for the GPU, the entry-level NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the lowest option and can achieve about 60 fps at 1080p, but most games will need to be played on lower settings; the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 and RTX 3050Ti are a decent step up from the GTX 1650 and are fairly similar in performance, with the RTX 3050Ti is only slightly better than the 3050. Both GPUs can achieve around or slightly above 60 fps at higher settings, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 performing best in the top configuration, with average frame rates of around 80-100 fps at 1080p. The AMD Ryzen CPUs and NVIDIA’s dedicated GPUs will deliver a smooth gaming experience at 1080p, but you’ll need to set aside 16GB of memory for the 8GB configuration, as frame rates will drop and stutter frequently. Thankfully, accessing the internals for upgrades is easy, so you can do it yourself later; the 120Hz display produces relatively clear images even in fast-moving scenes, but the slow response time means that ghosting is noticeable. For even smoother gameplay, a 165Hz panel option is available, but you’ll need to upgrade to an RTX 3060 to get the most out of it; with only slight thermal throttling on the CPU and nothing on the GPU, performance over long periods of time is outstanding, but fan noise can be quite loud under load. In Geekbench 5.4, which primarily evaluates the CPU’s synthetic performance, the IdeaPad Gaming 3 scored 1,640 for single-core and 7,908 for multi-core. This puts it in third place behind the Core i7-12650H-based MSI Sword 15 (1,760/10,259) and the Core i5-1200H-based Acer Nitro 5 (1,652/9,148). HP Victus with the Core i5-12450H 15 sank to the bottom of the list. The touchpad measures 3.5 x 4.75 inches, which is quite generous for operating Windows 11 with a right thumb. However, Lenovo’s roomy touchpad means less palm space for the left hand. For my small-to-medium sized hands, the left palm rest was cramped; on the MSI Sword 15, there was 3.5 inches from the edge of the touchpad to the left edge of the laptop, but on the IdeaPad Gaming 3 there is only 3 inches. On the plus side, there was plenty of room for my right palm to fit without spilling over the edge.
