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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is often less expensive and provides lengthy battery life suitable for general use and gaming; it has an AMD processor and Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU, making it suitable for moderate gaming and engineering tasks. In contrast, the MSI GF65 Thin, while more costly, has a better gaming-oriented GPU, the Nvidia RTX 3060, and a high-refresh-rate display for fast-paced games, but it compromises on battery life. Choose the Lenovo for long-lasting use and affordability, or the MSI for superior gaming performance with less concern for battery life or budget. 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 for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good battery life
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3.
Key differences
General Use
7.4
6.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
329.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is suited better for general use due to its stronger battery life and higher quality screen, which provides better color accuracy and brightness compared to the MSI GF65 Thin. Additionally, the IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a higher screen quality score and less operating noise, which make it more comfortable for extended use, while the MSI GF65 Thin, although lighter, has a shorter battery life and poorer speaker quality, making it less ideal for non-gaming general use.
Content Creation
7.4
6.8
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
6.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
329.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is equipped with a display that offers clear and vibrant visuals suitable for tasks such as browsing and document editing due to its adequate resolution and brightness, which is why it's considered good for general use. For engineering and design work, where precise color representation is crucial, the same display provides respectable coverage of color gamuts, supporting work that involves color-sensitive applications. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the lower refresh rate of the Lenovo reduces the smoothness of motion in visuals, which is less than ideal when fast-paced graphics and quick refreshes are key to an immersive experience.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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.
Cost
$549
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a price of $549 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.5
6.8
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3's Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU is less powerful compared to the MSI GF65 Thin's Nvidia RTX 3060, impacting graphics performance crucial for gaming and 3D work; however, the IdeaPad has a slightly higher screen refresh rate, which can provide a smoother visual experience in games and fast-moving content. While the IdeaPad features a capable AMD Ryzen 7 processor and better screen brightness which affects overall screen quality, the GF65 Thin leads with a stronger GPU, which may deliver better performance for GPU-intensive tasks despite having a less bright display.
Engineering and Design
7.2
6.7
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 to be good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The MSI GF65 Thin and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
6.7
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 to have good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair 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 MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$549 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.5'' x 0.86'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.1 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.16" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.49" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 329 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.1/10 | 7.4/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
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."
MSI GF65 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 or the MSI GF65 Thin
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.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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