Lenovo Upgrades LOQ 17IRX10 With RTX 5070, Adding 12GB VRAM and 165Hz Display

Q: As the AI boom inflates component prices, can Lenovo's new 'budget' gaming laptop actually remain affordable?

Probably not in the way most buyers understand “budget.” Lenovo’s LOQ 17IRX10 still uses the usual cost-cutting formula for value gaming laptops: a 1080p 165Hz IPS panel, a simpler chassis than Legion models, no Thunderbolt, a modest 60Wh battery, and mainstream memory and storage. Those choices help control cost. The 17-inch 1080p format is also cheaper to build than higher-resolution or premium 16:10 alternatives. But the expensive parts are exactly where the market is under pressure. The new RTX 5070 mobile GPU with 12GB of GDDR7, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD all rely on memory supply chains that have been squeezed by AI-server demand. Industry reports point to sharp increases in RAM, VRAM and NAND pricing, with major PC brands already warning of 15% to 30% price rises on new systems. Analysts also expect elevated component costs to persist into 2027, and possibly longer. That makes this LOQ more likely to land at the upper end of the budget segment, or even in mainstream territory. With a Core i7-14700HX and a 115W RTX 5070, it is stronger than the typical entry-level gaming laptop, so Lenovo may define “budget” relative to premium Legion-class machines, not to sub-$1,000 buyers. If Lenovo prices it aggressively, it could still offer good value for performance. But without confirmed pricing, the evidence suggests “affordable” will probably mean cheaper than high-end gaming laptops, not genuinely low-cost.

3 articles · Updated · Technetbook · Jul 22

Lenovo refreshed the 17-inch LOQ 17IRX10 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 running at 115W, giving the gaming laptop 12GB of VRAM.
The new configuration pairs that GPU with an Intel Core i7-14700HX, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, targeting stronger modern gaming performance.
Its 17-inch IPS screen stays at 1080p but offers a 165Hz refresh rate and up to 300 nits brightness for smoother play on a budget-focused machine.
Lenovo kept a 60Wh fast-charging battery, a 245W power brick and broad I/O including USB-C with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, four USB-A ports, HDMI and Ethernet.
Pricing and release timing are still undisclosed, with Lenovo expected to post retail details later on its official site.