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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
For everyday use and light productivity tasks, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is a more budget-friendly option, and its smaller size and lighter weight make it highly portable, with fair battery life. It has enough power for general business use and its keyboard is good for typing. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 is a premium device with superior performance suitable for heavy tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, given its high-end processor and top-tier graphics card. This does come at a steeper price, and it's significantly heavier, decreasing its portability, with less battery life compared to the Lenovo. 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
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Best in class speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.7
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
379.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is noted for its strong battery life and excellent portability, making it a good choice for general use, especially for those who prefer a lightweight and long-lasting machine for everyday tasks. Conversely, the MSI Stealth 17 boasts superior performance with a more powerful CPU and a larger amount of RAM, which, along with its larger high-resolution screen, makes it very good for general use that may require more intensive multitasking or high-quality visuals, albeit at the cost of reduced battery life and portability.
Gaming and AI
6.3
9.1
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.1/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is only fair.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, with an AMD Radeon 680M graphics card and a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz, isn't as capable in gaming and 3D applications as the MSI Stealth 17, which boasts a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and a higher refresh rate of 240 Hz, providing smoother visuals and better performance in such demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.3
9.4
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
While the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offers a reliable CPU and GPU suitable for engineering and design tasks, the MSI Stealth 17 stands out with a more powerful CPU, significantly higher RAM, and a top-tier GPU, making it excellent for more demanding engineering and design applications.
Content Creation
7.8
8.8
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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
7.7
8.5
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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
7.0
8.6
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
379.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 likely provides sufficient resolution and brightness, with a panel type that ensures clear and crisp images, making it suitable for daily tasks like browsing or office work. When it comes to engineering and design, both the Lenovo and MSI Stealth 17 probably offer wide color gamuts, ensuring that professionals who need accurate color representation for tasks like photo editing or CAD will find these laptops meet their needs. However, for gaming and 3D applications, where higher refresh rates are crucial to avoid motion blur and provide smoother imagery, both laptops may fall short, suggesting they aren't geared towards users with high refresh rate requirements.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 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
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has excellent portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.8
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has very good build quality, while the MSI Stealth 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$3,899
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has a price of $1,000 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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How the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.6'' x 7.9'' x 0.55'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.78 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.59" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.86" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6850U | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 51.5 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 379 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 6.5/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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 Stealth 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | April 2023
"The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 or the MSI Stealth 17
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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