When choosing between the Lenovo Legion 5 17" and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x, consider that the Legion 5, being a larger and often gaming-oriented laptop, offers better performance for tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning at the expense of being heavier and less portable. Conversely, the ThinkBook 13x, being more compact and typically pricier, is designed for general use and mobility, with the advantage of being easier to carry around but possibly less suited for performance-intensive tasks. Battery life also often favors more portable models like the ThinkBook, which may be important if you're frequently on the move. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
Good for gaming and AI
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.2/10
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
305.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.3/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for general use, though the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a more powerful CPU and larger RAM, which, alongside a higher-quality screen, makes it suitable for performance-intensive tasks and enjoyable for media consumption, but it's less portable and has a shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x, which offers greater portability, longer battery life, making it better for on-the-go use. While both offer ample storage, the ThinkBook 13x typically boasts a more premium keyboard, quieter operating noise, and better heat management due to its design geared towards business users.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is equipped with a more powerful GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which are crucial for smooth gaming and rendering 3D visuals, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x, with a less capable GPU and lower refresh rate, provides an adequate but less optimal experience for these intensive tasks. Although the ThinkBook 13x has a good CPU and screen quality, these attributes don't compensate for its gaming and 3D limitations when compared to the higher-performing Legion 5.
Content Creation
7.2/10
8.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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
7.0/10
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for software development, though the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is somewhat better.
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
7.3/10
8.2/10
17.3in
SIZE
13.5in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
305.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 17" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" provides a large, vibrant display that is suitable for general use and detailed enough for engineering and design work; however, its refresh rate may not be high enough for smooth gameplay in fast-paced games. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x offers a smaller but sharper screen with high color accuracy, which is ideal for professionals who prioritize image and design clarity for their work, but like the Legion, it falls short for gaming due to a lower refresh rate. Both laptops lack the higher refresh rates preferred for gaming and 3D modeling, affecting the smoothness and responsiveness critical in these areas.
Battery
4.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x 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
13.5in
6.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x has excellent 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 Lenovo ThinkBook 13x costs $1,399.
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" laptop offers a powerful CPU, abundant RAM, and a high-quality GPU suitable for intensive tasks, along with a larger screen that benefits engineering and design work. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x, while also ensuring capable performance for technical applications, focuses on portability and a compact form factor, though with a smaller display, making it easier to carry around without compromising much on keyboard and speaker quality.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x 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 Lenovo ThinkBook 13x 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."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 5 17" or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x
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.
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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