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Lenovo ThinkPad P1 (Xeon E-2176M, Quadro P2000 Max-Q) Workstation Review

Extremely... professional? Today, we turn our sights to the workstation sibling of the critically acclaimed ThinkPad X1 Extreme. Our decked-out $4,220 configuration features a Xeon E-2176M CPU, Quadro P2000 Max-Q GPU, 2 TB NVMe SSD, and 32 GB of RAM. How does it handle our comprehensive array of tests?

Not to be outdone by the impressive ThinkPad X1 Extreme we reviewed last month is the state-of-the-art laptop’s business workstation counterpart, the ThinkPad P1. In terms of design and appearance, the machines are identical, but several critical parts have been swapped out for workstation-grade components in the P1. Namely, in place of the Core i7 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q GPU, today’s P1 review unit features a Xeon E-2176M and Quadro P2000 Max-Q respectively. We were also pleased to find an absolutely massive 2 TB Samsung NVMe SSD in today’s machine—double the previous storage—and the same 32 GB of RAM and 4K HDR touch display. The towering price consequently dwarfs even that of the X1 Extreme: a mind-boggling $4220 as of this writing.

Our criticisms of the X1 Extreme were relatively minor indeed. Mostly, we regretted the glossy screen finish, overactive fans, high power consumption, and CPU performance on battery. By and large, the rest of our findings were overwhelmingly positive: terrific build quality and input devices, strong performance, a high-quality display, and good port selection and maintainability/upgradeability. How will today’s workstation counterpart measure up to the lofty standards set by its mass-market sibling?

Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS (ThinkPad P1 Series)
Processor
Intel Xeon E-2176M 6 x 2.7 - 4.4 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1468 MHz, Memory: 1502 MHz, GDDR5, 24.21.13.9921, yes
Memory
32 GB 
, DDR4-2666
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 282 PPI, 10-point multitouch, B156ZAN03.2, IPS, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel CM246
Storage
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB, 2048 GB 
Soundcard
Realtek ALC285 @ Intel Kaby Lake-U/Y PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 2 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo audio, Card Reader: SD reader, 1 Fingerprint Reader
Networking
Intel Ethernet Connection I219-LM (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 18.7 x 361.8 x 245.7 ( = 0.74 x 14.24 x 9.67 in)
Battery
80 Wh
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p + IR webcam
Primary Camera: 1 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: 2x2 Watt Stereo, bottom-mounted, Keyboard: Precision, Keyboard Light: yes, 36 Months Warranty
Weight
1.84 kg ( = 64.9 oz / 4.06 pounds), Power Supply: 450 g ( = 15.87 oz / 0.99 pounds)
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

As previously mentioned, the ThinkPad P1 is identical in terms of case design and aesthetics, and the similarities also extend to the input devices and port selection. The only major differences in today’s review unit are the discrepancies in internal components we mentioned previously. As such, our evaluation of the physical aspects of the machine have not changed much since our X1 Extreme review.

To briefly summarize, the case is constructed purely from aluminum alloy, apart from the CFRP/GFRP hybrid display lid, which in our previous unit exhibited some creaking when pressure was applied from the rear. Today’s review unit seems better in this regard, though pressure in the upper-left corner did elicit a single “pop” when we first attempted it. Overall, the case quality is very good, up to the standards of recent ThinkPad machines.

Port selection is quite good, with a comfortable mixture of old and modern ports and good organization. Card reader and networking test results are strong, though the WWAN slot is conspicuously absent. Security options such as TPM 2.0, a touch fingerprint scanner, and Kensington Lock port are all present (though our display SKU lacks the ThinkShutter webcam cover). Finally, maintenance is a cinch, with all FRUs accessible beneath the bottom cover, which is easily removed with a Phillips-head screwdriver.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
191.2 MB/s +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
189 MB/s +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
173.6 MB/s
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
166.2 MB/s -4%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
152.1 MB/s -12%
Average of class Workstation
  (54.8 - 200, n=17, last 2 years)
95.8 MB/s -45%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
241.7 MB/s +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
230.5 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
223.9 MB/s -3%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
210 MB/s -9%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
190.7 MB/s -17%
Average of class Workstation
  (78.6 - 262, n=17, last 2 years)
133.6 MB/s -42%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Workstation
  (last 2 years)
1421 MBit/s +120%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
649 MBit/s +1%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
648 MBit/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
645 MBit/s
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
628 (593min - 651max) MBit/s -3%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Broadcom 802.11ac
602 (543min - 628max) MBit/s -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
511 MBit/s -21%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Workstation
  (last 2 years)
1385 MBit/s +108%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Broadcom 802.11ac
817 (664min - 835max) MBit/s +22%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
667 MBit/s
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
663 MBit/s -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
633 MBit/s -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
627 (319min - 666max) MBit/s -6%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
362 MBit/s -46%

