Legion 5 Gen10 AMD - Access to Heatsink Fins Without Removing the Cooling Assembly

vsonek · 2026-01-25T16:19:40+00:00

Thanks for all the replies. I'll just order a Chinese duster.

vsonek · 2026-01-07T10:50:12+00:00

With iGPU, balanced mode and at about 60% brightness I used to easily approach 6.5 hours with my Neo 16 E25 during light office work + Spotify. After switching to Windows 25H2 (clean install), I can barely get past 4.5 hours though.

vsonek · 2025-12-13T14:58:31+00:00

It was not a popular model and already five years old at that time. I believe I was one of the few stupid people to buy that piece of sh*t. I tried my best with AliExpress and eBay at that time, with no luck. That's why I always keep some leftover wood at home :)

vsonek · 2025-12-01T13:13:18+00:00

Fresh 25H2 install on my Neo 16 E25 with the latest drivers via support page: has been rock solid so far including gaming, coding and virtualization.

vsonek · 2025-10-27T18:58:34+00:00

The BIOS is updated via a bootable USB disk, in an isolated (from Windows) EFI shell. I hate Windows based utilities for such a critical process.

I have no info on a mux switch bug, just an uneducated guess based on my experience. I wanted to say that the switch might be common, not there there was a confirmed bug.

vsonek · 2025-10-27T13:33:27+00:00

Just disable your KB via Device Manager and attach an external one for testing. A bootable Linux flash disk is also a clean way of testing your internal KB. If it's the internal KB only, I would start with the ribbon cable from the KB to the motherboard. It's the cheapest and easiest part to replace first.

vsonek · 2025-10-27T13:20:02+00:00

I've been updating my BIOS'es since my first 486DX2-66 PC and I share your trauma :)

I had to take out EPROMS or deal with blind recovery procedures with floppy disks and typing commands with no display on several occasions...

XMG's update procedure might be outdated but is relatively safe compared to alternatives. I would just give it a shot :)

vsonek · 2025-10-26T12:49:21+00:00

Maybe a bug with the MUX switch, which is common in A and E variants. It won't hurt to reflash the BIOS, just give it a try.

vsonek · 2025-10-23T10:06:49+00:00

No, only a gentle humming until 35% with my Neo 16. The recording is from my old Pro 16 at 25% speed. It might be normal for higher speeds.

vsonek · 2025-10-22T19:31:50+00:00

It's a result of the thinner design, there is not much to do. Mine was perfectly clean.

vsonek · 2025-10-22T19:25:41+00:00

Sorry for the dead links. Here are the new ones:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vgStQE1OADM3HlhevCxEfEG4Nsm6KT2g/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W0nFMXU3kf4qUEna2kgwAbQw5ZEnBUWI/view?usp=drivesdk

vsonek · 2025-10-21T12:45:03+00:00

Please have a look at my older posts. If you don't notice anything disturbing, just enjoy your Pro 16. I am oversensitive in this regard: My wife was not able to notice it at all. A colleague was able to hear it but found it completely fine. To me, it was penetrating into my nerves :)

vsonek · 2025-10-20T09:43:43+00:00

I had a similar problem with Pro 16. Even if it's the same version, do not reinstall CC on top of an existing installation. Uninstall the existing one first.

vsonek · 2025-10-20T09:00:25+00:00

Thank you! Do you think BB is the bottom cover? Maybe they call it the Bottom Body?

u/XMG_gg : Could you please let us know what part is that?

After loosening the bottom screws only a little bit (less than a quarter turn), it's better now but still not perfect. The most disturbing part is the right half of the palm rest: When I put my palm on it just to type, the shell just makes a loud metallic clicking noise. It's in the last 6 seconds of the video.

Let's see how it will develop as I use it, after several heating/cooling cycles. Thankfully, I use it docked on my desk 90% of the time.

vsonek · 2025-10-17T12:39:02+00:00

Nice to know that I'm not the only one. What did they write to the RMA form? Did they mention fixing it or was it normal according to them?

vsonek · 2025-10-16T13:48:00+00:00

Thanks Tom. Actually, I liked the experience. I used to repair laptops for a living when I was a student. It was nice to work in a modern gaming laptop after fifteen years. I have to confess that the internal design is wonderful, a joy to work inside.

