The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i offers better portability due to its lighter weight and is generally more affordable, making it suitable for everyday tasks and gaming on a budget. It has a high-quality screen that is good for general use and engineering tasks, but if you need more power for 3D and machine learning applications, the MSI Stealth GS77, while more expensive and heavier, boasts a larger screen, better build quality, and higher performance output ideal for intensive gaming and professional engineering work. However, the Lenovo might have a better battery life for typical usage. Choose the MSI if high performance and screen size are priorities and budget is less of a concern; opt for Lenovo if you seek a balance between cost, performance, and portability. 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
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS77
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.0/10
8.3/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
343.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS77 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i for gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i, with its high resolution and brightness coupled with a solid panel type, provides a clear and vivid display ideal for everyday tasks and professional design work, ensuring accurate color representation with broad color gamuts. The MSI Stealth GS77 boasts a similar quality display with exceptional resolution and brightness, also offering wide color gamuts for precision in color-sensitive tasks, making it excellent for both general usage and demanding engineering applications. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D applications as they lack high refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth and immersive motion rendering in fast-paced visual environments.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 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
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a price of $1,055 and the MSI Stealth GS77 costs $2,499.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth GS77 to be very good for general use, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is good.
The MSI Stealth GS77 edges out the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i for general use due to its larger screen, more memory, and slightly higher quality display; however, it comes at the cost of being less portable and heavier. Both laptops come with significant storage and competent CPUs, but the Stealth GS77's additional memory and superior screen outweigh the Slim 5i's advantages in portability and weight for overall general use.
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
7.9/10
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
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 GS77 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
8.4/10
8.7/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS77 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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
8.3/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS77 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5i are both very 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
7.8/10
8.1/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth GS77 to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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.
Battery
7.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS77 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
17.3in
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and MSI Stealth GS77 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and the MSI Stealth GS77 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 GS77 is better than the GS76... mostly. The GS77 is a few steps forward and a few steps back from the GS76. Improvements are numerous including the stronger and more rigid skeleton, higher resolution webcam, larger clickpad, easier serviceability, relatively similar battery runtimes, newer display options, and higher performance at about the same TDP and TGP levels as before. CPU performance is better than expected even when compared to other laptops with Core i7 or Core i9 processors. The newer model feels more substantial than the outgoing one for higher quality impressions as well."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i or the MSI Stealth GS77
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
130,995
Recommendations made
28,383
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.