Display

The display panel in our ThinkPad P1 is also identical to that of our X1 Extreme review unit, so not much should have changed in this section either. Nevertheless, we’ll briefly cover our measurements of the P1’s screen, which (at least subjectively) does immediately make a good impression, with deep color saturation and what appears to be a good brightness and contrast. We note conspicuous backlight bleed in the upper corners and lower right of our review unit display.

Subpixel array, ThinkPad P1
Subpixel array, ThinkPad P1
Backlight bleed noticeable in upper corners and bottom right
Backlight bleed noticeable in upper corners and bottom right
366.3
cd/m²
386.6
cd/m²
358.2
cd/m²
407.2
cd/m²
397.6
cd/m²
397.5
cd/m²
412.4
cd/m²
421.7
cd/m²
414.4
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
B156ZAN03.2 tested with X-Rite i1Pro Basic 2
Maximum: 421.7 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 395.8 cd/m² Minimum: 4.1 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 397.6 cd/m²
Contrast: 1590:1 (Black: 0.25 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.95 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.22
ΔE Greyscale 5.1 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
100% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
87.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
99.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
86.4% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.234
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
B156ZAN03.2, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
B156ZAN03.2, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Sharp SHP148D / LQ156D1, IGZO, 15.60, 3840x2160
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
AUO30EB, IPS LED, 15.60, 3840x2160
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
APPA040, IPS, 15.40, 2880x1800
Display
0%
-12%
-20%
0%
Display P3 Coverage
86.4
86.3
0%
76.5
-11%
67.8
-22%
98.7
14%
sRGB Coverage
99.9
100
0%
98.4
-2%
94.1
-6%
99.9
0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
99.1
99.4
0%
76.4
-23%
67.9
-31%
86.6
-13%
Response Times
-8%
3%
3%
11%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
55.6 ?(38, 37.6)
61.6 ?(30.8, 30.8)
-11%
48 ?(24.4, 23.6)
14%
56 ?(26, 30)
-1%
43.2 ?(20.4, 22.8)
22%
Response Time Black / White *
30.8 ?(16.4, 14.4)
32 ?(15.6, 16.4)
-4%
33.6 ?(19.6, 14)
-9%
29 ?(14, 15)
6%
31.2 ?(16.4, 14.8)
-1%
PWM Frequency
1000
117000 ?(75, 150)
Screen
8%
2%
0%
27%
Brightness middle
397.6
396
0%
451.7
14%
440
11%
520
31%
Brightness
396
380
-4%
440
11%
389
-2%
492
24%
Brightness Distribution
85
90
6%
90
6%
83
-2%
88
4%
Black Level *
0.25
0.28
-12%
0.4
-60%
0.34
-36%
0.39
-56%
Contrast
1590
1414
-11%
1129
-29%
1294
-19%
1333
-16%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.95
4
19%
3.11
37%
5.04
-2%
1.2
76%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
10.23
7.6
26%
8.62
16%
6.99
32%
2.3
78%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4.22
0.9
79%
3.07
27%
2.04
52%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.1
6.1
-20%
3.7
27%
4.98
2%
1.3
75%
Gamma
2.234 98%
2.25 98%
2.11 104%
2.48 89%
2.18 101%
CCT
7543 86%
7786 83%
6492 100%
7777 84%
6738 96%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
87.6
88.5
1%
69
-21%
61
-30%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
100
100
0%
98
-2%
94
-6%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
0% / 4%
-2% / -0%
-6% / -3%
13% / 18%

* ... smaller is better

Resolution remains 4K/UHD (3840x2160), and the display still unfortunately features a glossy finish, which makes usage in brighter environments a bit of a challenge. It is fortunately quite bright, however, at 395.8 cd/m² average brightness (421.7 cd/m², with a brightness distribution of 85%). A black value measurement of 0.25 cd/m² yields the contrast ratio of 1590:1, which is good. The panel is designed for HDR capability, though its brightness falls far short of what would actually qualify it as an effective display in that regard.

