A practical, upgrade-friendly gaming laptop with an RTX 5060 that uses less power than competitors.
The Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11 gets the basics right for an entry-level gaming laptop, but its gaming performance is compromised by a low-power GPU and aging processor. Rival systems deliver stronger gaming and productivity performance. Unless upgradeability is a top priority, most shoppers will find better overall value elsewhere.
Pros
+Decent display
+Comfortable keyboard and touchpad
+Solid upgradeability
You're in for some comfortable workdays with this laptop’s long battery life and bouncy keyboard.
These affordable gaming laptops were neck and neck in my testing, but one pulled ahead for me.
RTX 5070 mobile GPUs have previously been constrained by 8GB of VRAM.
Though it might struggle with some demanding tasks, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 is an efficient, feature-packed laptop that…
Thinking of buying the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2026)? With a 15-inch screen and great battery life, it is a killer deal at…
Lenovo's gaming monitor has everything you want, except—maybe—a glare filter.
