If you're looking for a budget-friendly option that handles everyday tasks like browsing and document editing, the Lenovo IdeaPad may suit you; it's also lighter and easier to carry around. However, if your work involves graphics, gaming, or resource-heavy applications, the MSI Titan offers superior performance but with a higher price tag and less battery life. The MSI is also significantly heavier, which might affect its portability if you often move around. Choose based on whether your priority is basic tasks and portability or advanced capabilities for specialized tasks. 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 IdeaPad 3 14"
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Titan 18 HX
Very good for general use
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9/10
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
313.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" offers decent everyday performance with acceptable screen quality and battery life, plus it is lightweight and easy to carry around, but it might not handle multitasking or intensive applications as smoothly due to its moderate CPU and RAM. The MSI Titan 18 HX, on the other hand, boasts superior CPU and RAM for high-performance tasks and a higher-quality screen suitable for detailed work, though it sacrifices portability and has shorter battery life, making it less ideal for on-the-go use.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
9.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has modest graphics capabilities and a standard screen refresh rate, making it only adequate for casual gaming and entry-level 3D applications. In contrast, the MSI Titan 18 HX boasts a top-tier graphics card and high refresh rate display, delivering a premium experience for intensive gaming and 3D tasks, though it comes at a higher cost and with less portability.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
9.9/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
The MSI Titan 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" offers moderate performance suitable for less demanding engineering tasks due to its basic CPU, RAM, and GPU, and it benefits from enhanced portability; whereas, the MSI Titan 18 HX, with a powerful CPU, ample RAM, top-tier GPU, and superior screen quality, excels in handling intensive engineering and design applications, but it is less portable and might be noisier under load. Both devices have functional keyboards and speakers, but the overall user experience in high-performance scenarios will favor the MSI due to its robust hardware.
Content Creation
7.1/10
9.0/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" 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
7.1/10
8.9/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is good.
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
9.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
313.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The MSI Titan 18 HX has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3, with its fair screen resolution and brightness, provides an adequate display for everyday tasks but may lack the vivid detail desired by engineers and designers who require high color accuracy for their work. The MSI Titan 18 HX, with its top-notch screen quality, excels in color reproduction, allowing professionals to see their designs in full spectrum, which is crucial for precise engineering and design projects. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D tasks where a high refresh rate is critical to provide smooth motion, which isn't a strength for either model.
Battery
10.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Titan 18 HX 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
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
3.1 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has very good portability, while the MSI Titan 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
8.5/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$490
$4,949
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a price of $490 and the MSI Titan 18 HX costs $4,949.
"The low-priced IdeaPad 3 14 delivers on core functionality. Lenovo's IdeaPad 3 14 meets all the basic requirements for an inexpensive office laptop. The matte IPS display is bright enough, the performance is high for the class, and the input devices are rock solid. In addition, the mostly quiet operation including the useful performance modes, cool surface temperatures, easy maintainability as well as expandable working and mass storage all contribute to the IdeaPad 3 14's value proposition."
"With no new Nvidia GPU this year for laptops, MSI had to refresh everything surrounding the graphics card to make up for it. Users are getting a new 18-inch chassis design, new 14th gen Intel HX CPU, new AC adapter, larger keys, and a new 120 Hz HDR1000 mini-LED 4K display to accompany the high price tag. Most of these changes are a step up from last year's GT77, but users are ultimately getting the same gaming performance out of both models."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" or the MSI Titan 18 HX
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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