In terms of color coverage, our measurements are identical with those of the X1 Extreme, at 87.6 percent of AdobeRGB and 100 percent of sRGB. This tops the results from both the Precision 5530 and HP EliteBook 1050 G1 by a notable margin (some 20 to 26 percent difference of AdobeRGB). Please note that the results appear different from the X1 simply because we measured against sRGB with the P1 rather than AdobeRGB; they are, in fact, the same panel. The default color profile was used.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB 98
vs. AdobeRGB 98
vs. ThinkPad X1 Extreme
vs. ThinkPad X1 Extreme
vs. Precision 5530
vs. Precision 5530
vs. EliteBook G1
vs. EliteBook G1
vs. MacBook Pro 15
vs. MacBook Pro 15

CalMAN measurements have fluctuated somewhat since the X1 Extreme values were recorded, but an average ColorChecker DeltaE of 4.95 and Greyscale DeltaE of 5.1 are still good results. The CCT Average (7543) and Gamma (2.234) are also very close to the previous results.

Color analysis (pre-calibration)
Color analysis (pre-calibration)
Saturation sweeps (pre-calibration)
Saturation sweeps (pre-calibration)
Grayscale analysis (pre-calibration)
Grayscale analysis (pre-calibration)
Color analysis (post-calibration)
Color analysis (post-calibration)
Saturation sweeps (post-calibration)
Saturation sweeps (post-calibration)
Grayscale analysis (post-calibration)
Grayscale analysis (post-calibration)

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
30.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 16.4 ms rise
↘ 14.4 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 81 % 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
55.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 38 ms rise
↘ 37.6 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. » 91 % 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.

Outdoors, the P1 struggles thanks to its glossy display finish. The panel is bright, but the other competitors are brighter still. Viewing angles are excellent however.

In the sun
In the sun
In the shade
In the shade
Viewing angles, ThinkPad P1
Viewing angles, ThinkPad P1

Performance

While the ThinkPad P1 may be nearly identical to the X1 Extreme in most ways, it’s the internal components—CPU and GPU specifically—which differ from that of the X1 SKUs. For starters, although 8th-generation Core i5 and i7 CPUs are an option, there’s also the Xeon E-2176M, a true workstation-class processor. Similarly, rather than rely on conventional gaming GPUs from the NVIDIA GeForce lineup, the P1 offers either the NVIDIA Quadro P1000 or P2000 Max-Q to accommodate professional applications. RAM and storage range up to 64 GB and 2x 2 TB, respectively, with storage fully solid-state.

Our review unit is decked out with a Xeon E-2176M CPU, Quadro P2000 Max-Q GPU, 32 GB RAM (single DIMM), and a 2 TB NVMe SSD. Let’s see how it handles our bevy of performance tests.

Operating unplugged, the 3DMark 11 performance score drops to just 6292. We do not detect any DPC Latencies.

CPU-Z CPU
CPU-Z CPU
CPU-Z Caches
CPU-Z Caches
CPU-Z Mainboard
CPU-Z Mainboard
CPU-Z Memory
CPU-Z Memory
CPU-Z RAM SPD
CPU-Z RAM SPD
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
Octane v2
Octane v2
LatencyMon
LatencyMon

Processor

The Intel Xeon E-2176M is a hexacore CPU manufactured using Intel’s 14nm++ process and carrying a clock rate ranging between 2.7 and 4.4 GHz (4.1 GHz with all 6 cores active—vs 3.9 GHz on the i7-8750H). Up to twelve concurrent processing threads are possible via its support for Hyper-Threading. As compared with the Core i7-8750H, its clock rate is 300 MHz higher at turbo (500 MHz higher at base frequency), and it features a higher L3 cache of 12 MB (vs. 9 MB). It also supports ECC memory, though the RAM in our test unit is conventional. Both CPUs carry a TDP of 45 Watts.

