The Lenovo Flex 5 14's more affordable price and lower weight make it easier to carry, suitable for general use with good battery life, and its touchscreen is handy for interactive tasks. On the other hand, the MSI Pulse GL66, while heavier and pricier, offers superior gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning capabilities with its powerful graphics card and higher screen refresh rate but has shorter battery life, making it less ideal for long periods away from power outlets. Choose the Lenovo for a balance of price, portability, and battery, or the MSI for high-demand performance in gaming or professional applications. 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
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Pulse GL66
Good for gaming and AI
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 Pulse GL66 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Flex 5 14 is only fair.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has an integrated GPU and a standard refresh rate screen, which provide adequate performance for gaming and 3D applications. The MSI Pulse GL66, on the other hand, is equipped with a more powerful dedicated GPU and a high refresh rate screen, enhancing its capability to deliver smoother and more detailed gaming and 3D experiences.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
7.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Pulse GL66 and Lenovo Flex 5 14 are both good for engineering and design, though the MSI Pulse GL66 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14, with its AMD Ryzen CPU and integrated Vega graphics, is suitable for engineering and design due to its capable performance balanced with a high resolution, multi-touch IPS screen which encourages productivity and creativity in a convertible form factor. On the other hand, the MSI Pulse GL66, powered by a high-performance Intel CPU and a dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, is highly suitable for demanding engineering tasks and design work, offering superior graphics performance for rendering and simulation, but is less portable and has a non-touchscreen, standard IPS display.
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
245.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for software development, and content creation, while the MSI Pulse GL66 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
When selecting a laptop for general use, the Lenovo Flex 5 14's screen may not have the highest resolution or the brightest display which could impact everyday viewing experiences, while the MSI Pulse GL66 may offer similar screen characteristics, making both fair choices without exceptional visuals or brightness. For engineering and design tasks where color accuracy is crucial, neither the Lenovo Flex 5 14 nor the MSI Pulse GL66 provide wide color gamuts, meaning they won't display the full range of colors some professionals require. Lastly, for 3D applications and gaming, the refresh rate, which dictates how fluid the motion appears on the screen, is not the main strength of these models, and although they may have acceptable resolutions and panel types, dedicated gamers and 3D creators may find their performance lacking.
Battery
11.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has 11.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 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
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Pulse GL66 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$950
$1,399
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a price of $950 and the MSI Pulse GL66 costs $1,399.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 offers versatility for general use with its convertible 2-in-1 design, suitable for both laptop and tablet mode, paired with decent battery life and portability due to its lighter weight and smaller form factor compared to the MSI Pulse GL66.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.2/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for content creation.
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
7.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for software development.
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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
7.4/10
The MSI Pulse GL66 and Lenovo Flex 5 14 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
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How the Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the MSI Pulse GL66 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 Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Flex 5 14 or the MSI Pulse GL66
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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