For a balance of performance and value, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a solid choice, offering a capable AMD Ryzen 7 processor and Nvidia RTX 2050 graphics within a lower midrange price point. It's a good all-rounder for general use and light gaming, with a decent battery life and a portable design that's suitable for on-the-go tasks. However, if you're seeking top-tier performance for demanding tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is the way to go. Its premium price reflects the powerful Intel i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics, delivering exceptional performance. The higher resolution display with a 240Hz refresh rate is ideal for fast-paced gaming and professional work. It also offers better color accuracy and a wider range of ports, including Thunderbolt support. Keep in mind, the Legion Pro 7i is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable than the IdeaPad Gaming 3. 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 (2024)
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
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
7.4/10
8.1/10
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 (2024) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
9.1/10
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 (2024) is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
9.0/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
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 and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.4/10
8.3/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) 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
7.3/10
7.9/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
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 Pro 7i (2024) and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is somewhat better.
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
7.2/10
8.7/10
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.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
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
5.7 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) 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
$2,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a price of $549 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) costs $2,100.
"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."
"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 (2024)
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.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
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