The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a budget-friendly option that's well-suited for intensive gaming and has a higher refresh rate display, making it good for fast-paced games. It is slightly heavier, which affects its portability, and it has a shorter battery life. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is slightly more expensive with a better screen resolution and aspect ratio, which is great for content creation and productivity tasks. It's lighter and has longer battery life, making it more portable. The Slim 7 also has more RAM for multitasking and a better-performing GPU and CPU combination for general use, 3D work, and engineering tasks. 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 Slim 7 16.
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim 7 16
Very good overall display quality
Good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.2/10
8.3/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
329.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 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 likely has a decent resolution and brightness but falls short in refresh rate, which is crucial for the smooth visuals demanded by gaming and 3D applications. The Lenovo Slim 7 16 probably offers higher resolution and superior brightness, enhancing its capability for detailed and vibrant displays useful in both general use and professional engineering and design tasks; however, it also lacks the high refresh rate preferred for gaming and 3D content, affecting the fluidity of motion on the screen. Both models may not satisfy gaming and 3D enthusiasts due to their lower refresh rates but offer qualities valued in general computing and precision work where color accuracy and crisp image quality are key.
Battery
8.0 Hours
9.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has 9.5 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 both have good portability, though the Lenovo Slim 7 16 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
7.8/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 both have good build quality, though the Lenovo Slim 7 16 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$549
$1,440
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a price of $549 and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 costs $1,440.
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, with a solid CPU and RAM suitable for everyday tasks, and a gaming-oriented GPU, is well-suited for general use and occasional gaming, though its moderate battery life and weight may limit portability. In contrast, the Lenovo Slim 7 16 offers a higher resolution touchscreen display, more RAM for multitasking, and better battery life in a thinner and lighter form, catering well to users needing both portability and power for general use.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
6.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, with an RTX 2050 GPU and a screen refresh rate of 120 Hz, offers fair performance for gaming and 3D applications, but the Lenovo Slim 7 16 benefits from a more powerful RTX 3050 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 165 Hz, which can provide smoother visuals, making it also suitable for these tasks. While both laptops feature quality screens and CPUs that somewhat affect gaming and 3D performance, the superior GPU and screen refresh rate of the Slim 7 contribute to its ability to handle demanding applications better.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
7.5/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is equipped with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU and an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, making it suitable for engineering and design due to its ability to handle computation and graphics-intensive tasks; however, it has less RAM compared to the Lenovo Slim 7 16, which features a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and the same brand of processor with higher RAM, providing smoother performance for engineering software and better multitasking capability, along with a higher resolution touch screen that benefits design work. The Slim 7 16 also offers a more compact and lighter build, enhancing portability while maintaining a high-quality keyboard and low operating noise, which might be preferred by users frequently on the move or in shared working environments.
Content Creation
7.4/10
7.6/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 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
7.6/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 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.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 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."
"At $1,011, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro is a real bargain among full-sized laptops, with a handsome 16-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio touch screen, a speedy CPU, a comfortable keyboard, ample memory, and a roomy solid-state drive. It's not a blazing gaming rig or mobile workstation, but it doesn't pretend to be. Its biggest negative is that it may be hard to find—during our review, it sold out and was marked "Temporarily Unavailable" on Lenovo's site."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 or the Lenovo Slim 7 16
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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