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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is more budget-friendly and offers better battery life, which makes it suitable for general use and portability. However, for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" would be a better choice due to its more powerful processor and graphics card, despite the tradeoff of being heavier, more expensive, and having shorter battery life. Both laptops have similar screen sizes and resolutions, but the Legion has a higher refresh rate, making it better for fast-paced games. If you prioritize performance and gaming over cost and battery life, go with the Legion; for general use and longer battery needs, the IdeaPad is more appropriate. 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"
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.1
7.4
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
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 17" is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" offers better gaming and 3D performance than the IdeaPad 3 17" due to its superior Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, compared to the IdeaPad's integrated AMD Vega 7 graphics and 60Hz screen refresh rate.
Engineering and Design
6.6
7.6
5.8/10
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 17" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has adequate processing and graphical capabilities for engineering and design tasks, yet its screen quality and lower amount of RAM limit its performance for intensive applications compared to the Lenovo Legion 5 17", which boasts a higher-powered CPU, more RAM, and a superior GPU, making it better suited for demanding engineering software and design work.
Screen Quality
6.7
7.3
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 17" for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3's screen offers adequate resolution and brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. For engineering and design, both laptops might have decent color accuracy, allowing for a fair representation of designs and models. However, due to limited refresh rate, they're less optimal for gaming and 3D applications, where smoother motion from higher refresh rates is crucial for an immersive experience.
Battery
9.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 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
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
7.4
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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
$1,200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has a price of $784 and the Lenovo Legion 5 17" costs $1,200.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.3
7.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is good for general use due to its sufficient RAM and CPU that handle everyday tasks, its high-definition screen offering clear visuals, and decent battery life, making it suitable for carrying around with less frequent charging. Conversely, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" also supports general use with a stronger CPU and higher RAM for more demanding applications, along with a quality screen, but it's less portable and has shorter battery life, more suited for stationary use where its better performance for gaming and intensive tasks can be utilized.
Content Creation
7.4
7.2
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" and Lenovo Legion 5 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
7.0
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" and Lenovo Legion 5 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.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" and the Lenovo Legion 5 17" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" | Lenovo Legion 5 17" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$784 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2022 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.78'' | 15.7'' x 11.4'' x 1'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.49 lbs | 6.57 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.71" | 15.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.79" | 11.41" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5625U | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 45 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 305 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.2/10 | 5.8/10 | |
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 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
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 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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 Legion 5 17"
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NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | February 2022
"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 17" 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.
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