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Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Review: AMD Does It Again

AMD dominance in the ThinkPad-series? The predecessor suffered from a dim display and a throttled Whiskey Lake processor. For the first time ever we also take a look at the AMD SKU of this year's Lenovo L-series ThinkPad and are excited to see how well the Ryzen 5 4500U hexa-core performs. After all, the AMD-equipped ThinkPad E14 and T14 notebooks managed their Intel counterparts by significant margins.

The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 is successor to last year’s 14-inch ThinkPad L490. During last year’s review, we noticed that neither the display nor the CPU performed particularly well despite what turned out to be an overall decent package. This year, for the first time in the history of Lenovo’s L-series, you can choose between an Intel and an AMD processor. Lenovo’s L-series sits right in-between the higher-quality T-series and the more affordable entry-level E-series and is aimed primarily at business users. Given that the L14 shares many of its exterior attributes with its predecessor we are going to focus mainly on the new AMD CPU in this review.

Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE (ThinkPad L14 Series)
Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U 6 x 2.3 - 4 GHz, Renoir-U (Zen 2)
Memory
16 GB 
Display
14.00 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, N140HCA-EAC, IPS, glossy: no, 60 Hz
Mainboard
AMD Promontory/Bixby FCH
Storage
WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB, 512 GB 
, 438 GB free
Soundcard
AMD Raven/Renoir/VanGogh/Cezanne - Audio Processor - HD Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm (microphone in / audio out combo port), Card Reader: SmartCard reader, 1 SmartCard, 1 Fingerprint Reader
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), 4G/LTE, LTE
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 20.4 x 331 x 235 ( = 0.8 x 13.03 x 9.25 in)
Battery
45 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p HD
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: 2 x 2W, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
1.688 kg ( = 59.54 oz / 3.72 pounds), Power Supply: 356 g ( = 12.56 oz / 0.78 pounds)
Price
955 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
85 %
12/2020
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
R5 4500U, Vega 6
1.7 kg20.4 mm14.00"1920x1080
85 %
09/2019
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620
1.7 kg22.5 mm14.00"1920x1080
85.6 %
08/2020
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
R5 4500U, Vega 6
1.6 kg17.9 mm14.00"1920x1080
88.8 %
07/2020
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620
1.3 kg16.1 mm14.00"1920x1080
83.2 %
07/2020
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
R5 4500U, Vega 6
1.6 kg18 mm14.00"1920x1080
85.3 %
10/2020
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
i5-10310U, UHD Graphics 620
1.6 kg20.7 mm14.00"1920x1080

Case – Typical ThinkPad

The most important components are easy to get to
The most important components are easy to get to

As expected of Lenovo overall build quality is solid. The ThinkPad L14 neither creaks nor flexes considerably, and the entire top of the 14-inch case is made of roughened plastic despite of which it manages to attract fingerprints. The thin display bezels are slightly rubberized and sit flush with the palm rests with the display lid closed. The two hinges are firm and offer the perfect amount of resistance required to ensure that one-handed opening remains possible. The maximum opening angle is 180 degrees.

Maintenance is simple and straightforward on this model as well given that the bottom panel can be easily removed by undoing a few screws. This will give you access to the most important components, such as for example the RAM which can be upgraded up to 64 GB. The battery, unfortunately, is not user replaceable.

Compared to last year’s L490 the L14 is 2.1 mm thinner and 4 mm narrower. Its weight remained identical at 1.7 kg.

Size Comparison

335 mm / 13.2 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 22.5 mm / 0.886 inch 1.7 kg3.71 lbs331 mm / 13 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 20.4 mm / 0.803 inch 1.7 kg3.72 lbs329 mm / 13 inch 225.8 mm / 8.89 inch 16.1 mm / 0.634 inch 1.3 kg2.8 lbs323 mm / 12.7 inch 216 mm / 8.5 inch 20.7 mm / 0.815 inch 1.6 kg3.52 lbs324 mm / 12.8 inch 238 mm / 9.37 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 1.6 kg3.53 lbs324 mm / 12.8 inch 220 mm / 8.66 inch 17.9 mm / 0.705 inch 1.6 kg3.52 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity – AMD brings HDMI 2.0

Connectivity remained unchanged over last year’s L490. The L-series continues to lack a Thunderbolt port, which is only available on the T-series. Port layout has also remained unchanged over the ThinkPad L490. The main difference is the new HDMI port, which now supports 4K resolutions at 60 instead of 30 Hz.

Keep in mind that the HDMI port differs between the Intel and AMD models. While AMD SKUs support HDMI 2.0 (4k at 60 Hz) Intel SKUs are still limited to HDMI 1.4 (4K at 24 Hz).

USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 with Power Delivery, docking port (USB-C 3.1, LAN), USB-A 3.0, HDMI 2.0, microSD and SIM slot, Ethernet, smart card reader
USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 with Power Delivery, docking port (USB-C 3.1, LAN), USB-A 3.0, HDMI 2.0, microSD and SIM slot, Ethernet, smart card reader
Audio combo port, USB-A 3.0, Kensington lock
Audio combo port, USB-A 3.0, Kensington lock
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)
157 MB/s +102%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
78.4 MB/s +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
77.8 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
76.2 MB/s -2%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
72 MB/s -7%
Average of class Office
  (8 - 196.8, n=50, last 2 years)
55.6 MB/s -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
35.2 MB/s -55%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)
185 MB/s +116%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
85.9 MB/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
85.6 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
85.5 MB/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
84.2 MB/s -2%
Average of class Office
  (26.4 - 173.2, n=44, last 2 years)
65.2 MB/s -24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
49.6 MB/s -42%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1676 (1432min - 1793max) MBit/s +40%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1270 (656min - 1344max) MBit/s +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1264 (638min - 1336max) MBit/s +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1200 (383min - 1438max) MBit/s
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
  (447 - 1645, n=127)
1104 MBit/s -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
929 (407min - 961max) MBit/s -23%
Average of class Office
  (280 - 1332, n=6, last 2 years)
810 MBit/s -32%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
604 MBit/s -50%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
557 (527min - 581max) MBit/s -54%
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1611 (1332min - 1735max) MBit/s +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1370 (1218min - 1490max) MBit/s +3%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1369 (790min - 1450max) MBit/s +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1339 (617min - 1491max) MBit/s +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1327 (1055min - 1389max) MBit/s
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
  (523 - 1684, n=128)
1191 MBit/s -10%
Average of class Office
  (348 - 1690, n=6, last 2 years)
852 MBit/s -36%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
817 (738min - 851max) MBit/s -38%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
647 MBit/s -51%
3834835836837838839831083118312831383Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1327 (1055-1389)
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1200 (383-1438)
ColorChecker
15.1 ∆E
14.7 ∆E
10.7 ∆E
15.6 ∆E
13.4 ∆E
21.9 ∆E
21.4 ∆E
4.6 ∆E
6.3 ∆E
4.4 ∆E
14.2 ∆E
22 ∆E
8.1 ∆E
15.6 ∆E
10.2 ∆E
14.3 ∆E
10.3 ∆E
16.5 ∆E
14.6 ∆E
10 ∆E
9 ∆E
11 ∆E
11.1 ∆E
16.7 ∆E
ColorChecker Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE: 12.98 ∆E min: 4.4 - max: 21.98 ∆E

Display – Only Marginally Better

Screen bleeding
Screen bleeding

Last year’s L490 featured a different panel than its predecessor, and it was barely any brighter than the L480’s display that was significantly too dim. This year, we see yet another panel in the ThinkPad L14, the Innolux N140HCA-EAC – basically a cheaper model of the ThinkPad T14s’s Innolux N140HCG-GQ2 panel.

237
cd/m²
245
cd/m²
239
cd/m²
242
cd/m²
259
cd/m²
242
cd/m²
240
cd/m²
253
cd/m²
238
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
N140HCA-EAC tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 259 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 243.9 cd/m² Minimum: 3.6 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 260 cd/m²
Contrast: 1233:1 (Black: 0.21 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 3.8
ΔE Greyscale 1.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
62.9% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
40% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
43.37% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
63% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
41.96% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.04
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
N140HCA-EAC, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Lenovo LEN40A9, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
B140HAN05.7, a-Si IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
N140HCG-GQ2, IPS , 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
B140HAN05.7, LTPS AHVA-IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
BOE0868, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
BOE NV14N4F, a-Si IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00
Display
0%
-9%
58%
56%
-5%
-7%
Display P3 Coverage
41.96
41.93
0%
38.16
-9%
66.8
59%
66.6
59%
39.92
-5%
39.02
-7%
sRGB Coverage
63
62.8
0%
57.2
-9%
97.9
55%
96.8
54%
59.6
-5%
58
-8%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
43.37
43.35
0%
39.42
-9%
69
59%
67.6
56%
41.25
-5%
40.32
-7%
Response Times
11%
-1%
36%
-23%
2%
-9%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
42 ?(21.6, 20.4)
37.6 ?(20.4, 17.2)
10%
46.4 ?(23.2, 23.2)
-10%
32.4 ?(16.4, 16)
23%
63.2 ?(31.6, 31.6)
-50%
40 ?(22, 18)
5%
46 ?(24, 22)
-10%
Response Time Black / White *
29.6 ?(15.6, 14)
26.4 ?(14, 12.4)
11%
27.2 ?(16.8, 12.4)
8%
15.2 ?(6.8, 8.4)
49%
28 ?(12.4, 15.6)
5%
30 ?(17, 13)
-1%
32 ?(18, 14)
-8%
PWM Frequency
25000 ?(40)
26040 ?(50)
192 ?(90)
1000 ?(90)
Screen
-14%
-22%
34%
29%
-34%
-36%
Brightness middle
259
252
-3%
281
8%
404
56%
404
56%
277
7%
235
-9%
Brightness
244
238
-2%
264
8%
371
52%
397
63%
270
11%
219
-10%
Brightness Distribution
92
82
-11%
87
-5%
88
-4%
92
0%
88
-4%
81
-12%
Black Level *
0.21
0.32
-52%
0.25
-19%
0.34
-62%
0.21
-0%
0.285
-36%
0.21
-0%
Contrast
1233
788
-36%
1124
-9%
1188
-4%
1924
56%
972
-21%
1119
-9%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.3
4.6
-7%
5.8
-35%
1.4
67%
3.1
28%
5.53
-29%
6.11
-42%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
17.7
18.5
-5%
22.3
-26%
3.2
82%
4.7
73%
10.68
40%
16.6
6%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
3.8
4
-5%
4.9
-29%
0.8
79%
1.3
66%
4.43
-17%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
1.5
2
-33%
3.2
-113%
1.6
-7%
3.4
-127%
6.2
-313%
5.52
-268%
Gamma
2.04 108%
2 110%
2.15 102%
2.13 103%
2.38 92%
2.34 94%
2.33 94%
CCT
6609 98%
6524 100%
6452 101%
6480 100%
7070 92%
7342 89%
6680 97%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
40
40
0%
36.2
-9%
63
58%
61.8
55%
38
-5%
37
-7%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
62.9
62.7
0%
56.9
-10%
97.9
56%
96.6
54%
59
-6%
58
-8%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-1% / -8%
-11% / -17%
43% / 39%
21% / 28%
-12% / -24%
-17% / -27%

