If you're looking for a laptop mainly for work and prioritize durability and battery life, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 is a solid choice; its keyboard and build are typically suited for professionals who value reliability. On the other hand, the MSI GP66 Leopard is tailored for high-performance activities such as gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning, offering more powerful hardware to handle demanding tasks. However, it usually has a shorter battery life and is less portable than the ThinkPad, which could be a downside if you often work on the go. Consider how you plan to use the laptop most frequently to guide 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 ThinkPad T14
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good portability
Good battery life
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
8.5/10
7.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
321.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 is very good for general use, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 offers a balance of a powerful CPU, ample RAM, and high-quality screen while maintaining portability and long battery life, making it ideal for general use and on-the-go productivity. The MSI GP66 Leopard, while also strong in CPU and RAM, prioritizes graphics performance and heat management for more demanding tasks, but at the expense of heavier weight and shorter battery life, which can be less convenient for mobile use.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.8/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.3/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 is only fair.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 has a less powerful GPU and lower screen refresh rate, making it less suitable for demanding gaming and 3D tasks compared to the MSI GP66 Leopard, which boasts a high-end GPU and higher refresh rate for smoother visuals and better gaming performance. While both have competent CPUs and good screen quality, the MSI's superior GPU and refresh rate give it the edge for intensive graphical applications.
Content Creation
8.3/10
7.4/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 is very good for content creation, while the MSI GP66 Leopard 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
8.3/10
7.2/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 is very good for software development, while the MSI GP66 Leopard 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.
Screen Quality
6.9/10
7.5/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
321.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 has a better screen than the MSI GP66 Leopard for software development, and content creation, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 offers a balance of panel type, resolution, and brightness, making it suitable for general use, with a color coverage that assists in engineering and design tasks. The MSI GP66 Leopard similarly provides a display that caters to general activities and supports color-intensive workloads such as engineering and design with its color gamut. However, both laptops may fall short for 3D applications and gaming due to lower refresh rates, even though they have decent resolution and panel types for these tasks.
Battery
9.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 has very good portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,241
$1,400
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 has a price of $1,241 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad T14 to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 offers a balance between performance and mobility, with a capable CPU, sufficient RAM, and a high-quality screen that make it suitable for engineering tasks, while its renowned keyboard adds to user comfort during long work sessions. On the other hand, the MSI GP66 Leopard boasts a more powerful GPU, making it ideal for design work that requires graphic-intensive software, but this also makes the device heavier and potentially louder during high loads, which can affect its portability and noise levels during use.
Build Quality
8.0/10
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 and MSI GP66 Leopard 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 T14 and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
"We like a lot about this laptop. It has many ports, with the inclusion of RJ45-Ethernet as a defining feature. WWAN is upgradable for maximum flexibility and the ThinkPad has many security functions. Working with the ThinkPad input devices is a lot of fun, and Lenovo puts in a serviceable Low Power panel. The AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U delivers a great performance and does not drain the battery fast. Fan noise and temperatures are nothing special, but also far away from bad. With the user replaceable keyboard, the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 has a special feature rarely present on most modern laptops."
"The MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
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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