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Lenovo ThinkPad E580 (i5-8250U, UHD 620, SSD) Laptop Review

Less is more! Recently, we had the 2018 ThinkPad with dedicated AMD Radeon RX 550 GPU in review. Now, we're putting the entry-level model through its paces. Let's find out what the more basic model is truly capable of.

The brand-new ThinkPad E580 is a worthy successor to the ThinkPad E570, and thanks to Intel’s latest eight-generation processor even the base model is already incredibly powerful. The case has been redesigned and is now slimmer than on the E570. In return, legacy features such as the VGA port or the DVD drive had to go. But this is a predictable step that Lenovo had already undertaken on its other ThinkPad models. Today’s review unit is equipped with an Intel Core i5-8250U, 8 GB of RAM, and a 128 GB SSD that should be spacious enough for the most common office applications. Equipped with a matte IPS panel, this base model sells for 669 Euros (~$823) in Germany. As is quite common for the Chinese manufacturer, the SKUs offered in Europe and in the USA differ quite significantly and a similarly configured US model will set you back $875. Our test group is composed exclusively of other 15-inch notebooks. Given that the E580 is one of the most affordable Kaby Lake Refresh-based devices we had to include some Kaby Lake-based laptops as well. The following table lists all the devices selected for this review:

Lenovo ThinkPad E580 Lenovo ThinkPad E570 HP ProBook 450 G5 Acer TravelMate P2510 Schenker Slim 15 Dell Vostro 15
CPU Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i5-7200U Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-7200U Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i5-7200U
GPU AMD Radeon RX 550 Intel HD Graphics 620 Intel UHD Graphics 620 Intel HD Graphics 620 Intel UHD Graphics 620 Intel HD Graphics 620
Display 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 (IPS) 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 (TN) 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 (IPS) 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 (IPS) 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 (IPS) 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 (TN)
RAM 8 GB DDR4 8 GB DDR4 8 GB DDR4 8 GB DDR4 16 GB DDR4 8 GB DDR4
Storage 256 GB SSD 256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD 256 GB SSD 256 GB SSD 512 GB SSD 256 GB SSD
Rating 87% 83% 86% 83% 83% 81%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW (ThinkPad E580 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-8250U 4 x 1.6 - 3.4 GHz, Kaby Lake Refresh
Graphics adapter
Intel UHD Graphics 620, 22.20.16.4836
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2400, 1 of 2 slots free, 32 GB max.
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, BOE NV156FHM-N49, IPS LED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Kaby Lake-U + iHDCP 2.2 Premium PCH
Storage
Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G, 128 GB 
, M.2 2242 PCIe (with M.2-2280 adapter), 88 GB free
Soundcard
Conexant SmartAudio HD
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5-mm audio combo jack, Card Reader: MicroSD, 1 Fingerprint Reader
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 19.95 x 369 x 252 ( = 0.79 x 14.53 x 9.92 in)
Battery
45 Wh, 4120 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720
Additional features
Speakers: 2 W stereo, Keyboard: 6-row chiclet keyboard with numpad, Keyboard Light: yes, power supply, Lenovo Vantage, Lenovo App Explorer, Microsoft Office Trial, McAfee LiveSafe, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
1.924 kg ( = 67.87 oz / 4.24 pounds), Power Supply: 356 g ( = 12.56 oz / 0.78 pounds)
Price
669 EUR
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

For further details on the case, please refer to our recently released Lenovo ThinkPad E580 review.

Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580
Lenovo ThinkPad E580

Size Comparison

379 mm / 14.9 inch 261 mm / 10.3 inch 25.4 mm / 1 inch 2.3 kg5.07 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 23.6 mm / 0.929 inch 2.2 kg4.81 lbs379.5 mm / 14.9 inch 254 mm / 10 inch 22.1 mm / 0.87 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs377 mm / 14.8 inch 259 mm / 10.2 inch 22.8 mm / 0.898 inch 2 kg4.52 lbs376 mm / 14.8 inch 263 mm / 10.4 inch 20.9 mm / 0.823 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs369 mm / 14.5 inch 252 mm / 9.92 inch 19.95 mm / 0.785 inch 1.9 kg4.24 lbs369 mm / 14.5 inch 252 mm / 9.92 inch 19.95 mm / 0.785 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Left: USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, HDMI, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 3.5-mm audio combo
Left: USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, HDMI, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 3.5-mm audio combo
Right: MicroSD card reader, USB 2.0 Type-A, RJ45 Ethernet, Kensington lock
Right: MicroSD card reader, USB 2.0 Type-A, RJ45 Ethernet, Kensington lock
Front: no connectivity
Front: no connectivity
Rear: no connectivity
Rear: no connectivity
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
77.8 MB/s +2%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
77.3 MB/s +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
76.4 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
74.1 MB/s -3%
Average of class Office
  (8 - 196.8, n=50, last 2 years)
55.6 MB/s -27%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26 MB/s -66%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
22.2 MB/s -71%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
86.1 MB/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
85.7 MB/s
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
85.6 MB/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
82.5 MB/s -4%
Average of class Office
  (26.4 - 173.2, n=44, last 2 years)
65.2 MB/s -24%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26.3 MB/s -69%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
23 MB/s -73%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Office
  (280 - 1332, n=6, last 2 years)
810 MBit/s +171%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
681 MBit/s +128%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
650 MBit/s +117%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
499 MBit/s +67%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
480 MBit/s +61%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
345 MBit/s +15%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
334 MBit/s +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
299 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Office
  (348 - 1690, n=6, last 2 years)
852 MBit/s +161%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
628 MBit/s +93%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
620 MBit/s +90%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
547 MBit/s +68%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
521 MBit/s +60%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
338 MBit/s +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
326 MBit/s
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
313 MBit/s -4%

Display

Subpixel geometry
Subpixel geometry
Minor clouding
Minor clouding

The E580 is sold with two different displays: a cheaper HD (1366x768) TN panel and a more expensive but much better FHD (1920x1080) IPS panel, which we highly recommend opting for. On the plus side both panels are matte and thus non-reflective. Our review unit was equipped with the better of the two panel options, a high-quality IPS panel with an average brightness of 292 nits. With 333 nits, the only competitor that was even brighter was the Schenker Slim 15. The panel was just as bright on battery as it was when connected to mains. Due to the slightly higher black level of 0.3 nits, our review unit’s contrast ratio (973:1) was a bit lower than on the recently reviewed E580 with dedicated GPU. The brightness distribution of 84% and the lack of significant clouding and backlight bleeding are certainly commendable. We found PWM flickering albeit at a very high frequency of 22,030 Hz and thus high enough to not cause any headaches or eye strain.

