“The Ultimate Budget Gaming PC: Why This Lenovo Model is My Top Recommendation!”

ZDNET’s main insights

• Configurations for Lenovo’s LOQ Tower 17IRR9 begin at $899.
• This machine is an excellent choice for individuals seeking a well-functioning, compact, and reasonably priced computer.
• However, due to its small dimensions, it has a limited selection of available ports.

further purchasing options

Lenovo’s Legion series serves as the company’s premier gaming laptop range. Nonetheless, in recent years, the brand has ventured into mid-tier hardware with the LOQ series. While most models are laptops, a desktop representative is the LOQ Tower 17IRR9. Desktops may appear outdated considering today’s dominance of mobile computing. In response to this, you should rethink that perspective since systems like the Tower 17IRR9 provide a level of functionality laptops cannot compete with.

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The LOQ Tower 17 is compact for a desktop, measuring 14.8 x 12 x 7 inches and weighing roughly 20 pounds. Finding a place for this modest device should be quite straightforward, even in a crowded office. Setting it up is equally uncomplicated as the package includes only a power cable, keyboard, and mouse.

At first glance, the product resembles a Lenovo IdeaCentre desktop. I would suggest the LOQ Tower 17 for conventional office settings if it weren’t for a potential drawback: a long LED light running down the center. Admittedly, it’s not as distracting as the RGB lighting on a gaming PC, but it remains quite bright.

On the front, there’s a headphone jack, a USB-C port, and two USB-A ports, which is rather standard. At the back, there are an additional 12 ports, including four more USB-A ports, an ethernet port, and an HDMI 1.4b input. This configuration allows you to utilize multi-monitor arrangements along with various compatible accessories. Nevertheless, limitations still exist in terms of what you can accomplish.

I wish it included more USB-C and HDMI ports, as it only features one of each. I would have preferred that Lenovo refrained from installing a VGA port. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the VGA standard, I doubt many average users will utilize it as we approach 2025. HDMI is more widely known. Lenovo’s desktop should have provided stronger support for alternative standards instead of VGA. Hopefully, subsequent models will address this concern.

It is worth noting that Lenovo’s device is compatible with both Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1, facilitating fast wireless connections without needing an external antenna. All the components required for an over-the-air connection are integrated into the hardware. This design advantage gives the LOQ Tower 17 an upper hand over rivals like the Dell XPS 8960.

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Inside my LOQ Tower review unit was an Intel Core i5-14400F processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, and 16GB of RAM. A setup like this is relatively lightweight. It performs admirably across a broad range of tasks. It didn’t lag or falter in the presence of 50 browser tabs, multiple videos playing on different web pages, and several first-party applications operating at once. For general use, the computer is dependable, but as you begin to stress the hardware, its limitations become apparent.

I connected an ethernet cable directly to the computer during my tests to ensure a consistent connection. This way, any issues couldn’t be attributed to Wi-Fi difficulties.

The benchmark assessments indicated much. On PCMark 10, Lenovo’s LOQ Tower 17 achieved a slightly above-average score of 7,658. I then executed 3DMark Steel Nomad, where the machine also fell short. It hovered below 2,800, which is lower than the average for this hardware configuration. These figures suggest the computer might struggle with demanding tasks and high-resolution gaming. My doubts were later validated.

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Because the Lenovo LOQ Tower 17 is one of the company’s economical gaming options, I tested various video games on it as part of my assessment. I was pleasantly surprised by its performance as a mid-tier system. Action games like Marvel Rivals ran smoothly. I didn’t experience any performance issues during my stress testing, as long as I kept the visual settings on the lower side.

Problems emerged when I pushed the hardware to render gameplay at 4K resolution. The frame rate dropped dramatically, making it challenging to comprehend what was occurring on the screen. Additionally, there was noticeable screen tearing throughout the display.

ZDNET’s purchasing guidance

The specific configuration of the Lenovo LOQ Tower 17IRR9 that I reviewed is currently in very limited supply. In fact, it is entirely sold out at the moment of this writing. Don’t be alarmed, as there are alternative configurations available that I would endorse.

Lenovo’s online shop is presently offering the LOQ Tower 17 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card for $900. If you’re in the market for a variant with a superior GPU, NewEgg is marketing a refurbished unit featuring a GeForce RTX 4060 on its platform for $896.