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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is designed for gaming and other intensive tasks with a larger screen, high performance components, and a cooling system to manage heat. It's heavier and has a gaming laptop appearance, making it less portable. Conversely, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is more portable, lighter, with a smaller screen and is less expensive. It's suitable for general use and daily tasks but not for intensive gaming or engineering applications. If you need a laptop for high-performance tasks and don't mind the size and weight, go for the Lenovo Legion 5. If portability and lower cost are priorities and you're mainly tackling everyday tasks, the Surface Laptop Go 2 would be a better fit. 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 Legion 5 17"
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.4
6.0
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is superior for gaming and 3D tasks as it possesses a high-performance Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a 144Hz screen refresh rate, enhancing visual fluidity and gaming responsiveness. In comparison, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a lower-tier Intel Iris Xe graphics card and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, which provides a fair experience but is less optimized for the demands of gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.6
6.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Screen Quality
7.3
6.9
17.3in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
305.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" offers a large display and resolution that benefits multitasking and detailed work in engineering and design, yet its average refresh rate limits its appeal for fast-paced gaming. Similarly, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 shines in general use and detailed work due to its high-resolution screen and portability, but it lacks the high refresh rate gamers need for smoothly rendered visuals. Both devices satisfy with bright displays and solid color reproduction for everyday tasks and professional designs, but they fall short for the high-speed, fluid images required in gaming and 3D applications.
Battery
4.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has 8 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
Poor
Excellent
17.3in
SIZE
12.4in
6.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,200
$774
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a price of $1,200 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $774.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.2
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
305.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" offers a superior CPU and more RAM, which are very important for general use, providing better multitasking and performance capabilities compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. However, the Surface Laptop Go 2 triumphs in portability with its smaller size and longer battery life, making it more convenient for users on-the-go despite its fair performance.
Content Creation
7.2
7.1
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
7.0
7.0
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Build Quality
7.4
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" both have good 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 Legion 5 17" and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 5 17" | Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,200 | $774 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.4'' x 1'' | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.57 lbs | 2.48 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.7" | 10.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.41" | 8.12" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-11800H | Intel i5-1135G7 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 128 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 12.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1536 x 1024 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 305 nits | 401 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.8/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion 5 17"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | February 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 5 17 is a current-gen 17-inch gaming laptop and equipped with the latest AMD CPU and a powerful GPU, that manages to reach its full potential. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600H is a very good choice for this laptop and able to maintain its performance level for long periods of time. Our test model only falls behind consistently in a direct comparison with its competitors that are often equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. Despite this, the Legion 5 17 leaves an excellent impression and is almost able to keep up with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU in synthetic benchmarks."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | August 2022
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 5 17" or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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