277
cd/m²
269
cd/m²
282
cd/m²
270
cd/m²
292
cd/m²
286
cd/m²
246
cd/m²
267
cd/m²
258
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
BOE NV156FHM-N49 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 292 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 271.9 cd/m² Minimum: 2.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 291 cd/m²
Contrast: 973:1 (Black: 0.3 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
58% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
37.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.15% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
58.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
39.83% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.12
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
BOE NV156FHM-N49, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
BOE NV156FHM-N49, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Lenovo NT156WHM-N42, , 1366x768, 15.60
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
AUO41ED, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Chi Mei CMN15D3 / N156HCE-EAA, , 1920x1080, 15.60
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
LG LP156WF6, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Vostro 15 3568
BOE0690 / NT15N41 / Dell C1JFR, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Display
-0%
-7%
-3%
7%
50%
-0%
Display P3 Coverage
39.83
40
0%
36.79
-8%
38.04
-4%
42.44
7%
63.9
60%
39.39
-1%
sRGB Coverage
58.5
58.2
-1%
55.4
-5%
57.3
-2%
63.2
8%
82.8
42%
59.3
1%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
41.15
41.32
0%
38.01
-8%
39.31
-4%
43.94
7%
60.5
47%
40.69
-1%
Response Times
10%
-10%
-2%
12%
11%
40%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
48.4 ?(25.6, 22.8)
48 ?(26, 22)
1%
46 ?(24, 22)
5%
52.4 ?(24.8, 27.6)
-8%
45 ?(27, 18)
7%
40 ?(20.4, 19.6)
17%
39 ?(21, 18)
19%
Response Time Black / White *
37.6 ?(21.2, 16.4)
32 ?(18, 14)
15%
13 ?(8, 5)
65%
36 ?(19.6, 16.4)
4%
32 ?(18, 14)
15%
29.2 ?(16.8, 12.4)
22%
11 ?(7, 4)
71%
PWM Frequency
22030 ?(99)
25000 ?(90)
13%
200 ?(90)
-99%
25000 ?(80)
13%
20660 ?(99)
-6%
28410 ?(90)
29%
Screen
13%
-76%
-18%
-11%
17%
-74%
Brightness middle
292
290
-1%
242
-17%
252
-14%
215
-26%
333
14%
195
-33%
Brightness
272
267
-2%
233
-14%
249
-8%
198
-27%
336
24%
195
-28%
Brightness Distribution
84
81
-4%
73
-13%
88
5%
78
-7%
93
11%
89
6%
Black Level *
0.3
0.19
37%
0.59
-97%
0.22
27%
0.32
-7%
0.3
-0%
0.44
-47%
Contrast
973
1526
57%
410
-58%
1145
18%
672
-31%
1110
14%
443
-54%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.8
4.9
16%
10.9
-88%
6.9
-19%
5.15
11%
4.7
19%
12.23
-111%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
22.4
9.52
57%
20.84
7%
18.4
18%
10.89
51%
9.7
57%
20.85
7%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.3
2.92
-27%
13.07
-468%
6.9
-200%
4.25
-85%
3.5
-52%
13.39
-482%
Gamma
2.12 104%
2.31 95%
2.37 93%
2.43 91%
2.61 84%
2.26 97%
2.5 88%
CCT
6223 104%
6091 107%
13123 50%
7524 86%
6603 98%
6339 103%
15759 41%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
37.6
37
-2%
35
-7%
36.3
-3%
40
6%
54.2
44%
38
1%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
58
58
0%
55
-5%
57.2
-1%
63
9%
82.7
43%
59
2%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
8% / 10%
-31% / -51%
-8% / -13%
3% / -3%
26% / 22%
-11% / -39%

* ... smaller is better

Lenovo ThinkPad E580 vs. sRGB (58%)
Lenovo ThinkPad E580 vs. sRGB (58%)
Lenovo ThinkPad E580 vs. AdobeRGB (37.6%)
Lenovo ThinkPad E580 vs. AdobeRGB (37.6%)

The new E580’s IPS panel is definitely a very welcome improvement over its own predecessor, the ThinkPad E570. While color-space coverage was only mediocre at best (37.6% AdobeRGB and 58% sRGB) it should be sufficient for everyday office tasks and applications. Professional photo-editing is not one of the E580’s strengths, and this would require either using a different laptop or an external display.

CalMAN: grayscale (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: grayscale (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: saturation (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: saturation (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN: saturation (calibrated)
CalMAN: saturation (calibrated)

In combination with the matte panel, the display’s high maximum brightness makes for decent outdoor visibility, albeit we would suggest avoiding direct sunlight. The E580 was perfectly usable in the shade, though.

Lenovo ThinkPad E580 in the shade
Lenovo ThinkPad E580 in the shade
Lenovo ThinkPad E580 in sunlight
Lenovo ThinkPad E580 in sunlight

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
37.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 21.2 ms rise
↘ 16.4 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 95 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
48.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 25.6 ms rise
↘ 22.8 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 82 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 22030 Hz ≤ 99 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 22030 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 99 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 22030 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Viewing angles were as expected for an IPS panel, and image quality was very respectable regardless of the angle. The two images in the corners of the bottom row seem a bit pale, but this wasn’t a problem in everyday use due to the rather extreme angles these photos were taken at.

