The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a budget-friendly option providing good performance and a decent battery life, suitable for casual gaming and everyday tasks. It is lighter than the Legion Slim 5, which may make it more portable. However, if you require stronger performance for more intensive gaming or multitasking, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers a higher-end experience with a more powerful graphics card and more RAM. Although it comes at a higher price, the Legion Slim 5 also has a larger screen with a higher resolution, a faster refresh rate which is better for smooth gaming, and enhanced keyboard features, making it more suited for rigorous gaming and productivity tasks. If price is a significant concern, the IdeaPad Gaming 3 stands out as a cost-effective choice, but for users seeking top-tier gaming or creative performance, the Legion Slim 5 is the recommended option despite its higher 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
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.7/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers better gaming and 3D performance due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3's Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU and 120Hz refresh rate. While both have quality IPS screens and capable CPUs, the higher-tier GPU and refresh rate in the Legion Slim 5 render it more suitable for intensive gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
8.0/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is very good for engineering and design use because it has a more powerful GPU, greater RAM, a higher resolution screen with a more advantageous aspect ratio, and larger battery capacity, which enhance performance and screen detail. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, while still good for such tasks, offers less power and screen resolution but maintains adequate qualities that support general engineering and design needs at what may be a more accessible price point and weight.
Screen Quality
7.2/10
7.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
329.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for engineering and design.
For general use, both the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and the Legion Slim 5 offer displays with sufficient resolution and brightness, ensuring clear and vivid viewing for everyday tasks. Engineering and design professionals will find the color accuracy and wide color gamuts of these laptops' screens conducive to their work, though they lack the optimal screen qualities for high-end color work. However, gamers and those involved in 3D work may find the lower refresh rates a drawback, as it can affect the smoothness of motion and responsiveness in fast-paced scenarios, despite the adequate resolution and panel types for sharp visuals.
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has 7 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
$1,000
$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 Slim 5 costs $1,000.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both good for general use.
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.
Content Creation
7.4/10
7.5/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.3/10
7.4/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
16.0in
5.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 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 Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 Slim 5 compare to other laptops
"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."
"The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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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