The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" may save you money and is suitable for day-to-day tasks like web browsing, document editing, and video streaming. For more demanding applications such as video editing, engineering software, or gaming, the MSI Prestige 14, while more costly, offers better performance. The MSI Prestige 14 is also lighter and more portable, making it a good choice if you need to carry your laptop around. However, higher performance laptops generally have shorter battery life than models like the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15", which has less powerful components that consume less power. Consider how you balance the need for performance, portability, and battery life against cost when making your decision. 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"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has no clear advantages over the MSI Prestige 14.
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 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
Good battery life
Good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.2/10
7.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.8/10
The MSI Prestige 14 is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3's lower-resolution TN screen, less powerful Intel i3 CPU, and shorter battery life compared to the MSI Prestige's full HD IPS display, more robust i5 processor, and longer-lasting battery make it less suitable for demanding general use. Additionally, the MSI Prestige 14, with its lighter build and more memory, outperforms the IdeaPad in portability and multitasking capabilities, crucial for a smooth experience in general use scenarios.
Engineering and Design
5.8/10
7.1/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 14 is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
6.3/10
7.5/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Prestige 14 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
7.3/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 14 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
6.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
The MSI Prestige 14 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 MSI Prestige 14's high-resolution display with vibrant colors and ample brightness offers clear and crisp visuals that are essential for both general use and detailed engineering tasks, where color accuracy is crucial for rendering designs. However, its screen falls short for gaming and 3D applications due to a lower refresh rate which is vital for smooth motion and gameplay. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3's display lacks the sharpness, color fidelity, and brightness that would satisfy general users and professionals, making it less ideal for any activities where screen quality is key.
Battery
5.0 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 14 has 8.5 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
Good
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Prestige 14 has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.4/10
The MSI Prestige 14 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
$1,040
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a price of $360 and the MSI Prestige 14 costs $1,040.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Prestige 14 to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a less powerful integrated GPU and uses a TN panel with lower resolution, making it less suited for gaming and 3D applications compared to the MSI Prestige 14, which has a more capable integrated GPU and a higher quality IPS display with better resolution, despite both having similar screen refresh rates.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" and the MSI Prestige 14 compare to other laptops
"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 MSI Prestige 14” is excellent for productivity and business use cases, but it is not ideal for creators or visual content editors. The Prestige was able to power through days of email, spreadsheets, and text documents without breaking a sweat and was a joy to use. The additional ports were a breath of fresh air, as most laptops seem to be moving towards just Thunderbolt ports. The security options made signing in effortless, with two quick, more secure, and faster options than even the most complex alphanumeric passcode."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" or the MSI Prestige 14
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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