Lenovo ThinkPad E580 viewing angles
Lenovo ThinkPad E580 viewing angles

Performance

Being the affordable office notebook it is our review unit offered a Core i5-8250U processor with access to 8 GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD. An even cheaper base model equipped with 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB HDD, an HD panel, and a Core i5-7200U (US-models only) can be purchased for $700 from Lenovo’s own web shop. That said, we would not recommend opting for this low-end base model as the premium for the IPS panel, 8 GB of RAM, a 128 GB SSD, and a fast quad-core processor is only another $175 and definitely a much better deal. In addition, the E580 can also be ordered with a Core i7-8550U processor and dedicated AMD Radeon RX 550 GPU. Whether or not this makes sense obviously depends on one's individual requirements.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWiNFO
DPC latencies
Intel Extreme Utility
Intel Extreme Utility (Benchmark)

Processor

Intel’s Core i5-8250U is a Kaby Lake Refresh-based quad-core processor with a TDP of 15 W and four physical cores with eight threads clocked at 1.6 GHz and a turbo-boost of up to 3.4 GHz. It is much faster than last year’s entry-level model, the Core i5-7200U. Oddly enough, our Core i5-8250U’s multithread performance was better than the Core i7-8550U's that the recently reviewed E580 was equipped with. Presumably, the other SKU’s cooling solution was simply incapable of disposing of the heat fast enough.

Additional Intel Core i5-8250U benchmarks can be found here.

Sustained load capabilities are determined by running Cinebench R15 multithread in a loop, and our Intel Core i5-8250U shows a significant drop in performance after the first iteration already (508 points). Given that the SoC is allowed to consume up to 25 W for a short time this was expected behavior, and our review unit’s Cinebench scores remained consistent afterwards. The cooling solution was thus not overstrained by the CPU.

0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450460470480490500510520530540550560Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years)
215 Points +50%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel Core i7-8550U
168 Points +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U
156 Points +9%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
Intel Core i5-8250U
145 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel Core i5-8250U
143 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (81 - 147, n=97)
141.1 Points -1%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel Core i5-7200U
129 Points -10%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
Intel Core i5-7200U
128 Points -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel Core i5-7200U
125 Points -13%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (160.8 - 2642, n=120, last 2 years)
1380 Points +150%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
Intel Core i5-8250U
574 Points +4%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (320 - 730, n=101)
570 Points +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel Core i5-8250U
553 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U
521 Points -6%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel Core i7-8550U
515 Points -7%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel Core i5-7200U
328 Points -41%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
Intel Core i5-7200U
321 Points -42%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel Core i5-7200U
316 Points -43%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (0.99 - 2.97, n=12, last 2 years)
2.31 Points +43%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel Core i7-8550U
1.91 Points +18%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel Core i5-8250U
1.62 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (0.91 - 1.79, n=35)
1.615 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel Core i5-7200U
1.38 Points -15%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (1.93 - 20.3, n=12, last 2 years)
12.5 Points +109%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (3.15 - 7.76, n=35)
6.02 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel Core i5-8250U
5.98 Points
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel Core i7-8550U
5.66 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel Core i5-7200U
3.57 Points -40%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (117.1 - 544, n=19, last 2 years)
369 Points +75%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U
254.1 Points +21%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel Core i7-8550U
250.4 Points +19%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
Intel Core i5-8250U
235.5 Points +12%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (151.5 - 256, n=78)
215 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel Core i5-7200U
210.5 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel Core i5-8250U
210.5 Points
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (21416 - 93596, n=52, last 2 years)
69674 Points +137%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel Core i7-8550U
36689 Points +25%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U
36084 Points +23%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (22772 - 35817, n=54)
30123 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel Core i5-8250U
29398 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel Core i5-7200U
29118 Points -1%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel Core i5-8250U
1260 ms *
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (986 - 1532, n=59)
1221 ms * +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel Core i5-7200U
1219 ms * +3%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel Core i7-8550U
972 ms * +23%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U
946 ms * +25%
Average of class Office
  (479 - 1966, n=111, last 2 years)
742 ms * +41%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10
Cinebench R10
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15
Jetstream 1.1
Jetstream 1.1
Octane V2
Octane V2
Mozilla Kraken 1.1
Mozilla Kraken 1.1
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
7049 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
7724
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
16363
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5420
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
7615 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
20922 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
5.98 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
35.12 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.62 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.8 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
143 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
43.9 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
553 Points
Help

System Performance

Our review unit’s system performance was top-notch, but it was surpassed by the E580 with AMD Radeon graphics which offered a little bit more performance here and there. The differences were fairly negligible, though. Real-world performance was very decent thanks to the fast CPU combined with an SSD.

PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Creative
PCMark 8 Creative
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
4273 Points +15%
Average of class Office
  (2304 - 4830, n=12, last 2 years)
4261 Points +14%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
3781 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
3729 Points
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3715 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3714 Points 0%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
  (2986 - 4458, n=69)
3584 Points -4%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
3417 Points -8%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
3327 Points -11%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
5140 Points +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
4901 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4857 Points -1%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
  (2699 - 5106, n=58)
4646 Points -5%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4592 Points -6%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
4544 Points -7%
Average of class Office
  (1854 - 5610, n=12, last 2 years)
3746 Points -24%
PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Office
  (2325 - 7157, n=105, last 2 years)
5312 Points +117%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
3757 Points +53%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
3595 Points +47%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
  (3358 - 4081, n=67)
3296 Points +35%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3235 Points +32%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
2629 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
2449 Points
Productivity
Average of class Office
  (3041 - 10198, n=105, last 2 years)
7439 Points +24%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
6614 Points +10%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
6015 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
5999 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
5930 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5833 Points -3%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
  (3851 - 6653, n=67)
5725 Points -5%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3729 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4840 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4901 points
PCMark 10 Score
2449 points
Help

Storage Devices

128 GB M.2 SSD
128 GB M.2 SSD

Our E580’s 128 GB SSD is identical to the recently reviewed 14-inch ThinkPad E480’s 128 GB SSD, and it too requires an adapter from M.2-2242 to M.2-2280. Unfortunately, identical SSD also means identical issues, and at just 116 MB/s sequential write the performance turned out to be pretty poor despite NVMe support. Sequential read speeds were as fast as expected, and application launch times were decently fast. We suspect the SSD’s self-encryption (OPAL 2.0) to be mainly responsible for the poor write performance, and we expect Lenovo to address this issue with driver updates as soon as possible. The E580 offers an additional 2.5-inch drive bay for secondary storage.

AS SSD
AS SSD
CrystalDiskMark 3
CrystalDiskMark 3
CrystalDiskMark 5
CrystalDiskMark 5
CrystalDiskInfo
CrystalDiskInfo
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
Dell Vostro 15 3568
Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
53%
243%
32%
34%
345%
-4%
Read Seq
916
1280
40%
1589
73%
502
-45%
498.1
-46%
1958
114%
469.3
-49%
Write Seq
135
639
373%
1217
801%
451.6
235%
260.1
93%
1776
1216%
179.7
33%
Read 512
787
1011
28%
1155
47%
372.5
-53%
328.5
-58%
819
4%
359.6
-54%
Write 512
134.3
115.4
-14%
783
483%
269.7
101%
260.9
94%
1157
762%
183.7
37%
Read 4k
33.34
30.87
-7%
59.7
79%
27.76
-17%
32.59
-2%
54
62%
26.01
-22%
Write 4k
92.4
72.6
-21%
148.8
61%
52.4
-43%
84.2
-9%
157.7
71%
68.7
-26%
Read 4k QD32
199.2
257.3
29%
473.6
138%
260.2
31%
359.7
81%
605
204%
242.4
22%
Write 4k QD32
118.8
118.2
-1%
428.7
261%
177.7
50%
262
121%
511
330%
147.1
24%
Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
Sequential Read: 916 MB/s
Sequential Write: 135 MB/s
512K Read: 787 MB/s
512K Write: 134.3 MB/s
4K Read: 33.34 MB/s
4K Write: 92.4 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 199.2 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 118.8 MB/s

GPU Performance

Lenovo’s GPU of choice is Intel’s integrated UHD Graphics 620 with support for HD video hardware decoding. As expected, the E580 with dedicated Radeon RX 550 GPU offered a much better 3D performance. An extra RAM module will improve performance somewhat thanks to dual-channel mode, but you shouldn’t expect too much. The fastest UHD 620 notebook was Schenker’s Slim 15, and it was definitely above average.

Additional Intel UHD Graphics 620 benchmarks can be found here.

