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What we think
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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is more budget-friendly and offers a good balance of price and performance for everyday tasks, with enough power for web browsing, document editing, and media consumption. It features modest storage and memory, an entry-level processor, and a basic display resolution, which is sufficient for general use. The MSI Prestige 15, on the other hand, comes with a heftier price tag but provides a significant boost in performance with a better processor, more memory and storage, and a dedicated graphics card, making it suitable for more demanding tasks like photo and video editing, 3D modeling, or casual gaming. The MSI also boasts a higher-quality display with a superior resolution, which can be better for multimedia and productivity. While both have similar dimensions and weight, the MSI's hardware makes it less battery efficient compared to the Lenovo. In summary, if you're looking for cost savings and primarily engage in casual computing, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 fits the bill; however, if your use case involves more intensive tasks and you require better display quality, the MSI Prestige 15 is worth the investment. 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 15.
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 15
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Good overall build quality
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.2
7.5
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Prestige 15 is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 offers fair general use capabilities with a lower-end CPU and basic screen quality, whereas the MSI Prestige 15 includes a stronger CPU, better screen quality, and overall good portability and battery life, making it suitable for more demanding general use tasks.
Gaming and AI
5.8
6.3
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Prestige 15 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is limited in gaming and 3D due to its Intel UHD Xe G4 integrated graphics, which is less powerful than the dedicated Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU in the MSI Prestige 15, which provides better gaming performance. Both have similar screen refresh rates, but the MSI Prestige has a higher screen quality with better resolution, which also adds to an enhanced gaming and 3D experience compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 3.
Engineering and Design
5.8
7.2
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 15 is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3, with its lower-tier Intel i3 processor, basic integrated graphics, and a TN panel with lower resolution and color coverage, falls short for demanding engineering and design tasks, while the MSI Prestige 15’s more powerful Intel i5 CPU, dedicated Nvidia graphics, and higher-quality IPS display with better resolution and color accuracy make it well-suited for such intensive workloads. Despite both being similarly portable, the Prestige also boasts a superior keyboard and speaker quality, contributing to an overall better user experience for professional use.
Content Creation
6.3
7.5
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 15 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
7.2
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 15 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
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The MSI Prestige 15 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, brightness, or rich colors you'd want for any kind of detailed work or leisure, making everything from surfing the web to intricate design tasks less vibrant and harder on the eyes. The MSI Prestige 15, on the other hand, has a higher quality display that will make images and text crisper and colors more accurate, which is desirable for general computing and professional design, but it doesn't have the high refresh rate needed for the smoothest gaming or 3D rendering experiences. If photo editing or engineering work is your priority, the MSI Prestige 15 could be worthwhile, but if you're into fast-paced games or creating 3D animations, neither of these may be optimal.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 has 7.5 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.
Build Quality
6.5
7.4
The MSI Prestige 15 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
$1,044
$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 15 costs $1,044.
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Key similarities
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Prestige 15 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" and the MSI Prestige 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" | MSI Prestige 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$360 | $1,044 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.78'' | 14.1'' x 9.2'' x 0.74'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.75 lbs | 3.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.26" | 14.05" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.98" | 9.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-1115G4 | Intel i5-1240P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 35 Wh | 82 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1366 x 768 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 220 nits | 298 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.6/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 9.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
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NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | February 2023
"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."
MSI Prestige 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | December 2022
"The MSI Prestige 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" or the MSI Prestige 15
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.
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