The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i, with its powerful Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX graphics, excels in demanding tasks like 3D rendering, engineering, and gaming but is heavier and has shorter battery life. In contrast, the MSI Prestige 15, though lighter with longer battery life, features an Intel i5 processor and Nvidia GTX graphics, making it well-suited for general use and less intensive creative tasks. Both have similar prices and RAM, but the Lenovo has a higher screen refresh rate and a larger screen with better resolution, while the MSI provides a more portable package. Decide based on your primary activities—performance-intensive tasks or general use with mobility. 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 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 15
Good portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
6.3/10
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
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
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 15 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i outperforms the MSI Prestige 15 for gaming and 3D owing to its superior Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU which is more powerful than the MSI's Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q, and a higher screen refresh rate of 165 Hz compared to just 60 Hz, providing smoother visuals in fast-paced scenes. While both laptops have quality IPS displays, the Legion's higher pixel density also contributes to sharper and more detailed images for an enhanced gaming experience.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.2/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 15 is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i stands out for engineering and design use with its more powerful Intel i7 processor, superior RTX graphics card, and a higher resolution screen, enabling more robust performance in compute-intensive tasks and detailed visual work.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.5/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for content creation, while the MSI Prestige 15 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
7.8/10
7.2/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and MSI Prestige 15 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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
8.0/10
6.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
343.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When considering general use, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and MSI Prestige 15 both deliver with clear resolution and bright displays, making them suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. For engineering and design work, where color accuracy is key, both laptops offer good support for color gamuts ensuring that designers can work with precise color representation. However, for gaming and 3D applications that benefit from smoother motion, neither laptop is ideal due to their lower refresh rates, which could lead to less fluid on-screen motion compared to laptops designed with high refresh rate screens.
Portability
Fair
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Prestige 15 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and MSI Prestige 15 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i, with a powerful Intel i7 CPU, ample 16GB of RAM, and a high-quality IPS screen with a higher resolution, is well-suited for demanding tasks and offers very good portability despite its slightly higher weight, whereas MSI Prestige 15, while having a lower-tier CPU and standard Full HD screen, is lighter and hence more portable, and offers marginally better battery life, making it a solid choice for general use with an emphasis on mobility. Both laptops have sufficient storage and memory for typical applications and are rated well for keyboard and speaker quality, with efficient heat management and low operating noise contributing to a comfortable user experience.
Battery
7.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 has 7.5 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
7.4/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and MSI Prestige 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,055
$1,044
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a price of $1,055 and the MSI Prestige 15 costs $1,044.
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How the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and the MSI Prestige 15 compare to other laptops
"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."
"The MSI Prestige 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i or the MSI Prestige 15
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.
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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