3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Office
  (5681 - 58068, n=98, last 2 years)
23871 Points +217%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8550U
17423 Points +131%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8550U
9744 Points +29%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620
  (6205 - 16400, n=225)
9262 Points +23%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
8651 Points +15%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8250U
7970 Points +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8250U
7532 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
7152 Points -5%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
6794 Points -10%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Office
  (712 - 8815, n=117, last 2 years)
4072 Points +334%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8550U
2874 Points +206%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8550U
1214 Points +29%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620
  (557 - 2608, n=213)
1161 Points +24%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
1026 Points +9%
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8250U
953 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8250U
938 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
822 Points -12%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Office
  (1474 - 12230, n=115, last 2 years)
5878 Points +261%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8550U
4444 Points +173%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620
  (1144 - 3432, n=244)
1749 Points +7%
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8550U
1740 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8250U
1629 Points
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8250U
1596 Points -2%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
1530 Points -6%
Dell Vostro 15 3568
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
1424 Points -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
1401 Points -14%
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Sky Diver
3DMark Sky Diver
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark Time Spy
3DMark Time Spy
3DMark 11
3DMark 11
 
 
3DMark 11 Performance
1776 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
61298 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
6820 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
873 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
410 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
358 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The ThinkPad E580 is purely an office notebook, and our gaming benchmark results are proof thereof. Simple browser games should run just fine on Intel’s UHD Graphics 620, though. If you need more 3D power we suggest taking a closer look at the Radeon RX 550-equipped E580 SKU, which should be powerful enough for casual gaming. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a gaming notebook, then we suggest taking a closer look at our budget gaming notebook top 10.

low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 46.1 27.7 22.9 7.6
The Witcher 3 (2015) 15.7 9.9 5.4
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 17.2 10.6 6.1

Emissions

System Noise

One fan is sufficient for the E580
One fan is sufficient for the E580

The only laptop even quieter than the ThinkPad E580 was HP's ProBook 450, but the differences between the two were negligible by and large. Even the ThinkPad E570 was not that much louder in comparison. When idle, the fan remained off most of the time, ensuring completely noiseless operation (assuming that no spinning hard disk drive is installed in the secondary 2.5-inch drive bay). Average load resulted in a sound pressure level of 30.8 dB(A), which was very quiet when compared with the E580 with dedicated GPU. Maximum sound pressure level under load was just 32.8 dB(A), and thus much quieter than the AMD Radeon RX 550-equipped SKU.

Noise Level

Idle
29.1 / 29.1 / 30.2 dB(A)
Load
30.8 / 32.8 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 29.1 dB(A)
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
Dell Vostro 15 3568
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
Noise
-9%
-2%
1%
-10%
-7%
-7%
off / environment *
29.1
30.1
-3%
30.6
-5%
29.1
-0%
31.4
-8%
29.1
-0%
30.2
-4%
Idle Minimum *
29.1
30.1
-3%
30.6
-5%
29.1
-0%
31.8
-9%
29.1
-0%
30.2
-4%
Idle Average *
29.1
30.1
-3%
30.6
-5%
29.1
-0%
31.8
-9%
29.1
-0%
30.2
-4%
Idle Maximum *
30.2
31.6
-5%
30.6
-1%
29.1
4%
31.8
-5%
30.5
-1%
30.2
-0%
Load Average *
30.8
37.7
-22%
31.8
-3%
31.4
-2%
36.6
-19%
31.2
-1%
36.4
-18%
Load Maximum *
32.8
38
-16%
31.3
5%
32
2%
36.5
-11%
45.9
-40%
36.5
-11%

* ... smaller is better

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.63429.33736.62528.329.327.133.228.33131.131.131.631.931.14028.328.730.729.528.35026.52628.12726.56325.627.425.525.825.68025.12625.126.325.110025.625252525.612526.224.123.724.626.21602625.426.226.72620023.823.323.42423.825023.423.923.62223.431520.620.521.722.120.640020.919.820.420.420.950020.819.419.219.320.863020.118.818.918.320.180020.619.218.818.620.6100021.720.120.218.821.7125021.819.81916.421.8160021.81917.815.421.8200020.718.517.515.220.7250020.818.216.914.920.8315020.218.117.31520.2400021.418.516.715.221.4500021.218.116.615.421.2630019.317.216.415.819.3800017.616.616.41617.61000016.816.416.51616.81250016.516.316.41616.51600016.216.616.815.916.2SPL32.830.830.229.132.8N1.81.51.41.21.8median 20.8median 19median 18.8median 16.4median 20.8Delta0.91.52.42.60.9hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseLenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW

