MicroCenter offers 1TB and 2GB upgrades for Legion go for just $50 and $100
The Lenovo Legion Go made quite a surprising entrance into the handheld gaming scene this summer. What sets it apart is that it features the same AMD Ryzen Z1 series processor as the ROG Ally, but it comes with several unique features not found in ASUS’s console. It’s becoming increasingly evident that competition in the handheld gaming industry is heating up.
The Legion Go boasts a larger screen and detachable gamepad, one of them can be used vertically as a mouse, enhancing precision in FPS games. Another notable improvement concerns the SSD. The system comes with a default 512GB capacity that adheres to PCIe Gen4 standards and uses the NVMe protocol. Notably, it sports a different form factor compared to the ROG Ally and Steam Deck, using 2242 instead of the standard 2230.
Expanding storage capacity on this device doesn’t seem to be a major challenge, and it’s relatively affordable. Granted, the Legion Go is still on the pricey side, starting at $699 in its default configuration. However, MicroCenter offers storage upgrades to 1TB and 2TB for a mere $50 and $100, respectively. The noteworthy aspect is that MicroCenter performs these upgrades, eliminating any warranty concerns despite the modified storage.
Legion Go with more storage, Source: MicroCenter
This storage upgrade option is now displayed on a main-site banner, but they are not yet listed as separate offers. This is likely because the store will enable these options once the product is released.
The Legion Go isn’t the only console on the market with such storage capacity; there are many similar systems from Chinese manufacturers. However, these systems often come with a price tag exceeding $1000 and use a laptop variant known as the Ryzen 7 7840U, rather than the more potent Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU. These storage options, even if from a single retailer, could have a positive impact on the global handheld market by exerting downward pressure on prices.
Legion Go with RTX 3060, Source: Piano FENG
The device has already been tested by reviewers, but it appears that the majority of them did not bother doing it properly. One of the features that was not covered was external GPU support. The good news is that a recent in-depth review of the Legion Go has confirmed that it supports eGPU connectivity through its USB4 connector.
The performance loss observed with an RTX 3060 was approximately 10%. What this means is that Legion GO can offer cheaper eGPU upgrades than ROG Ally, which uses a proprietary XGM port that only works with ASUS external GPUs. Technically, it can still be upgraded to support Oculink, but involves modifications. Meanwhile, Legion Go only needs a cable and a compatible external GPU.
The new handheld officially launches on October 31st.
| Handheld Gaming Consoles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz | Lenovo Legion Go | AYANEO Kun | ASUS ROG Ally | Valve Steam Deck |
| Picture |  |  |  |  |
| Architecture | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen2 & RDNA2 |
| APU | Ryzen Z1 Extreme 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz | Ryzen 7 7840U 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz | Ryzen Z1 Extreme [1] 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz Ryzen Z1 [2] 6C/12T up to 4.9 GHz | AMD Van Gogh 4C/8T up to 3.5 GHz |
| SoC GPU | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 GHz | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 GHz | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 GHz [1] 4CU @ 2.5 GHz [2] | AMD iGPU 8CU @ 1.6 GHz |
| SoC TDP | 9-30W | 15-54W | 9-30W | 4-15W |
| External GPU | USB4 | TBC | ROG XG Mobile (up to RTX 4090) | Not officially |
| Memory Capacity | 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 16GB/32GB/64GB | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16GB LPDDR5-5500 |
| Storage Capacity | 1TB/512GB/256GB | 512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB | 512GB[1]/256GB[2] | 256GB/512GB SSD 64GB eMMC |
| Storage Type | M.2 NVMe 2242 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2280 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 3×4 eMMC PCIe Gen2x1 |
| Display | 8.8″ 2560×1600 IPS, 144Hz (VRR), 500 nits | 8.4″ 2560×1600, 500 nits | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz (VRR), 500 nits, 7ms | 7″ 1280×800, 60Hz |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 5, BT 5 |
| Battery | 49.2 Wh, 900 mAh (controllers) | 75 Wh | 40 Wh, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion | 40 Wh |
| Weight | 854g (with controllers) | ~900g | 608g | 669g |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 29.9 x 13.1 x 4.1 cm | 31.2 x 13.3 2.2 cm | 28.0 x 11.3 x 3.9 cm | 29.8 x 11.7 x 4.9 cm |
| Default OS | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Steam OS/Win 11 |
| Retail Price | $799/€799 | $1,209 (16G+512GB) $1,319 (32G+1TB) $1,429 (32G+2TB) $1,949 (64G+4T) | $699/€799 (Z1E+16G+512GB) $599/€699 (Z1+16G+256GB) | $649/€679 (16G+512GB) $529/€549 (16G+256GB) $399/€419 (16G+64GB) |
| Release Date | October 31, 2023 | October 2023 | June 13th, 2023 [1] Q3 2023 [2] | February 2022 |