How does the CPU perform, though, in our array of tests? Thanks to its higher clock rates, in single-threaded operations, it tops the charts: 187 points in Cinebench R15 1-CPU (2 points behind the Precision 5530) and 2.12 points in Cinebench R11.5 1-CPU, some 6% above i7-8750H-equipped machines (such as the X1 Extreme). However, in multi-threaded benchmarks, the differences evaporate, with a score of 1118 points in Cinebench R15 x-CPU (vs. 1135 in our original tests of the X1 Extreme) and 12.29 points in the respective test within Cinebench R11.5. In the case of our X1 Extreme, undervolting the CPU actually resulted in superior performance by around 8% in the Cinebench R15 test, so there’s reason to believe similar results could be achieved with the P1 with the same strategy.

Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R10
Cinebench R10
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Workstation
  (166.2 - 301, n=27, last 2 years)
254 Points +36%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Intel Xeon E-2176M
189 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Intel Xeon E-2176M
187 Points
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M
  (169 - 189, n=3)
181.7 Points -3%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H
177 Points -5%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
Intel Core i7-8750H
177 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
Intel Core i7-8750H
176 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
Intel Core i7-8550U
168 Points -10%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Workstation
  (706 - 3625, n=27, last 2 years)
2343 Points +110%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
Intel Core i7-8750H
1218 Points +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
Intel Core i7-8750H
1135 Points +2%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
Intel Core i7-8750H
1131 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Intel Xeon E-2176M
1118 Points
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Intel Xeon E-2176M
1095 Points -2%
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M
  (987 - 1118, n=3)
1067 Points -5%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H
1064 Points -5%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H
1057 Points -5%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H
971 Points -13%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H
953 Points -15%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
Intel Core i7-8550U
708 Points -37%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
Intel Core i7-8550U
648 Points -42%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Workstation
  (last 2 years)
2.97 Points +40%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Intel Xeon E-2176M
2.12 Points
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M
  (1.99 - 2.12, n=3)
2.05 Points -3%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Intel Xeon E-2176M
1.99 Points -6%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.99 Points -6%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Workstation
  (last 2 years)
21.6 Points +76%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Intel Xeon E-2176M
12.4 Points +1%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
Intel Core i7-8750H
12.35 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Intel Xeon E-2176M
12.29 Points
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M
  (9.32 - 12.4, n=3)
11.3 Points -8%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Intel Xeon E-2176M
43681 Points
Average of class Workstation
  (last 2 years)
39399 Points -10%
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M
  (31923 - 43681, n=3)
35912 Points -18%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
Intel Core i7-8750H
33110 Points -24%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Intel Xeon E-2176M
32132 Points -26%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Intel Xeon E-2176M
9142 Points
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M
  (6928 - 9142, n=3)
7681 Points -16%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Intel Xeon E-2176M
6973 Points -24%
Average of class Workstation
  (last 2 years)
6888 Points -25%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
Intel Core i7-8750H
6643 Points -27%
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6820
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
43681
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
9142
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
99.7 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
12.29 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
2.12 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
137.9 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1118 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
187 Points
Help
065130195260325390455520585650715780845910975104011051170Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB: Ø1026 (1012.5-1120.61)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR; Undervolting: Ø1218 (1194.56-1224.81)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR: Ø1065 (1052.44-1126.79)
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB: Ø1024 (1006.14-1126.25)
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04: Ø1015 (972-1114)
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X) Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512; macOS Software Update: Ø1006 (962.51-1065.02)
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X) Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512; macOS Software Update 2: Ø1031 (1009-1058)
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X) Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512; macOS Catalina 10.15.5: Ø901 (863-971)
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X) Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512; macOS: Ø832 (773-940)

Without any CPU voltage adjustments in play, the ThinkPad P1 starts with a score of 1121 in our Cinebench R15 multi-CPU loop test before dropping into the 1015 – 1030 range for subsequent runs. The stock X1 Extreme (powered by its Core i7-8750H) has a marginal advantage here, as we noted earlier; it begins with a score of 1127 and then drops (runs 2 - ∞) into the 1050 – 1070 range. Apart from the MacBook Pro 15, which performs marginally better than the P1 in the sustained performance test, the P1 is in line with the rest of the competition here. Such a result doesn’t inspire a great amount of confidence in the actual performance premiums one might hope to expect from the pricier Xeon CPU. As far as our tests are concerned, it seems that the Xeon P1 actually loses out to i7-equipped machines in multi-core performance but manages superior results in single-core tests. Naturally, the fact that ECC RAM is also supported may prove to be of greater interest to companies indulging in professional CAD software and the like.

