If price is a major concern and you mostly need a laptop for everyday tasks like web browsing, office work, and video streaming, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is a cost-effective choice known for its durability and excellent keyboard, making it a solid option for business professionals. However, if you're seeking a machine for gaming, 3D rendering, or intensive machine learning tasks, the MSI GP66 Leopard, despite being more expensive, would be better due to its more powerful graphics and faster processors, although this comes at the expense of battery life and is less portable than the ThinkPad. 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 X13
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
8.4/10
7.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
321.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
8.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is very good for general use, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13, with its balance of a capable CPU, sufficient RAM, and high-quality screen, is lightweight and offers long battery life, making it ideal for those prioritizing portability and endurance for everyday tasks. On the other hand, the MSI GP66 Leopard packs a more powerful CPU and additional RAM, which alongside a robust screen makes it suitable for more demanding applications, but this comes at the cost of heavier weight and reduced battery life, appealing to users needing higher performance for tasks like gaming or engineering.
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
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is only fair.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13, while offering a solid CPU and screen quality, may fall short for gaming and 3D applications due to its more modest GPU and standard screen refresh rate. On the other hand, the MSI GP66 Leopard excels with a high-performance GPU and faster screen refresh rate, making it better suited for the demands of gaming and 3D tasks.
Content Creation
8.2/10
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 X13 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
8.1/10
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 X13 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
13.3in
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 X13 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 X13’s panel type, resolution, and brightness offer clear and vibrant images, making it suitable for everyday tasks and professional engineering and design work, where accurate color representation is crucial. However, its lower refresh rate makes it less ideal for 3D applications and gaming, where smoother motion is a priority. The MSI GP66 Leopard also delivers a similar balance of resolution and color accuracy for general and specialized tasks, but like the ThinkPad, it falls short for gaming and 3D use due to its refresh rate limitations.
Battery
8.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has 8.5 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
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 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 X13 has a price of $1,241 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad X13 to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13, with a robust CPU and high-quality screen, is well-suited for engineering tasks and design work where portability and keyboard quality also enhance its value for professionals who are on the go. The MSI GP66 Leopard, on the other hand, boasts a powerful GPU and ample RAM, making it a favorable option for more graphically intensive engineering applications, though it trades off some portability due to its larger size and potential for increased operating noise.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 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 X13 and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 has very good input devices, a wide array of security features and ports as well as 5G in the tested configuration. It is more compact and lightweight compared with its predecessor, and it has improved speakers and a slightly better webcam. On the other hand, the fan is more annoying and the performance is barely improved. The battery is worse as well, but this is primarily attributable to the OLED screen - if this aspect is important, buyers should choose the IPS Low Power LCD."
"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 X13 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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