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Lenovo ThinkPad E590 (i7, RX 550X, SSD, FHD) Laptop Review

Half-baked With the ThinkPad E590, Lenovo delivers a quiet workstation with very good keyboard and trackpad plus TrackPoint. The dedicated Radeon RX 550X GPU is only able to realise its potential for short periods of time, as the laptop's cooling system is not up to the task for longer sessions of use. This means that gaming is not really an option.

The ThinkPad E range from Lenovo contains business notebooks in the entry-level class, which are primarily aimed at small companies and the self-employed, but, due to how they are priced, private users may also be interested. With the ThinkPad E590 we're presented with an up-to-date 15.6" model equipped with a Whiskey Lake Core i7 8565U CPU and a Radeon RX 550X GPU. A few weeks ago we reviewed its sibling device which is equipped with the same CPU, but without a dedicated GPU. Competition for the E590 include the HP ProBook 450 G6, Dell Latitude 15 3590Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG and Toshiba Tecra A50-E.


As the ThinkPad E580 and E590 models are identical in build, we will not go in-depth into this model's construction, specification, input devices or speakers. You can find more detailed information if required in our ThinkPad E580 Review.

Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE (ThinkPad E590 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-8565U 4 x 1.8 - 4.6 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop) - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1176 MHz, Memory: 1500 MHz, GDDR5, 64-Bit Bus, Adrenalin 19.5.1 (26.20.11015.1003), Enduro
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2666, Single channel, two slots (one slot occupied)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Lenovo B156HAN02.1, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Cannon Lake-U PCH-LP Premium
Storage
Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G, 256 GB 
, 212 GB free
Soundcard
Conexant CX11880 @ Intel Cannon Point-LP PCH - cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech)
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: Audiokombo, Card Reader: MicroSD, 1 Fingerprint Reader, TPM 2.0
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9260 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 19.9 x 369 x 253 ( = 0.78 x 14.53 x 9.96 in)
Battery
45 Wh, 4120 mAh Lithium-Polymer, 11.1 V, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 11 h
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, McAfee LiveSafe (test version), 12 Months Warranty
Weight
1.936 kg ( = 68.29 oz / 4.27 pounds), Power Supply: 358 g ( = 12.63 oz / 0.79 pounds)
Price
950 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Size Comparison

380 mm / 15 inch 258 mm / 10.2 inch 22.7 mm / 0.894 inch 2.1 kg4.71 lbs379 mm / 14.9 inch 258 mm / 10.2 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 2 kg4.41 lbs379.5 mm / 14.9 inch 254 mm / 10 inch 22.1 mm / 0.87 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs369 mm / 14.5 inch 252 mm / 9.92 inch 19.95 mm / 0.785 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs369 mm / 14.5 inch 253 mm / 9.96 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 1.9 kg4.27 lbs365 mm / 14.4 inch 257 mm / 10.1 inch 20 mm / 0.787 inch 2 kg4.39 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
77.6 MB/s +5%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
76.1 MB/s +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
74.1 MB/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
73.9 MB/s
Average of class Office
  (8 - 196.8, n=50, last 2 years)
55.6 MB/s -25%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
32.6 MB/s -56%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
25.49 MB/s -66%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
23.9 MB/s -68%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
85.8 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
85.2 MB/s -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
82.5 MB/s -4%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
82.1 MB/s -4%
Average of class Office
  (26.4 - 173.2, n=44, last 2 years)
65.2 MB/s -24%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26.65 MB/s -69%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26.6 MB/s -69%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
24.2 MB/s -72%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Office
  (280 - 1332, n=6, last 2 years)
810 MBit/s +18%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
684 MBit/s
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
683 (667min - 691max) MBit/s 0%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
682 (650min - 687max) MBit/s 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
620 MBit/s -9%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
568 (553min - 591max) MBit/s -17%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Atheros/Qualcomm QCA6174
555 MBit/s -19%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
345 MBit/s -50%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Office
  (348 - 1690, n=6, last 2 years)
852 MBit/s +52%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
634 (437min - 666max) MBit/s +13%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
592 (552min - 637max) MBit/s +6%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Atheros/Qualcomm QCA6174
568 MBit/s +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
559 MBit/s
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
513 MBit/s -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
313 MBit/s -44%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
295 (186min - 388max) MBit/s -47%

Display - IPS on Board

 The Lenovo device brings a 15.6" display to the table which has a native resolution of 1,920x1,080. Whilst the measured contrast of 1,352:1 can be described as 'good', its brightness (271.7 cd/m²) is too low. To be considered good, we find brightness levels above 300 cd/m² are required.

The display is however able to score points with its very good backlight uniformity. With a black background there are a few lighter areas, but these will not be noticeable during normal use. Another positive - the display shows no signs of PWM flickering. 

The E590 is built with a different panel to that included in its sibling device tested by us (which was also Full HD). The values measured in this review device however are only marginally better.