Speaking of which, the only machine we’ve reviewed that shares the P1’s Xeon E-2176M CPU is the Dell Precision 5530 (back in August), and in multi-core performance, the P1 edges out the Precision by a couple of percentage points on average. The two machines are more closely-matched in single-core tests, but across the board, the P1 still fares better here.

System Performance

Subjectively, system performance is never a problem with the P1: we haven’t experienced any hiccups, hangs, or other concerns during our time with the test unit. Synthetically, the PCMark scores (such as the 4618 we received in PCMark 10) are actually a few percentage points below those we recorded from the X1 Extreme (and some 7 to 11 percent below the Precision 5530), but such discrepancies aren’t obvious during daily use, and their origins are not clear. As we often point out, suffice it to say that all of the machines in today’s comparison field in this section feel fast enough such that any small differences in synthetic performance results are not likely to bare themselves out in tangible form.

PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 10 - Score
Average of class Workstation
  (5488 - 8587, n=27, last 2 years)
6843 Points +48%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
5072 Points +10%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
4805 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
4785 Points +4%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
4666 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
4618 Points
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M, NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
 
4618 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3905 Points -15%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
3831 Points +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3752 Points +6%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
3735 Points +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
3611 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
3536 Points
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M, NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
 
3536 Points 0%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
3433 Points -3%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
4666 Points +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4664 Points +6%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
4643 Points +5%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
4575 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
4404 Points
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M, NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
 
4404 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
4381 Points -1%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
5351 Points +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5027 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
4832 Points
Average Intel Xeon E-2176M, NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
 
4832 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
4725 Points -2%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
3836 Points -21%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3536 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4832 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4404 points
PCMark 10 Score
4618 points
Help

Storage Devices

Storage performance is also not a concern on the ThinkPad P1. Our test unit arrived with a massive 2 TB Samsung PM981 NVMe SSD installed—a very expensive, and uncommon, piece of hardware indeed. With 4K-64 Read/Write speeds of 1449.63 / 1866.41 MB/s, however, as well as an overall AS SSD Score of 4784, if you’re looking for capacity and speed, this drive is quite clearly a good choice.

What’s more, the P1 actually provides two separate M.2 NVMe (PCIe-x4) slots, one of which is unpopulated in our review unit. That means that hypothetically the user could add a second 2 TB SSD, bringing the total capacity to 4 TB. Or, alternatively, the drives can be configured in RAID-0 for performance or RAID-1 for data redundancy. Again, upgrades and maintenance are a cinch on the ThinkPad P1, so this wouldn’t be too much trouble to implement as an aftermarket solution.

There is no conventional 2.5-inch drive bay within the P1, which isn’t surprising given the trends of the industry.

AS SSD
AS SSD
CrystalDiskMark 5
CrystalDiskMark 5
The internal 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD (and empty slot)
The internal 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD (and empty slot)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
SK hynix PC400 512 GB
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Apple SSD AP0512
Average Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
 
AS SSD
19%
-37%
-38%
-97%
4%
Score Total
4784
5355
12%
2922
-39%
2768
-42%
2119
-56%
4881 ?(4784 - 4977, n=2)
2%
Score Write
2200
2147
-2%
1121
-49%
1153
-48%
347
-84%
2139 ?(2078 - 2200, n=2)
-3%
Score Read
1722
2132
24%
1226
-29%
1120
-35%
1199
-30%
1828 ?(1722 - 1934, n=2)
6%
Access Time Write *
0.032
0.028
12%
0.053
-66%
0.056
-75%
0.0295 ?(0.027 - 0.032, n=2)
8%
Access Time Read *
0.038
0.034
11%
0.073
-92%
0.051
-34%
0.225
-492%
0.0485 ?(0.038 - 0.059, n=2)
-28%
4K-64 Write
1866
1782
-5%
926
-50%
953
-49%
163.5
-91%
1789 ?(1711 - 1866, n=2)
-4%
4K-64 Read
1450
1805
24%
970
-33%
856
-41%
965
-33%
1527 ?(1450 - 1603, n=2)
5%
4K Write
118.4
130.9
11%
92.8
-22%
105.4
-11%
18.78
-84%
128.8 ?(118.4 - 139.1, n=2)
9%
4K Read
28.61
56.8
99%
38.43
34%
19.07
-33%
9.46
-67%
39.1 ?(28.6 - 49.6, n=2)
37%
Seq Write
2155
2336
8%
1022
-53%
948
-56%
1644
-24%
2217 ?(2155 - 2278, n=2)
3%
Seq Read
2440
2703
11%
2169
-11%
2454
1%
2239
-8%
2628 ?(2440 - 2815, n=2)
8%