* ... smaller is better

Subpixel array
Subpixel array

The differences between the L and the T-series are very obvious in regard to maximum brightness (244 vs. 371 nits) as well as color space coverage, and the L14 is far behind its more expensive business sibling. When compared with the L490, brightness remained practically identical with some improvements in contrast ratio and black level. That said our review unit still managed to outperform the HP and Dell.

Indirect sunlight
Indirect sunlight
Direct sunlight
Direct sunlight

Outdoor usability was decent even in bright environments, but you should definitely avoid direct light sources. In order to get comfortable, you need an overcast day or at least full shade.

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
29.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 15.6 ms rise
↘ 14 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 76 % 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
42 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 21.6 ms rise
↘ 20.4 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 63 % 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.

The panel itself is a relatively inexpensive IPS panel that continued to suffer from major color deviations even post calibration. The L14 is thus unsuitable for serious photo editing but should work perfectly fine in typical office and business environments.

CalMAN: grayscale (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: grayscale (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (uncalibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance – No Throttling with AMD

Processor

AMD’s Ryzen 5 4500U does not support Hyperthreading on its six Zen 2 cores and thus features exactly as many threads as it has cores to offer. It does, however, run at a slightly higher base clock speed of 2.3 GHz with a turbo boost of up to 4 GHz. Additional details can be found on our dedicated page.

In multi-core benchmarks, the AMD Ryzen 5-powered ThinkPad L14 performed similarly to the recently reviewed ThinkPad E14 and outperformed its identically equipped HP ProBook 445 and Dell Latitude 14 competitors. We also found no evidence of throttling as performance remained stable and consistent even after 20 consecutive runs into our CineBench loop, much unlike Intel CPUs whose performance tends to drop significantly after the first run. Long story short: Intel CPUs seem to be more susceptible to performance throttling than AMD CPUs.

All Ryzen 5 notebooks performed almost identically in our single-core benchmark and managed to outperform Intel’s Core i5 by a small margin.

050100150200250300350400450500550600650700750800850Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Ryzen 5 4500U: Ø865 (852.57-888.2)
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600 Intel Core i5-8265U, Intel Core i5-8265U: Ø508 (503.65-519)
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00 AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Ryzen 5 4500U: Ø845 (836.07-873.42)
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel Core i5-10210U: Ø564 (557.76-618.79)
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Ryzen 5 4500U: Ø761 (743.73-893.95)
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D Intel Core i5-10310U, Intel Core i5-10310U: Ø582 (561.87-767.37)
Cinebench R20: CPU (Single Core) | CPU (Multi Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Single 64Bit | CPU Multi 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Average of class Office
  (181.3 - 764, n=120, last 2 years)
553 Points +23%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
468 Points +4%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
453 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
453 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
451 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (424 - 453, n=12)
446 Points -1%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
438 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
414 Points -8%
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Average of class Office
  (356 - 5904, n=120, last 2 years)
3055 Points +36%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
3050 Points +35%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
2253 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (1843 - 2530, n=13)
2236 Points -1%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
2208 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
2173 Points -4%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
1511 Points -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
1323 Points -41%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years)
215 Points +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
181 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
177 Points +2%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
175 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
174 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (156 - 177, n=13)
172.8 Points -1%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
170 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Core i5-8265U
164 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
163 Points -6%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (160.8 - 2642, n=120, last 2 years)
1380 Points +55%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
1346 (1300.6min - 1345.67max) Points +52%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (715 - 1007, n=18)
896 Points +1%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
894 (743.73min - 893.95max) Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
888 (852.57min - 888.2max) Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
873 (836.07min - 873.42max) Points -2%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
767 (561.87min - 767.37max) Points -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
619 (557.76min - 618.79max) Points -30%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Core i5-8265U
519 Points -42%
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Core i5-8265U
877 Seconds * -56%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
863 Seconds * -54%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
797 Seconds * -42%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
645 Seconds * -15%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (533 - 748, n=11)
603 Seconds * -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
584 Seconds * -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
562 Seconds *
Average of class Office
  (214 - 2844, n=121, last 2 years)
543 Seconds * +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
367 Seconds * +35%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Average of class Office
  (2233 - 6687, n=122, last 2 years)
4967 MIPS +15%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
4467 MIPS +4%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
4315 MIPS 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
4312 MIPS
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (4235 - 4338, n=11)
4290 MIPS -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
4282 MIPS -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
4211 MIPS -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Core i5-8265U
4189 MIPS -3%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
3615 MIPS -16%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
39649 MIPS +59%
Average of class Office
  (4226 - 62349, n=121, last 2 years)
34257 MIPS +37%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
24996 MIPS
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (22466 - 25891, n=11)
24384 MIPS -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
24058 MIPS -4%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
23877 MIPS -4%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
18310 MIPS -27%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
17548 MIPS -30%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Core i5-8265U
15753 MIPS -37%
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core
Average of class Office
  (510 - 1974, n=123, last 2 years)
1452 Points +34%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
1149 Points +6%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
1122 Points +3%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (1082 - 1220, n=10)
1109 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
1108 Points +2%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
1088 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
1085 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
1072 Points -1%
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core
Average of class Office
  (1018 - 11980, n=123, last 2 years)
6503 Points +47%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
6444 Points +46%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (4352 - 6234, n=10)
4774 Points +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
4618 Points +5%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
4440 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
4409 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
3899 Points -12%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
3854 Points -13%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
9.55 fps +38%
Average of class Office
  (1.55 - 17.4, n=121, last 2 years)
9.04 fps +30%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
6.98 fps +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
6.93 fps
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (5.86 - 7.33, n=10)
6.8 fps -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
4.61 fps -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Core i5-8265U
4.2 fps -39%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
3.88 fps -44%
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
78 s * -29%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
69.1 s * -14%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (58.2 - 78, n=11)
66.4 s * -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
64.3 s * -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
60.5 s *
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
60 s * +1%
Average of class Office
  (31.3 - 117.5, n=121, last 2 years)
57.3 s * +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
53.2 s * +12%
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U
0.806 sec * -24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U
0.729 sec * -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
0.648 sec *
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
0.638 sec * +2%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  (0.614 - 0.654, n=10)
0.636 sec * +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
0.616 sec * +5%
Average of class Office
  (0.4244 - 1.397, n=120, last 2 years)
0.593 sec * +8%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
888 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
51 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
174 Points
Help

