPS result is surprising and impressive.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
A low video memory warning can be dismissed, and never appeared to affect my gameplay.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Lenovo’s Legion Go features detachable controllers and runs Windows 11, compatible with any games and all apps.
Intel Arc graphics improve with each patch and pulls most of the gaming weight on the LOQ 15IAX9I.
