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Updated January 10, 2024·
If portability and battery life are top priorities for you, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 stands out because it's lighter, has a longer battery life, and possesses a higher portability score. However, if you need superior graphics and processing power for activities like 3D rendering or machine learning, the MSI GP66 Leopard, with its more powerful CPU and GPU, would be the better option. The Lenovo is more budget-friendly and has quality attributes that make it suitable for general use and business tasks, whereas the MSI, with its high-end graphics capabilities, is more appropriate for gaming and engineering applications but is heavier and pricier. 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 Z13
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
- Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3
7.8
3.9/10
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
9.1/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is only fair.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13's gaming and 3D capabilities are lower due to its AMD Radeon 680M graphics card and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which provide satisfactory performance but not at the highest levels. In contrast, the MSI GP66 Leopard boasts a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card with a higher refresh rate of 144Hz, resulting in smoother visuals and better rendering capabilities for intensive gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.3
7.9
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both good for engineering and design, though the MSI GP66 Leopard is somewhat better.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, with its AMD Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPU, offers strong performance for engineering and design tasks, complemented by a high-resolution display with wide color coverage, all in a lightweight and highly portable form factor with an excellent keyboard. In contrast, the MSI GP66 Leopard packs a more powerful Nvidia RTX GPU and a higher refresh rate screen, ideal for demanding engineering simulations and design work, but it is bulkier and has a shorter battery life, impacting its portability.
Screen Quality
7.0
7.5
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
379.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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 Z13 and MSI GP66 Leopard both have displays with resolutions and brightness levels that are suitable for everyday tasks like web browsing and document editing, providing clear and vivid images for general use. For engineering and design professionals who require precise colors, both laptops offer good coverage of color gamuts, ensuring that the designs are seen with accurate color representation. However, for gaming and 3D applications where fluid motion is key, the refresh rate on these laptops is lower compared to specialized gaming laptops, which can lead to less smooth visuals in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has 10 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
Excellent
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has excellent portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,000
$1,400
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has a price of $1,000 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.5
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
379.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
7.8
7.4
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both 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
7.7
7.2
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both 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
8.0
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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 Z13 and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 | MSI GP66 Leopard |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.6'' x 7.9'' x 0.55'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.78 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.59" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.86" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6850U | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 51.5 Wh | 65 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 379 nits | 362 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 9.1/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Brian Westover | September 2022
"In the premium ultraportable space, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 competes with the best of the best, and still manages to shine. The design is an impressive departure from the bland bare-metal laptop that's become so popular in recent years, and the AMD-powered system has performance that's just as impressive. It's a stark alternative to the Intel-based majority, and it stands up well enough to the impressive Apple M2 processor."
MSI GP66 Leopard
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | December 2021
"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 Z13 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.
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