Lenovo ThinkPad L450 Notebook Review
For the original German review, see here.
Lenovo's Thinkpad L-models are a series of medium-priced business notebooks bracketed by the affordable Thinkpad E-series on one side and the higher-priced Thinkpad T-series on the other. Our review notebook is the 14-inch version Thinkpad L450. The new model differs in several areas from the predecessor Thinkpad L440: the L450 is slimmer, the optical drive is gone and ULV processors now power the notebook. If those changes are positive or negative is the subject of our review.
Competitors are other medium-priced business notebooks like the Dell Latitude 14 E5450, the Fujitsu Lifebook E544, and HP's Probook 640 and Probook 645, respectively.
Case & Connectivity
Compared to the predecessor, the L450 is not only a little slimmer, but also slightly lighter. Additionally, L450 doesn't come with an optical drive any longer. Otherwise, it's pretty obvious that the two versions are related: both are made out of plastic and feature a very rectangular chassis. The L450's battery protrudes roughly 1 cm from the bottom.
The Thinkpad L440 was equipped with a maintenance hatch, but the L450 is lacking one. To access the hardware, the bottom cover of the base unit needs to be taken off. After all screws are removed, the bottom shell can be pried off with either a pallet knife or a spatula. Caution is advised, as there are small plastic clips which break quite easily.
The chassis features decent build quality overall, although it's not entirely flawless: the upper edge on the right side has a noticeable ridge and it appears that the top half of the base unit hasn't been deburred properly. The lid could be a bit sturdier as well, as it twists fairly easily and flexes when pressure is applied to the back. The hinges hold the display securely; opening the display with one hand is possible - if only just.
The physical ports remain largely unchanged, although they are arranged differently. Compared to the L440, the L450 comes with one less USB port, although the three remaining ones are now USB 3.0. Our review notebook comes with a SIM card slot plus the necessary antennas and could be outfitted with a 3G/LTE modem. The Thinkpad is also available with a SmartCard reader, although our version isn't equipped as such. The chassis has the appropriate cutouts already.
Our notebook comes with Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) preinstalled, although the user has the option to switch to Windows 8.1 Professional (64-bit) instead, since it's includes as well. A recovery DVD is not part of the package and both OS versions only exist on the hard drive. Unfortunately, Lenovo didn't include any instructions on how to switch operating systems, but references the electronic user manual instead. Although the L450 only comes with a 12-month warranty, Lenovo offers plenty of upgrades and extensions. A two-year onsite warranty costs 77 Euro (~$83).
We are already familiar with the outstanding imput devices, since the Thinkpad T450s is equipped with them as well. For detailed information about the keyboard, touchpad, and the trackpoint please take a look at that particular review.
Display
Our review model is equipped with a matte 14-inch display with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The brightness of 202.1 nits is not impressive and only adequate for bargain-basement notebooks in our opinion. We would like to see at least 300 nits here - especially since a Thinkpad is likely to be used in different environments and subsequently at varying ambient brightness levels. The display brightness of the Dell Latitude 14 E5450 (270.8 nits; Full-HD) seems more appropriate for the class.
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Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 202 cd/m²
Contrast: 528:1 (Black: 0.39 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.63 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 6.29 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
37.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
40.56% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
58.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
39.24% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.48
The contrast ratio (528:1) and the black point (0.39 nits) are OK, but could be better as well. The Latitude (1007:1; 0.29 nits) once again leads the way here. The Thinkpad doesn't cover the color spaces sRGB and AdobeRGB with coverages of 53 % (sRGB) and 37.2 % (AdobeRGB), respectively.
As shipped, the DeltaE deviation is 6.63 (target is a DeltaE of less than 3). The screen is free of any bluish tint and a calibration can improve the color accuracy. When we calibrated the display, the DeltaE deviation dropped to 3.71, which is just shy of the target range.
The L450 comes equipped with an IPS display panel and the viewing angle stability is therefore very good. We were able to read the screen content in any position. Outdoor use is possible, but bright sunlight needs to be avoided.