* ... smaller is better

Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3493 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 2433 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 375 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 302.4 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1367 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 1476 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 37.24 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 108 MB/s

GPU/Workstation Performance

Another of the major differences between the X1 Extreme and the P1 is the GPU selection. Whereas the X1 Extreme is powered by a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, the ThinkPad P1 offers two GPU options, and both are workstation-class: the Quadro P1000 Max-Q and P2000 Max-Q. The differences in performance between these two options are notable; the P2000 alone is some 25 to 30 percent faster in our benchmarks, and since the GPU can’t be upgraded aftermarket, it’s important to opt for the one that fits your needs from the outset. It’ll be interesting to see how well the Max-Q variant of the P2000, which is likely to perform closer to the P1000, handles our testing today.

NVIDIA Quadro GPUs are professional graphics adapters and as such are not optimized for gaming (or gaming benchmarks) as are the GeForce GTX series GPUs. The X1 Extreme posts scores about 6 to 10 percent higher than the P1 in our 3DMark benchmarks.

3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark Fire Ultra
3DMark Fire Ultra
3DMark Time Spy
3DMark Time Spy
3DMark Sky Diver
3DMark Sky Diver
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
3DMark 11
3DMark 11
3DMark 06
3DMark 06
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Workstation
  (7432 - 54334, n=27, last 2 years)
23544 Points +189%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H
8619 Points +6%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
NVIDIA Quadro P2000, E-2176M
8201 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M
8148 Points
Average NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
 
8148 Points 0%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
AMD Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H
7590 Points -7%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H
6874 Points -16%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U
1901 Points -77%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Average of class Workstation
  (6413 - 22153, n=27, last 2 years)
15709 Points +102%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H
8589 Points +10%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
NVIDIA Quadro P2000, E-2176M
8059 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M
7777 Points
Average NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
 
7777 Points 0%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H
7176 Points -8%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
AMD Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H
7155 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U
1880 Points -76%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Workstation
  (32743 - 133204, n=15, last 2 years)
62922 Points +119%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
NVIDIA Quadro P2000, E-2176M
42598 Points +49%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H
34926 Points +22%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
AMD Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H
32449 Points +13%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M
28679 Points
Average NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
 
28679 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U
10123 Points -65%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Workstation
  (4816 - 35868, n=28, last 2 years)
16313 Points +142%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H
7199 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M
6742 Points
Average NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
 
6742 Points 0%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
NVIDIA Quadro P2000, E-2176M
6741 Points 0%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
AMD Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H
5699 Points -15%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H
5677 Points -16%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U
1283 Points -81%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
NVIDIA Quadro P2000, E-2176M
75457 Points +108%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M
36339 Points
Average NVIDIA Quadro P2000 Max-Q
 
36339 Points 0%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
31482 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
32724 points
3DMark 11 Performance
8363 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
23769 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
14996 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
5958 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
3104 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
2206 points
Help
0510152025Tooltip

Turning our sights to workstation performance, results are mostly as expected. The Max-Q version of the P2000 is unsurprisingly quite a bit weaker than the conventional full-powered P2000, generally scoring lower than its uncapped sibling—sometimes by as much as 25 to 50 percent. In other tests, results are more closely-matched. Obviously we shouldn’t expect performance rivaling that of a fully-sized mobile workstation out of the ThinkPad P1 given its uncommon portability, but these are variables that it would be wise to account for prior to settling on a machine for a final purchase. You can find our full breakdown of the scores we received from SPECviewperf 12 and 13 in our detailed tables below.

