Lenovo’s Legion C530 and Legion C730 Cubes are compact desktops made for esports

Lenovo’s Legion C530 Cube and Legion C730 Cube are compact gaming desktops made with esports in mind. They’re truly portable, with heavy-duty carrying handles. To offset the close quarters, they feature perforated panels to maximize airflow. They have ports galore, and for personality, they feature LED lighting—all-red for the lower-cost C530 Cube, and RGB-strong for the C730 Cube. 

Of course you don’t have to play esports to enjoy these features. But if you’re on a team or aspiring to compete, a system like this could see you through a few seasons. Lenovo also stresses that both of these systems are VR-ready, if that’s your jam. Let’s dig into the specs to learn more. 

Editor’s note: This article originally published on June 11, 2018, but was updated June 14 to add video from E3 2018.

Lenovo Legion C530 Cube pricing, features, and specs

The Lenovo Legion C530 Cube will ship in July with a starting price of $830. Here are the specs we know: 

• CPU: 8th-gen Intel Core i3-8100, Core i5-8400, or Core i7-8700
• Memory: Up to 32GB DDR4 2,666MHz
• GPU: Choice of Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, GTX 1050 Ti 4GB, or GTX 1060 6GB
• Storage: Up to 256GB M.2 PCIe SSDs and 2TB hard drive 
• Power Supply: 280W or 450W ES ATX

Melissa Riofrio/IDG

• Connectivity: The front has two USB 3.0 Type A, a headset port, and a mic-in port. The back has every kind of USB Type A port your heart could desire (but no USB-C): two each of USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type A, USB 3.0 Type A, and USB 2.0 Type A. In addition, you get RJ-45 ethernet and full HDMI, plus audio-out. Other ports will depend on your chosen GPU. 
• Dimensions: 9.09 x 13.07 x 9.53 inches
• Weight: Starting at 19.8 pounds 

Lenovo

The Legion Cube C730 also offers a bit of panache with its red-LED internal lighting, easily viewable through the transparent top panel.

Lenovo Legion C730 Cube pricing, features, and specs

The Lenovo Legion C730 Cube will ship in July with a starting price of $930. It’s more ambitious than the C530, featuring overclockable parts and a few million more colors, among other improvements. Here are the specs we know: 

• CPU: 8th-gen Intel Core i5-8400, Core i7-8700, or overclockable Core i7-8700K
• Memory: Up to 32GB DDR4, or up to 32GB of overclockable memory 
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
• Storage: Up to 512GB M.2 PCIe SSDs and up to two 2TB hard drive 
• Power Supply: 280W or 450W ES ATX
• Connectivity: The front has two USB 3.0 Type A, a headset port and a mic-in port. The back has four USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, and RJ-45 ethernet, plus audio-out. Other ports will depend on your chosen GPU. 
• Dimensions: 9.09 x 13.07 x 9.53 inches
• Weight: Starting at 19.8 pounds 

You can easily tell the Legion C730 Cube from the Legion C530 Cube because the former has full RGB lighting, visible through its transparent top panel (as seen in the article’s primary image, above).

The Cube cares about you

Lenovo

Beyond the specs, what makes the Legion Cube systems worth writing about are the design details. These are the little things that could help you choose one system over another in a crowded field. 

First, the perforated panels: Mesh paneling isn’t new, but the big, polka-dot-sized front openings—call them bullet holes if that fits your aesthetic better—provide graphic punch as well as essential ventilation.  

Melissa Riofrio/IDG

Lenovo remembers the everyday concerns of gamers, too. A simple rubber band stretches across the bottom of the entire rear panel. Its purpose is to corral all your cords so you don’t have an unholy tangle.   

Lenovo is fairly new to the gaming realm and has a lot of ground to make up against other competitors. We’ll see whether features like what we see in the Legion Cube compact desktops will help its cause.