Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9 (i5-12450HX + RTX 4050) – Is this performance normal?
TL;DR: Bought a Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9 (i5-12450HX + RTX 4050) in December 2025. Since day one I’ve had poor and inconsistent performance (Elden Ring ~40–50 FPS, Dota 2 drops to 20–30 FPS, occasional Windows stuttering). The laptop is plugged in, set to Performance Mode, has fresh Windows and the latest drivers. Is this normal for this model, or does it sound like a hardware defect? Should I try to return it or file a warranty/reclamation claim?
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Hi everyone,
I own a Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9 with the following specs:
Intel Core i5-12450HX
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 6GB (105W TGP)
24GB DDR5 RAM
512GB NVMe SSD
Windows 11
1080p 144Hz display
I bought this laptop in December 2025.
Since the beginning, I’ve experienced inconsistent performance in games, but I didn’t think much of it because I’m not very familiar with gaming laptops. Recently, someone with more experience pointed out that the performance seems much lower than what this hardware should normally deliver.
The laptop is always plugged in while gaming, Lenovo Vantage is set to Performance Mode, Windows power mode is set to Best Performance, and I’m using the latest NVIDIA drivers. I have also reinstalled Windows from scratch, but the issue remains.
Some examples:
Elden Ring usually runs at around 40-50 FPS at 1080p.
Dota 2 sometimes drops to 20-30 FPS, even on the lowest settings.
I also experience occasional stuttering during normal Windows use (desktop, web browser, etc.).
I’m wondering if this is normal for this model or if my laptop might have a hardware problem.
If you own the same Lenovo LOQ (or a similar laptop with an i5-12450HX and RTX 4050), could you share:
your FPS in Elden Ring,
your Dota 2 performance,
your CPU/GPU temperatures while gaming?
Also, based on these symptoms, do you think I should try to return or warranty-claim the laptop, or is this performance still considered normal for this model?
I’d really appreciate it.