Subpixel
Subpixel
Backlight bloom
Backlight bloom
262
cd/m²
272
cd/m²
274
cd/m²
270
cd/m²
284
cd/m²
283
cd/m²
264
cd/m²
271
cd/m²
265
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Lenovo B156HAN02.1 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 284 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 271.7 cd/m² Minimum: 3 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 286 cd/m²
Contrast: 1352:1 (Black: 0.21 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.4
ΔE Greyscale 3.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
59.7% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
37.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.21% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
59.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
39.88% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.41
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Display
-4%
-1%
7%
-6%
53%
6%
Display P3 Coverage
39.88
38.21
-4%
40
0%
42.83
7%
37.44
-6%
65
63%
42.27
6%
sRGB Coverage
59.9
57.5
-4%
58.2
-3%
64.2
7%
56.4
-6%
85.9
43%
63.5
6%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
41.21
39.47
-4%
41.32
0%
44.29
7%
38.68
-6%
62.8
52%
43.69
6%
Response Times
16%
0%
27%
49%
8%
9%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
47.2 ?(23.6, 23.6)
40 ?(21.2, 18.8)
15%
48 ?(26, 22)
-2%
34.4 ?(17.2, 17.2)
27%
29.6 ?(17.2, 12.4)
37%
44 ?(23, 21)
7%
40 ?(23, 17)
15%
Response Time Black / White *
32.8 ?(19.6, 13.2)
27.6 ?(16.8, 10.8)
16%
32 ?(18, 14)
2%
24.4 ?(14.4, 10)
26%
12.8 ?(8.4, 4.4)
61%
30 ?(19, 11)
9%
32 ?(13, 10)
2%
PWM Frequency
25000 ?(90)
26040 ?(40)
20000 ?(90)
25000 ?(10)
Screen
-2%
7%
0%
-64%
1%
16%
Brightness middle
284
254
-11%
290
2%
242
-15%
229.9
-19%
290
2%
259
-9%
Brightness
272
251
-8%
267
-2%
226
-17%
219
-19%
249
-8%
230
-15%
Brightness Distribution
92
90
-2%
81
-12%
88
-4%
85
-8%
78
-15%
82
-11%
Black Level *
0.21
0.2
5%
0.19
10%
0.21
-0%
0.51
-143%
0.38
-81%
0.19
10%
Contrast
1352
1270
-6%
1526
13%
1152
-15%
451
-67%
763
-44%
1363
1%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.3
5.6
-6%
4.9
8%
4.7
11%
12.49
-136%
4.35
18%
3.13
41%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
18.9
15.4
19%
9.52
50%
18.5
2%
22.29
-18%
11.06
41%
7.81
59%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4.4
4.9
-11%
4
9%
4.01
9%
3.09
30%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.2
3.1
3%
2.92
9%
2.7
16%
12.6
-294%
3.01
6%
1.42
56%
Gamma
2.41 91%
2.22 99%
2.31 95%
2.26 97%
1.84 120%
2.44 90%
2.36 93%
CCT
6736 96%
6450 101%
6091 107%
6442 101%
13565 48%
7198 90%
6391 102%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
37.9
36.3
-4%
37
-2%
40.8
8%
35.7
-6%
56
48%
40
6%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
59.7
57.1
-4%
58
-3%
64
7%
56.2
-6%
86
44%
63
6%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
3% / -0%
2% / 5%
11% / 5%
-7% / -39%
21% / 12%
10% / 13%

* ... smaller is better

The colour accuracy of the display from the factory is perfectly satisfactory. With a DeltaE-2000 colour difference of 5.3 however it does not achieve the required less then 3 target. The display does not suffer from a blue tint. Through calibration, it is possible to achieve an improvement in colour presentation which dropped the DeltaE-2000 to 4.4 and greatly improved presentation of grey tones that were more balanced afterwards. AdobeRGB and sRGB colour spaces cannot be displayed - coverage for these sat at 37.9 and 59.7 percent respectively.

With our provided colour profile you can adjust the display properties to match our calibration - however, it is important to first check if your device has the same display (manufacturer and model number) included, otherwise it may make matters worse rather than better. It is very common for multiple laptops of the exact same model range or number to feature displays from multiple manufacturers.

CalMAN - Color Checker
CalMAN - Color Checker
CalMAN - Greytones
CalMAN - Greytones
CalMAN - Saturation
CalMAN - Saturation
CalMAN - Color Checker (calibrated)
CalMAN - Color Checker (calibrated)
CalMAN - Greytones (calibrated)
CalMAN - Greytones (calibrated)
CalMAN - Saturation (calibrated)
CalMAN - Saturation (calibrated)
ThinkPad vs. AdobeRGB
ThinkPad vs. AdobeRGB
ThinkPad vs. sRGB
ThinkPad vs. sRGB

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
32.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 19.6 ms rise
↘ 13.2 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. » 87 % 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
47.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 23.6 ms rise
↘ 23.6 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. » 79 % 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 not detected

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.

Lenovo has equipped this ThinkPad with an IPS panel featuring good viewing angles, which results in a display readable from any angle. Outdoors, however, presents some difficulties - particularly in direct sunlight. In the shade or on an overcast day things should be fine.

The ThinkPad outdoors (picture taken in direct sunlight).
The ThinkPad outdoors (picture taken in direct sunlight).
The ThinkPad outdoors (picture taken in direct sunlight).
The ThinkPad outdoors (picture taken in direct sunlight).
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance - Unrealised Potential

With the ThinkPad E590 Lenovo has produced a work laptop in 15.6" size with enough performance for general usage scenarios. Our review device is available for approximately 900 Euros (~$1003), but there are innumerable configurations available. At the time of testing, the cheapest model we could find in the store was 549 Euros (~$612/Core i3 8145U, 128 GB NVMe SSD) - this model though comes with an HD display with much worse viewing angles.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
LatencyMon
Intel XTU

Processor

The ThinkPad E590 is powered by a Core i7-8565U (Coffee Lake) quad-core processor which packs enough performance for applications above and beyond normal office and internet usage. This ULV variant has a TDP of 15 watts, and Lenovo has allowed for short periods (up to 28 seconds) of up to 25 watts. This is a relatively low TDP envelope necessitated by the included dedicated GPU - the cooling system would not be able to cope with a higher TDP CPU variant. By comparison, the Core i5-8265U CPU included in the ThinkPad T490s has allowed Lenovo to support a TDP of up to 51 watts as it does not have a dedicated GPU.

The Core i7-8565U has a base clock of 1.8 GHz, with turbo boost on all four cores to 4.1 GHz, 4.5 GHz on two cores, and 4.6 GHz on a single core. During our CineBench testing the CPU reached 3 to 3.2 GHz for a brief period, and then levelled out at 2.3 to 2.5 GHz. The single threaded tests began at 4.1 to 4.5 GHz and then settled at 4.1 to 4.2 GHz. These results were achieved either on battery or plug into mains.

