The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is often slightly less expensive, prioritizing battery life, a high-resolution display, and a premium business laptop look suitable for professional environments. While featuring a robust build, it is heavier and bulkier, affecting portability. It is tailored towards engineering with good general use and 3D/machine learning capabilities. Conversely, the MSI Raider GE66 offers a bigger storage space and higher RAM capacity, better suited for gaming with its high refresh-rate screen and strong 3D/machine learning performance. It's slightly more expensive and leans towards a gaming laptop appearance but is lighter with a smaller battery capacity, making it more portable yet with lesser battery endurance. Both have comparable keyboards and build quality, but the MSI has a notably higher fan noise when under load. 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 ThinkPad P16
Very good battery life
Excellent speakers
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.9/10
8.5/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is only fair.
The MSI Raider GE66 surpasses the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 in gaming and 3D performance primarily because it includes a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a much higher screen refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth visuals in fast-paced games. While the ThinkPad P16 still performs well with its Nvidia RTX A1000 and quality display, the Raider GE66 provides a superior experience for these specific applications despite a slightly lower resolution.
Engineering and Design
8.3/10
8.9/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 are both very good for engineering and design, though the MSI Raider GE66 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is tailored for engineering and design use with its high-resolution screen, a powerful GPU for rendering, and ample RAM for multitasking; however, it's heavier and less portable than other options. The MSI Raider GE66, on the other hand, also offers strong performance for engineering tasks with a top-tier GPU and double the RAM, making it well-suited for resource-intensive applications, but it’s designed with a gaming aesthetic which might not appeal to all professionals.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
8.4/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
569.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a better screen than the MSI Raider GE66 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, both the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and the MSI Raider GE66 offer crisp visuals and appropriate brightness, making activities like browsing, watching videos, and document editing a pleasant experience. With regards to engineering and design, both laptops provide wide color ranges, which is crucial for professionals who demand color accuracy for tasks like photo editing and CAD work. However, for gaming and 3D tasks that benefit from smoother visuals, their lower refresh rates mean they're less suited for fast-paced action or rendering smooth motion compared to laptops with higher refresh rates.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 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
Poor
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
6.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.2in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Raider GE66 has only fair portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,449
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a price of $1,449 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
The MSI Raider GE66 and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 are both very good for general use.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 offers high screen quality with better resolution for sharp and vivid images, making it suitable for general use; however, its lesser portability due to heavier weight and larger dimensions reduces its convenience for users on the move. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE66 compensates for its slightly lower screen quality with substantially more RAM for smoother multitasking and a larger storage capacity, alongside better portability thanks to its lighter weight and more compact size, which is ideal for users requiring a powerful yet mobile laptop for diverse general usage scenarios.
Content Creation
8.2/10
8.3/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE66 and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 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
8.4/10
8.0/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and MSI Raider GE66 are both very 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and MSI Raider GE66 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and the MSI Raider GE66 compare to other laptops
"It's only a few months since we gave the MSI CreatorPro X17 one of our rare 4.5-star ratings and our top mobile workstation honor, but the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 matches that achievement in a more premium overall build. Ultimately, its build quality, screen, and keyboard give our latest Editors' Choice nod to the Lenovo—it's enough of a monster on almost all fronts that it simply cannot be ignored."
"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 ThinkPad P16 or the MSI Raider GE66
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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