Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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GENERAL USE: Good—7.4/10
GAMING/AI: Fair—6.5/10
ENG/DESIGN: Good—7.2/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Good—7.3/10
CONTENT CREATION: Good—7.4/10
PORTABILITY: Good—7.0/10
BATTERY: Good—7.6/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Good—7.2/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Good—7.4/10
SIZE: 15.6"
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a budget-friendly gaming laptop that comes with a decent storage capacity and moderate RAM. It's equipped with an AMD Ryzen processor and an Nvidia RTX GPU, which makes it suitable for gaming and other intensive tasks. The battery capacity provides a reasonable amount of usage time, and it sports a 15.6-inch display with a high refresh rate, suitable for fast-paced games, but it's an IPS panel which may not be the brightest. It's relatively heavy, affecting its portability, has a number pad, and features backlit keys, hardware ray tracing, and DLSS. Suitable for gaming needs, it may not be the top choice for very high-end gaming or professional engineering software but can handle general use and moderate 3D tasks well. 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
- AMD Ryzen 7 processor
- Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU
- Backlit keyboard with numpad
- Supports Ethernet connection
- Available storage and RAM slots
Cons
- Moderate battery life
- No Thunderbolt or USB4
- No touchscreen capability
- Not very lightweight
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:4.2
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a solid choice for general use due to its capable AMD Ryzen processor and ample RAM that handle everyday tasks smoothly, combined with a high-quality backlit keyboard for comfortable typing. While it maintains good heat management and acceptable noise levels during operation, its average-quality speakers and moderate battery life could be limiting for those who prioritize multimedia experiences or require all-day unplugged use.
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.
Engineering & Design:4.1
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is equipped with a strong AMD Ryzen 7 processor and an Nvidia RTX GPU, which offer robust performance for computationally intensive tasks common in engineering and design. Additionally, its IPS display provides quality visuals with good color coverage, but the medium weight and battery life of around 8 hours imply a moderate compromise on portability.
Software Development:4.1
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.
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.
Gaming & AI:3.5
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU and a screen refresh rate of 120 Hz, which are sufficient for gaming and 3D applications; however, its 1080p screen resolution and an IPS panel with average color coverage offer a good but not top-tier visual experience.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $600 | ||
Release Date | May 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 | 8 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 | ||
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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."
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