Multi-Thread
Multi-Thread
Single-Thread
Single-Thread

We test whether the CPU is able to maintain longer periods of turbo boost via a continuous 30 minute loop of Cinebench R15.  The results show that clock rates dropped after the first and second runs somewhat and then remained stable. Turbo boost was only able to slightly raise average clock rates.

A quick look at the graph shows that both of the E590 models we tested (both of which have the same Core i7-8565U CPU) produced identical results. This surprised us somewhat as we had expected an improvement in the model with no dedicated GPU. This means that purchasers of the E590 model with dedicated GPU do not have to worry about lower CPU performance.

0306090120150180210240270300330360390420450480510540570Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE Intel Core i7-8565U, Intel Core i7-8565U: Ø505 (501.3-526.77)
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE Intel Core i7-8550U, Intel Core i7-8550U: Ø477 (469-510)
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP Intel Core i7-8550U, Intel Core i7-8550U: Ø537 (500.56-587.96)
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA Intel Core i7-8565U, Intel Core i7-8565U: Ø511 (506.9-545.23)
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110 Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø480 (477.83-508.65)
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø500 (432.57-532.94)
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE Intel Core i7-8565U, Intel Core i7-8565U: Ø503 (498-544)
CPU clock rate during the Cinebench R15 run
CPU clock rate during the Cinebench R15 run
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6968
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
16725
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
9698
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
527 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
80 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
181 Points
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years)
215 Points +19%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
181 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
178 Points -2%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (138.3 - 193, n=51)
172.5 Points -5%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Intel Core i7-8550U
161 Points -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U
156 Points -14%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
142 Points -22%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
Intel Core i5-8250U
139 Points -23%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Intel Core i7-8565U
138.3 Points -24%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (160.8 - 2642, n=120, last 2 years)
1380 Points +162%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (452 - 815, n=52)
612 Points +16%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Intel Core i7-8550U
588 Points +12%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Intel Core i7-8565U
553 (490.31min - 513.51max) Points +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
553 Points +5%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
533 (432.57min - 532.94max) Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
527 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U
521 Points -1%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
Intel Core i5-8250U
508 Points -4%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
6968 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (2682 - 8906, n=16)
6571 Points -6%
Average of class Office
  (3465 - 9351, n=12, last 2 years)
6404 Points -8%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Average of class Office
  (6611 - 40266, n=12, last 2 years)
27456 Points +64%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (13806 - 23118, n=16)
17608 Points +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
16725 Points
Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
Average of class Office
  (181.3 - 764, n=120, last 2 years)
553 Points +28%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
432 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (342 - 472, n=20)
409 Points -5%
CPU (Multi Core)
Average of class Office
  (356 - 5904, n=120, last 2 years)
3055 Points +189%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (954 - 1645, n=20)
1257 Points +19%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
1056 Points
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
16771 Points +35%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
12463 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (10521 - 13703, n=12)
12071 Points -3%
32 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
4096 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
3949 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (3340 - 4820, n=12)
3882 Points -2%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (4762 - 35532, n=19, last 2 years)
18933 Points +45%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (8142 - 16968, n=30)
14179 Points +9%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Intel Core i7-8565U
13226 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
13020 Points
64 Bit Single-Core Score
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Intel Core i7-8565U
5243 Points +3%
Average of class Office
  (2776 - 7072, n=19, last 2 years)
5099 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U
5090 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (2357 - 5547, n=30)
5053 Points -1%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge)
2622 ms * -156%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
1293 ms * -26%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge 42.17134.1.0)
1134 ms * -11%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (730 - 2622, n=43)
1096 ms * -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge 44)
1025 ms *
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge)
946 ms * +8%
Average of class Office
  (479 - 1966, n=111, last 2 years)
742 ms * +28%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (21416 - 93596, n=52, last 2 years)
69674 Points +91%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge 44)
36469 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge)
36084 Points -1%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (13935 - 49795, n=42)
34603 Points -5%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge 42.17134.1.0)
31705 Points -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge)
13935 Points -62%
Speedometer 2.0 - Result
Average of class Office
  (26.1 - 350, n=48, last 2 years)
233 runs/min +273%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge 44)
62.5 runs/min
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (55.5 - 62.5, n=5)
59.7 runs/min -4%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Average of class Office
  (99.2 - 368, n=104, last 2 years)
244 Points +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge 44)
233 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (176 - 239, n=5)
208 Points -11%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (117.1 - 544, n=19, last 2 years)
369 Points +39%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge 44)
265.1 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge)
254.1 Points -4%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (107.6 - 277, n=37)
238 Points -10%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge 42.17134.1.0)
231.9 Points -13%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
223.9 Points -16%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
Intel Core i5-8250U
176.7 Points -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge)
107.6 Points -59%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

The combination of an NVMe SSD and Core i7 CPU provides for a snappy and fluid experience and we encountered no issues. The laptop has more than enough performance for common tasks and good results were achieved in PCMark. A small improvement in performance would be possible by installing a second RAM module which would enable dual channel mode.