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 20DS0001GE IPS 1920x1080 | Fujitsu Lifebook E544 TN 1600x900 | Dell Latitude 14 E5450 IPS 1920x1080 | Lenovo ThinkPad L440 20AT004QGE TN 1600x900 | HP Probook 645 G1 TN 1366x768 | HP ProBook 640 G1 H5G66ET TN 1600x900 | Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE TN 1600x900 | Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 IPS 1920x1080 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 3% | 65% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 53% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 39.24 | 40.58 3% | 66.8 70% | 40.23 3% | 39.73 1% | 39.85 2% | 39.62 1% | 64.8 65% |
| sRGB Coverage | 58.9 | 60.6 3% | 93.2 58% | 59.6 1% | 58.8 0% | 58.7 0% | 59.6 1% | 83.8 42% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 40.56 | 42 4% | 68.2 68% | 41.68 3% | 40.86 1% | 40.99 1% | 40.94 1% | 61.2 51% |
| Screen | -21% | 41% | -42% | -14% | -14% | -29% | 42% | |
| Brightness middle | 206 | 252 22% | 293 42% | 259 26% | 182 -12% | 267 30% | 166 -19% | 272 32% |
| Brightness | 202 | 255 26% | 271 34% | 233 15% | 170 -16% | 272 35% | 163 -19% | 268 33% |
| Brightness Distribution | 91 | 67 -26% | 85 -7% | 81 -11% | 87 -4% | 91 0% | 68 -25% | 91 0% |
| Black Level * | 0.39 | 0.696 -78% | 0.291 25% | 1.3 -233% | 0.27 31% | 0.54 -38% | 0.71 -82% | 0.245 37% |
| Contrast | 528 | 362 -31% | 1007 91% | 199 -62% | 674 28% | 494 -6% | 234 -56% | 1110 110% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6.63 | 9.1 -37% | 3.81 43% | 11.83 -78% | 10.49 -58% | 10.39 -57% | 7.16 -8% | 4.35 34% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.29 | 9.44 -50% | 3.97 37% | 6.24 1% | 11.42 -82% | 11.13 -77% | 7.62 -21% | 3.7 41% |
| Gamma | 2.48 89% | 2.56 86% | 2.51 88% | 2.3 96% | 2.32 95% | 2.29 96% | 2.25 98% | 2.68 82% |
| CCT | 5823 112% | 10890 60% | 7368 88% | 5429 120% | 12682 51% | 13721 47% | 9371 69% | 6076 107% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 37.3 | 38.6 3% | 60.4 62% | 40 7% | 37.6 1% | 37.4 0% | 37.8 1% | 54.7 47% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 83.5 | |||||||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -9% /
-15% | 53% /
48% | -20% /
-30% | -7% /
-10% | -7% /
-10% | -14% /
-21% | 48% /
45% |
* ... smaller is better
Performance
The Lenovo Thinkpad L450 is a mid-priced 14-inch business notebook. The every-day performance is more than adequate and the notebook features both docking port and TPM. Our review model sells for around 850 Euro (~$920), but Lenovo offers other versions as well. At the time of writing, the least expensive model with Core i3-5005U CPU and HD display costs about 600 Euro (~$650).
Processor
The models in the Thinkpad L440-series featured standard mobile processors with a TDP of 37 watts. The new models in the Thinkpad L450-series come equipped with ULV processors instead (TDP: 15 watts). Our praticular review model houses a dual-core Core i5-5300U (Broadwell) CPU with a base frequency of 2.3 GHz. The Turbo can overclock both cores to 2.7 GHy and a single core to 2.9 GHz no matter if the notebook is plugged in or running on battery power. The CPU offers a 5 - 10 % performance improvement compared to the Haswell predecessor (Core i5-4300U). These improvements are largely the results of the increased efficiency of the Broadwell-architecture, since both CPUs top out at a maximum frequency of 2.9 GHz.
