Lenovo LOQ 17 Hits $799 at B&H, Bringing RTX 50-Series Performance to the Budget Tier
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A Rare Price Point for Big-Screen Gaming
Finding a 17-inch gaming laptop that doesn’t require a four-figure investment is a perennial challenge for budget hunters. Most ‘entry-level’ machines in this size category tend to linger around the $1,100 mark, often compromising on refresh rates or GPU generations to hit those targets. However, a current promotion at B&H Photo has dropped the Lenovo LOQ 17 to $799, a $330 discount that shifts the value proposition significantly.
At this price, the LOQ 17 isn’t just competing with other budget laptops; it’s challenging the value of mid-range 15-inch machines. The inclusion of a 17.3-inch panel provides a level of immersion that is typically reserved for higher-tier chassis, making it a viable option for those who use their laptop as a primary desktop replacement.
The RTX 5050 Factor
The centerpiece of this deal is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 GPU. While the ’50’ series entry-level cards are often overlooked in favor of the more powerful 60 or 70 tiers, the 5050 is specifically engineered for the 1080p gaming experience. Its primary value lies in the architecture’s efficiency and the integration of DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), which allows the laptop to upscale lower-resolution frames to maintain playable framerates in demanding titles.
When paired with the 165Hz 1080p display, the RTX 5050 is well-positioned for esports titles—think Valorant or Apex Legends—where high refresh rates are more critical than raw 4K resolution. For more intensive AAA titles, users will likely rely on DLSS ‘Balanced’ or ‘Performance’ modes to keep the experience smooth, but at sub-$800, the tradeoff is negligible.
Balanced Internals and Upgradeability
Under the hood, the LOQ 17 utilizes a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor. While Intel has since moved forward with newer architectures, the 13th-gen chips remain highly capable for a mix of academic work, multitasking, and gaming. The machine ships with 12GB of RAM—a slightly unconventional configuration that may feel tight for heavy Chrome users or those running background apps like Discord and Spotify while gaming.
Crucially, Lenovo has kept the chassis accessible. The laptop features two DDR5 slots supporting up to 32GB of RAM. In an era where many manufacturers are soldering memory directly to the motherboard to save space, the ability to manually bump the RAM to 16GB or 32GB is a significant longevity win for the consumer.
Storage is handled by a 512GB SSD. Given that modern game installs frequently exceed 100GB (with titles like Call of Duty or Baldur’s Gate 3 pushing those limits), users will likely find themselves managing their library closely or looking into a secondary M.2 expansion.
Market Context: The Component Squeeze
The timing of this discount is particularly relevant given the current volatility in the PC hardware market. Recent fluctuations in NAND flash and DRAM pricing have caused several manufacturers to keep prices stagnant or even raise them on budget SKUs. A $799 price point for a 17-inch machine with a current-gen RTX card is an aggressive move by Lenovo, likely aimed at capturing the back-to-school and entry-level gaming demographic before the next quarterly cycle.
B&H is also bundling a six-month subscription to Bitdefender Total Security (covering up to five devices), adding a small layer of software value to the hardware discount.