Two RAM slots available.
Two RAM slots available.
PCMark 7 Score
5984 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4770 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
5918 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5389 points
PCMark 10 Score
4597 points
Help
PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Office
  (2325 - 7157, n=105, last 2 years)
5312 Points +16%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G
4597 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (4533 - 4597, n=2)
4565 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
3757 Points -18%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
GeForce MX130, i7-8565U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3668 Points -20%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Radeon 530, i5-8550U, Toshiba MQ01ACF050
3455 Points -25%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Samsung SSD PM871b MZNLN256HAJQ
3407 Points -26%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT512G
2486 Points -46%
Essentials
Average of class Office
  (5095 - 20841, n=105, last 2 years)
9781 Points +15%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (8523 - 8649, n=2)
8586 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G
8523 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
7775 Points -9%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
GeForce MX130, i7-8565U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7638 Points -10%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Samsung SSD PM871b MZNLN256HAJQ
7021 Points -18%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Radeon 530, i5-8550U, Toshiba MQ01ACF050
6076 Points -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT512G
5450 Points -36%
Productivity
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G
7964 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (7611 - 7964, n=2)
7788 Points -2%
Average of class Office
  (3041 - 10198, n=105, last 2 years)
7439 Points -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
5930 Points -26%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
GeForce MX130, i7-8565U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5930 Points -26%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Radeon 530, i5-8550U, Toshiba MQ01ACF050
5927 Points -26%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Samsung SSD PM871b MZNLN256HAJQ
5505 Points -31%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT512G
3381 Points -58%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Office
  (1912 - 9056, n=105, last 2 years)
5732 Points +48%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (3884 - 3892, n=2)
3888 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G
3884 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
3124 Points -20%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Radeon 530, i5-8550U, Toshiba MQ01ACF050
3108 Points -20%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
GeForce MX130, i7-8565U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
2958 Points -24%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Samsung SSD PM871b MZNLN256HAJQ
2778 Points -28%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT512G
2264 Points -42%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G
4770 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (4704 - 4770, n=2)
4737 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
4273 Points -10%
Average of class Office
  (2304 - 4830, n=12, last 2 years)
4261 Points -11%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Radeon 530, i5-8550U, Toshiba MQ01ACF050
3983 Points -16%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3461 Points -27%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
GeForce MX130, i7-8565U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3457 Points -28%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Samsung SSD PM871b MZNLN256HAJQ
3113 Points -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT512G
2577 Points -46%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G
5389 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (5256 - 5389, n=2)
5323 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), i5-8550U, Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
5140 Points -5%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
GeForce MX130, i7-8565U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5033 Points -7%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Radeon 530, i5-8550U, Toshiba MQ01ACF050
4781 Points -11%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4769 Points -12%
Average of class Office
  (1854 - 5610, n=12, last 2 years)
3746 Points -30%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT512G
3596 Points -33%

Storage

Lenovo has equipped the E590 with an NVMe SSD from Toshiba - an M.2 2242 model with a total capacity of 256 GB. From the factory, approximately 212 GB is left available for usage with the rest being used by the Windows installation as well as recovery partition. Transfer rates are good, but this model is not at the same level as the top-of-the-range SSDs. NVMe SSDs achieve very high transfer rates compared to SATA III (which is limited to 600 MB/s) due to their direct PCI Express connection.

Inside the laptop there is also a free SATA III connector as well as a slot for a 2.5" drive.

The main system drive is an NVMe SSD.
The main system drive is an NVMe SSD.
If required, an additional 2.5" drive can be installed.
If required, an additional 2.5" drive can be installed.
Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G
Sequential Read: 808 MB/s
Sequential Write: 598 MB/s
512K Read: 585 MB/s
512K Write: 501 MB/s
4K Read: 51.9 MB/s
4K Write: 98.1 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 549 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 294.9 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Toshiba KBG30ZMT512G
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Lenovo LENSE20256GMSP34MEAT2TA
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Toshiba MQ01ACF050
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
Samsung SSD PM871b MZNLN256HAJQ
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Average Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G
 
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
-26%
1%
-93%
83%
-35%
-48%
-3%
Write 4K
111.2
53.4
-52%
86.1
-23%
1.216
-99%
126.1
13%
80.1
-28%
71.8
-35%
100.2 ?(89.1 - 111.2, n=2)
-10%
Read 4K
49.01
33.03
-33%
36.81
-25%
0.451
-99%
43.92
-10%
32.05
-35%
21.23
-57%
48.4 ?(47.7 - 49, n=2)
-1%
Write Seq
586
624
6%
845
44%
117.6
-80%
1669
185%
505
-14%
257.1
-56%
669 ?(586 - 751, n=2)
14%
Read Seq
783
835
7%
1268
62%
120
-85%
2224
184%
528
-33%
476.3
-39%
840 ?(783 - 896, n=2)
7%
Write 4K Q32T1
263
87.4
-67%
161.1
-39%
1.212
-100%
410.4
56%
204.9
-22%
202.6
-23%
232 ?(200 - 263, n=2)
-12%
Read 4K Q32T1
481.5
135.9
-72%
249.6
-48%
0.844
-100%
338.1
-30%
226.6
-53%
282
-41%
398 ?(315 - 482, n=2)
-17%
Write Seq Q32T1
784
784
0%
1034
32%
115.1
-85%
1979
152%
533
-32%
265.6
-66%
792 ?(784 - 800, n=2)
1%
Read Seq Q32T1
1602
1623
1%
1732
8%
121.6
-92%
3368
110%
551
-66%
559
-65%
1573 ?(1544 - 1602, n=2)
-2%

GPU

The ThinkPad has an AMD Polaris GPU on board in the form of a Radeon RX 550X. This GPU supports DirectX 12 and can achieve clock rates of up to 1,176 MHz. It has 2,048 MB of GDDR5 RAM at its disposal. 3DMark benchmark results place the GPU somewhere near the level of the Nvidia GeForce MX150/MX250. This means that the ThinkPad has somewhat more potential graphical performance than other dedicated GPU-equipped competition such as the HP ProBook 450 G6 and Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG. Enabling dual channel RAM mode (by adding a second RAM module) resulted in a slight improvement in 3DMark results, and looking at the details it is clear that it helps more significantly in physics computation. In battery mode the GPU is significantly hobbled, as it is only able to achieve 549 Mhz clock rate.

3D Mark 11 (Mains power)
3D Mark 11 (Mains power)
3D Mark 11 (Dual-channel mode, Mains power)
3D Mark 11 (Dual-channel mode, Mains power)
3D Mark 11 (Battery power)
3D Mark 11 (Battery power)
3D Mark 11 (Dual-channel mode, Battery power)
3D Mark 11 (Dual-channel mode, Battery power)

The RX 550X is definitely not able to reach its potential as it is throttled by Lenovo. AMD rates this GPU at a maximum clock rate of 1,287 Mhz, whereas Lenovo has set this at 1,176 Mhz. In addition, the RAM only has a 64-bit connection instead of the usual AMD-specified 128-bit. This last element in particular results in significantly reduced performance. The assumption here is that Lenovo made these decisions for reasons of thermal dissipation capacity. This was the case with the Radeon RX 550 in the ThinkPad E480 and E580 models also.

