A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Pulse GL66
Company ProductName Specs











ThinkBook 13x
Company ProductName Specs











What we think

Chevron down
PerfectRec Logo
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated March 13, 2024·

When choosing between the MSI Pulse GL66 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x, consider that the MSI will likely offer better performance for gaming or intensive tasks due to stronger graphics capabilities, but it may be bulkier, making it less ideal for frequent travel. The Lenovo ThinkBook, while typically more expensive, is designed for business users with a focus on portability and a sleek design, but it might not handle high-performance tasks as well as the MSI. Battery life usually favors more efficient, less powerful machines, so the Lenovo may also last longer on a charge than the MSI. 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 MSI Pulse GL66
  • Good for gaming and AI
  • Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x
  • Very good for content creation
  • Very good overall display quality
  • Excellent portability
  • Good battery life

Key differences

Chevron down

General Use

7.3
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
245.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.3/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is somewhat better.

Gaming and AI

7.2
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
6.6
7.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The MSI Pulse GL66 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is only fair.

Content Creation

7.2
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
8.0
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is very good for content creation, while the MSI Pulse GL66 is good.

Software Development

7.0
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
7.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x is somewhat better.

Screen Quality

6.8
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
8.2
15.6in
SIZE
13.5in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
245.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

4.0 Hours
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
8.0 Hours
The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x has 8 hours of battery life.

Portability

Good
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
13.5in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x has excellent portability, while the MSI Pulse GL66 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Image of Laptops
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop

Key similarities

Chevron down

Engineering and Design

7.5
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
7.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
7.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and MSI Pulse GL66 are both good for engineering and design.

Build Quality

7.4
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
7.6
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and MSI Pulse GL66 both have good build quality.

Cost

$1,399
Pulse GL66
ThinkBook 13x
$1,399
Product imageProduct image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

The MSI Pulse GL66 has a price of $1,399 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x costs $1,399.

Give feedback

We’re constantly working to improve.

How the MSI Pulse GL66 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x compare to other laptops

Chevron down

Spec Comparison

Chevron down
MSI Pulse GL66Lenovo ThinkBook 13x
MSI Pulse GL66Lenovo ThinkBook 13x

GENERAL

Price
$1,399
$1,399
Release Date
March 1, 2021January 30, 2024
Overall Dimensions
14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.94''11.6'' x 8.1'' x 0.5''
Weight
4.63 lbs2.7 lbs
Width
14.13"11.6"
Depth
10.2"8.1"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i7-11800HIntel Core Ultra 5 125H
RAM
16 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
20
Storage
512 GB512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
4 Hours8 Hours
Battery Capacity
53 Wh74 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"13.5"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10802880 x 1920
Refresh Rate
144Hz120Hz
Display Brightness
245 nits500 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.4/107.6/10
Portability Score
7.1/109.4/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
6.5/108.4/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
8/107.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
8/108.8/10
Webcam
720p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
30
USB-C ports
13
USB-C Charging
NoYes
Display Outputs
13
Thunderbolt Version
N/A4

Shopping

Chevron down

MSI Pulse GL66

See more

Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Christian Hintze | April 2022
"The MSI Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."

Get a great deal on the MSI Pulse GL66 or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x

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.

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.

Give feedback

We're constantly perfecting our model

Laptop guides you might be interested in

Chevron down

FAQs

Chevron down

FAQs about laptops

Questions about PerfectRec >

Why trust us

Chevron down
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.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
125,295
Recommendations made
27,148
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

Featured in

Color LTT LogoGeekwire logo9to5 Mac logoPhone Arena LogoColor Daring Fireball logo