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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5

MSRP $2,974.00

“The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is seriously fast, even if the design is a bit old-school.”

Pros

• Outstanding productiveness and inventive efficiency
• Solid construct high quality
• Excellent keyboard
• Spectacular IPS show
• Good connectivity
• Competent battery life

Cons

• Larger chassis than some
• Touchpad floor is simply too small
• Aesthetic is old-fashioned
• Expensive

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme is the actual workhorse of the road. Now in its fifth technology, it comes packing Intel Twelfth-gen H-series CPUs with vPro and ultrafast discrete GPUs as much as the Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti.

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is definitely a quick laptop computer, even when its total design is getting a bit lengthy within the tooth. If you take pleasure in that conventional ThinkPad aesthetic and construct, but additionally want that additional efficiency, the X1 Extreme Gen 5 will fulfill.

Specs

Price and configurations

Clearly, that is an costly laptop computer. But it’s no more costly than many different highly effective 16-inch laptops just like the MSI Creator Z16P and the MacBook Pro 16, which may price much more.

All about efficiency

As talked about within the introduction, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is all about offering the perfect efficiency amongst mainstream ThinkPad laptops. The fifth-generation mannequin upgrades to 45-watt Intel Twelfth-gen CPUs, DDR5 RAM, and PCIe 4.0 SSDs.

All of that ought to lead to a significant improve from the earlier technology. I reviewed a configuration with a 14-core/16-thread 45-watt Intel Core i7-12800H, which is a quick CPU that helps Intel vPro know-how to plug into company environments. The laptop computer additionally included the discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, a quick GPU for each gaming and inventive duties.

Lenovo throttles the GPU in balanced mode and unleashes it in efficiency mode.

I used Lenovo’s thermal administration utility to check in each balanced and efficiency modes. Interestingly, the utility made little distinction in our CPU-intensive benchmarks, with the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 nonetheless performing effectively in comparison with a number of related laptops.

However, once I ran the Pugetbench Premiere Pro benchmark that makes use of a dwell model of Adobe Premiere, the ThinkPad was gradual in balanced mode. It got here in second slowest behind the MSI Creator Z16P. When I switched to efficiency mode, nonetheless, the ThinkPad’s Pugetbench rating jumped to 928, among the many leaders we’ve examined. That signifies that Lenovo throttles the GPU in balanced mode and unleashes it in efficiency mode.

The backside line is that if you wish to get the perfect efficiency in GPU-intensive functions like Adobe’s Creative Suite, you’ll wish to crank as much as efficiency mode. You’ll cope with extra fan noise, however it’s greater than well worth the uptick in efficiency. When switched into efficiency mode, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is a significantly quick productiveness machine and a reputable creator workstation.

It even competes with the vaunted M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16, and when configured with the Core i9-12900H and RTX 3080 Ti GPU, would doubtless sustain with the M1 Max MacBook as effectively. It’s value noting, although, that the a lot cheaper HP Envy 16 with the RTX 3060 additionally carried out effectively on this benchmark.

As we noticed within the mainstream benchmarks above, Lenovo clearly tuned its thermal utility to dramatically enhance GPU efficiency. This confirmed up in our gaming benchmarks as effectively, and curiously, in balanced mode, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 was locked at round 30 frames per second (fps) throughout all our video games. Note that it wouldn’t run Fortnite, crashing once I tried to enter fight. Its graphics drivers have been updated and so it have to be one thing that Lenovo is doing with the firmware.

In efficiency mode, although, the ThinkPad carried out significantly better. It nonetheless wasn’t the quickest gaming laptop computer in our comparability group, performing equally to some laptops with the slower RTX 3060 GPU in all however Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. But it was quick sufficient to run fashionable titles at 1440p and excessive graphics. Note that the laptop computer might be outfitted with a 165Hz WQXGA show for tear-free gaming.

With a lot efficiency packed inside, I wasn’t stunned to see restricted battery life. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 has a 90 watt-hour battery, which is okay for a big laptop computer, however there’s additionally a high-resolution show and highly effective elements.

The laptop computer hit seven hours in our web-browsing take a look at, near 11.5 hours in our native video take a look at, and about six hours within the PCMark 10 Applications battery benchmark. Those are ok scores given the design, however you’ll want to hold the very hefty energy brick with you for all-day classes.

