Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4 Laptop - Workstation Version of the X1 Extreme G4 in Review

[Redaktion]

Lenovo introduces a completely new device with the fourth generation of the ThinkPad P1, including a 16-inch display with 16:10 aspect ratio and updated hardware. The P1 G4 also gives a first glance at the upcoming ThinkPad X1 Extreme G4, which uses the same chassis.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-P1-G4-Laptop-Workstation-Version-of-the-X1-Extreme-G4-in-Review.570529.0.html

[David Petrik]

Please retest the P1 with a second RAM module.

Thank you for the exhausting review!

[123]

Alright, so are you saying Lenovo are now ditching good keyboards, which were the only reason to buy Lenovo laptops in the first place? Hmm...

[celegen]

Please retest the P1 with a second RAM module.

Thank you for the exhausting review!

Yes, definitely. Many reviews have noted big improvements to CPU performance by adding a second RAM stick.

Also, repasting the CPU & GPU could possibly alleviate some of those thermal issues (which of course, shouldn't happen in the first place). I've seen that the thermal paste application can be quite sloppy. First sign would be uneven temps between CPU cores in high load scenarios.

[John Arthur]

"Mediocre cpu performance" yet it gets an award and a 89% !! This is being sold as a workstation but this is not workstation performance levels.

[Mark Lapasa]

That vertical enter key is a hard no for me.

[Benjamin Herzig]

That vertical enter key is a hard no for me.

The layout is different depending on the locale, US versions will have the ANSI type with narrow enter key.

[Brad Collins]

Oooh I've been waiting for this one for a while!

I'm disappointed in the CPU performance however and while I don't need the more powerful GPU I'd like to see the CPU performance with the vapor chamber (sounds like this will be reviewed in the next week or two which is great.

It would be good if mention can be made of a 90w or 100w USB-C charger compatibility with this more powerful config too :)

[LL]

This getting ridiculous.

An Alienware with same CPU gets 14000 points in Cinebench R23 multi, while this one can only get 9300...

Basically these workstations are just for corporations to save their asses from legal issues: not our fault we bought a "professional" computer.

[ksh]

Thanks for the exhaustive :) (and not in the least exhausting) review.
Very detailed.

It seems to be that the Ryzen 5700U is the processor to get if you want good thermals and good battery life. For some reason x86 35-45W cpu's don't seem to do a lot more for a lot more (intel 11800h, ryzen 5800h) - not sure why. But even here, at the 45W TDP - which is likely where workstation CPU's end up, the Ryzen 5800h  is ahead again. This is as much an issue with Intel's poor performance under thermal envelope, as it is of Lenovo not doing a good job allocating thermals appropriately between cpu/gpu. The M1X will likely eat Intel's lunch when it is announced.

[Peter P]

Bought one of these last week. Installed windows 11, used it for around 4 hours and now it refuses to power on.  :(

Apart from that the screen was great, sound was pretty good too.

[D]

Hey guys, great in depth review as always! Could you please re-test CPU performance with another ram stick running in dual channel ?

[Andreas Osthoff]

Hi, I will test with dual-channel later, but I don't think this will impact the TDP behavior, since it is regulated by the cooling performance.

[LL]

@ksh

The problem is not AMD or Intel. It is the energy limitation that some chassis manufacturers put into their laptops.

An Intel i7-11800 can do 14000 in Cinebench R23 multi
A Ryzen 7 5800H can do 13200 in Cinebench R23 multi

But just a number of systems can do it : Lenovo Legion, some Alienware, some MSI, some Razer. Probably others but you need to check by model the power available for the CPU and also the GPU.

[Dorby]

Just Josh channel on YT has a good explainer on this. The P1/X1E CPU alone draws 57 W on "combined sustained load" - much lower than most other laptops where the Intel 11th Gen CPU usually draws between constant 70-100 W when both CPU/GPU are utilized.

https://youtu.be/wzX-C6bLZfA?t=235

Credits to Josh's team for always testing power limits in detail.