Considering the significant price difference between the Gigabyte Aero 17 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15", the decision largely depends on your needs and usage. If you're looking for a powerful machine capable of handling intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Gigabyte Aero 17 with its advanced processor and high-end graphics card will deliver significantly better performance. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3, while much more wallet-friendly, is suitable for general use such as web browsing, word processing, and media consumption but may struggle with more demanding applications. The Aero 17 also boasts a superior display, both in size and resolution, offering a better experience for creative work and entertainment. However, this comes at the cost of portability, with the Aero being heavier and bulkier, which might be a concern if you often carry your laptop around. Lastly, battery life is another crucial factor; if you require longer unplugged usage, that could also influence your choice. 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 17
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
Good portability
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
6.2/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 excels in general use due to its more powerful i7 processor, higher amount of RAM, and superior screen quality with a high resolution and color accuracy, making it suitable for high-end tasks but less portable and with moderate battery life. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a less advanced i3 processor, lower RAM, and a screen with lower resolution and color coverage, delivering fair performance adequate for basic tasks and benefiting from better portability and low operating noise.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
5.8/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
5.8/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Gigabyte Aero 17 excels in engineering and design tasks due to its powerful Intel i7 processor, high-end Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics unit, ample 16 GB of RAM, and a high-quality Mini LED screen with excellent resolution and color accuracy.
Content Creation
8.4/10
6.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
6.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 is good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
9.2/10
5.2/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you prioritize a high-quality display for tasks like photo editing or engineering that need precise color accuracy, the Gigabyte Aero 17's excellent range of colors will be beneficial, though it may not be the best for fast-paced games due to its lower refresh rate. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3, with a lower resolution and brightness, is less ideal for any use that requires screen clarity and vibrancy, which makes it less suitable for both everyday tasks and professional design work. Conversely, gamers may find the Aero 17's slower refresh rate less immersive for fast-paced gaming when compared to other laptops designed specifically for that purpose.
Portability
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.0/10
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,071
$360
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a price of $2,071 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" costs $360.
"Not only is the Aero 17 a very good laptop for gamers but also for content creators. With the upgrade to the Intel Core i9-11980HK, Gigabyte particularly improved the system performance. In addition, the hardware package is rounded by the extremely fast SSD and 32 GB of working memory in dual-channel mode. Compared to the predecessor, the battery life is reduced only moderately, and the 4K display also basically keeps its good qualities."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 17 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
98,895
Recommendations made
21,428
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.