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Updated January 12, 2024·
If you're prioritizing cost and mainly use your laptop for general tasks or light gaming, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 offers a solid experience at a budget-friendly price. However, for more demanding tasks such as intensive gaming, 3D modeling, or machine learning, the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has superior performance thanks to a better graphics card and higher resolution display. The Legion also has double the memory, which can improve multitasking and performance in memory-intensive applications. Both have similar battery life, but the Legion is slightly heavier, which is a consideration if you plan to carry it around frequently. 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 Gaming 3
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 15"
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5
7.9
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a less powerful Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU and lower screen refresh rate, making it fair for gaming and 3D tasks, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" boasts a more capable Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and higher screen refresh rate, contributing to its better performance for these applications.
Engineering and Design
7.2
8.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" surpasses the IdeaPad Gaming 3 primarily due to its more powerful GPU, double the RAM for handling complex tasks, and a higher quality screen which is essential for design precision. While both have similar CPUs and are not very portable due to their similar weights and sizes, the Legion 5 also offers a higher screen resolution and refresh rate, which contributes to a smoother visual experience during engineering simulations and design work.
Screen Quality
7.2
8.0
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
329.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3's display offers clarity and vibrance suitable for everyday activities and is bright enough for comfortable viewing, making it a good fit for general use. For engineering and design tasks, it covers enough of the color spectrum to ensure precision without reaching the top tier, hence its good but not excellent rating. However, due to the lower refresh rate, it falls short for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion and quick screen updates are essential for an immersive experience.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has 4 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
$549
$999
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a price of $549 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" costs $999.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
329.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, with a solid CPU and sufficient RAM, suits general use while being slightly more portable and offering a touch better battery life, whereas the Lenovo Legion 5 15" includes a higher screen resolution for crisper visuals along with superior heat management but is less portable and has shorter battery life. Both laptops share a common CPU and identical RAM specifications, ensuring responsive performance for everyday tasks; however, the Legion's additional display quality and thermal performance come with a tradeoff in portability and battery duration compared to the Gaming 3.
Content Creation
7.4
7.4
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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
7.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.3 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 to have good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
7.6
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 both have 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 Gaming 3 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 | Lenovo Legion 5 15" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$549 | $999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | April 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.5'' x 0.86'' | 14.1'' x 10.3'' x 0.95'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.1 lbs | 5.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.16" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.49" | 10.33" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60 Wh | 60 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 329 nits | 350 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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Dig into reviews and images
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."
Lenovo Legion 5 15"
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NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | September 2021
"The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of power. The new AMD processor Ryzen 7 5800H offers plenty of performance and it is also very efficient. The combination with the fast 130W version of the GeForce RTX 3060 ensures high gaming performance. We also like the fast 165 Hz display with the 1080p resolution. The automatic graphics switching causes some problems with stutters, which are very annoying. If you do not need long battery runtimes, you should definitely deactivate the hybrid graphics mode in Lenovo's Vantage app. The Legion 5 15 is never silent."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 or the Lenovo Legion 5 15"
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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