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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers lower cost and is considerably lighter, making it easier to carry around, but it has less powerful hardware compared to the MSI GE66 Raider. The Legion's battery life is slightly better, and it has a higher refresh rate screen, which could benefit fast-paced activities like gaming. The GE66 Raider, on the other hand, delivers substantially greater performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and intensive engineering projects due to its more advanced processor and graphics unit, but it comes at a higher price and has slightly lower battery life. If performance for heavy computing tasks is a priority and budget is less of a concern, the MSI GE66 Raider is the better option, whereas if you seek a more budget-friendly option that is easier to carry and has longer battery life, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is a commendable 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 Slim 5
- The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has no clear advantages over the MSI GE66 Raider.
Advantages of the MSI GE66 Raider
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.6
8.4
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers a balance of performance and portability with a lighter weight and solid battery life, making it suitable for general use; however, its screen quality and CPU may not match the very high standards of some power users. In contrast, the MSI GE66 Raider possesses a remarkable screen, longer battery life, and a more powerful CPU for demanding tasks, but it trades off some portability due to a slightly heavier build, which makes it excellent for those needing high performance on the go.
Gaming and AI
7.7
8.6
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good.
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
8.0
9.1
8.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI GE66 Raider is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is very good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers a solid balance for engineering and design with its Ryzen CPU, RTX GPU, adequate memory, and quality IPS screen, while being lighter which may appeal to users prioritizing portability. On the other hand, the MSI GE66 Raider, with its higher-end i9 processor, more powerful RTX GPU, larger memory, and superior screen resolution caters to those seeking the highest performance in engineering and design tasks, despite being slightly less portable and noisier.
Content Creation
7.5
8.4
8.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.4
8.4
8.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good.
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
7.2
8.2
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The MSI GE66 Raider has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 and MSI GE66 Raider provide sharp visuals and ample brightness, making text clear and colors vibrant for activities like browsing and office work. In engineering and design, the MSI stands out with its wider color gamuts, giving professionals more accurate color reproduction for tasks such as photo editing or CAD work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the poor refresh rates on both models lead to less fluid motion and a less immersive experience, which is especially noticeable in fast-paced games or detailed 3D modeling.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$3,199
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has a price of $1,000 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,199.
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Key similarities
Battery
7.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI GE66 Raider 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
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI GE66 Raider and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 and the MSI GE66 Raider compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion Slim 5 | MSI GE66 Raider |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $3,199 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.3'' x 0.99'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.29 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.16" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.25" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS | Intel i9-12900HK | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 347 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.7/10 | 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 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
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 | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | August 2023
"The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
MSI GE66 Raider
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 or the MSI GE66 Raider
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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