Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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GENERAL USE: Good—7.6/10
GAMING/AI: Good—7.1/10
ENG/DESIGN: Good—7.6/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Good—7.4/10
CONTENT CREATION: Good—7.5/10
PORTABILITY: Good—7.0/10
BATTERY: Good—7.6/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Good—7.2/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Very Good—8.0/10
SIZE: 15.6"
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a lower-midrange gaming laptop with a solid build and respectable performance. Equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card, it can handle general use and gaming decently. The device has a 15.6-inch IPS display with a high refresh rate for smooth visuals, and its 512GB of storage alongside 16GB of RAM ensures ample space and multitasking capabilities. While it has good heat management and keyboard quality, it's relatively heavy at 5.1 pounds, making it less ideal for portability. With a backlit keyboard and no touchscreen, it's suitable for gaming and engineering tasks but has a fair battery life, indicating you may need to stay close to a power outlet during extended use sessions. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- High-quality keyboard
- Solid general performance
- Dedicated Nvidia graphics
- Capable of hardware ray tracing
- Supports DLSS
Cons
- Moderate battery life
- Average speaker quality
- Limited color accuracy
- Not very portable
Ratings by Category
Keyboard Quality:4.4
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
General Use:4.3
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is equipped with a capable main processor and sufficient RAM for smooth multitasking, making it suitable for general use, while the IPS screen with good color coverage provides a clear and vibrant display for everyday tasks. However, the average battery life and heft may limit its portability for those who need to use it on the go.
Engineering & Design:4.3
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, CAD and 3D work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Software Development:4.2
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Content Creation:4.2
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, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Battery Life:4.2
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
General Use Screen Quality:4.2
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Gaming & AI:4.1
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability as well as AI performance, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
While performance (especially graphics performance) is the most important factor determining this score, we also give modest weight to screen quality, heat management, keyboard quality, and storage.
Build Quality:4.1
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability.
Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify.
Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Portability:4.0
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Operating Noise:4.0
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $760 | ||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.5'' x 0.86'' | ||
Weight | 5.1 lbs | ||
Width | 14.16" | ||
Depth | 10.49" | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | ||
RAM | 16 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | ||
RAM Slots | 2 | ||
Storage | 512 GB | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 8 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 60 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | ||
Display Technology | IPS | ||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | ||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 329 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 7.2/10 | ||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | ||
Premium Business Laptop | No | ||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | ||
Webcam | 720p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | No | ||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | ||
Number Pad | Yes | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 2 | ||
USB-C ports | 1 | ||
USB-C Charging | Yes | ||
Display Outputs | 2 | ||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | ||
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."
Comparison charts
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