When choosing between the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and MSI Stealth GS66, consider the following tradeoffs. If you prioritize gaming or need powerful graphics for 3D work, the Lenovo's superior GPU may be appealing, though it costs less than the MSI. The Lenovo also offers a larger and higher-resolution display, beneficial for productivity and entertainment, but it's heavier and thicker, affecting portability. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth GS66 has a premium price but is lighter and thinner, making it easier to carry. However, it has a smaller storage capacity and lower battery life. Both have high-quality keyboards, but if you work on-the-go, MSI's better portability could sway your decision. 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 gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS66
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.0/10
8.1/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
343.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a better screen than the MSI Stealth GS66 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the MSI Stealth GS66 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
When considering the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and the MSI Stealth GS66 for general use, both laptops offer screens with the necessary resolution and brightness, which makes text, images, and videos clear and vivid, enhancing everyday tasks like browsing, office applications, and media playback. For engineering and design work, both models have displays that cover a broad spectrum of colors, ensuring accurate color representation essential for tasks like photo editing or CAD work. However, both fall short for Gaming and 3D purposes as their screens have lower refresh rates, leading to less smooth visuals which might not be ideal for fast-paced games or real-time 3D rendering.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 has 5.5 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.
Portability
Fair
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth GS66 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,055
$1,799
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a price of $1,055 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,799.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and MSI Stealth GS66 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i offers a strong CPU, ample RAM, high screen quality, and great heat management, balanced with reasonable portability and battery life, making it versatile for general use. The MSI Stealth GS66 features a comparable CPU and RAM, along with a high refresh rate screen and excellent portability, but trades off some battery life and storage capacity, also fitting broad usage needs well.
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
7.8/10
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Slim 5i to be very good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Stealth GS66 is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i stands out for gaming and 3D applications with its Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and high-refresh-rate IPS display, providing smooth visuals and rendering, whereas the MSI Stealth GS66, with its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and an even higher refresh rate screen, sacrifices a bit of graphical power for potentially smoother gameplay. Both laptops are equipped with a powerful Intel i7 CPU and have quality IPS screens, but the Legion offers a higher resolution, which could enhance detail, at the cost of some battery efficiency compared to the Stealth.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
8.2/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and MSI Stealth GS66 are both very good for engineering and design.
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
8.0/10
7.7/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Slim 5i to be very good for content creation, while the MSI Stealth GS66 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
7.5/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and MSI Stealth GS66 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.
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How the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and the MSI Stealth GS66 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 Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i or the MSI Stealth GS66
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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