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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is less expensive, lighter, and offers better battery life, suited for general use and portable convenience. Conversely, the MSI GF63 Thin, while more costly and heavier, has superior performance for 3D, machine learning, and gaming tasks due to its dedicated graphics card. However, it has notably less battery life, making it less ideal if you need to work for longer periods without a power outlet. If your priority is everyday tasks and price, the Lenovo might be your choice, but for more demanding applications and gaming, consider the MSI despite its shorter battery life. 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 Slim 3
- Good for general use
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI GF63 Thin
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
6.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
249.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.2 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is good for general use, while the MSI GF63 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 offers a balance between performance and portability, with an AMD processor and 8GB of RAM that ensure fair general-use capabilities paired with good battery life and a portability score of 9.5; however, its storage is larger and the screen quality and keyboard are rated as fair, compromising somewhat in speaker and heat management, which are rated as best and very good, respectively.
Content Creation
7.2
6.0
3.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is good for content creation, while the MSI GF63 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
7.1
6.0
3.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is good for software development, while the MSI GF63 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
6.4
6.1
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
249.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has a better screen than the MSI GF63 Thin for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, both the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and MSI GF63 Thin offer adequate screen qualities, but they might not have the high resolution or brightness levels that make for a more vivid and comfortable viewing experience. In engineering and design tasks, where accurate colors are crucial, both laptops may lack the wide color gamuts needed to properly display the full range of DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB colors. For gaming and 3D applications, the refresh rates on these laptops are not as high as dedicated gaming laptops, leading to less smooth visuals which might detract from fast-paced gaming and fluid 3D rendering.
Battery
10.0 Hours
4.2 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI GF63 Thin has 4.3 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
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and MSI GF63 Thin both have good portability, though the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$390
$599
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has a price of $390 and the MSI GF63 Thin costs $599.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
5.9
6.0
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI GF63 Thin to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 uses an integrated AMD GPU, which is generally less powerful than the dedicated Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU in the MSI GF63 Thin, thus the MSI can offer better performance for gaming and 3D tasks. Both laptops have similar screen refresh rates and quality, but the dedicated GPU in the MSI will provide a more fluid gaming experience and better handle 3D rendering.
Engineering and Design
6.1
6.0
3.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.3/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and MSI GF63 Thin are both only fair for engineering and design.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and the MSI GF63 Thin are suitable for engineering and design mainly due to their adequate main processors and memory, which handle computational tasks fairly well. However, the IdeaPad has a slightly better screen quality and the GF63 Thin includes a dedicated graphics card which is beneficial for graphics-intensive applications, but they may not perform as well with extremely demanding engineering software due to these moderate specifications.
Build Quality
6.5
6.5
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and MSI GF63 Thin both have 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 Slim 3 and the MSI GF63 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 | MSI GF63 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$390 | $599 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | May 1, 2019 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.3'' x 0.7'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.52 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.15" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.25" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7330U | Intel i5-10300H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 4.25 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 47 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 | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 249 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.9/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
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Rtings
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | May 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is decent for use as a workstation. Its Intel CPU and integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. You also can't do any color-critical work because the available displays have a narrow color gamut. It has a good port selection, but its USB-C lacks Thunderbolt 4 support. On the upside, it has a comfortable keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load."
MSI GF63 Thin
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NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | January 2020
"If you leave aside the meagre port selection (no card reader, no DisplayPort, no Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.1 Gen2), the fan control that could be improved (idle mode!) and the relatively dark and slow display, the MSI GF63 Thin 9SC does not have any major weaknesses. The 15-inch gamer is compact, has a low weight and offers a good price-to-performance ratio, which should please gamers that are looking for both a portable and an affordable gaming notebook. Input devices, battery life, case quality and performance are all appropriate for this purchase price."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 or the MSI GF63 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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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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