The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has a lower price, longer battery life, and a decent balance between performance and portability which makes it suitable for general use and some light engineering work. However, the MSI Creator Z16P, while more expensive, offers significantly better performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and intensive engineering tasks due to its more powerful processor and graphics card; it also features a touchscreen display. The MSI has shorter battery life and is heavier, which makes it less portable than the Lenovo. If your work involves specialized tasks and you need top performance, the MSI Creator Z16P would be a better fit, but for everyday use and value for money, the Lenovo Ideapad 5 Pro stands out. 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 Pro
Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Creator Z16P
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
6.5/10
7.6/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Creator Z16P is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro is only fair.
The MSI Creator Z16P offers better gaming and 3D capabilities primarily due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro's Nvidia RTX 3050, and it also boasts a higher screen refresh rate, leading to smoother visuals during gameplay and fast-paced graphics work. While both have strong CPUs and high-quality screens, these GPU and refresh rate advantages give the Z16P an edge in delivering more immersive and responsive experiences in graphically intensive tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
8.3/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Creator Z16P is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro is good.
The MSI Creator Z16P, with a higher-end CPU and GPU, offers superior performance for engineering and design tasks than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro, which has more modest specifications in these areas. Both laptops have quality screens and sufficient RAM, but the MSI's superior hardware makes it more suitable for more demanding workloads, albeit at the expense of portability and operating noise.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.3/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
409.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The MSI Creator Z16P has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has a high-resolution screen and adequate brightness, making it suitable for tasks like browsing and streaming, but it may lack the high refresh rate favored by gamers. The MSI Creator Z16P's screen offers a wide color gamut and high resolution which benefits precision in design and engineering tasks, but gamers may find the refresh rate insufficient for fluid motion in fast-paced games. For both, the emphasis on visual accuracy and vibrancy suits professional work, but may not meet the specific demand for gaming responsiveness.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator Z16P has 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
$860
$1,300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has a price of $860 and the MSI Creator Z16P costs $1,300.
The MSI Creator Z16P and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro are both good for general use.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro offers solid performance with its AMD Ryzen processor and satisfactory screen quality, making it suitable for everyday tasks and general use, while being relatively lightweight and boasting a decent battery life, enhancing its portability. On the other hand, the MSI Creator Z16P features a more powerful Intel processor and high-quality screen, along with more storage capacity and better heat management, although it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable but more suited for demanding applications.
Content Creation
7.5/10
7.9/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator Z16P and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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
7.4/10
7.6/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro and MSI Creator Z16P 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 Creator Z16P to have very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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 Pro and the MSI Creator Z16P compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro turns out a successful all-rounder that, aside from 3D applications, always strikes a good or very good figure. This begins with the elegant metal case that isn't particularly light but fairly robust, giving a high-quality impression. The input devices are also better than those of many competitors. Both the keyboard and the touchpad are attractive and comfortable. In addition, the performance of the Ryzen 5 6600HS is easily able to keep up with the Intel competitors."
"There's almost nothing left to be desired with the MSI Z16P. The creator laptop offers enormous performance resources for image editing, video editing, rendering, and more. All this is presented on a precalibrated, adequately sized, and high-resolution display. Its color space, refresh rate, and panel technology are also perfectly suited for a device that specializes in video reproduction and editing."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro or the MSI Creator Z16P
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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