| Geekbench 3 | |
| 32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 20DS0001GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 | |
| 32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 20DS0001GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 | |
| Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 20DS0001GE | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook E544 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L440 20AT004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 20DS0001GE | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook E544 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L440 20AT004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 20DS0001GE | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook E544 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 | |
| Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 20DS0001GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
Our notebook perfromed well without any lags or stutters; we didn't encounter any issues during the entire review period. The results of the PCMark benchmark test are good as well, although the overall system performance could be much better - for example, if the conventional hard drive was swapped out for an SSD. Responsiveness would subsequently increase and Windows would boot faster as well. Another option is the addition of a second RAM module, which would allow the RAM to run in dual-channel mode. The GPU would benefit here and respond with better graphics performance.
| PCMark 7 Score | 2753 points | |
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 2708 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 2938 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 3704 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Devices
The Thinkpad comes with a 500 GB, 7200 RPM hard drive from Seagate. Hard drives in this particular speed class are primarily found in business notebooks - if they are used at all nowadays. CrystalDiskMark reports a read speed of 119.2 MB/s and HD Tune an average transfer rate of 102.9 MB/s. Both values are within the normal range for 7200 RPM hard drives.
GPU Performance
The L450 does not come with a dedicated GPU and relies on the integrated Intel HD Graphics 5500 instead. The graphics card supports DirectX 11.2 and operates at up to 900 MHz. The results of the 3DMark benchmark test are as expected. As we mentioned earlier, the addition of a second RAM module (dual-channel mode active) improves the graphics performance. In our case, the score of the 3DMark 2011 benchmark increased to 1130 points.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 910 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 32331 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 4322 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 541 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
At best, the Thinkpad is suitable for occasional gaming, provided the user picks games which have very low demands on the hardware. Full-HD resolution is usually out of the question: in most cases, HD resolution (1366 x 768 pixels) and low to medium quality settings are required. With a second RAM module (dual-channel mode) installed, the frame rates increase by between 5 and 40 % depending on the game.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 39.9 | 20.9 | 13.3 | 6.9 |
| Thief (2014) | 12 | 8.2 | 6.6 | 2.8 |
| GRID: Autosport (2014) | 63 | 22.1 | 13.5 | 12.5 |
Emissions
System Noise
During idle, the fan of the Thinkpad normally doesn't spin at all. The notebook is still audible though because of the noise the spinning hard drive makes and the clicks when data is being accessed. A solid state drive would remedy this situation. Under load, the fan remains well-controlled with a maximum loudness of 34.3 dB. The fan operates at a constant speed and emits a steady whooshing sound.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 30.8 / 30.8 / 30.8 dB(A) |
| HDD |
| 31.2 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 34.3 / 34.3 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min:  , med:  , max:  Voltcraft sl-451 (15 cm distance) | ||
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 5500/5300U | Fujitsu Lifebook E544 4600/4210M | Dell Latitude 14 E5450 4400/4310U | Lenovo ThinkPad L440 20AT004QGE 4600/4300M | HP Probook 645 G1 8450G/A6-5350M | HP ProBook 640 G1 H5G66ET 4600/4200M | Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE 5500/5200U | Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 5500/5600U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -6% | 6% | -6% | -9% | -8% | 2% | 3% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 30.8 | 30.3 2% | 28.6 7% | 30 3% | 31.6 -3% | 32 -4% | 29.2 5% | 29.1 6% |
| Idle Average * | 30.8 | 30.3 2% | 28.6 7% | 30 3% | 31.6 -3% | 32 -4% | 29.2 5% | 29.1 6% |
| Idle Maximum * | 30.8 | 32.5 -6% | 28.6 7% | 36.2 -18% | 34.9 -13% | 32.2 -5% | 29.2 5% | 29.1 6% |
| Load Average * | 34.3 | 36.2 -6% | 33 4% | 36.8 -7% | 36.9 -8% | 38.1 -11% | 34.9 -2% | 34.3 -0% |
| Load Maximum * | 34.3 | 41.5 -21% | 33.3 3% | 38.8 -13% | 40.2 -17% | 39.8 -16% | 35.1 -2% | 34.8 -1% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The Thinkpad handles the stress test (Prime95 and Furmark running in parallel for at least one hour) the same way no matter if it is plugged in or running on battery. The CPU maintains full Turbo speed only during the first minute, after which throttling occurs and the frequency drops to around 1.5 to 1.7 GHz. The GPU operates between 750 and 850 MHz. The notebook doesn't get very warm and even during the stress test, all measured points on the chassis remained under 40 degrees C.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.9 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 39.6 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.1 °C / 81 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34.3 °C / 93.7 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (-6.7 °C / -12 F).
