The Lenovo Flex 5 14 offers a flexible 2-in-1 design with touch capabilities, longer battery life, and is slightly less expensive with more storage and RAM than the MSI GF65 Thin. The Lenovo is more suited for general use and productivity with its additional portability and touchscreen, while the MSI is tailored for gaming and heavy graphics work. 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 Lenovo Flex 5 14
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Flex 5 14.
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
6.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
277.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
11.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is equipped with a high-quality AMD Ryzen processor and ample RAM, which provides smooth performance for everyday tasks, alongside a touchscreen that adds to its versatility for general use. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin, while fair for general use, has a less powerful CPU and less RAM which may affect multitasking efficiency, and its design focuses more on gaming with a high refresh rate screen which may not be as vital for general use applications. Both laptops have their strengths, but the Lenovo Flex 5 14 offers better CPU and RAM for everyday tasks, while the MSI GF65 Thin caters more to gaming needs at the cost of general performance.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and Lenovo Flex 5 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the MSI GF65 Thin is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is equipped with an integrated AMD graphics within its processor, which is modest for gaming and 3D applications, while its versatile 2-in-1 convertible design offers flexibility for various uses but at the cost of gaming performance.
Content Creation
7.6/10
6.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin 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
7.4/10
6.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin 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
6.4/10
6.8/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
277.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for software development, and content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the MSI GF65 Thin have adequate resolution and brightness, but neither stand out for exceptional panel quality or vibrancy. Engineering and design tasks, which often demand a wider color range, aren't optimally served by these models since they don't cover advanced color gamuts comprehensively. When it comes to gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their limited refresh rates, which may not provide the smooth visuals required for high-speed content, although their resolutions and panel types are acceptable.
Battery
11.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has 11.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has very good portability, while the MSI GF65 Thin has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$950
$1,100
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a price of $950 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 14 to be good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14's AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and integrated Vega 8 GPU offer a balance of power and efficiency for engineering and design, with a high-resolution touchscreen that aids in detailed work, but with moderate portability due to its 2-in-1 design which is heavier. Conversely, the MSI GF65 Thin's Intel CPU and superior RTX 3060 GPU provide stronger performance, especially in GPU-accelerated tasks, and a higher refresh rate screen for smoother visuals, but it sacrifices portability slightly more due to a heavier and larger form factor.
Build Quality
7.0/10
6.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 14 to have good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
"The highlight of the latest IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is clearly its AMD CPU. The octa-core Ryzen 7 5700U is insanely fast even when compared to the best Tiger Lake Ultrabooks in the market or even Core H CPUs in many gaming laptops. It's a lot of raw processing power for what is supposed to be a budget 14-inch convertible. If your daily workloads can benefit from extra multi-thread CPU performance, then look no further than the inexpensive AMD-powered Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14. For regular on-the-road browsing or video streaming, however, a slimmer and lighter 10th gen Core Yoga, Spectre, or XPS would be a more balanced option."
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Flex 5 14 or the MSI GF65 Thin
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.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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