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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is a more budget-friendly option, suitable for general use with its ample screen size and comfortable keyboard featuring a number pad. However, its performance in more intensive tasks like 3D rendering or engineering may be limited due to its less powerful processor and integrated graphics. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" offers stronger performance with a more capable processor and dedicated graphics card, making it better suited for gaming, 3D, machine learning, and engineering tasks. It also boasts a higher refresh rate display for smoother visuals, but this comes at a higher price. The Legion Slim 7 is also slightly more portable than the IdeaPad 3 despite its smaller screen size, and it has a backlit RGB keyboard which enhances its gaming appeal. Both have decent battery life but keep in mind that the Legion's high-performance components may drain the battery faster under heavy use. 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 Legion Slim 7 15.6".
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.1
7.4
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is fair for gaming and 3D because it uses an integrated GPU, which is less powerful than dedicated gaming GPUs, and its screen refresh rate is standard at 60Hz, making it less smooth for fast-paced games. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" offers a good experience as it comes equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a high 165Hz screen refresh rate, providing enhanced graphics performance and a more fluid visual experience for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.6
7.8
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 5625U CPU and integrated Vega 7 graphics, plus a fair screen, making it suitable but not optimal for engineering and design tasks that benefit from stronger processing and graphical capabilities. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" boasts a higher-performing AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU and a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, along with a higher-quality screen, offering better performance for engineering and design applications that require more computational and GPU power.
Screen Quality
6.7
7.7
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" offers a large screen with vivid colors and high resolution, making it great for general tasks and detail-oriented engineering work, but its lower refresh rate can detract from the smooth visuals needed in fast-paced gaming and 3D applications. Conversely, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6", while also delivering on color accuracy and resolution for professional and everyday use, may fall short for gamers due to a refresh rate that does not support the most fluid motion. Although both laptops provide quality visuals for general and engineering purposes with their respective panel types and color reproduction, neither is optimal for gaming or 3D work where higher refresh rates are crucial for the best experience.
Build Quality
6.5
7.6
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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 Slim 7 15.6" costs $1,200.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.3
7.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is suited for general use given its large 17-inch screen with good quality, ample storage, and decent battery life, making it ideal for day-to-day activities, though it's less portable due to its size. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6", while also good for general use, offers a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, better-quality speakers, and heat management, catering to both work and gaming needs with added portability due to its smaller size and lighter weight despite having a robust battery life.
Content Creation
7.4
7.7
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 Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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
7.5
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 Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has 9 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
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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 Legion Slim 7 15.6" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" | Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$784 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.78'' | 14'' x 9.9'' x 0.69'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.49 lbs | 4.19 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.71" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.79" | 9.92" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5625U | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 45 Wh | 71 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 | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 350 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.2/10 | 7.6/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
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 | 2 | |
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 Legion Slim 7 15.6"
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NotebookCheck
Benjamin Herzig | November 2022
"The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is a slim Legion notebook that is just as excellent with Nvidia & Intel. However, the Legion Slim 7i slightly sullied by lacklustre battery life. You get a slim aluminium chassis, great input devices, decent port selection, fast high-quality WQXGA display and great performance. Supporting Thunderbolt 4 is one advantage of the Intel/Nvidia model tested in this review. Moreover, this variant has slightly higher CPU performance as well as better GPU performance in certain applications (e.g. CUDA-based apps). The Lenovo Legion S7i is thin, premium and performant – but less efficient than its AMD counterpart."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" or the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
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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