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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is a powerful machine better suited for gaming and intensive tasks like 3D rendering or machine learning due to its high-performance processor and advanced graphics. However, it's bulkier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. In contrast, the MSI Modern 14 offers greater portability with a lighter build and longer battery life, making it ideal for general use, business applications, and on-the-go computing, although its performance is more modest in comparison and might not handle demanding software as well. The Lenovo will cost more but gives you greater power and performance capabilities while the MSI Modern will be lighter on the wallet and on your back when you carry it. 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 Pro 5
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Modern 14
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.8
7.2
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
340.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and MSI Modern 14 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 offers powerful performance for general use with a high-end CPU and an advanced dedicated graphics card, and its larger screen with higher resolution provides superior screen quality, albeit with a tradeoff in portability and less battery life compared to MSI Modern 14, which offers adequate performance for everyday tasks, a compact and lightweight design for better portability, and a longer battery life, making it a good choice for general use especially when mobility and longer use on a single charge are priorities.
Gaming and AI
8.4
6.0
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and higher screen refresh rate, both of which are crucial for smooth visuals and fast-paced action. In contrast, the MSI Modern 14, with its integrated Vega 7 graphics and standard refresh rate, delivers fair performance, which is adequate for less demanding gaming and 3D tasks but falls short for intense graphics processing.
Engineering and Design
8.5
6.6
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 outperforms the MSI Modern 14 for engineering and design due to its more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 processor, superior Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, and higher-quality display with better resolution and color accuracy, which are crucial for intensive tasks and detailed work. Conversely, the MSI Modern 14 offers greater portability and satisfactory performance for less demanding engineering tasks, with a lighter build and a solid CPU and RAM configuration, but it falls short on screen quality and graphical prowess when compared to the Legion Pro 5.
Content Creation
7.8
7.2
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and MSI Modern 14 are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is somewhat better.
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
7.6
7.1
9.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and MSI Modern 14 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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
8.0
6.4
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
340.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has a better screen than the MSI Modern 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 stands out with a higher resolution and superior brightness which enhance the visual experience for everyday tasks and detailed engineering work, but its lower refresh rate is less ideal for the fast-paced visuals required in gaming and 3D applications. Contrastingly, the MSI Modern 14's screen offers adequate resolution and brightness for everyday use and professional design tasks, but similar to the Legion, it falls short in gaming and 3D scenarios due to an insufficient refresh rate. Both laptops, however, may not fully satisfy color-critical work in engineering and design without wider color gamuts.
Battery
3.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has 3.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Modern 14 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
Fair
Very Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
5.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Modern 14 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,320
$525
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has a price of $1,320 and the MSI Modern 14 costs $525.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
7.4
7.0
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and MSI Modern 14 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and the MSI Modern 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 | MSI Modern 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,320 | $525 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10.3'' x 0.97'' | 12.7'' x 8.7'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.6 lbs | 3.08 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.31" | 12.68" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.25" | 8.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX | AMD Ryzen 5 7530U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3.5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 39 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 340 nits | 311 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.6/10 | 8.7/10 | |
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 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion Pro 5
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | July 2023
"It doesn't quite match its Legion Pro 7i sibling as an Editors' Choice winner, but Lenovo's AMD-powered Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 is a stylish, well-built gaming laptop with solid performance at both 1080p and its sharper native resolution. It's cheaper than some comparably equipped machines and better than some similarly priced ones. That's a recipe for success, even without its frequent availability of discounts or sales. A brighter screen and longer battery life would be nice, but even as is the Legion Pro 5 earns a solid recommendation."
MSI Modern 14
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Rtings
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | October 2023
"The MSI Modern 14 is okay for school use. It's very compact, so it's easy to carry around. It has a sharp display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Its Intel 13th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing; however, don't expect to do anything intensive like 3D modeling or physics simulations. Unfortunately, the battery lasts less than five hours of light use, and the display doesn't get bright enough to combat glare."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 or the MSI Modern 14
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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