System Performance

PC Mark 10
PC Mark 10

Compared to its competitors, the ThinkPad L14 performed average in PCMark 10. Nevertheless, it performed above average for an office and business notebook, which became noticeable not only in this particular synthetic benchmark but also during everyday use. 

PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Office
  (2325 - 7157, n=105, last 2 years)
5312 Points +20%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
Vega 7, R7 PRO 4750U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00
4890 Points +11%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (4393 - 5024, n=12)
4683 Points +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G
4433 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
Vega 6, R5 4500U, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
4425 Points
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU
4393 Points -1%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10310U, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
3980 Points -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ
3929 Points -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
3790 Points -14%
Essentials
Average of class Office
  (5095 - 20841, n=105, last 2 years)
9781 Points +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
Vega 7, R7 PRO 4750U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00
9034 Points +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G
8823 Points +3%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (8204 - 9124, n=11)
8669 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
Vega 6, R5 4500U, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
8578 Points
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU
8327 Points -3%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10310U, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
8289 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ
8267 Points -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
8015 Points -7%
Productivity
Average of class Office
  (3041 - 10198, n=105, last 2 years)
7439 Points +14%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (6400 - 7752, n=11)
6987 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
Vega 7, R7 PRO 4750U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00
6877 Points +6%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU
6530 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
Vega 6, R5 4500U, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
6501 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ
6408 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G
6400 Points -2%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10310U, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
6399 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
6275 Points -3%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Office
  (1912 - 9056, n=105, last 2 years)
5732 Points +36%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
Vega 7, R7 PRO 4750U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00
5109 Points +21%
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (4189 - 4808, n=11)
4517 Points +7%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU
4233 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
Vega 6, R5 4500U, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
4218 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G
4189 Points -1%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10310U, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
3225 Points -24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ
3108 Points -26%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
2937 Points -30%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
Vega 7, R7 PRO 4750U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00
4640 Points
Average of class Office
  (2304 - 4830, n=12, last 2 years)
4261 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (3889 - 4658, n=9)
4227 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G
4223 Points
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU
4064 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ
3673 Points
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10310U, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
3499 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
3252 Points
Work Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
Vega 7, R7 PRO 4750U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00
5570 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G
5414 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (5084 - 5543, n=9)
5266 Points
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU
5147 Points
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10310U, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
5098 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ
5032 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
4700 Points
Average of class Office
  (1854 - 5610, n=12, last 2 years)
3746 Points
PCMark 10 Score
4425 points
Help
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
Acer TravelMate P6 P614-51T-G2-72ZU
UHD Graphics 620, i7-10510U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU
2865 μs * -102%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ
2080 μs * -46%
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10310U, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
2050 μs * -44%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
Vega 6, R5 4500U, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
1420 μs *
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU
935 μs * +34%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Vega 6, R5 4500U, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G
590 μs * +58%

* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

Our review unit featured a 512 GB Wester Digital SSD (WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB) whose very important (from the operating system’s point of view at least) CrystalDiskMark 5.2 read/write 4K performance was lower than on all of its competitors. In AS SSD, its 4K read performance was lower than expected as well. We also found a significant performance difference between running on battery and running on mains. Without an active power supply, the read seq numbers dropped by almost 40 %.

Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ
Average WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
 
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
13%
8%
11%
2%
42%
29%
45%
Write 4K
76.7
128.3
67%
102.3
33%
144.6
89%
95.5
25%
108
41%
117.5
53%
140.9 ?(76.7 - 196.3, n=5)
84%
Read 4K
32.04
61.6
92%
32.12
0%
38.08
19%
47.14
47%
39.82
24%
40.81
27%
45.6 ?(32 - 54.2, n=5)
42%
Write Seq
1019
846
-17%
1518
49%
1320
30%
1251
23%
2028
99%
2031
99%
2066 ?(1019 - 2644, n=5)
103%
Read Seq
2014
1425
-29%
1501
-25%
1397
-31%
1624
-19%
1826
-9%
1970
-2%
2014 ?(1708 - 2508, n=5)
0%
Write 4K Q32T1
415.6
503
21%
356.4
-14%
324.2
-22%
333.5
-20%
570
37%
395.5
-5%
472 ?(416 - 637, n=5)
14%
Read 4K Q32T1
367.1
418.7
14%
459.6
25%
434.8
18%
335.2
-9%
401.5
9%
361.4
-2%
453 ?(367 - 547, n=5)
23%
Write Seq Q32T1
1337
1391
4%
1507
13%
1382
3%
1234
-8%
3091
131%
2330
74%
2433 ?(1337 - 2713, n=5)
82%
Read Seq Q32T1
2850
1570
-45%
2327
-18%
2354
-17%
2247
-21%
2872
1%
2530
-11%
3237 ?(2850 - 3405, n=5)
14%
AS SSD
-15%
-64%
-21%
-81%
13%
-7%
0%
Seq Read
2247
1262
-44%
2007
-11%
1936
-14%
1837
-18%
2291
2%
2631
17%
2506 ?(1939 - 2901, n=6)
12%
Seq Write
1079
735
-32%
1118
4%
1213
12%
700
-35%
1343
24%
1191
10%
1655 ?(1079 - 2495, n=6)
53%
4K Read
42.52
46.44
9%
46.95
10%
44.09
4%
44.5
5%
42.56
0%
44.76
5%
42.2 ?(38.6 - 46.6, n=6)
-1%
4K Write
129.1
137.5
7%
124
-4%
118.5
-8%
90.1
-30%
132.2
2%
124.7
-3%
127.5 ?(88.8 - 154.9, n=6)
-1%
4K-64 Read
1316
685
-48%
1221
-7%
867
-34%
905
-31%
850
-35%
756
-43%
1061 ?(772 - 1416, n=6)
-19%
4K-64 Write
1332
905
-32%
774
-42%
838
-37%
447.8
-66%
2262
70%
1300
-2%
1480 ?(990 - 1933, n=6)
11%
Access Time Read *
0.086
0.025
71%
0.108
-26%
0.122
-42%
0.16
-86%
0.05
42%
0.089
-3%
0.1012 ?(0.055 - 0.142, n=5)
-18%
Access Time Write *
0.029
0.025
14%
0.195
-572%
0.034
-17%
0.175
-503%
0.028
3%
0.03
-3%
0.03833 ?(0.027 - 0.07, n=6)
-32%
Score Read
1583
858
-46%
1468
-7%
1105
-30%
1133
-28%
1121
-29%
1064
-33%
1354 ?(1108 - 1708, n=6)
-14%
Score Write
1569
1116
-29%
1009
-36%
1078
-31%
608
-61%
2529
61%
1544
-2%
1772 ?(1283 - 2217, n=6)
13%
Score Total
3907
2400
-39%
3191
-18%
2721
-30%
2273
-42%
4185
7%
3090
-21%
3781 ?(3083 - 4568, n=6)
-3%
Copy ISO MB/s
1164
1181
2546
1813
1903 ?(1597 - 2074, n=3)
Copy Program MB/s
445.1
410.5
428.6
524
533 ?(476 - 630, n=3)
Copy Game MB/s
646
835
943
350.5
1074 ?(879 - 1326, n=3)
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-1% / -3%
-28% / -34%
-5% / -7%
-40% / -46%
28% / 25%
11% / 8%
23% / 19%

* ... smaller is better

WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 2850 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1337 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 367.1 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 415.6 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 2014 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 1019 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 32.04 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 76.7 MB/s

Sustained Read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

No graph data

GPU Performance

GPU-Z screenshot
GPU-Z screenshot

The Ryzen 5 features an AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 GPU with 8 CUs running at 1.2 GHz. This new GPU is a giant leap compared to the L490’s ancient Intel UHD Graphics 620, which is best exemplified by the fact that scores in 3DMark 11 doubled. Thus, the AMD-powered L-series is capable of taking on its Intel-equipped T-series that continues to include Intel’s UHD Graphics 620, and thus only performed half as well in our benchmarks. That said our review unit could have achieved even better scores with dual-channel RAM instead of its default single-channel configuration. Take for example the ThinkPad E14 with the very same iGPU as the L14 but dual-channel instead of single-channel mode RAM: it ran up to 29 % faster.

The L14 passed our stress test with flying colors. You will find more details in the emissions section under temperature below. Performance dropped slightly on battery. In 3DMark 11, we noticed a 5 % decrease in CPU (6,664 vs. 7,061 in Physics) and 9 % decrease in GPU performance (3,092 vs. 3,401 in Graphics).Gaming performance was right where we would have expected it to be. Overall, the L14 performed slightly below average for an AMD Radeon RX Vega 6. AMD’s Radeon RX Vega 7, such as we find for example in Lenovo’s T14s, was significantly faster, and outperformed our L14 by 10 FPS on average in FHD, a very common gaming display resolution.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Office
  (1474 - 12230, n=115, last 2 years)
5878 Points +73%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
5399 Points +59%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
4392 Points +29%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (3401 - 4713, n=23)
4146 Points +22%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
3683 Points +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
3401 Points
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10310U
1878 Points -45%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8265U
1737 Points -49%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Office
  (5681 - 58068, n=98, last 2 years)
23871 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
21604 Points
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (15227 - 24163, n=16)
20712 Points
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
16755 Points
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10310U
9010 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8265U
8500 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Office
  (712 - 8815, n=117, last 2 years)
4072 Points +78%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
3593 Points +57%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
2802 Points +23%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (2122 - 3239, n=23)
2673 Points +17%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
2313 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
2285 Points
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10310U
1148 Points -50%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8265U
1084 Points -53%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Office
  (242 - 3186, n=113, last 2 years)
1323 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
821 Points
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (650 - 996, n=22)
821 Points
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10310U
374 Points
3DMark 11 Performance
3531 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2025 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Gaming performance was right where we would have expected it to be. Overall, the L14 performed slightly below average for an AMD Radeon RX Vega 6. AMD’s Radeon RX Vega 7, such as we find for example in Lenovo’s T14s, was significantly faster, and outperformed our L14 by 10 FPS on average in FHD, a very common gaming display resolution.