The CPU integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 is enabled and the laptop features AMD's graphics-switching technology Enduro. There is no ability to disable the dedicated Radeon GPU in the BIOS.

3DMark 05 Standard
26820 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
21405 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
14630 points
3DMark 11 Performance
5440 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
51411 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
12688 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
3232 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
1162 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Office
  (1474 - 12230, n=115, last 2 years)
5878 Points +10%
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (5332 - 5357, n=2)
5345 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
5332 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-17IKB 81DM
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
4792 Points -10%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
4633 Points -13%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
4558 Points -15%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8550U
4444 Points -17%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i7-8565U
2908 Points -45%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2786 Points -48%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i7-8550U
2654 Points -50%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8565U
1844 Points -65%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8250U
1672 Points -69%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Office
  (5681 - 58068, n=98, last 2 years)
23871 Points +20%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
21545 Points +8%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
21120 Points +6%
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (19931 - 20147, n=2)
20039 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
19931 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-17IKB 81DM
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
19545 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8550U
17423 Points -13%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i7-8565U
13776 Points -31%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
13246 Points -34%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i7-8550U
9466 Points -53%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8565U
9446 Points -53%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Office
  (712 - 8815, n=117, last 2 years)
4072 Points +11%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-17IKB 81DM
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
3698 Points +1%
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (3678 - 3698, n=2)
3688 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
3678 Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
3616 Points -2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
3613 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8550U
2874 Points -22%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i7-8565U
2383 Points -35%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2311 Points -37%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i7-8550U
1990 Points -46%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8565U
1183 Points -68%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Office
  (242 - 3186, n=113, last 2 years)
1323 Points +26%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
1090 Points +4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
1057 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
1051 Points
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (1049 - 1051, n=2)
1050 Points 0%
GFXBench
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U (DirectX 12)
55.3 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
55.3 fps 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U (OpenGL)
40.2 fps -27%
Average of class Office
  (6 - 60, n=6, last 2 years)
27.4 fps -50%
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U (DirectX 12)
33.4 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
33.4 fps 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U (OpenGL)
33.3 fps 0%
Average of class Office
  (3.2 - 83.5, n=6, last 2 years)
20.1 fps -40%
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U (OpenGL)
66.7 fps +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U (DirectX 12)
60 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
60 fps 0%
Average of class Office
  (8.8 - 60.1, n=6, last 2 years)
30.6 fps -49%
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U (DirectX 12)
87.6 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
87.6 fps 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U (OpenGL)
79 fps -10%
Average of class Office
  (7.8 - 213, n=6, last 2 years)
52 fps -41%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
73 fps +16%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
63.2 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
63.2 fps 0%
Average of class Office
  (9.1 - 198.6, n=5, last 2 years)
57.4 fps -9%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
50.3 fps -20%
on screen Car Chase Onscreen
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
69.9 fps +61%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
43.5 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
43.5 fps 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
40 fps -8%
Average of class Office
  (9.3 - 60.1, n=5, last 2 years)
35 fps -20%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
272.2 fps +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
269 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
269 fps 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
178.1 fps -34%
Average of class Office
  (38 - 210, n=4, last 2 years)
82.3 fps -69%
T-Rex Onscreen
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
147 fps +64%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
89.5 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
89.5 fps 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
59.8 fps -33%
Average of class Office
  (35 - 58, n=4, last 2 years)
50.3 fps -44%
GFXBench 3.0
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
146.4 fps +74%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
95.6 fps +13%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
84.3 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
84.3 fps 0%
Average of class Office
  (18 - 24, n=3, last 2 years)
21.7 fps -74%
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
99.7 fps +92%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
59.5 fps +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
52 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
52 fps 0%
Average of class Office
  (23 - 49, n=3, last 2 years)
32 fps -38%
GFXBench 3.1
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
109.6 fps +45%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
75.6 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
75.6 fps 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
73.5 fps -3%
Average of class Office
  (8.2 - 85, n=4, last 2 years)
30.8 fps -59%
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
82.2 fps +69%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
58.2 fps +20%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
48.7 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
48.7 fps 0%
Average of class Office
  (15 - 59, n=4, last 2 years)
33.3 fps -32%
Geekbench 4.4 - Compute OpenCL Score
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
47401 Points +12%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
46144 Points +9%
Average of class Office
  (15919 - 85960, n=19, last 2 years)
42907 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
42373 Points
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (41910 - 42373, n=2)
42142 Points -1%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i7-8565U
32990 Points -22%
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
Room GPUs-only
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
966 Samples/s +113%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
505 Samples/s +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
454 Samples/s
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
454 Samples/s 0%
Sala GPUs-only
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
2649 Samples/s +229%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
895 Samples/s +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), Intel Core i7-8565U
805 Samples/s
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
805 Samples/s 0%

Gaming Performance

This ThinkPad is not a gaming laptop and as a result its performance in gaming is not one of its main target criteria - this is for the best, as in this area it did not achieve good results. As our Witcher 3 testing showed, after a short period of playtime GPU and Graphics RAM clockrates were significantly throttled in order to allow them to cool. This results in significantly reduced frame rates. In our other gaming benchmarks there were also drops in frame rate.

