The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a higher-end choice with a much sharper OLED display, larger storage, more RAM, and a stronger GPU, which makes it suitable for demanding tasks like 3D rendering or intensive gaming, but it comes with a steep price and moderate portability. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, while more budget-friendly and offering better battery life, has a lower screen resolution, less storage, and less RAM, which is still capable for general use and casual gaming, but might struggle with more resource-intensive applications; it offers better portability and could be a better option if you prioritize value and mobility over high performance. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 16
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has no clear advantages over the Gigabyte Aero 16.
Key differences
General Use
8.0/10
7.4/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a robust CPU, ample RAM, and superior screen quality, making it well-suited for a range of general tasks, but its higher weight and lower battery life trade off portability and usage time away from power sources. Conversely, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, while having a good CPU and sufficient RAM for everyday tasks, further benefits from better battery life and slightly improved portability, albeit with a lower-resolution screen and less high-end GPU performance compared to the Aero 16.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.5/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 leads in gaming and 3D tasks due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and premium OLED screen, though with a lower screen refresh rate. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 offers a higher screen refresh rate, which is beneficial for some gaming scenarios, alongside a fair Nvidia RTX 2050 graphics card, but it doesn't match the Aero 16's GPU performance and screen quality.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16, with a higher-end CPU, more RAM, a more powerful GPU, and a superior OLED screen, offers exceptional performance and screen quality for engineering and design tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 provides adequate processing power and a decent IPS screen for these tasks but has less memory and a less capable GPU, making it a more budget-friendly but less powerful option.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.9/10
7.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.4/10
7.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a high-resolution display with excellent color accuracy, making it ideal for engineering and design work where precision is key. For general use, its combination of resolution, brightness, and panel quality offers robust and visually pleasing performance. However, for gaming and 3D applications, it falls short due to its lower refresh rate, which can hinder the smoothness of fast-paced visuals that are critical in these areas.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.2/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 both have good build quality, though the Gigabyte Aero 16 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,260
$549
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a price of $1,260 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 costs $549.
"The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a workstation laptop for light gaming. It's design is still muted, with a silver chassis alongside a black keyboard and trackpad that provides some contrast. The Gigabyte Aero’s full-size chiclet-style keyboard is enjoyable to type on thanks to its snappy feel and responsiveness. The 4K+ AMOLED display is good, but it could be better. It doesn’t handle true black very well and suffers from strong reflections and glare. The Gigabyte Aero excels at productivity performance and can keep up with other gaming laptops in 1080p. But it has very few ports and its refresh rate leaves a bit to be desired."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is one of the most powerful RTX 3050 Ti laptops. If you disregard the mediocre quality of the case in terms of the material and workmanship, Lenovo has created a successful budget gaming laptop with the IdeaPad Gaming. Thanks to high TDPs and constant performance development, the Core i5-12500H and GeForce RTX 3050 Ti are able to show their full power, while in contrast, the (mostly slower) competitors deliver a better battery life. However, hardly any of the alternative laptops are able to reach the image quality of the Gaming 3. Most of the competitors are left behind in terms of the color space and brightness."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 16 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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