Lenovo Legion C730 Cube Review - PC for Gamers

Laptops, tablets, smartphones and other gadgets gradually replaced stationary computers. It has become common to see a person on the subway with an e-book, tablet, or on the bus with a smartphone. The modern market is teeming with applications for gadgets, including games. The developers have come up with a lot of games that can be played offline, online, alone, together, in groups. Adventure games, shooters, strategies are the beginning of the list of games that everyone, kids and adults, plays.

Classic PC

Laptops are not always the right solution for gaming. These laptop PCs have a number of limitations. Even the most productive laptop cannot replace a classic desktop computer with a separate monitor, keyboard and system unit.

The possibility of embedding and completing an upgrade in the classics is varied and great. The failed part can be replaced with a new, more powerful and modern one. The functionality of the PC is expanded with additional settings, installing a cooling system, adding RAM, replacing drives, etc.

An experienced consultant-programmer will tell you what to look for when purchasing a PC, which company to choose, for study, work or games. The model can be compact and productive at the same time, with a powerful iron that does not heat up during games and work.

Lenovo

Established in 1984, a Chinese electronics manufacturer has been making top-selling computers at an affordable price. A fifth of the world market is occupied by the equipment of a well-known brand. Lenovo computers and laptops, smartphones and other gadgets are being sold in 160 countries. High-quality assembly, ergonomics of the models, their design have earned the trust of buyers. The company produces budget equipment along with premium PCs, models for professionals, for gamers. One of the new products is the Lenovo Legion C730 Cube desktop computer model. Let's stop and consider the advantages and disadvantages of the model.

Modern gaming PC

Lenovo Legion C730 Cube is a desktop PC for gamers. The outwardly compact body of the device accommodates eighth generation Intel processors, 16 GB of RAM, 1 TB of hard disk memory, an SSD drive and a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card.

Case appearance and connection ports

The computer resembles a cube. The case is wider in width than conventional stationary PCs, and twice as low in height. In this design, gray matte plastic looks stylish and unusual. An added bonus - any minor scratches and fingerprints will be invisible. The front panel consists entirely of decorative ventilation holes of the same diameter. On the bottom of the case there are separate headphone jacks, a 3.5 mm microphone and 2 USB 3.1 (Gen1) ports. To the right of the holes is the illuminated Legion logo. It is made in bright white with constant backlighting.

At the top, the case is illuminated by RGB lighting: inside it is a video card and storage cards. You can read their characteristics. They are visible through a transparent panel with a fine mesh, covered with a black perforated sheet.The round power button is located in the right corner, closer to the front panel. In the center is a carry handle with Lenovo logo, separating one area from another. The backlight can be adjusted and adjusted as desired (so that one zone or both are illuminated). In the settings there are effects of waves, flickering, the transition of one color to another when the heating level of the PC parts changes and the processor frequency changes.

The side panels come without holes. They are easily removable for full access to internal components.

The back of the case is made with holes and ports. There is a lever on top to remove the side panel. There is also a shortcut from those. characteristics. The other side panel is attached to the right by two screws. All ports are located in the middle of the cover. There are three connectors DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI-D - ports to connect displays. The rear panel is equipped with one RJ45 Ethernet connector, there is a line-out audio output. Then there are two ports for USB 2.0, 4 ports for USB 3.0 and a hole for a power cable with a standard 450W ATX power supply. All cords can be fastened with an elastic band, which is located at the bottom of the case, so that they do not interfere with the game and do not bend. Ventilation holes are located on either side of the USB connectors.

Equipment

By purchasing the Lenovo Legion C730 Cube for an ordinary user, there is no need to purchase additional peripherals. The basic kit, packed in a cardboard box, contains the essentials:

• segment Lenovo Legion С730 Cube;
• power cable;
• mouse;
• proprietary keyboard;
• User's Manual.

Avid gamblers can purchase LenovoY Gaming branded advanced accessories and peripherals. Sold separately: headset, mechanical keyboard, special mouse and mat, Lenovo Y25f-10 144 Hz monitor.