The Witcher 3
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing
Average of class Office
  (8.4 - 149, n=102, last 2 years)
71.3 fps +104%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
64.9 fps +85%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
52.7 (43min - 57max) fps +51%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (32.8 - 60, n=21)
46.9 fps +34%
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
36.1 (30min - 41max) fps +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
35 (28min - 41max) fps
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Intel Core i5-10310U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
17.6 (13min - 23max) fps -50%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
16.8 fps -52%
1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing
Average of class Office
  (7.82 - 89, n=97, last 2 years)
44.3 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (21.3 - 39, n=13)
29.6 fps
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
22.6 (19min - 27max) fps
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
Average of class Office
  (3.49 - 59.1, n=103, last 2 years)
24.3 fps +106%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
20.7 fps +75%
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
16.1 (13min - 18max) fps +36%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (10.7 - 19.4, n=20)
15 fps +27%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
11.8 (10min - 15max) fps
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
11.6 (9min - 14max) fps -2%
Far Cry 5
1280x720 Low Preset AA:T
Average of class Office
  (19 - 95, n=48, last 2 years)
46.6 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
37 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (24 - 46, n=12)
33.2 fps
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
24 fps
1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:T
Average of class Office
  (10 - 45, n=46, last 2 years)
24.7 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
18 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (11 - 21, n=10)
15.8 fps
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
11 fps
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T
Average of class Office
  (9 - 39, n=46, last 2 years)
22.3 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
17 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (11 - 19, n=7)
15.4 fps
F1 2020
1280x720 Ultra Low Preset
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
81 fps +56%
Average of class Office
  (16.3 - 137.4, n=7, last 2 years)
60.8 fps +17%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (49.7 - 74, n=7)
60.4 fps +16%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
52 (47min - 59max) fps
Acer TravelMate P6 P614-51T-G2-72ZU
Intel Core i7-10510U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
28 (24min - 32max) fps -46%
1920x1080 Medium Preset AF:16x
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
40 fps +60%
Average of class Office
  (13.1 - 66.3, n=6, last 2 years)
30.4 fps +22%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (20 - 34, n=7)
27.2 fps +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
25 (19min - 29max) fps
Acer TravelMate P6 P614-51T-G2-72ZU
Intel Core i7-10510U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
13 (11min - 15max) fps -48%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:16x
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
30 fps +58%
Average of class Office
  (12.9 - 49.7, n=6, last 2 years)
23.2 fps +22%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (15 - 26, n=6)
20.9 fps +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
19 (15min - 22max) fps
Acer TravelMate P6 P614-51T-G2-72ZU
Intel Core i7-10510U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
10 (9min - 12max) fps -47%
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
21 fps +50%
Average of class Office
  (8.72 - 32.5, n=4, last 2 years)
18.1 fps +29%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
  (14 - 19, n=4)
16.6 fps +19%
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
14 (11min - 17max) fps
low med. high ultra
The Witcher 3 (2015) 35 11.8
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 90.6 70.7 34.7 32.7
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 37.9 27.8 25.1
F1 2020 (2020) 52 25 19 14

Emissions – Quiet Fan, Quiet Speaker

Noise Emissions

Just like its predecessor and the ThinkPad T14s our review unit remained pleasantly quiet overall. It peaked at just 32.8 dB(A) during our stress test, which was a pleasant surprise. Fan noise frequency was also very pleasant overall and not at all annoying even after long periods of time. We found no evidence of coil whine on our review unit.

Noise Level

Idle
29.2 / 29.2 / 29.7 dB(A)
Load
30.5 / 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 TM-1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 29.2 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2034.731.733.433.937.12530.228.227.327.330.33129.929.328.828.431.2403226.628.726.928.65028.728.528.127.226.76326262622.726.68026.524.42423.923.610025.824.425.425.325.612523.223.223.72323.216023.723.22423.523.520023.922.72422.92325024.8232421.923.831521.321.922.420.821.640021.320.92120.421.250022.922.522.820.32263021.920.620.619.121.180020.919.219.518.120.7100021.120.619.218.121.5125021.219.618.617.421.2160021.919.518.416.321.4200021.418.917.31621.6250021.118.516.915.921.4315021.417.616.615.82140002118.316.615.720.95000191716.115.819630017.216.215.915.717.1800016.1161615.716.11000015.715.815.915.515.71250015.615.615.515.415.61600016.417.116.515.216.4SPL32.83130.429.232.6N1.81.51.41.21.8median 21.3median 19.5median 18.6median 17.4median 21.2Delta22.832.3228.627.527.627.125.925.326.825.326.825.126.224.427.421.925.427.522.324.722.521.923.225.222.825.721.42222.521.921.422.321.920.521.921.823.221.52120.920.22119.219.721.519.519.720.918.519.321.818.118.521.317.817.521.617.217.124.916.516.124.116.416.222.915.615.622.715.315.520.115.115.318.515.115.317.515.215.315.81515.215.214.815.114.914.714.914.714.614.733.628.828.91.81.21.2median 21.4median 17.2median 17.11.92.92.733.233.332.834.133.235.933.232.433.635.932.133.833.233.532.13031.331.230.83033.931.529.63133.928.628.528.228.628.62727.227.926.72725.726.425.72525.728.426.525.42528.425.624.724.223.825.624.22423.123.224.223.123.322.723.223.122.122.22221.822.121.521.520.320.321.52120.719.719.72121.920.219.219.721.92119.81918.52122.519.918.918.322.523.820.818.318.123.823.720.41818.123.724.820.618.218.124.824.62118.11824.62420.918.418.5242319.218.418.52320.218.918.518.520.219.218.918.718.619.218.91918.718.618.918.718.818.718.618.718.718.918.61918.718.819.318.819.218.834.832.330.930.934.82.11.71.51.52.1median 22.5median 20.6median 18.8median 18.6median 22.52.21.81.61.72.2hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseLenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GELenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA

Temperature

Stress test
Stress test

Overall, the ThinkPad L14’s temperatures around the keyboard area were better than its L490 predecessor’s with Whiskey Lake that tended to reach up to 46 °C in the top right corner. In comparison, our AMD-powered review unit peaked at 43 °C. Unfortunately, temperatures around the palm rests are around 7 °C higher than on the L490. The L14’s hot spot is located at the bottom rear where it peaked at around 50 °C – too hot for lap use.

Power consumption very quickly settled at 25 W during our stress test resulting in around 2.8 GHz and around 890 MHz for CPU and GPU, respectively.

Max. Load
 39.9 °C
104 F
41.4 °C
107 F
38.5 °C
101 F
 
 37.2 °C
99 F
39 °C
102 F
42.9 °C
109 F
 
 25.8 °C
78 F
32.4 °C
90 F
32.1 °C
90 F
 
Maximum: 42.9 °C = 109 F
Average: 36.6 °C = 98 F
42.7 °C
109 F
45.8 °C
114 F
40.6 °C
105 F
44.1 °C
111 F
49.5 °C
121 F
40.2 °C
104 F
31.4 °C
89 F
31.5 °C
89 F
28.4 °C
83 F
Maximum: 49.5 °C = 121 F
Average: 39.4 °C = 103 F
Power Supply (max.)  38.6 °C = 101 F | Room Temperature 21.1 °C = 70 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 36.6 °C / 98 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 42.9 °C / 109 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 49.5 °C / 121 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.2 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (32.4 °C / 90.3 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-4.7 °C / -8.4 F).
Heatmap stress test (top)
Heatmap stress test (top)
Heatmap stress test (bottom)
Heatmap stress test (bottom)

Speakers

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2033.9362527.329.63128.435.14026.934.25027.229.26322.730.28023.928.810025.328.61252332.316023.539.120022.94625021.95031520.852.240020.454.950020.357.263019.159.180018.160.1100018.156.8125017.459.4160016.359.220001659.4250015.955.2315015.856.3400015.751.8500015.851.3630015.754.7800015.7491000015.545.11250015.439.51600015.237.7SPL29.268.7N1.224.2median 17.4median 52.2Delta2.37.232.834.132.836.733.636.735.233.535.232.330.832.330.53130.530.628.630.629.326.729.328.32528.333.22533.241.623.841.642.923.242.949.123.249.154.821.854.866.820.366.86619.7666419.76462.418.562.468.818.368.873.518.173.569.318.169.372.318.172.371.91871.974.818.574.873.218.573.276.818.576.867.918.667.967.418.667.46918.66966.41966.464.619.264.683.930.983.957.11.557.1median 66.8median 18.6median 66.88.21.78.223.124.223.129.831.429.831.232.631.229.426.229.424.329.224.324.724.524.735.119.235.146.915.246.95114.55145.613.645.646.913.546.950.211.150.253.510.853.558.610.858.662.910.462.966.210.966.273.610.473.673.21173.267.611.467.670.611.570.674.311.874.374.712.474.771.813.171.873.513.573.568.713.868.774.414.174.477.514.477.576.21576.274.615.774.665.214.865.285.124.985.162.60.662.6median 68.7median 13.1median 68.78.31.88.3hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GEHP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EADell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (68.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 10.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.1% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 65% of all tested devices in this class were better, 10% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 67% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.1% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.8% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 34% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 57% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 45% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 48% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (77.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.6% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.2% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 14% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 81% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 20% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 75% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management – AMD Is Power Hungry

Power Consumption

Compared to its predecessor, power consumption increased by around 13 %. At maximum load it drew 50.6 W through its 65 W power supply. Our comparison table also reveals that Lenovo’s AMD-powered notebooks on average tend to have a higher power consumption than their Intel-equipped counterparts.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.43 / 0.63 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.4 / 7.7 / 8.9 Watt
Load midlight 31.3 / 50.6 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 L14-20U50003GE
R5 4500U, Vega 6, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ, LTPS AHVA-IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
R5 4500U, Vega 6, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
i5-10310U, UHD Graphics 620, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe, a-Si IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
R5 4500U, Vega 6, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G, a-Si IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
R7 PRO 4750U, Vega 7, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00, IPS , 1920x1080, 14.00
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
 