Temperature

3DMark 11 immediately following the stress test
3DMark 11 immediately following the stress test

Temperatures were fairly low by and large. The E580’s maximum of 43.7 °C at the bottom is much lower than the other E580’s 60 °C. The E480 posted very similar results with the iGPU SKU remaining much cooler than the dGPU SKU. It almost seems like the notebook’s cooling solution is incapable of dealing with the dGPU’s heat dissipation. The Intel Core i5-8250U reached an acceptable maximum of 79 °C during our stress test, and we found no evidence of thermal throttling on our review unit. Simultaneous GPU and CPU load results in lower CPU clock speeds (1.4 GHz) due to the shared TDP of just 15 W. 3D performance did not suffer from the one-hour long stress test at all.

Stress test: Prime95 solo
Stress test: Prime95 solo
Stress test: FurMark solo
Stress test: FurMark solo
Stress test: FurMark+Prime95
Stress test: FurMark+Prime95
Max. Load
 40.4 °C
105 F
39.1 °C
102 F
36.1 °C
97 F
 
 33.5 °C
92 F
34 °C
93 F
29 °C
84 F
 
 22.6 °C
73 F
22.1 °C
72 F
20.9 °C
70 F
 
Maximum: 40.4 °C = 105 F
Average: 30.9 °C = 88 F
41.3 °C
106 F
43.7 °C
111 F
38.3 °C
101 F
30.1 °C
86 F
34.3 °C
94 F
38.4 °C
101 F
19.6 °C
67 F
22.1 °C
72 F
22.4 °C
72 F
Maximum: 43.7 °C = 111 F
Average: 32.2 °C = 90 F
Power Supply (max.)  30.9 °C = 88 F | Room Temperature 20.5 °C = 69 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 30.9 °C / 88 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.4 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 43.7 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 20.4 °C / 69 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 22.6 °C / 72.7 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (+5.1 °C / 9.2 F).
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
Dell Vostro 15 3568
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
Heat
-33%
-1%
-4%
6%
-6%
3%
Maximum Upper Side *
40.4
60
-49%
33.2
18%
42.2
-4%
32
21%
38.5
5%
35.6
12%
Maximum Bottom *
43.7
57
-30%
39.4
10%
45.5
-4%
35.5
19%
41.8
4%
35.3
19%
Idle Upper Side *
21.4
29.1
-36%
25.9
-21%
23.9
-12%
25.6
-20%
26.4
-23%
25.1
-17%
Idle Bottom *
25.5
30.2
-18%
27.8
-9%
24.2
5%
25.1
2%
27.9
-9%
26.1
-2%

* ... smaller is better

Heat-map top (load)
Heat-map top (load)
Heat-map bottom (load)
Heat-map bottom (load)

Speakers

For further details on the speakers, please refer to our recently released Lenovo ThinkPad E580 review.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

In regard to power consumption, our review unit significantly outperformed the E580 with dedicated GPU but had to yield to last year’s E570 in return due to the much more powerful CPU and the much brighter display. Still, a maximum of 42.9 W is quite low for a 15-inch notebook, and the E580’s average power consumption of 31.1 W is almost on a par with last year’s model (29 W). At between 3.4 and 7.7 W, idle power consumption was as low as expected.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.41 / 0.69 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3.4 / 6.7 / 7.7 Watt
Load midlight 31.1 / 42.9 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
i5-8550U, Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, TN LED, 1366x768, 15.60
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
i5-8550U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Vostro 15 3568
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN, TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Power Consumption
-65%
16%
-3%
2%
-53%
21%
Idle Minimum *
3.4
7.4
-118%
2.9
15%
3.6
-6%
3.4
-0%
7.2
-112%
3
12%
Idle Average *
6.7
10.4
-55%
5.8
13%
6.2
7%
5.8
13%
10.9
-63%
5.5
18%
Idle Maximum *
7.7
10.3
-34%
6.6
14%
7.2
6%
8
-4%
12.6
-64%
5.7
26%
Load Average *
31.1
57
-83%
29
7%
35.2
-13%
38
-22%
37
-19%
27
13%
Load Maximum *
42.9
57
-33%
29.4
31%
46.4
-8%
32
25%
45.5
-6%
27.4
36%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

