A mobile workstation with disappointing performance - Lenovo ThinkPad T16g Gen 3 review

[Redaktion]

The ThinkPad T16g is a powerful mobile workstation from Lenovo that uses regular GeForce GPUs instead of RTX PRO GPUs. The new model (design-wise identical to the ThinkPad P16 Gen 3) scores points for its feature set, but possesses weaknesses, especially in terms of performance.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/A-mobile-workstation-with-disappointing-performance-Lenovo-ThinkPad-T16g-Gen-3-review.1220451.0.html

[davidm]

AIDA64 / Memory Write
Asus ROG Flow Z13 GZ302EA-RU073W
AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, Radeon 8060S   
216896 MB/s

Dell Pro Max 16 Plus
Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell Generation Laptop   
89630 MB/s

[Worgarthe]

AIDA64 / Memory Write
Asus ROG Flow Z13 GZ302EA-RU073W
AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, Radeon 8060S   
216896 MB/s

Dell Pro Max 16 Plus
Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell Generation Laptop   
89630 MB/s

Average Benchmarks AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 → 100% n=47

Average Benchmarks Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX → 119% n=47

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Ryzen-AI-Max-PRO-395-vs-Ultra-9-275HX_18881_18886.247596.0.html

[davidm]

AIDA64 / Memory Write
Asus ROG Flow Z13 GZ302EA-RU073W
AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, Radeon 8060S   
216896 MB/s

Dell Pro Max 16 Plus
Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell Generation Laptop   
89630 MB/s

Average Benchmarks AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 → 100% n=47

Average Benchmarks Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX → 119% n=47

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Ryzen-AI-Max-PRO-395-vs-Ultra-9-275HX_18881_18886.247596.0.html

To be clear, I'm not comparing the AMD chip to the Intel chip. I'm comparing the memory speed. The Intel chip has 50% more cores and consumes a lot more power. What would it look like if it had the memory speed of the Strix Halo, which matters a lot for many operations.

[INTEL, 256-bit APU when?]

max 192 GB or 128 GB ECC

Wow, this is very nice. The 192 GB RAM would allow for some very nice MoE LLMs. Too bad the AIDA64 Memory Read is only 66827 MB/s, as the memory bus width is only 128-bit. If this was 256-bit, like Strix Halo, then this laptop would for sure deserve an "AI" in its name, as it also would have a faster iGPU and faster prompt processing.
INTEL, time to bring out a Strix Halo / 256-bit APU competitor, but you must allow for at least 192 GB RAM capacity (or 256 GB RAM, of course), not 128 GB RAM, like in Strix Halo, because 128 GB RAM are not enough for the big and smart LMMs (or their quants).

very slow version of the RTX 5080

I wouldn't say "very slow", as it's "only" 17% slower, than the average 5080. When I read "very slow", I though like -30% or something. Lower power 5080 makes it more energy efficient, so there's at least that.

or the matte tandem OLED

Matte OLED? Eww. Well, at least it's 120 Hz, but matte is not for me.

[INTEL, 256-bit APU when?]

The microscope image of the OLED makes me rub my eyes..but the foggy thing is not going away because it's the matte coating, not my eyes.