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Updated January 10, 2024·
If your primary concern is portability and you're on a budget, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 may suit you as it's slightly less expensive and has a smaller screen for improved mobility. However, if you need a larger screen for ease of viewing and doing work, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 with a 17" display could be worth the higher price. For battery life, the Gaming 3 has a slight edge. The Gaming 3 is better suited for gaming, as it includes a dedicated Nvidia graphics card and a higher refresh rate screen, making for smoother visuals. In contrast, the IdeaPad 3 relies on integrated graphics and is therefore less suited for intensive gaming or tasks like 3D rendering. The IdeaPad 3, with its larger screen, may also be more appropriate for general engineering tasks thanks to more screen real estate, despite having a lower general performance than the Gaming 3. 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 17"
- The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has no clear advantages over the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3.
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
- Good for engineering and design
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Engineering and Design
6.6
7.2
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is only fair.
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.
Screen Quality
6.7
7.2
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" and IdeaPad Gaming 3 offer satisfying screen quality through their resolution and brightness, which makes them suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. In engineering and design applications, however, they lack the color accuracy from more comprehensive color gamuts needed for precision work. Meanwhile, for gaming and 3D, their lower refresh rates hinder fluid motion and responsiveness, which are paramount for an immersive and competitive experience.
Build Quality
6.5
7.2
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$784
$549
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has a price of $784 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 costs $549.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.3
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.1
6.5
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has an integrated GPU with a lower screen refresh rate, making it less suitable for gaming and 3D applications compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, which comes with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 2050 graphics card and a higher refresh rate display for smoother visuals. However, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3's larger screen may offer a more expansive view despite its lower quality for fast-paced games or 3D rendering tasks.
Content Creation
7.4
7.4
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
7.2
7.3
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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.
Battery
9.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
5.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" | Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$784 | $549 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.78'' | 14.2'' x 10.5'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.49 lbs | 5.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.71" | 14.16" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.79" | 10.49" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5625U | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 45 Wh | 60 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 329 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.2/10 | 7.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
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 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17"
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LaptopMedia
Alex Iliev | December 2022
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" defies expectations. Indeed, it is just a minor upgrade over last year. However, this doesn’t make the laptop any less terrific. It’s got a great performance, courtesy of the Ryzen 5x25U processors. In addition, you get a pretty good battery life. Perhaps, the 2-hour decrease in video playback, compared to last year is not great, but still, 10 hours of Web browsing and 7 hours of video playback is okay for 17-inch notebooks."
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | October 2022
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is one of the most powerful RTX 3050 Ti laptops. If you disregard the mediocre quality of the case in terms of the material and workmanship, Lenovo has created a successful budget gaming laptop with the IdeaPad Gaming. Thanks to high TDPs and constant performance development, the Core i5-12500H and GeForce RTX 3050 Ti are able to show their full power, while in contrast, the (mostly slower) competitors deliver a better battery life. However, hardly any of the alternative laptops are able to reach the image quality of the Gaming 3. Most of the competitors are left behind in terms of the color space and brightness."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" or the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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.
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