3DMark 11 on battery
3DMark 11 on battery
45 Wh battery
45 Wh battery

The 45 Wh battery is not user-replaceable and lasts for around 1.5 hours under load and 7 hours during our Wi-Fi test at a normalized display brightness (150 nits, or 71% on our review unit). Charging the battery from near empty to full takes an acceptable 133 minutes. 3D performance on battery was not any slower than when connected to mains.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
14h 24min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 41.16299.248.0)
7h 01min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
7h 15min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 36min
Maximum battery life
Maximum battery life
Minimum battery life
Minimum battery life
Wi-Fi battery life
Wi-Fi battery life
H.264 battery life
H.264 battery life
Charging
Charging
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 45 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
i5-8550U, Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), 45 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad E570-20H6S02M00
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, 42 Wh
HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 48 Wh
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, 48 Wh
SCHENKER Slim 15 L17
i5-8550U, UHD Graphics 620, 44 Wh
Dell Vostro 15 3568
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, 40 Wh
Battery Runtime
1%
4%
10%
15%
-34%
2%
Reader / Idle
864
861
0%
1083
25%
910
5%
442
-49%
874
1%
H.264
435
544
25%
387
-11%
255
-41%
WiFi v1.3
421
404
-4%
430
2%
463
10%
525
25%
275
-35%
379
-10%
Load
96
81
-16%
95
-1%
111
16%
86
-10%
109
14%

Verdict

Pros

+ rigid high-quality case, better than its predecessor
+ decent system performance
+ comfortable backlit keyboard
+ terrific pointing devices
+ low power consumption
+ pleasantly quiet (even under load)
+ matte IPS panel with decent contrast ratio
+ upgradeable (among others two RAM slots, HDD + SSD)

Cons

- slow PCIe NVMe SSD (write performance)
- MicroSD instead of SD card reader
- 12 months warranty
- poor battery life
- substandard Wi-Fi performance
In review: Lenovo ThinkPad E580. Review unit courtesy of campuspoint.
In review: Lenovo ThinkPad E580. Review unit courtesy of campuspoint.

The Lenovo ThinkPad E580 is an affordable entry-level office notebook equipped with a powerful and up-to-date Intel Core i5-8250U processor. 8 GB of DDR4-RAM should suffice for everyday office tasks, and the 128 GB SSD might seem spacious enough now but will most likely become too small over time. A 256 GB SSD would thus be a better choice. Nevertheless, the 128 GB model is plenty to begin with. The IPS panel is particularly noteworthy, especially considering the notebook’s low price. Most affordable office notebooks are equipped with cheap and comparably poor TN panels instead.

The Lenovo ThinkPad E580 has everything you need in an affordable office notebook. The SSD’s limited storage capacity is a compromise, but overall performance was very decent considering the notebook’s low price. The device therefore definitely deserves our full endorsement.

In addition to the high build quality we would also like to emphasize the notebook’s upgradeability, despite its lack of a dedicated maintenance opening, and the well-known high-quality input devices. While the 128 GB SSD is on the small side it is definitely much better than a regular hard disk drive despite its comparatively poor overall performance. We suspect driver incompatibilities to be the culprit in this case. Another downside is the E580's MicroSD card reader - an incomprehensible regression compared to last year’s model.

Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW - 03/06/2018 v6(old)
Sebastian Bade

Chassis
83 / 98 → 84%
Keyboard
89%
Pointing Device
88%
Connectivity
61 / 80 → 77%
Weight
64 / 20-67 → 93%
Battery
89%
Display
85%
Games Performance
56 / 68 → 82%
Application Performance
87 / 92 → 95%
Temperature
94%
Noise
96%
Audio
64%
Camera
43 / 85 → 50%
Average
77%
87%
Office - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo ThinkPad E580 (i5-8250U, UHD 620, SSD) Laptop Review
Sebastian Bade, 2018-03-21 (Update: 2020-05-19)