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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is less expensive, lighter, and offers longer battery life, making it suitable for general use and gaming on a budget. However, its performance in areas like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks is lower compared to the Lenovo Legion 7i Pro. The Legion 7i Pro, while heavier and more costly, brings a more powerful processor, superior graphics, and significantly enhanced performance for intensive tasks and gaming, as well as a higher quality display and build. Consider the Legion 7i Pro if performance and display quality are priorities over portability and cost. 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 Pro 7i
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4
8.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
329.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 7i Pro outshines the IdeaPad Gaming 3 in general use primarily due to its more powerful Intel i9 processor, substantially greater RAM, and superior screen quality which includes a higher resolution display that provides better image clarity and color accuracy; it also boasts a significantly larger battery that supports extended use without charging but is slightly heavier and less portable. However, the trade-off for the Legion 7i Pro's enhanced capabilities comes with less favorable portability and battery duration in typical use conditions compared to the IdeaPad Gaming 3, which offers a balance of moderate performance coupled with better ease of carrying around and longer battery life, making it well-suited for users seeking a reliable laptop for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.5
9.1
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i outshines the IdeaPad Gaming 3 in gaming and 3D rendering due to its highly superior GPU and a much higher screen refresh rate, which provide smoother visuals and better performance in graphics-intensive tasks. While the IdeaPad Gaming 3 is equipped with an adequate GPU for fair gaming performance and a decent refresh rate, the Legion Pro 7i's top-tier GPU and its screen's capability to refresh at a considerably faster rate make it an excellent choice for the most demanding games and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.2
9.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i outperforms the IdeaPad Gaming 3 in engineering and design use due to its more powerful CPU (Intel i9 vs. AMD Ryzen 7), significantly higher RAM (32GB vs. 8GB), and a more capable GPU (Nvidia RTX 4080 vs. RTX 2050). Additionally, it offers a higher resolution and brighter screen, which is vital for design work, albeit it is less portable and louder under load.
Content Creation
7.4
8.5
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
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
8.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
7.2
8.7
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
329.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 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 good balance of resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and sufficient color accuracy for engineering and design but falls short for gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i steps up with higher resolution and brightness, making it excellent for general and professional use, including tasks needing accurate color representation, but like the IdeaPad, it's not optimized for gaming or 3D applications because of an unsuitable refresh rate. For gaming and 3D, look for laptops with a higher refresh rate, which neither of these models prioritize.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.1 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
8.5
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 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
$2,499
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a price of $549 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i costs $2,499.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$549 | $2,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | March 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.5'' x 0.86'' | 14.3'' x 10.3'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.1 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.16" | 14.3" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.49" | 10.32" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Intel i9-13900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60 Wh | 99.9 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 | 240Hz | |
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 | 6.5/10 | |
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 | 9.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
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 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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Dig into reviews and images
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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 Pro 7i
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | February 2023
"Passionate gamers who want to play demanding modern titles with maximum details and don't mind spending the moolah will find the Lenovo Legion 7 Pro to be the right choice. The bright, sharp, and color-accurate 16:10 QHD 240 Hz display makes for an immersive viewing experience. The hardware is housed in a stylish chassis that feels premium and scores well in terms of workmanship and stability. Other aspects such as sound quality, input devices, and connectivity also seem to be near-perfect."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 or the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
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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