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- Competitive pricing
- High refresh rate
- Good internal speakers
- Dull VA panel
- Takes up a lot of room
- Mediocre HDR
The Lenovo Legion R45w-30 is the latest super ultrawide monitor made by the manufacturer aimed at an enthusiast niche of PC gamers. It’s attempting to muscle in on established territories as occupied by ASUS, LG, and Samsung by undercutting its competition in price and attempting to offer more of a value play. Despite an impressive 32:9 form aspect ratio, respectable speakers, and solid enough color reproduction, it cannot be considered one of the best gaming monitors available. Let’s break down exactly why.
Lenovo Legion R45w-30 price and availability
The Lenovo R45w-30 is available now in territories such as the US and the UK from retailers such as Amazon and directly through Lenovo for $799.99 / £799.99 respectively. This positions the Legion R45w-30 at the more budget end considering its super ultrawide 32:9 form factor. Traditionally, given the resolution, refresh rate, and form factor, its competition can range upwards of the $1,000 / £1,000 mark. These include options such as the Samsung Odyssey G9, and the LG 49GR85DC-B, which are all north of the MSRP of the Legion panel. That’s to be commended.
Lenovo Legion R45w-30
Screen size
45-inch
Panel type
VA
Refresh rate
165Hz (stock) ; 170Hz (overclocked)
Features
FreeSync Premium Pro, Adaptive Sync, 3w integrated speakers, USB-C power delivery, 1500R curvature
MSRP / RRP
$799.99 / £799.99
Lenovo Legion R45w-30 design and features
The Lenovo Legion R45w-30’s design stands out from the typical ultrawide (21:9) panel by being a super ultrawide which has a 32:9 aspect ratio. It features a double QHD panel for a total resolution of 5120 x 1440p which can either be used as two 1440p monitors without the bezel or one massive display for work and play. On the technical front, there’s a 170Hz refresh rate which should ensure a smooth gaming experience and a 1ms response time. That means you aren’t sacrificing high-end gaming performance for due to the enhanced form factor.
However, due to the stretched resolution, you’re going to need one of the best GPUs on the market such as the RTX 4090 or the RTX 4080 Super. The Lenovo Legion R45w-30 is armed with AMD FreeSync Premium so you shouldn’t encounter any screen tearing either. What I can commend is the implementation of 3w integrated stereo speakers as well. This means there’s no need to reach for a dedicated soundbar or some of the best gaming speakers which can take up some space on even the best gaming desks.
Let’s talk about space, too, because the Lenovo Legion R45w-30 takes up a lot of it. As expected from a 45-inch stretch monitor, you aren’t exactly going to thrive if your desk or table is on the cramped side. Prior to reviewing this display, my top-end gaming PC sat confidently atop my desk, but was then relegated to the floor to fit this behemoth. The included stand and mount is seriously heavy duty, with an emphasis on heavy, there’s a wide footprint which took up around half the width of my aging AndaSeat Mask 2. It’s also far from the lightest panel you can put in front of you, weighing in at a chunky 26 lbs / 12kg.
There’s every port that you would hope to find on a modern gaming monitor present and accounted for on the Lenovo Legion R45w-30, too. That means 2x HDMI 2.1, a DP 1.4, and a USB-C port. There’s even ethernet and a USB hub which are nice touches, even if you aren’t guaranteed to need them necessarily. Factoring in the price tag, it leans on the more budget than flagship end and that means no IPS LCD or OLED panel here, this one’s a VA, which is admittedly a touch disappointing at $800 / £800, but an understandable compromise to keep the asking price competitive. Let’s get into how it feels to game and use the R45w-30 in every day and gaming use.
Lenovo Legion R45w-30 performance
The Lenovo Legion R45w-30 performs well enough for both work and play, largely speaking, but it didn’t ever blow me away at any point. For around two months I used this monitor for work and greatly benefited from effectively having two QHD monitors without a bezel for working across four windows at a time. If you’re looking for something that can confidently do both then you may be well served by this monitor.
Purely as a gaming monitor, the Lenovo Legion R45w-30 gets a lot right, but doesn’t excel. While the 32:9 aspect ratio is undeniably immersive and works well in select titles, the spectacle is muted due to middling HDR performance. This monitor features DisplayHDR 400, the lowest form of VESA Certified high dynamic range, and it acts like it. Often times, I was gaming with it disabled because I found that the contrast just wasn’t good enough, especially considering this display’s hefty $800 / £800 price tag. It’s where the budget nature really creeps in and is the biggest disappointment.
This extends to the VA panel, too. While far from poor, the colors just didn’t pop much which resulted in quite a middling picture. While I was initially excited to go through Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Mortal Kombat 1, Starfield, and Alan Wake 2 in this wider 32:9 aspect ratio, the allure was quickly lost because the games plain and simply didn’t look all too hot, especially when compared to similarly priced ultrawide 21:9 monitors, that feature stronger HDR and either an IPS or OLED display.
Then we get onto an unavoidable subject when discussing super ultrawide monitors, the lacking support for the 32:9 aspect ratio. While a ton of modern games now support 21:9, including almost every cinematic release, the same cannot be said for going that bit further. Any game older than a couple of years ago may not be supported, as I found when booting up Death Stranding and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, with 21:9 being as good as it got. This meant playing with black bars on either side which was a real immersion killer. It meant more trips to dedicated subreddits and Steam forums to get answers which isn’t exactly how I like to spend my free time.
Should you buy the Lenovo Legion R45w-30?
I’m ultimately torn on the Lenovo Legion R45w-30 because I can appreciate what it’s doing for an underserved niche in bringing out a product that undercuts the price of the competition. While that deserves respect, what you’re left with afterwards is still an expensive gaming monitor that doesn’t really justify its price once you get over the gimmick of the 32:9 display. The simple truth of the matter is that the vast majority of people won’t be gaming in double Quad HD, and those who do will want an uncompromised experience, not one being held back.
While the Samsung Odyssey G9 may cost a couple of hundred bucks more, the added benefit here is the bump up to 240Hz refresh rate, OLED panel, and TrueBlack HDR which will be leagues above the entry level found in the Legion R45w-30. Simply put, those enthusiasts who want a super ultrawide likely have a bit more cash to throw at something truly impressive rather than trying to go for value and still paying $800 / £800. It makes the Lenovo Legion R45w-30 a tough sell in a niche pocket of PC gaming as it is, and for that reason, I can’t really recommend it.
Samsung Odyssey G9 (C49G95T)
Screen Size
49in
Resolution
5120 x 1440
Response time
1ms GTG
Refresh Rate
240Hz
Best Buy
