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Updated January 10, 2024·
When choosing between the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and the Lenovo Legion 7, consider your needs and budget. The IdeaPad Gaming 3 is less expensive, lighter, and has a decent battery life, making it suitable for general use and light gaming on the go. It has a full HD screen and will handle most tasks without issues, but might struggle with more demanding engineering applications or intensive gaming. On the other hand, the Legion 7, while more expensive, boasts a more powerful processor and graphics card, more RAM and storage, and a higher resolution display. This makes it more suitable for heavy gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering use, though it's slightly heavier and with a bit shorter battery life. Both have good build quality and keyboard, but the Legion 7 has better color accuracy and a higher refresh rate screen, which is advantageous for professional creative work and smoother visuals in gaming. 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
- The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion 7.
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 7
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
329.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Legion 7 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is equipped with a solid processor and RAM adequate for everyday tasks and some light gaming, providing a satisfactory blend of screen quality, portability, and decent battery life all at a more manageable price point. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 7, with a more powerful processor, double the RAM, and a higher resolution screen with better color coverage, offers superior performance and screen quality, which may justify its heftier price, though this comes at the slight expense of battery life and portability.
Gaming and AI
6.5
7.8
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 7 offers better gaming and 3D capabilities due to its superior graphics unit (Nvidia RTX 3070) and a higher screen refresh rate, catering well to fast-paced visuals. Whereas the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, with a lesser graphics unit (Nvidia RTX 2050) and a lower refresh rate, provides a fair gaming experience, suitable for less demanding gaming scenarios.
Engineering and Design
7.2
8.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 7 outperforms the IdeaPad Gaming 3 for engineering and design work as it boasts a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a superior GPU, contributing to faster data processing and complex graphical rendering; additionally, it has a higher quality screen offering greater resolution and brightness. While both laptops have decent portability and premium build quality, the Legion 7's better keyboard and reduced operating noise provide a more comfortable work environment, but keep in mind it is slightly heavier.
Screen Quality
7.2
8.3
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
329.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 7 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a display that provides clear and vibrant visuals for everyday tasks and is suitable for engineering work with decent color accuracy, but for fast-paced games and 3D applications, its lower refresh rate hinders performance. The Lenovo Legion 7, with its higher resolution and brightness, offers an enhanced viewing experience for both daily use and professional engineering designs, benefiting from a wider color range. However, despite its superior screen characteristics, the Legion 7's lower refresh rate may not satisfy gamers or 3D designers who need smoother motion and quicker screen updates.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 7 has 6.5 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.
Build Quality
7.2
8.5
The Lenovo Legion 7 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$549
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a price of $549 and the Lenovo Legion 7 costs $1,500.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.4
7.9
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 7 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
7.6
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Lenovo Legion 7 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and the Lenovo Legion 7 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 | Lenovo Legion 7 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$549 | $1,500 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.5'' x 0.86'' | 14'' x 10.3'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.1 lbs | 5.5 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.16" | 14.01" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.49" | 10.27" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 6.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 329 nits | 469 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | 7/10 | |
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 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
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 7
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | September 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 7 is a fast 16-inch gamer with 165 Hz display. The new Lenovo Legion 7 is a very good gaming notebook that, despite its comparatively compact compact 16-inch case, does not have to do without the most powerful components. Thanks to good cooling, no compromises are made in terms of performance. Both the Core i9-12900HX and the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti perform at a very high level."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 or the Lenovo Legion 7
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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