Whilst the Radeon GPU in GPU benchmarks frequently sat alongside Nvidia's GeForce MX150/MX250 GPUs, this was not the case in practical testing, which resulted in the RX 550X falling more often in between the MX150/MX250 and MX130/MX230.

low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 178.4 86.9 69.4 36.8
BioShock Infinite (2013) 171.5 99.3 79.2 28
The Witcher 3 (2015) 62.7 39.4 20 12.6
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 98 87 53.5 49.6
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 42 32.4 28.8
F1 2018 (2018) 52 26 20 14
BioShock Infinite - 1366x768 High Preset
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
94 fps +19%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
89.8 fps +13%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-17IKB 81DM
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
82.8 fps +5%
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (79.2 - 83.8, n=2)
81.5 fps +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
79.2 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
Intel Core i7-8550U, AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop)
72.6 fps -8%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
63.4 fps -20%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Intel Core i7-8550U, AMD Radeon 530
49.4 fps -38%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
Intel Core i7-8565U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
26.3 fps -67%
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
8.1 fps -90%
The Witcher 3 - 1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing
Average of class Office
  (7.82 - 89, n=97, last 2 years)
44.3 fps +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
39.4 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (39 - 39.4, n=2)
39.2 fps -1%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
37.9 fps -4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
35.2 fps -11%
Lenovo IdeaPad 330-17IKB 81DM
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
30.4 fps -23%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
21.3 fps -46%
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
Intel Core i7-8550U, AMD Radeon 530
19.8 fps -50%
Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
52.9 fps +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
49.6 (46.5min) fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (49.1 - 49.6, n=2)
49.4 fps 0%
Average of class Office
  (7.8 - 104.2, n=124, last 2 years)
45.2 fps -9%
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
21 (18.5min) fps -58%
X-Plane 11.11 - 1280x720 low (fps_test=1)
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
56.6 fps +35%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
42 fps
Average of class Office
  (9.12 - 109.9, n=124, last 2 years)
39.9 fps -5%
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
  (11 - 42, n=2)
26.5 fps -37%
Tomb Raider - 1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
85.9 fps +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Intel Core i7-8565U, AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
69.4 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
69.4 fps 0%
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
47.2 fps -32%

In order to test whether or not frame rates can be sustained over a longer play period, we leave the game "The Witcher 3" running for around 60 minutes in 1080p and at maximum detail settings. The playable character is not moved during this time period.

Within just a few minutes we observed noticeable drops in frame rate due to the fact that the clock rates of the GPU and GDDR5 were drastically reduced, and the game was not realistically playable. We ran the test on battery power also where the GPU is only able to run at 549 Mhz. In this test the GPU stayed at a constant level, but the GDDR5 was again repeatedly throttled.

The varied benchmarks we ran show that throttling of the GPU starts when it reaches a temperature of 74/75 degrees celsius (~165/167 degrees Fahrenheit). We can only surmise that the cooling system is simply not capable of absorbing enough heat, or the fan is configured to run too slowly and thus the heat cannot be dissipated quickly enough.

0510Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G; FPS: Ø11.9 (2-15)

As a second comparison, we ran the internal benchmark of the game "F1 2018" at 1080p and medium settings in a loop and then checked the results. Here also, the frame rates suffered big drops. A quick clarification - the peaks of 60 FPS in the graph represent the loading screen between runs of the benchmark.

051015202530354045505560Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), i7-8565U, Toshiba KBG30ZMT256G: Ø22.9 (1-61)
GPU clocks during the Witcher 3 test
GPU clocks during the Witcher 3 test
GPU clocks during a looped run of the built-in F1 2018 benchmark
GPU clocks during a looped run of the built-in F1 2018 benchmark

Emissions - Low Noise

Noise

The ThinkPad did not get particularly loud during our stress testing. At idle the fan is generally not spinning and the laptop is predominantly silent. Under load, the fan does not spin up overly - during our stress test we measured a maximum noise level of 33.9 dB(A). In terms of noise, the E590 is significantly better than its predecessor as it was noticeably quieter.

Noise Level

Idle
29.4 / 29.4 / 29.4 dB(A)
Load
33.9 / 33.9 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: 29.4 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2031.530.530.3312527.726.724.625.13129.827.428.325.1402627.727.5255024.726.425.123.36326.229.825.223.18027.425.223.12410023.123.522.923.612522.121.321.722.616021.821.622.121.820022.422.72222.3250222221.321.731521.921.62122.740023.321.820.623.250023.321.920.2246302422.319.424.58002321.118.923.1100022.821.218.322.8125022.420.917.922.3160022.620.717.122.4200021.719.516.721.2250021.919.616.221315021.118.916.121.1400021.61915.821.3500022.419.615.622.3630019.617.515.419.3800017.816.915.517.11000016.916.115.4161250016.616.415.215.51600021.121.514.815.3SPL33.93229.433.7N21.71.22median 22median 21.1median 17.9median 22.3Delta1.41.62.61.7hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseLenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
i7-8565U, Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
i5-8550U, Radeon RX 550 (Laptop)
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
i5-8550U, Radeon 530
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
i7-8565U, GeForce MX130
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
Average of class Office
 
Noise
-6%
3%
-20%
-2%
-2%
-6%
-0%
7%
off / environment *
29.4
30.1
-2%
29.3
-0%
28.2
4%
29
1%
30.6
-4%
30.3
-3%
29.4 ?(29.3 - 29.4, n=2)
-0%
24.5 ?(21.1 - 29.9, n=103, last 2 years)
17%
Idle Minimum *
29.4
30.1
-2%
29.3
-0%
31.6
-7%
29
1%
31.4
-7%
30.3
-3%
29.4 ?(29.3 - 29.4, n=2)
-0%
24.7 ?(22.4 - 29.9, n=103, last 2 years)
16%
Idle Average *
29.4
30.1
-2%
29.3
-0%
31.8
-8%
29
1%
31.4
-7%
30.3
-3%
29.4 ?(29.3 - 29.4, n=2)
-0%
24.9 ?(22.4 - 30.8, n=103, last 2 years)
15%
Idle Maximum *
29.4
31.6
-7%
29.3
-0%
31.8
-8%
29
1%
31.5
-7%
31
-5%
29.4 ?(29.3 - 29.4, n=2)
-0%
25.9 ?(22.8 - 34.9, n=103, last 2 years)
12%
Load Average *
33.9
37.7
-11%
30.6
10%
45.5
-34%
34.2
-1%
31.9
6%
35.6
-5%
34.1 ?(33.9 - 34.2, n=2)
-1%
34.8 ?(22.8 - 47.6, n=103, last 2 years)
-3%
Witcher 3 ultra *
33.9
49.2
-45%
34.2
-1%
Load Maximum *
33.9
38
-12%
30.6
10%
48.8
-44%
38.4
-13%
31.4
7%
38.6
-14%
34.1 ?(33.9 - 34.2, n=2)
-1%
39.9 ?(27.3 - 49.8, n=103, last 2 years)
-18%