Average of class Office
 
Power Consumption
13%
16%
11%
13%
-7%
-14%
3%
-7%
Idle Minimum *
4.4
3.5
20%
2.6
41%
3.5
20%
2.9
34%
4.6
-5%
5.7
-30%
3.98 ?(3.7 - 5.8, n=23)
10%
4.27 ?(2.2 - 9.4, n=107, last 2 years)
3%
Idle Average *
7.7
6.3
18%
5.5
29%
6.2
19%
4.5
42%
7.6
1%
8.9
-16%
6.53 ?(5 - 8.4, n=23)
15%
7.32 ?(3.8 - 20.6, n=107, last 2 years)
5%
Idle Maximum *
8.9
8.7
2%
7.5
16%
8.8
1%
7.4
17%
9.7
-9%
11
-24%
8.65 ?(5.3 - 11, n=23)
3%
9.1 ?(4.8 - 23.9, n=107, last 2 years)
-2%
Load Average *
31.3
28.7
8%
28.2
10%
30
4%
34.6
-11%
39.1
-25%
38.2
-22%
35 ?(27.6 - 48, n=23)
-12%
40.4 ?(8.7 - 75.2, n=106, last 2 years)
-29%
Witcher 3 ultra *
33
Load Maximum *
50.6
41.8
17%
59.6
-18%
45
11%
60
-19%
50.3
1%
40.2
21%
51.5 ?(35.4 - 97.2, n=23)
-2%
57.4 ?(11.1 - 101.4, n=107, last 2 years)
-13%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Compared to its Whiskey Lake-equipped predecessor the AMD Ryzen 5-powered L14 ran about an hour longer under full load but shorter during video playback in return. In this particular test, the L14 landed in last place of its comparison group.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Surfing
0h 00min
WiFi Websurfing
8h 07min
WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness
7h 35min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
8h 15min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 25min
Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE
R5 4500U, Vega 6, 45 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620, 45 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen2-20T7S00W00
R5 4500U, Vega 6, 45 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20T00044GE
i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620, 57 Wh
HP ProBook 445 G7 175W4EA
R5 4500U, Vega 6, 45 Wh
Dell Latitude 14 5410-RJ80D
i5-10310U, UHD Graphics 620, 68 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00
R7 PRO 4750U, Vega 7, 57 Wh
Average of class Office
 
Battery Runtime
4%
-17%
37%
-14%
46%
25%
14%
H.264
495
664
34%
545
10%
880
78%
910
84%
792
60%
691 ?(348 - 1112, n=40, last 2 years)
40%
WiFi v1.3
487
476
-2%
498
2%
789
62%
523
7%
823
69%
612
26%
589 ?(272 - 1137, n=107, last 2 years)
21%
Load
145
114
-21%
55
-62%
102
-30%
94
-35%
125
-14%
127
-12%
117 ?(56 - 209, n=65, last 2 years)
-19%
Reader / Idle
1114
742
1414 ?(527 - 2359, n=23, last 2 years)

Pros

+ variety of ports
+ quiet fans
+ no throttling
+ great keyboard
+ decent case quality
+ simple maintenance

Cons

- dim display
- quiet speakers
- microSD slot
- temperatures at the bottom
- battery life could be better

Verdict – A Breath of Fresh Air thanks to AMD

Lenovo ThinkPad L14. Review unit provided by campuspoint
Lenovo ThinkPad L14. Review unit provided by campuspoint

Lenovo did an overall very good job with the ThinkPad L14, which continues to emphasize Lenovo’s traditional strengths such as its sturdy high-quality case, its pleasant-to-use keyboard, straightforward maintenance, and an interesting collection of ports and connectivity including a smart card reader as well as a docking port for business users.

On the other hand, Lenovo missed its opportunity to improve upon the L490’s weaknesses, such as for example the dim display or its overall poor speakers that lack both volume and bass.  Lenovo’s choice of display panel is a sore point in particular, and we would have wished for a wiser choice.

The most important achievement for the L-series is the introduction of AMD’s Ryzen 5 4500U. In our reviews of the ThinkPad E14 and T14 the AMD SKUs proved to perform much better than the Intel SKUs, and the same holds true with the L14 as well. AMD is simply better.

There was no noticeable throttling and thus no drop in performance during our CineBench loop. In contrast, Intel CPUs tend to lose a lot of performance after the first run due to performance throttling. The price you pay for this increase in performance is a slightly higher power consumption as well as higher surface temperatures at the bottom under maximum load. The GPU’s comparatively poor performance can be easily remedied by adding a second RAM module.

AMD brings a breath of fresh air to Lenovo’s ThinkPad series, and changes the traditional rules. Intel’s dominance is about to falter as AMD not only offers lower prices but also a significant performance boost. Thus, we have no choice but to once again highly recommend the AMD SKU over its Intel counterpart.

Lenovo ThinkPad L14-20U50003GE - 12/14/2020 v7
Daniel Puschina

Chassis
79 / 98 → 81%
Keyboard
87%
Pointing Device
93%
Connectivity
64 / 80 → 80%
Weight
67 / 20-75 → 85%
Battery
78%
Display
83%
Games Performance
56 / 78 → 72%
Application Performance
89 / 95 → 93%
Temperature
89%
Noise
95%
Audio
58%
Camera
39 / 85 → 45%
Average
75%
85%
Office - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Review: AMD Does It Again
Daniel Puschina, 2020-12-22 (Update: 2020-12-22)