The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 is ideal if you're looking for a budget-friendly option with decent performance for general use and a touch screen. It's lighter and has longer battery life, making it more portable. For more demanding tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning or gaming, the MSI Stealth GS66 is superior due to its higher-end graphics card and processor, but it's also more expensive and heavier with shorter battery life. Additionally, the GS66 offers features attractive to gamers such as a high refresh rate display and RGB keyboard lighting, at the expense of reduced portability. 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 5 15"
Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS66
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is only fair.
The MSI Stealth GS66 offers superior gaming and 3D graphics performance due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and an extremely high screen refresh rate of 360Hz, compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" which has an integrated AMD Vega 8 GPU and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate. Additionally, the MSI's more robust CPU and superior screen quality contribute to a better overall gaming experience.
Engineering and Design
6.7/10
8.2/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS66 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is only fair.
The MSI Stealth GS66 outperforms the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 for engineering and design use largely due to its superior Intel CPU, double the RAM, and a much more powerful Nvidia GPU, which are critical for demanding software used in these fields; its screen also offers better color coverage enhancing visual work. Although it is heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the lighter and longer-lasting Lenovo, the MSI's better specs make it more suitable for intensive tasks despite being less portable and noisier under load.
Screen Quality
6.5/10
8.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
341.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS66 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad offers decent resolution and adequate brightness, catering to everyday tasks, while the MSI Stealth's higher-end screen provides crisper images and better brightness suited to a more premium experience. The MSI's wider color gamut supports greater color accuracy for engineering and design applications, an area where the Lenovo may fall short, impacting the fidelity of the work. For gaming and 3D modeling, the MSI's less-than-ideal refresh rate limits smooth motion portrayal, a gap where both laptops do not meet the high standards typically demanded by these use cases.
Battery
11.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has 11 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 has 5.5 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.
Cost
$690
$1,799
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has a price of $690 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,799.
The MSI Stealth GS66 and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is suitable for general use due to its balance of a capable Ryzen 7 processor, 8GB RAM, and solid battery life which is enough for daily tasks, along with a portable design and a quality screen. The MSI Stealth GS66 caters to a broader audience by offering a powerful Intel i7 processor with 16GB RAM, superior graphics with RTX 3070 Ti, and a high refresh rate screen for smoother visuals, but it trades off some battery life and is slightly heavier, making it less portable than the IdeaPad.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS66 and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" 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
7.3/10
7.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" 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.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" and MSI Stealth GS66 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth GS66 to have very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" and the MSI Stealth GS66 compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 is convincing due to its long battery life. The device scores points especially with its large battery and long battery runtimes combined with its low consumption. The CPU and GPU perform in the test as one would expect, and in line with what was familiar from the somewhat smaller 14-inch sister model, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14."
"The MSI Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" or the MSI Stealth GS66
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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