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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Legion 7 packs a higher performance punch, suitable for intensive gaming and demanding engineering tasks due to its more powerful processor and graphics. It also has a larger, higher resolution display which is good for detailed work and entertainment, but this comes with reduced portability and shorter battery life compared to the MSI GF65 Thin. The MSI is lighter, with a long-lasting battery, making it easier to carry around, but it has less storage, and lower processing and graphics capabilities, which means it won't handle heavy loads as smoothly. Consider the Lenovo for performance and screen quality, or the MSI for portability and value. 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 7
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion 7.
Key differences
General Use
7.9
6.5
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
469.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 7 offers better general use performance due to its more powerful CPU, greater RAM, and a display with higher resolution and color accuracy, making it suitable for a variety of tasks, albeit at the cost of heavier weight and less portability compared to the MSI GF65 Thin. While the MSI GF65 Thin is lighter and has commendable heat management, it has a lower battery life and a less powerful processor, which might make it less ideal for demanding applications but could still be a good fit for users prioritizing portability and not requiring extensive processing power.
Gaming and AI
7.8
6.8
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
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 7 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 7 outperforms the MSI GF65 Thin for gaming and 3D applications primarily because it has a more powerful GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which are crucial for rendering fast-moving images smoothly. Additionally, although both devices have quality IPS displays, the Lenovo's screen offers higher resolution, which, along with its superior GPU, delivers better visual fidelity in games and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.2
6.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 7 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 7 outshines the MSI GF65 Thin for engineering and design primarily due to its more powerful AMD Ryzen CPU, larger capacity and faster Nvidia RTX GPU, and higher resolution screen with better color accuracy, making it very good for intensive tasks.
Content Creation
7.9
6.8
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 7 is good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
6.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 is good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
8.3
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
469.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 7 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo Legion 7 offers vivid colors and sharp images suitable for engineering and design work due to its high-resolution display and wide color gamut coverage, but its lower refresh rate isn't ideal for the fast-paced visuals required in gaming and 3D applications. The MSI GF65 Thin provides an adequate display for everyday tasks and some level of precision for design-related work with its fair resolution and color representation, but falls short for gaming and 3D where smoother motion through higher refresh rates is needed. Both laptops, while sufficient for general use due to acceptable brightness and clarity, may not satisfy users seeking the best gaming or 3D content creation experience.
Battery
6.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 7 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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
8.5
6.7
The Lenovo Legion 7 has very good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,500
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Legion 7 has a price of $1,500 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The MSI GF65 Thin and Lenovo Legion 7 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Legion 7 and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,500 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.3'' x 0.86'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.5 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.01" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.27" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 469 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 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 | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion 7
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | September 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 7 is a fast 16-inch gamer with 165 Hz display. The new Lenovo Legion 7 is a very good gaming notebook that, despite its comparatively compact compact 16-inch case, does not have to do without the most powerful components. Thanks to good cooling, no compromises are made in terms of performance. Both the Core i9-12900HX and the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti perform at a very high level."
MSI GF65 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 7 or the MSI GF65 Thin
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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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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