Inside Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i (15″, 2021) – disassembly and upgrade options
The IdeaPad Gaming 3i (15″, 2021) is decent in many aspects, and one of them is upgradability.
Check out all Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i (15″, 2021) prices and configurations in our Specs System or read more in our In-Depth review.
1. Remove the bottom plate
To access this laptop’s internals, you need to undo 10 Phillips-head screws. Once you do that, pry the bottom panel with a plastic tool and remove it from the chassis.
2. Battery
Inside, you will find a battery with a 45Wh capacity. Before you continue, unplug the battery connector from the motherboard.
3. Мemory and storage
To access the memory, remove the metal cover. There are two SODIMM slots, and the chipset supports up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM. Storage-wise, there is one 42mm M.2 slot. Additionally, you get an 80mm M.2 slot, as well as a 2.5-inch SATA drive bay. However, you can only fit one of the latter two, because they share the same space. Thankfully, Lenovo offers the mounting bracket and the SATA connector inside the retail box.
4. Cooling system
As for the cooling, there is one heat pipe common for the CPU and the GPU, as well as one more for each of them. Interestingly, there are four heat sinks, which should boost the thermal capacity of the system.
Check out all Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i (15″, 2021) prices and configurations in our Specs System or read more in our In-Depth review.
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i (15", 2021) in-depth review
Pretty much every manufacturer is trying to bring the power of gaming to the masses. Ultimately, there are two ways to do that. Either you make one of your existing notebooks less powerful, and cheaper to make, or you make an entirely new product. In the case of Lenovo, they chose the second option two years ago, and they have ever since tried to perfect their product.Now, it is available in both Intel and AMD configurations, with the former being designated by an "i" inside of the name. Hence, the laptop for review today is the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i (15", 2021). It is the result of ma[...]
Pros
- Great price/performance ratio
- Sleek design and lid, which is easy to open
- Great keyboard with an optional RGB backlight
- Two M.2 slots (or one M.2 + 2.5-inch SATA)
- The display doesn't flicker at any brightness level (LEN156FHD (LEN9052))
- 2.5-inch SATA drive mounting accessories inside the box
Cons
- Lacks an SD card reader and Thunderbolt support
- Covers only 53% of sRGB (LEN156FHD (LEN9052))
- GPU gets quite toasty
- Battery discharges during gaming in Performance mode
Author: Alex Iliev
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where would I buy compatible battery?