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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize top graphics capabilities and tend to run applications that demand significant GPU power, the MSI GP66 Leopard with an Nvidia RTX 3080 would be your go-to, especially for 3D rendering and machine learning tasks. However, the Lenovo Legion 7, equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3070, offers a better battery life and a 16-inch screen with higher resolution, making it more suitable for tasks that benefit from a larger, more detailed display like engineering or design work. It also has an advantage in screen aspect ratio for productivity, with a 16:10 display compared to MSI's 16:9. While both come with similar prices, the MSI is slightly lighter and comes with a Windows 10 Home, whereas the Legion 7 offers Windows 11 Home. Keep in mind that the Legion has a higher refresh rate, which provides smoother visuals, important for fast-paced gaming or smooth scrolling during usage. Choose the MSI if raw GPU power is critical, otherwise, the Lenovo offers a well-rounded experience with a focus on display quality and battery life. 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
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
- Good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
- The MSI GP66 Leopard has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion 7.
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.3
7.5
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
469.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 7 has a better screen than the MSI GP66 Leopard for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo Legion 7 offers a higher resolution and brighter display, enhancing clarity and detail for everyday tasks and professional design work, but its lower refresh rate makes fast-paced gaming less optimal. The MSI GP66 Leopard, while offering decent resolution and brightness for everyday computing and design work, falls short in providing the ultra-smooth visuals that gamers seek due to a similarly low refresh rate. Both laptops display an impressive color range, essential for engineering and design precision, but may disappoint gamers who prioritize motion performance over color accuracy.
Battery
6.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 7 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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.
Cost
$1,500
$1,400
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Legion 7 has a price of $1,500 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.5
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
469.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 7 offers a high-resolution screen with superior brightness and color space coverage, making it great for both work and entertainment, plus its efficient heat management and larger battery contribute to longer use away from an outlet, albeit with some portability compromise due to its weight. Meanwhile, the MSI GP66 Leopard, with a high-performing CPU and top-tier GPU, is more suited for demanding applications and gaming, though it sacrifices some battery life and screen quality, but gains a slight edge in portability as it is lighter.
Gaming and AI
7.8
7.8
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo Legion 7 is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3070 and a high screen refresh rate of 165 Hz, which enhances gaming and 3D performance by providing smoother motion and better graphics handling, while the MSI GP66 Leopard, with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 and a solid refresh rate of 144 Hz, offers superior graphics capabilities albeit at a slightly lower refresh rate, both delivering quality gaming experiences. Screen quality is robust on both, with the Legion boasting a higher resolution for sharper images, but with both featuring quality IPS panels, the CPU performance is also formidable, ensuring smooth operation for demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion 7 to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Lenovo Legion 7 stands out for engineering and design use with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU, combined with a higher resolution screen which offers better clarity for detailed tasks, whereas the MSI GP66 Leopard, despite having a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, has a lower screen resolution and slightly less powerful Intel CPU, impacting fine detail work and overall performance in demanding engineering applications. Both laptops are similar in RAM, but the Legion 7's superior screen and CPU may offer a more refined experience for professionals, while the GP66 Leopard, being slightly lighter, could offer a better balance between performance and portability for users often on the move.
Content Creation
7.9
7.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 7 and MSI GP66 Leopard 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
7.6
7.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and MSI GP66 Leopard 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion 7 to have good portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
8.0
The Lenovo Legion 7 and MSI GP66 Leopard both have very 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 7 and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 | MSI GP66 Leopard |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,500 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.3'' x 0.86'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.5 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.01" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.27" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 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 | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 65 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 | 362 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7/10 | 6.9/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
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 GP66 Leopard
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | December 2021
"The MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 7 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
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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