In this post we will be exploring current Lenovo Legion Y540 gaming laptop models.

Manufacturer has discontinued their 15-inch Y540 line, replacing it with 17.3-inch screens. It is worth noting that 17-inch laptops have pretty much become an industry standard when it comes to hardcore gaming. And Lenovo is definitely aiming for some serious game with their updated Legion Y540 series.

If you are interested in exploring other Legion models and would like to know how they compare, we recommend our Lenovo Legion Lineup 2021 article.

Lenovo Legion Y540: Overall Appearance

Lenovo made some tweaks and offered a larger screen with the second edition of Legion Y540 laptops. But they have also made some improvements to the design and appearance. The laptop looks stylish and minimalistic, just like its 15-inch predecessor, but being a larger laptop, it somehow became more portable. The updated model weights 6.26 lbs and is only 0.98” thin, as opposed to 1.02” 15-inch Y540 Legion. It features a thin bezel frame around its FHD anti-glare display, designed to provide fantastic viewing experience. If you want to learn more about gaming screen options and their key differences, please check out our piece QHD vs FHD for gaming laptops.

In terms of aesthetics, the laptop is very professional-looking and not flashy, which makes it a perfect work and study companion. Younger gamers might be disappointed though, as the device doesn’t have any RGB lights or shiny colored finishes, and it looks somewhat boring. Well, call us old-fashioned, but we think it’s classy! Matte black finish and cleverly placed along edges status LED lights look just right.

Processor and Graphics

Current Legion Y540 models come with 9th generation Intel Core processors and the following discrete NVIDIA graphics options:

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, with 6GB GDDR6 memory and VR ready
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, 6GB VRAM, also VR ready

All models have an on-board Intel UHD graphics chip. 

Legion Y540 Upgradability Options

RAM Memory: Lenovo Legion Y540 supports DDR4 2666MHz memory and PCIe SSD storage. It comes with the 8GB RAM memory chip standard and is upgradable to 32GB max. Laptop’s motherboard has two DDR4 SO-DIMM sockets. Nowadays, 32GB does not seem like all that much, but many Reddit users report that 16GB is plenty for streaming, web-surfing and playing video games on the Lenovo Legion Y540.

Storage: The model can fit up to two drives. It has a SATA 2.5” hard drive port and the M.2 SSD one. The standard Legion Y540 retail configuration combines 1TB hard disk drive and the 256GB PCIe solid state. 

Display

As we have mentioned, Lenovo updated their Legion Y540 model with 17.3-inch screens. Unfortunately, there aren’t many panel opinions available, and all models come in FHD 1920×1080 screen resolution, which is somewhat underwhelming, especially if we are talking gaming laptops. But we have two options when it comes to refresh rate: there are 60GHz and 144GHz screens. Both offer 300 nits brightness. Even though the Lenovo Legion Y540 is lacking in screen resolution, near-edgeless design makes up for it. Overall, 2 million pixels anti-glare display is sufficient for uninterrupted immersive gaming. Touchscreen is unavailable for Y540 series.

Connectivity Ports

Lenovo Legion Y540 does not overwhelm with ports selection, but you do still get options:

• USB-A and USB-C ports
• HDMI 2.0 and miniDP 1.4 video output ports
• RJ45 for Ethernet 
• 3.5mm microphone/headphone port
• Kensington Lock (No biometrics.)

The model does not come with the card reader though. It also does not support Thunderbolt 3.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The Legion Y540 laptop’s keyboard is rather simplistic, but is still pretty cool. It is a full-size, meaning it has a numeric keypad, and offers bright white LED backlight (no RGB, as noted above). The trackpad is multi-touch, somewhat small in size and feels a bit plastic-ey, but it performs well and offers decent gesture support.

Lenovo Legion Y540: Pros and Cons

As we have established, the Lenovo Legion Y540 is a great gaming laptop, but it is not perfect. Here is our pros and cons list:

Used Lenovo Legion Y540 Trade-in Value

If you already own a Lenovo Legion Y540 laptop and are looking to upgrade to a newer model, you can Lenovo trade in for cash. Here, we have options for you:

• Current reselling value of the Lenovo Legion Y540, Y545 Intel Core i7 9th Gen. NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti series is up to $436*
• Lenovo Legion Y540, Y545 Intel Core i7 9th Gen. NVIDIA RTX 2060 gets you up to $465 cash offer.

There are a few things to keep in mind before you sell used Lenovo laptop. Like to make a backup, delete all stored data, clean the laptop well to give it a sellable appearance. But the bottom line is the better you prep your laptop for sale, the faster you are going to get paid for it.

In Conclusion

Overall, the Lenovo Legion Y540 is a decent gaming laptop, and the 17.3-inch screen was a great addition to the series. It is slim and portable, it looks nice, and can be used for work or school assignments. Although, compared to some of the Alienware or MSI gaming models, it lacks in specs and performance. So if you want a professional-looking device and to be able to play games on the go, then this laptop is the right choice for you.

*Priced on 03/31/2021. Subject to change.