A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is less expensive, lighter, and has longer battery life, which makes it suitable for people needing portability and general use without heavy performance demand. The MSI Raider GE78, on the other hand, is more expensive, larger, and heavier with shorter battery life, but offers significantly more power for tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, engineering, and machine learning. If you prioritize portability and battery life with adequate performance for everyday tasks, the Lenovo may be the better choice. If you need top-tier performance for intensive tasks and gaming, and can handle a higher price and less portability, consider the MSI. 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 7i
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE78
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Best in class for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.7
8.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
340.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
11.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i, with its lighter weight and longer battery life, is well-suited for general use that prioritizes mobility and moderate performance needs. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE78 offers more power and higher quality screen but is less portable and has a shorter battery life, making it better for those who need top-tier performance and are less concerned with carrying their laptop around.
Gaming and AI
6.2
9.5
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is best in class for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.1
9.4
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE78 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is furnished with an efficient but less powerful Intel i7 processor and integrated graphics, making it suitable for engineering and design tasks but with some limitations on very intensive workloads, whereas the MSI Raider GE78 boasts a top-tier Intel i9 processor and Nvidia RTX graphics, providing exceptional performance for even the most demanding tasks. Additionally, the Raider GE78 offers more memory, a larger and more vivid screen, which is beneficial for detailed design work, but it's less portable and has a shorter battery life compared to the lighter and longer-lasting IdeaPad Slim 7i.
Content Creation
7.7
8.8
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i 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
7.5
8.5
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i 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
6.9
8.6
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
340.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE78 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i's screen offers clarity and vibrancy suitable for everyday tasks and professional design work due to its resolution and color accuracy, but it lacks the high refresh rate gamers need for smooth visuals in fast-paced games. The MSI Raider GE78, with a screen that matches the Lenovo in resolution and surpasses it in color fidelity, makes it an excellent choice for designers needing true-to-life colors. However, despite its superior overall display qualities, without a high refresh rate, it falls short for gaming where fluid motion is key.
Battery
11.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has 11.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE78 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
Very Good
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has very good portability, while the MSI Raider GE78 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8
8.5
The MSI Raider GE78 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$4,386
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has a price of $899 and the MSI Raider GE78 costs $4,386.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i and the MSI Raider GE78 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i | MSI Raider GE78 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$899 | $4,386 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2020 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.2'' x 0.59'' | 15'' x 11.7'' x 1.13'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.99 lbs | 6.83 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.62" | 14.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.2" | 11.73" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1165G7 | Intel i9-13980HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11.5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60.7 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 340 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 5.6/10 | |
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 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i
See more
Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Ted Needleman
| January 2022
"Among Lenovo's multiple laptop brands, the IdeaPad family is decidedly the one designed for consumers: people who want decent performance at a reasonable price. Consider, then, this laptop a paragon for the pickier members of that crowd. With a 14-inch touch-enabled display, a comfortable keyboard, an Evo-certified Intel Core i7 11th Generation CPU, and the latest Windows 11 operating system, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro ultraportable ($1,199 as tested) is a slick mainstream machine at a bit of a premium price, and quite capable for everyday tasks."
MSI Raider GE78
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2023
"Performance-wise, the GE78 offers a significant boost over the GE77 for just slightly higher power consumption. You'll have to get the RTX 4080 or 4090 configurations to see the performance advantages, however, as the RTX 4070 is closer in performance to the older RTX 3080 Ti. In terms of design, some users might prefer the 16:9 minimalistic look of the older GE77 over the 16:10 retro-inspired GE78 and vice versa. We wouldn't call one better than the other in terms of aesthetics, but we'll give the edge to the GE78 for its stronger hinges and larger keys and clickpad."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i or the MSI Raider GE78
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.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
Compare Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i vs. Acer Nitro 5 15
VS
Compare Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i vs. Apple MacBook Air (2022)
VS
Compare Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i vs. ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED
VS
Compare MSI Raider GE78 vs. Razer Blade 17
VS
Compare MSI Raider GE78 vs. Lenovo Legion 9i
VS
Compare MSI Raider GE78 vs. MSI Raider 18 HX
VS
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
132,195
Recommendations made
28,643
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.
Featured in