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 5500/5300U | Fujitsu Lifebook E544 4600/4210M | Dell Latitude 14 E5450 4400/4310U | Lenovo ThinkPad L440 20AT004QGE 4600/4300M | HP Probook 645 G1 8450G/A6-5350M | HP ProBook 640 G1 H5G66ET 4600/4200M | Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE 5500/5200U | Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 5500/5600U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 5% | -11% | 3% | -17% | -4% | -6% | 7% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 36.9 | 32.6 12% | 44 -19% | 36.5 1% | 36 2% | 34.8 6% | 35.8 3% | 35.1 5% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 39.6 | 34.6 13% | 41.5 -5% | 36.8 7% | 52.1 -32% | 47.8 -21% | 47 -19% | 36.6 8% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 28.7 | 28.7 -0% | 32.5 -13% | 28.8 -0% | 31.5 -10% | 29.2 -2% | 30.3 -6% | 26.4 8% |
| Idle Bottom * | 30.1 | 31.6 -5% | 31.6 -5% | 28.7 5% | 37.8 -26% | 30 -0% | 31 -3% | 28 7% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
The stereo speakers are located on the bottom. A listening session reveals quickly that this is a business and not a multimedia notebook, as the speakers sound rather tinny and lack bass. The maximum volume level is quite decent, however.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
During idle, the Thinkpad consumes less than 10 watts, which was also true for the predecessor Thinkpad L440 equipped with a standard mobile processor. Under load, the power consumption increased to 42.4 watts. We measured this maximum only during the first minute of the stress test, as aggressive throttling causes the value to drop to 30.8 watts afterwards. The power adapter has a nominal output of 45 watts.
| Off / Standby | 0 / 0.1 Watt |
| Idle | 3.4 / 6.1 / 7 Watt |
| Load |
29 / 42.4 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Extech Power Analyzer 380803 | |
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 5500/5300U | Fujitsu Lifebook E544 4600/4210M | Dell Latitude 14 E5450 4400/4310U | Lenovo ThinkPad L440 20AT004QGE 4600/4300M | HP Probook 645 G1 8450G/A6-5350M | HP ProBook 640 G1 H5G66ET 4600/4200M | Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE 5500/5200U | Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 5500/5600U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -44% | -20% | -29% | -67% | -32% | 7% | -5% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 3.4 | 5.4 -59% | 4.5 -32% | 3.9 -15% | 8.4 -147% | 5.4 -59% | 3 12% | 2.9 15% |
| Idle Average * | 6.1 | 9.3 -52% | 8.4 -38% | 7.7 -26% | 10.5 -72% | 7.9 -30% | 5.5 10% | 6.6 -8% |
| Idle Maximum * | 7 | 10.2 -46% | 9.6 -37% | 8.5 -21% | 11.5 -64% | 8 -14% | 6.4 9% | 7.9 -13% |
| Load Average * | 29 | 41 -41% | 33.4 -15% | 46.5 -60% | 40.3 -39% | 39 -34% | 28.4 2% | 30.8 -6% |
| Load Maximum * | 42.4 | 52.4 -24% | 33.7 21% | 52.2 -23% | 47.8 -13% | 52.5 -24% | 40.7 4% | 48.8 -15% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
In idle-mode, the battery of the Thinkpad lasts for 13 hours and 18 minutes. The Dell Latitude 14 E5450 (13 hours 14 minutes) and the Fujitsu Lifebook E544 (12 hours 51 minutes) post comparable run times. We use the Battery Eater Reader's Test with the display brightness turned all the way down, the power saver profile active and the wireless modules turned off. Under load, the Thinkpad quite after 1 hour 37 minutes. The Lifebook (1 hour 35 minutes) is dead even; the Latitude (2 hours 12 minutes) lasts longer. To evaluate the minimum run time, we use the Battery Eater Classic Test. Here, the display brightness is set to its maximum, the high performance profile is active and all wireless modules are turned on.
