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Updated June 28, 2024·
For a balance of performance and portability with a focus on gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is a strong contender. It offers a powerful Intel i7 processor and a dedicated Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, ensuring high performance in demanding applications. The 16-inch display with a 165Hz refresh rate and 2560 x 1600 resolution is ideal for fast-paced gaming and detailed visual work, though it's not a touchscreen. However, it's heavier and less portable than the Surface Laptop Go 3, and its battery life is shorter. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is an excellent choice for general productivity and everyday use. It's lightweight, has a long battery life, and features a touchscreen with a unique 3:2 aspect ratio that's great for web browsing and document work. The integrated Intel i5-1235U Iris Xe graphics are suitable for light gaming and basic photo editing but fall short for more intensive tasks. Its compact size and lower price point make it highly portable and budget-friendly, but it lacks the performance and upgradability of the Lenovo. If you prioritize performance for gaming and intensive tasks, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is the way to go, but if you value portability, battery life, and a touchscreen for general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is the better choice. 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 5i (2024)
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.8
7.2
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
368.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
8.5
6.1
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.7
6.8
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.9
7.3
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) 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
7.7
7.1
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) 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
8.1
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
3.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
Fair
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
5.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,500
$797
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) has a price of $1,500 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $797.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
7.4
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) 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 5i (2024) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,500 | $797 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2024 | October 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10.3'' x 0.97'' | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.6 lbs | 2.49 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.31" | 10.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.25" | 8.12" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-14700HX | Intel i5-1235U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 12.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1536 x 1024 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 368 nits | 337 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.6/10 | 9.3/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024)
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Brian Westover | August 2023
"The midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Joe Osborne | October 2023
"When it comes to affordably priced laptops, the numbers after the dollar sign are crucially important—more so than in any other price category. By increasing the starting price of its Laptop Go line by $200 and not changing much else, Microsoft irrevocably altered the calculus surrounding the decision of whether to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3. Sure, it has a newer processor and longer battery life, but don’t think for a second you’re not paying dearly for that extra RAM and SSD capacity at that new price."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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