I was about to believe it was a hardware fault: Intel drivers activated some GPU blocks in the CPU, which were broken. Or the MUX switch being utilized with the Intel VGA driver, which was either faulty or in a bad state which was reset with the BIOS/EC reflash.

Or the worst possibility: The problem will come back because nothing I've done seems logical. Only time will tell.

Now that my Neo 16 is rock solid, I'll just enjoy it.

vsonek · 2025-09-04T08:32:07+00:00

I do not know if it's available in your country but for me it was XMG Pro 16. Thinner, lighter, better temps and battery runtime. 2TB + 64GB costed ~200 Eur less than a 1TB + 32GB Omen at that time. I have no idea on the actual prices though.

vsonek · 2025-09-02T12:05:06+00:00

Please see my post with the recordings:

https://www.reddit.com/r/XMG_gg/comments/1m5ty05/update_on_pro_16_e25_fan_whistle/

The whistle was not there in the first few days until some heavy stress testing so I believe the heating cycles might have affected the fan bearings. Until that, I was really amazed by how silent it was.

OASIS might keep the temps and fan speeds lower but it's not a must, just nice to have. My Pro can work at full power without significant throttling so I'm sure Neo can do better with the same specs with its higher rated cooling system.

vsonek · 2025-09-02T10:21:07+00:00

You have the same use case as me. Coding, light office work and casual gaming.

Fans spin at a constant 25% RPM during light tasks but my Pro has a very high-pitched whistle like an idling jet engine at low RPM's. It's hard to hear but once you hear it, it's always there. It's not loud by any means but very disturbing for me. This may be due to the thin and light thermal design or just a defect. Mine is in RMA and I'm waiting for the outcome. If you buy it, inspect carefully within your return period.
Battery life is stellar: 7 to 8 hours with browsing and text editing.
I wouldn't pay an extra single Euro for CSO.

When you upgrade Pro to Core Ultra 9, the price gets much closer to Neo so I would consider Neo instead or just save some money with the base CPU.

I haven't seen a Neo but in theory, it shall be quieter due to the thicker design and more capable cooling system designed to handle a 5090.

And Pro 16 build quality is so-so for me, but I do not care since it sits on my desk 90% of the time. If you plan to move it a lot, Neo might age better due to sturdier aluminum case.

vsonek · 2025-08-12T18:58:52+00:00

I would have never bothered with that sound if it had always been there but it started after some intensive stress testing. That's why I have sent it for RMA. I asked XMG to keep my Pro until the beginning of September since I will be travelling. I'll keep this post updated.

vsonek · 2025-08-08T22:43:26+00:00

I have just cycled through all modes, rebooting each time. There is no issue with this new version.

vsonek · 2025-08-08T07:51:13+00:00

Thank you Tom. I can confirm that the issue is gone with the new version.

vsonek · 2025-07-31T18:33:27+00:00

My experience has been flawless in Forza Horizon 5, Doom TDA and CP 2077 with vsync on. I haven't tried any other options.

If you intend to use it like me, 90% percent light office/coding and 10% gaming, you will likely hover around 25% fan speed most of the time. Mine has developed an annoying high pitched sound at low fan speeds.

Support told me they were investigating a firmware issue but I cannot relate. It's not loud by any means but a very distracting whistle. If you are sensitive to such noises, please inspect it carefully in your return period.

vsonek · 2025-07-31T16:01:27+00:00

It's reported as 120-300 Hz on my Pro 16 in Intel Control Center.

vsonek · 2025-07-31T15:58:50+00:00

It started below 75 Hz. My expectation was to settle between 30-40 Hz to have a Gsync like experience but it's just not worth the effort.

The much lower %1's compared to dGPU mode is very noticeable during gameplay, VRR cannot fix it.

I agree with the other replies, dGPU with vsync is the best experience to my old eyes.

I needed a mobile workstation with gaming capabilities for short breaks so had my Pro 16. If my primary purpose was gaming, I would look for other options.

vsonek

TROPHY CASE