Still a ThinkPad

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 may maintain a particular place within the ThinkPad lineup, however it’s nonetheless a ThinkPad via and thru. In reality, with laptops just like the ThinkPad Z16 taking the road in a totally completely different route, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is one thing of a throwback. Where the ThinkPad Z16 makes use of an aluminum chassis with extra frequent styling that’s barely paying homage to the enduring line, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is all-in on the standard black-on-black aesthetic with crimson accents sprinkled about.

The solely distinction is an non-compulsory carbon-fiber weave on the lid that comes with the highest-end show. It’s constructed of aluminum within the backside chassis and carbon fiber within the lid, with a soft-touch coating on the surface. For such a big, daring laptop computer, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is surprisingly inviting. if a bit old-fashioned.

And it’s, certainly, a big laptop computer. Its high and backside bezels aren’t notably small, making it fairly a bit deeper than another 15-inch or so laptops. The Dell XPS 15, for instance, is smaller. The ThinkPad can also be moderately thick at 0.78 inches, in comparison with the XPS 15’s 0.73 inches, however it’s additionally lighter than the Dell at 4.1 kilos versus 4.62 kilos due to its light-weight supplies. As far as large-screen non-workstation laptops go, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 isn’t a very tiny instance. But that’s the worth you pay to hold round a lot energy.

You need to attempt actually onerous to bend the lid, and the keyboard deck and chassis backside are utterly inflexible. That provides the ThinkPad X1 Extreme a sense of solidity that’s according to its excessive worth. The hinge opens with one hand and holds the lid firmly in place. The MacBook Pro 16 could be a barely better-built laptop computer, however then once more, it’s in a category of its personal.

The keyboard can also be distinctly ThinkPad-like, a minimum of within the sculpted keycaps and keyboard format (full with the inverted left Fn and Ctrl keys). It’s lighter and snappier than regular, although, which I a lot favor. That makes it among the best keyboards on a Windows laptop computer, completely different than however equally nearly as good as that on the Dell XPS 15. Only the MacBook Pro 16’s Magic Keyboard is healthier.

As regular, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5’s touchpad is smaller than it may very well be resulting from a set of buttons accommodating the TrackPoint nubbin in the course of the keyboard. I might by no means use the TrackPoint and so remorse the misplaced area, however in case you’re a TrackPoint fan, then you definitely doubtless received’t thoughts. My assessment unit’s show was touch-enabled, which I favor.

Connectivity was wonderful, with a full complement of each legacy and future-proof ports and a full-size SD card reader. Wireless connectivity was additionally sturdy with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 to go along with non-compulsory 5G WWAN help.

Finally, all the standard business-oriented options are available. The vPro CPU will work with enterprise-level administration and safety instruments, and there’s a number of security-minded options just like the Intel Hardware Shield and match-on-finger fingerprint reader. What’s lacking is greater than the standard consumer-level one-year guarantee, though Lenovo affords a variety of business-level companies at an extra worth.

An wonderful media expertise

My assessment unit was outfitted with the high-end touch-enabled 16-inch 16:10 WQUXGA IPS show, and out of the field, it seemed so shiny and colourful, with deep blacks, that I believed it was an OLED panel. When I utilized my colorimeter, the show excelled, providing a few of the finest outcomes we’ve seen in an IPS show.

Thanks to vast and extremely correct colours, tons of brightness, and excessive distinction, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5’s show matches its efficiency in assembly the wants of demanding creators. The Dell XPS 17‘s is a rare IPS display that matches the ThinkPad’s. Note that the MacBook Pro 16’s show was examined with a special colorimeter that exams distinction in another way; its distinction was equal to the OLED shows, however no higher.

The twin upward-firing audio system have been extremely loud and clear, with wonderful mids and highs. They couldn’t match the XPS 17’s and MacBook Pro’s deeper bass, although, as they lack these laptops’ subwoofers. The audio was nonetheless ok that you just received’t routinely seize a set of headphones.

The webcam is a 1080p model that gives clear video with loads of element in lowlight environments. There’s a ThinkShutter privateness display screen and an infrared digital camera supporting Windows 11 Hello passwordless login help to go along with a fingerprint reader embedded within the energy button.

The strongest choice for ThinkPad followers