If portability is important for you, the MSI Pulse GL66 offers a smaller screen size and lower weight, making it easier to carry around, but sacrifices battery capacity compared to the Lenovo Legion 5 with its larger 17" screen. Both laptops have similar hardware capabilities with powerful processors and high-performance graphics cards, suitable for intensive tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning. The Lenovo Legion 5 might have the edge for multitasking or productivity due to its larger screen, while the MSI, with a slightly better graphics card, could be the better choice for gaming. However, the Lenovo may offer a longer unplugged usage due to its higher battery capacity. 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 overall display quality
Advantages of the MSI Pulse GL66
Good portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.3/10
6.8/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
305.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
245.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" offers a larger screen with higher resolution and brightness, making it ideal for general use and ensuring clear, vibrant visuals for engineering tasks due to its wider color gamut. The MSI Pulse GL66 has similar features suitable for general tasks and engineering, but its slightly lower resolution and brightness might affect the overall screen quality compared to the Lenovo. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops falter due to lower refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth movement and fast-paced action, making neither a perfect fit for those specific needs.
Portability
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
6.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Pulse GL66 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,200
$1,399
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a price of $1,200 and the MSI Pulse GL66 costs $1,399.
The MSI Pulse GL66 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is effective for general use due to its large 17.3-inch screen and superior screen brightness, which enhances visual experience for everyday tasks, but its larger size and weight reduce its portability compared to the MSI Pulse GL66, which offers better portability with a smaller 15.6-inch screen and lighter build. Both laptops have the same powerful CPU and ample RAM for smooth performance, but the MSI Pulse GL66 provides more storage and a higher-quality GPU, which may benefit users with more intensive graphics needs.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
7.2/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a 144Hz screen refresh rate, which together offer solid performance for gaming and 3D applications on a larger screen, while the MSI Pulse GL66 boasts a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU and the same 144hz refresh rate, indicating higher graphics processing capabilities especially on a smaller screen, ensuring both laptops deliver very good gaming and 3D experiences.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and MSI Pulse GL66 are well-suited for engineering and design use due to their robust CPUs, considerable RAM, and powerful GPUs, with the Lenovo boasting an RTX 3060 and MSI a slightly more capable RTX 3070, ensuring good performance in demanding tasks. However, the Lenovo's larger screen and higher screen quality.
Content Creation
7.2/10
7.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Pulse GL66 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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
7.0/10
7.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and MSI Pulse GL66 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.
Battery
4.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and MSI Pulse GL66 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Legion 5 17" and the MSI Pulse GL66 compare to other laptops
"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."
"The MSI Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 5 17" or the MSI Pulse GL66
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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