The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 offers value with a lower price, decent gaming abilities, and good portability due to its lighter weight. Its performance is suitable for general use and moderate gaming but may not meet the demands of the most intensive tasks. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE76, while being more expensive, provides high-end performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering software due to its superior processor, graphics card, and increased RAM. It also has a higher resolution, better screen, and improved heat management, but it's less portable because of its larger size and heavier weight, which might make it less convenient for frequent travel. 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 MSI Raider GE76
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
329.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The MSI Raider GE76 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
The MSI Raider GE76 outperforms the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 in terms of CPU and RAM, offering robust performance suited for more demanding tasks, while its superior screen quality enhances visual experience. However, this high performance comes at the cost of decreased portability and shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo, making it less ideal for frequent travel or extended use away from power sources.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
8.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE76 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, equipped with an Nvidia RTX 2050 and a 120Hz refresh rate display, provides a fair gaming experience, but the MSI Raider GE76 stands out with a superior Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card and a 240Hz screen, offering top-notch performance and smoother visuals for gaming and 3D applications. While both laptops have quality IPS screens, the Raider's higher screen quality and refresh rate are key for excellent gaming, yet this comes at the cost of higher price and less portability due to its larger size and weight.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
9.0/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE76 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is suitable for engineering and design due to its competent AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, RTX 2050 GPU, and good screen quality with sufficient RAM. The MSI Raider GE76 is considered excellent with a more robust Intel i7 CPU, superior RTX 3080 Ti GPU, larger and higher resolution screen for sharper and more accurate colors, and an abundance of RAM, although it is less portable and may have a louder operating noise.
Content Creation
7.4/10
8.4/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE76 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
8.2/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE76 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
7.2/10
8.6/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
329.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE76 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 may offer a nice balance of resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and some engineering uses, but for gaming and 3D applications it falls short due to a lower refresh rate which is crucial for smooth motion. The MSI Raider GE76 likely stands out with a high-resolution display that delivers vivid colors and strong brightness, making it an excellent choice for both general use and detail-oriented work in engineering and design due to its wide color gamut coverage. However, despite its superior overall screen quality, it may not fulfill the needs of gamers or 3D professionals who require a very high refresh rate for the best visual fluidity.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE76 has 6 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
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
5.1 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has good portability, while the MSI Raider GE76 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The MSI Raider GE76 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
$3,552
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a price of $549 and the MSI Raider GE76 costs $3,552.
"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 MSI Raider GE76: with Alder Lake and RTX 3080 Ti to gaming heaven. Yes, MSI could improve some aspects (like the quality of the webcam), but the manufacturer offers a very convincing and balanced overall package. The biggest advantage is definitely the immense performance potential. The combination of Core i9-12900HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 32 GB DDR5 RAM and two NVMe SSDs offers a lot of performance for the next couple of years and plenty of power for 3D applications. Most titles would run smoothly on an external 4K screen no matter the quality preset. We came away impressed with the integrated 360 Hz panel's fast response times and good color accuracy."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 or the MSI Raider GE76
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.
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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