* ... smaller is better

Temperatures

Our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark running for at least one hour) resulted in the processor in the E590 running at clock rates in the range of 2.1 to 2.8 GHz for a few seconds - afterwards these sank to 2 to 2.1 GHz. Further runs resulted in the clock rates sinking even further and they stabilised briefly between 1.3 and 1.4 GHz before it throttled to 400 Mhz. The GPU started the test with a clock of 1,100 MHz, but was quickly throttled later in the testing to a very low 213 MHz. These results were also mirrored in later test runs of "The Witcher 3".


The stress test represents an extreme scenario which would not occur in ordinary usage. Our testing is intended to show whether or not the system is able to run stable under maximum load.

Stress test (start)
Stress test (start)
Stress test (end of run 1)
Stress test (end of run 1)
Stress test (end of run 2)
Stress test (end of run 2)

The ThinkPad got significantly hot under load. During our stress test we measured temperatures above 50 degrees Celcious (~122 degrees Fahrenheit) in the area of the cooling system - as a result, this device should not be used on your lap. Similar temperatures were seen during our test run of "The Witcher 3" (the game ran for 1 hour in Full HD and maximum quality). During general use, temperatures were no problem.

Max. Load
 45.6 °C
114 F
56.7 °C
134 F
46.4 °C
116 F
 
 36.7 °C
98 F
42.3 °C
108 F
38.3 °C
101 F
 
 23.1 °C
74 F
25.4 °C
78 F
23.5 °C
74 F
 
Maximum: 56.7 °C = 134 F
Average: 37.6 °C = 100 F
45.5 °C
114 F
58.1 °C
137 F
46.9 °C
116 F
40.4 °C
105 F
43.8 °C
111 F
38.3 °C
101 F
22.4 °C
72 F
24.2 °C
76 F
23.4 °C
74 F
Maximum: 58.1 °C = 137 F
Average: 38.1 °C = 101 F
Power Supply (max.)  39.8 °C = 104 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 37.6 °C / 100 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 56.7 °C / 134 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 58.1 °C / 137 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 22.6 °C / 73 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 37.8 °C / 100 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 25.4 °C / 77.7 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 (+2.3 °C / 4.2 F).
Temperatures upper (stress test)
Temperatures upper (stress test)
Temperatures bottom (stress test)
Temperatures bottom (stress test)
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
i7-8565U, Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
i5-8550U, Radeon RX 550 (Laptop)
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
i5-8550U, Radeon 530
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
i7-8565U, GeForce MX130
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
Average of class Office
 
Heat
-11%
9%
-8%
14%
8%
4%
-3%
5%
Maximum Upper Side *
56.7
60
-6%
43.8
23%
52.6
7%
39.4
31%
41.5
27%
49
14%
54.9 ?(53.1 - 56.7, n=2)
3%
41 ?(30.4 - 50, n=108, last 2 years)
28%
Maximum Bottom *
58.1
57
2%
43.9
24%
44.4
24%
50.2
14%
40
31%
47.4
18%
61 ?(58.1 - 63.8, n=2)
-5%
43.6 ?(26.2 - 63.6, n=108, last 2 years)
25%
Idle Upper Side *
23.4
29.1
-24%
25.5
-9%
32
-37%
22.9
2%
27.5
-18%
26.6
-14%
24.4 ?(23.4 - 25.4, n=2)
-4%
28.3 ?(21.6 - 38.6, n=107, last 2 years)
-21%
Idle Bottom *
25.9
30.2
-17%
27
-4%
32.8
-27%
24.1
7%
28.4
-10%
26.7
-3%
27 ?(25.9 - 28.1, n=2)
-4%
29.6 ?(22.2 - 47.3, n=107, last 2 years)
-14%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

The stereo speakers are located on the underside of the laptop. We are already familiar with these from the E580. They produce a sound more focused on the mid-range which could benefit from more bass. For better sound, it is recommended to connect a pair of headphones or an external speaker.

Power Management - Impressive Staying Power

Power Consumption

The ThinkPad had no issues in terms of power requirements - at idle we measured a maximum power consumption value of 10.2 watts. This is identical to its predecessor. During our stress testing, this rose up to a maximum of 65.1 watts - the included 65-watt power adapter being fully utilised. During gaming the power consumption was somewhat lower.  We measured consumption during our Witcher 3 testing of up to 49 watts. The backlight increases power consumption by around 1 watt (level 1) or 2 watts (level 2).