When we ran the practically relevant WLAN test, the L450 had to be plugged in again after 4 hours and 48 minutes - a run time right between the Latitude (6 hours 23 minutes) and the Lifebook (4 hours 22 minutes). This test makes use of a script which calls up a new web page every 40 seconds. The balanced profile is active and the display brightness is set to about 150 nits. To test the longevity during video playback, we run the short film Big Buck Bunny (H.264 codec, 1920 x 1080 pixels) in a loop. The wireless modules are turned off and the display brightness is set to roughly 150 nits. The Thinkpad managed to last 4 hours and 24 minutes. We can't compare the results to others, since we didn't run this test when we reviewed the competitors.
The battery life of the Thinkpad is somewhat disappointing. Only during idle, the more frugal processor manages to outperform the CPU installed in the predecessor - during the more relevant WLAN test, both models perform more or less the same. The reason is the lower battery capacity of the L450 (48 Wh) vs. the L440 (57 Wh). Lenovo does sell a battery with larger capacity (72 Wh) for about 75 Euro (~$81).
| Lenovo Thinkpad L450 5500/5300U | Fujitsu Lifebook E544 4600/4210M | Dell Latitude 14 E5450 4400/4310U | Lenovo ThinkPad L440 20AT004QGE 4600/4300M | HP Probook 645 G1 8450G/A6-5350M | HP ProBook 640 G1 H5G66ET 4600/4200M | Lenovo ThinkPad T450-20BV001VGE 5500/5200U | Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 5500/5600U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -3% | 18% | -26% | -20% | -8% | 10% | 2% | |
| Reader / Idle | 798 | 771 -3% | 794 -1% | 594 -26% | 568 -29% | 615 -23% | 935 17% | 774 -3% |
| H.264 | 264 | 290 10% | 300 14% | 322 22% | ||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 288 | 324 13% | 276 -4% | |||||
| Load | 97 | 95 -2% | 132 36% | 86 -11% | 87 -10% | 93 -4% | 88 -9% | |
| WiFi | 262 | 383 | 292 | 289 | 283 | 336 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Lenovo's Thinkpad L450 is a purpose-designed, medium-priced 14-inch business notebook. The processor has more than enough power to handle the average daily task load. The notebook doesn't get hot and stays very quiet. When the hard drive is swapped out for an SSD, the system remains inaudible most of the time. The Full-HD display uses IPS technology and the viewing angles are very good as a result. The contrast is very good but the screen doesn't get bright enough.
The notebook isn't easy to maintain or upgrade, since there is no maintenance hatch and the entire bottom panel has to be removed. When doing so, it's easy to damage the small clips holding the panel in place. Other manufacturers have better solutions. The battery life is also disappointing - especially during the practically relevant WLAN test: a business notebook with ULV processor needs to do better. Another point of criticism is the fact that Lenovo only covers the notebook for 12 months against defects. Given the price point, we'd expect at least two years. The other manufacturers are equally stingy, however.
The Lenovo's Thinkpad L450 isn't really a major step forward.
The new notebook is a little slimmer and lighter than its predecessor and now lacks an optical drive. The biggest change is the choice of the processor: while the L440 was equipped with a standard mobile processor, Lenovo now uses a ULV CPU. The more frugal CPU doesn't bring major advantages. The fan doesn't have to work as hard and is therefore not as loud as the one installed in the predecessor - but we wouldn't call the predecessor noisy, either. The power consumption has only improved marginally. Even though the L450 lasts quite a bit longer in idle mode, there's no real difference during the practically relevant WLAN test. The reason: the standard battery doesn't have as much capacity as the one the L440 ships with.
Lenovo Thinkpad L450 20DS0001GE
- 04/11/2015 v4 (old)
Sascha Mölck
Price comparison