Brief characteristics of the PC

The body weight is 9 kg with dimensions of 30.5x23.8x35.8 cm.

The RAM of the device is 16 GB DDR4 2666 MHz. Expandable up to 32 GB.

There are two drives installed: SSD M.2 PCIe, 128 GB in size and HDD in 1 TB.

The high-speed SSD offers the following characteristics: 1600 MB / s read speed, 430 MB write speed. On the hard disk, the write / read speed is observed - 180/255 Mb / s, respectively.

PC processor: Intel Core i5-8400, 6-core, clock frequency 2.8 GHz, its overclocking - 4.0 GHz, cache 6 MB. The configuration can be sold in different designs.

64-bit OS installed: Microsoft Windows 10.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 is a full-size graphics card with a two-slot modification, which is responsible for graphics quality. You can visually connect additional power to the card. The 31 cm video adapter allows you to install a more powerful component.

The Lenovo Legion C730 Cube computer will run the game of the present with a high-quality resolution of 1920 × 1080 (FullHD).

It is possible to connect wireless communications using the module: Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2x2 or wired gigabit Ethernet (Killer).

The components inside the enclosure are standard sizes and configurations. In the future, you can expand the upgrade for any PC parameter: increase the RAM and storage memory, replace the power supply, video card, processor based on a motherboard with an Intel Z370 chipset (the processor has open access).

Tuning and sound

You can customize the Legion C730 using Lenovo's native Vantage software, which is stylistically reminiscent of the Legion line of games. During the settings, you can connect the backlight. The installed software allows you to check for updates, system status and diagnose in real time.

Access to the discs is conveniently located in the hinged basket. The motherboard has a slot for M.2 2280 SSD media. Despite the compactness, the case itself is thought out so that you can install two full-size 3.5-inch hard drives.

The sound is adjusted separately. Settings and presets can be downloaded in a special application. Built-in Realtek ALC233 supports Dolby Atmos.

Cooling and ventilation of components

The Legion C730 segment has a built-in cooling system located in two channels: the processor and the video card are cooled separately.The maximum heating temperature of the components does not exceed 74-77 °. High processor loads do not affect PC performance. The unit works stably and practically silently.

The case is ventilated. The video card is blown from both sides due to the 92 mm diameter cooler installed on the front side of the case and operating in the supply mode. The graphics card has a turbine cooling system. There are coolers on the rear side of the case: a cooler with an 80 mm diameter works as a hood, a cooler with the same diameter is attached to the processor heatsink and power supply.

The video card is ventilated by means of a turbine cooler. Using the top-end Intel Z370 chipset allows you to replace the CPU without restrictions.

Stress Testing

Experts conducted stress tests lasting 1-30 minutes to determine the noise level in the system and the core frequency at maximum settings. The noise fluctuations were 4.9 - 42.3 dBA, the frequency of the CPU cores was kept around 3.8 GHz, without throttling. From 52 degrees in half an hour, the temperature rose to 72 ... 77 degrees.

According to the test results, it was noted that the system works stably, even under the highest loads, regardless of the duration. The cooling system copes with its task at a high level, preventing the components from overheating. The PC uses noisy fans that are audible and the noise level is slightly higher than usual. Due to the use of quieter fans, the price of the product will rise by an order of magnitude.

The cost

As for the price in the market, for the same money you can buy gaming PCs in a regular case, with a more powerful configuration. Alternatively, a GTX1070 or i7 can be suggested.

Key features of Lenovo Legion C730 Cube:

• stylish interesting design;
• compact body size;
• silent operation due to a two-channel cooling system;
• availability of interfaces (wireless and wired);
• advanced upgrade options.

• high cost of the product;
• high noise level of the fans during testing.

Output

The powerful and productive gaming computer Lenovo Legion C730 Cube in an interesting design is most suitable for modern toys with high resolution FullHD. The PC is easily upgradeable and is capable of using large modern video cards. You can install a compact stylish case even in the smallest room, hiding behind a monitor.