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.47 / 0.65 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3.48 / 7.2 / 10.2 Watt
Load midlight 59.6 / 65.1 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 E590-20NB0012GE
i7-8565U, Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
i5-8550U, Radeon RX 550 (Laptop)
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
i5-8550U, Radeon 530
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
i7-8565U, GeForce MX130
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
Average AMD Radeon RX 550X (Laptop)
 
Average of class Office
 
Power Consumption
-28%
13%
-25%
7%
18%
13%
-14%
6%
Idle Minimum *
3.48
7.4
-113%
3.72
-7%
8.2
-136%
3.12
10%
3.8
-9%
3.3
5%
5.14 ?(3.48 - 6.8, n=2)
-48%
4.27 ?(2.2 - 9.4, n=107, last 2 years)
-23%
Idle Average *
7.2
10.4
-44%
7.8
-8%
8.4
-17%
6.3
12%
7.7
-7%
5.6
22%
8.3 ?(7.2 - 9.4, n=2)
-15%
7.32 ?(3.8 - 20.6, n=107, last 2 years)
-2%
Idle Maximum *
10.2
10.3
-1%
10.32
-1%
8.4
18%
9.78
4%
9.3
9%
7.8
24%
11.3 ?(10.2 - 12.4, n=2)
-11%
9.1 ?(4.8 - 23.9, n=107, last 2 years)
11%
Load Average *
59.6
57
4%
30.24
49%
62.6
-5%
57.6
3%
31
48%
54
9%
58.4 ?(57.2 - 59.6, n=2)
2%
40.4 ?(8.7 - 75.2, n=106, last 2 years)
32%
Witcher 3 ultra *
49
53.6
-9%
42
14%
Load Maximum *
65.1
57
12%
44
32%
66.8
-3%
67.3
-3%
34.6
47%
63
3%
64.1 ?(63.1 - 65.1, n=2)
2%
57.4 ?(11.1 - 101.4, n=107, last 2 years)
12%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The ThinkPad laptop ran for a total of 7 hours and 3 minutes in our WLAN test. This uses a script to simulate load by loading websites. The power profile 'Balanced' is selected and the display brightness set to approximagely 150 cd/m². Our video playback test ended after 9 hours and 1 minute which consisted of a looped playback of the short film Big Buck Bunny (H.264 encoding, 1,920x1,080 pixels). The wireless module was deactivated and brightness set to 150 cd/m².

All in all the E590 achieved good battery performance figures, which overall are somewhat better than ThinkPad models which do not have a dedicated GPU.

The battery has a capacity of 45 Wh.
The battery has a capacity of 45 Wh.
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
18h 53min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 44)
7h 03min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
9h 01min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 45min
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE
i7-8565U, Radeon RX 550X (Laptop), 45 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NC0003GE
i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620, 45 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KS001RGE
i5-8550U, Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), 45 Wh
Dell Latitude 15 3590-K8JP
i5-8550U, Radeon 530, 56 Wh
HP ProBook 450 G6-5TJ93EA
i7-8565U, GeForce MX130, 45 Wh
Toshiba Tecra A50-E-110
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 45 Wh
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, 48 Wh
Average of class Office
 
Battery Runtime
-5%
-13%
-6%
6%
-31%
9%
26%
Reader / Idle
1133
1098
-3%
861
-24%
857
-24%
876
-23%
1414 ?(527 - 2359, n=23, last 2 years)
25%
H.264
541
506
-6%
544
1%
462
-15%
516
-5%
691 ?(348 - 1112, n=40, last 2 years)
28%
WiFi v1.3
423
383
-9%
404
-4%
408
-4%
583
38%
291
-31%
505
19%
589 ?(272 - 1137, n=107, last 2 years)
39%
Load
105
105
0%
81
-23%
114
9%
131
25%
118
12%
117 ?(56 - 209, n=65, last 2 years)
11%

Pros

+ Matte IPS display
+ Solid construction
+ Comfortable keyboard
+ Keyboard backlight
+ Excellent trackpad/trackpoint
+ Quiet operation
+ NVMe SSD
+ Free bay for a 2.5" drive
+ Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2
+ Displayport via USB-C

Cons

- Cooling system inadequate
- GPU only able to work for short bursts at full clock rate
- Only 12 months guarantee
- Only microSD card slot

Verdict

The Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE - provided for review by:
The Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE - provided for review by:

The primary purpose of the E590 is a refresh of the product line. The build of the laptop is identical to its predecessor and only the internals have been updated. The Whiskey Lake Core i7 processor delivers higher performance, thanks to its increased clock rates compared to the Kaby Lake processors in the ThinkPad E580 line. As Lenovo have not throttled the Radeon RX 550X GPU as much compared to the RX 550 in the E580, graphics performance is also significantly increased.

The cooling system of the laptop is very quiet but appears to be overwhelmed somewhat with this configuration, which results in the GPU during our stress tests as well as our Witcher 3 tests being repeatedly throttled - resulting in drastically reduced frame rates in games. Anyone looking for a professional laptop which can also serve double duty as a gaming device will be left unsatisfied. The primary purpose of the laptop is for professional applications which utilise GPU acceleration in shorter bursts. The next generation of the ThinkPad E line will require an improved cooling system or a more modest GPU.

With the ThinkPad E590 Lenovo has delivered a potent professional laptop, but it is not without its weak points.

The FHD IPS display scores points with its matte screen, good viewing angles and good contrast, but its brightness is not sufficient for a laptop in this price bracket. The colour space coverage also did not impress - although most of the competition do not do very well here either.

An NVMe SSD ensures that performance is fast and smooth. Swapping the SSD is possible - to do so, the laptop has to be opened. The keyboard left a very good impression and counts amongst the very best laptop keyboards. It also features a two-stage backlight. Battery performance was good overall.

In terms of criticism, the decision to include a MicroSD slot instead of a full-size SD card slot is unfathomable - there is no shortage of space to have been able to include it. Additionally, Lenovo only includes a one-year guarantee with the laptop - these days a two-year guarantee should be the norm. 

Lenovo ThinkPad E590-20NB0012GE - 05/23/2019 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
86 / 98 → 88%
Keyboard
89%
Pointing Device
88%
Connectivity
67 / 80 → 83%
Weight
64 / 20-67 → 93%
Battery
90%
Display
86%
Games Performance
47 / 68 → 69%
Application Performance
92 / 92 → 100%
Temperature
83%
Noise
95%
Audio
60%
Camera
43 / 85 → 50%
Average
76%
88%
Office - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo ThinkPad E590 (i7, RX 550X, SSD, FHD) Laptop Review
Sascha Mölck, 2019-05-23 (Update: 2019-05-30)