If portability and cost-effectiveness are crucial for you, then the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is a sensible choice as it's lighter and significantly less expensive. However, it offers lower screen resolution and lower-end internal components, making it more suitable for general use like web browsing and office applications. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is larger and pricier but provides superior performance with higher-end internals and a better screen, which is ideal for more demanding tasks such as gaming, 3D work, and engineering software. It might not be as easy to carry around due to its size and weight. 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 15"
Good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.2/10
7.2/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" offers modest performance with an Intel i3 processor and 8 GB of RAM, sufficient for everyday tasks but may struggle with more demanding applications; its TN screen with lower resolution can result in less vibrant colors and narrower viewing angles but contributes to its lighter weight and better portability.
Gaming and AI
5.8/10
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has an entry-level GPU and a lower screen refresh rate, which hinder gaming and 3D performance, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is equipped with a high-end GPU and higher refresh rate display, making it better suited for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
5.8/10
7.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is less suitable for engineering and design because it has a basic CPU and GPU, lower RAM, and a lower quality screen, which impact performance and visual clarity. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" boasts a high-end CPU, superior GPU, double the RAM, and a better quality, larger screen, making it well-equipped to handle the demands of engineering software and design work.
Content Creation
6.3/10
7.2/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is 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
6.3/10
7.0/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 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
5.2/10
7.3/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3's screen may not provide the sharpness or vividness needed for general activities, engineering, or design due to its lower resolution and brightness, while its color range doesn't meet the professional standards required for accurate design work. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 offers a higher resolution and brightness, which makes for a better viewing experience during daily tasks and detail-oriented engineering or design work, with a color gamut that likely covers more professional standards. However, the Legion 5's refresh rate may not be high enough for optimal 3D gaming experiences, where fast refresh rates are crucial to keep motion smooth and gameplay responsive.
Portability
Good
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 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
$360
$1,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a price of $360 and the Lenovo Legion 5 17" costs $1,200.
"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."
"The Lenovo Legion 5 17 is a current-gen 17-inch gaming laptop and equipped with the latest AMD CPU and a powerful GPU, that manages to reach its full potential. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600H is a very good choice for this laptop and able to maintain its performance level for long periods of time. Our test model only falls behind consistently in a direct comparison with its competitors that are often equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. Despite this, the Legion 5 17 leaves an excellent impression and is almost able to keep up with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU in synthetic benchmarks."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" or the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
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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