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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is generally less expensive and provides better performance for general use, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks with more RAM and an advanced AMD processor paired with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU. However, it is heavier than the MSI GF65 Thin, and its battery life is a bit longer. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin, while slightly more expensive and sporting less RAM and an older Intel processor, is lighter and has a gaming laptop appearance. It features an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, which is suitable for gaming but may not handle intensive engineering or machine learning tasks as well as the Lenovo. Both have similar screen sizes and type, but the Lenovo has a higher resolution and a different aspect ratio, which might be better for productivity tasks. If portability and a gaming-oriented design are priorities, consider the MSI, but for a balance of cost and higher performance in professional and creative applications, the Lenovo could be 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 LOQ 16
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good battery life
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- Good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.6
6.5
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
329.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is better suited for general use than the MSI GF65 Thin as it offers more RAM, which is crucial for multitasking and overall performance, along with a higher quality screen in terms of color coverage, translating to better visuals for various applications. Despite the GF65's advantage in portability due to its lighter weight, the LOQ 16's superior CPU and longer battery life make it a more well-rounded option for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.5
6.8
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is better for gaming and 3D applications due to its superior Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card which delivers better performance compared to the MSI GF65 Thin's Nvidia RTX 3060. Both laptops have the same screen refresh rate of 144Hz, but the better GPU in the Lenovo LOQ 16 makes it more suitable for tasks that demand higher graphics processing power.
Engineering and Design
7.9
6.7
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is very suitable for engineering and design because it boasts a potent AMD Ryzen 7 processor combined with an RTX 4050 GPU and a higher screen resolution for detailed visuals, alongside a substantial amount of RAM that facilitates multitasking and complex operations.
Content Creation
7.6
6.8
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
7.5
6.3
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo LOQ 16 is good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
329.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Lenovo LOQ 16 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo LOQ 16 features a display that offers a balance of resolution and brightness, making it well-suited for general tasks and detailed engineering work, but its refresh rate is not high enough to provide the best experience for fast-paced gaming or 3D applications. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin provides a fair level of clarity and brightness for everyday tasks and professional design projects, but it falls short for gaming and 3D modeling due to a lower refresh rate that can't keep up with rapid on-screen movements. Both laptops have limitations for gaming and 3D work primarily due to their refresh rates, despite being capable in other areas such as color accuracy for design on the Lenovo and decent resolution for general use on the MSI.
Battery
6.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Lenovo LOQ 16 has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The MSI GF65 Thin has good portability, while the Lenovo LOQ 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
6.7
The Lenovo LOQ 16 has good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$740
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo LOQ 16 has a price of $740 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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How the Lenovo LOQ 16 and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo LOQ 16 | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$740 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.9'' x 1.02'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.73 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.16" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.92" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 329 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.3/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
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 | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo LOQ 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | September 2023
"Gaming laptops with an RTX 4060 are available starting from about 1,000 Euros (~$1,060), even in 16-inch format. For the supposedly affordable Lenovo LOQ 16 (1,500 Euros, ~$1,591), the manufacturer particularly saves in the equipment and materials compared to the more expensive Legion series. In addition, the LOQ is slightly heavier and more bulky. What remains is anything but a laptop full of difficult compromises. Instead, this is a more than solid gaming laptop that focusses on the 3D performance.Q is slightly heavier and more bulky."
MSI GF65 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo LOQ 16 or the MSI GF65 Thin
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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