SPECviewperf 12
SPECviewperf 12
SPECviewperf 13
SPECviewperf 13
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
166.2 fps +133%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
103.8 fps +46%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
102.9 fps +44%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
99.5 fps +40%
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
86.6 fps +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
71.3 fps
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
183.6 fps +222%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
71.8 fps +26%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
65.8 fps +15%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
59 fps +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
57.4 fps +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
57 fps
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
62.3 fps +108%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
54.8 fps +83%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
31.14 fps +4%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
30.73 fps +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
30.01 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
27.56 fps -8%
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
71.5 fps +169%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
29.82 fps +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
26.61 fps
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
24.64 fps -7%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
22.84 fps -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
15.41 fps -42%
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
102.1 fps +116%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
67.7 fps +43%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
59.2 fps +25%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
48.34 fps +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
47.2 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
42.26 fps -10%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
14.95 fps +133%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
7.7 fps +20%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
6.43 fps
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
5.27 fps -18%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
5.15 fps -20%
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4.57 fps -29%
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
126.6 fps +127%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
87 fps +56%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
71.2 fps +28%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
65 fps +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
57.1 fps +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
55.7 fps
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
155.4 fps +141%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
96.5 fps +50%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
71.4 fps +11%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
69.6 fps +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
64.5 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
55.3 fps -14%
SPECviewperf 13
Solidworks (sw-04)
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
84.2 fps +16%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
72.8 fps
Siemens NX (snx-03)
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
103.7 fps +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
102.9 fps
Showcase (showcase-02)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
29.94 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
27.56 fps -8%
Medical (medical-02)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
16.21 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
11.93 fps -26%
Maya (maya-05)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
81.4 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
72.3 fps -11%
Energy (energy-02)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
4.97 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3.15 fps -37%
Creo (creo-02)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
74.1 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
68.8 fps -7%
Catia (catia-05)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
96.4 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
79.4 fps -18%
3ds Max (3dsmax-06)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
63.8 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
53.1 fps -17%

Gaming Performance

Though it isn’t optimized for gaming, the P2000 Max-Q can handle most modern games at High settings (at FHD/1080p resolution). Gaming at UHD/4K isn’t possible, however.

low med. high ultra4K
Sleeping Dogs (2012) 197 135 133 46
BioShock Infinite (2013) 264 192 168 65
Metro: Last Light (2013) 122 111 84 46
GRID 2 (2013) 194 132 117 85
Company of Heroes 2 (2013) 72 65 54 27
Total War: Rome II (2013) 241 177 142 21
Thief (2014) 57 54 51 44
Dirt Rally (2015) 234 131 88 73 49
The Witcher 3 (2015) 106 73 32 25 12
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 100 92 59 58 17
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 60 60 60 60 28
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 44 40 36 32 15
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 54.5 39.6 34.9 13
Doom (2016) 103 104 63 61 20
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 70 53 31 16 10
Prey (2017) 140 111 109 109 36
Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) 67 49 38 29 13
F1 2018 (2018) 118 72 72 40 24
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 79 33 30 23 3
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
1280x720 Lowest Preset
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
97 fps +23%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
81 (60min - 147max) fps +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
79 fps
1920x1080 Medium Preset
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
39 fps +18%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
33 fps
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
31 (24min - 52max) fps -6%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:SM
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
35 fps +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
30 fps
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
27 (22min - 46max) fps -10%
1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
29 fps +26%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
23 (17min - 39max) fps 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
23 fps
3840x2160 Highest Preset AA:T
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
11 fps +267%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
6 (5min - 11max) fps +100%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
3 fps
Batman: Arkham Knight
1280x720 Low / Off AF:Trilinear
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
109 fps +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
100 fps
1366x768 Normal / Off AF:4x
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
95 fps +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
92 fps
1920x1080 High / On (Interactive Smoke & Paper Debris Off) AA:SM AF:8x
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
73 fps +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
59 fps
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
52 fps -12%
1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
79 fps +36%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
58 fps
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
49 fps -16%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
36 fps -38%
3840x2160 High / On (Interactive Smoke & Paper Debris Off) AA:SM AF:8x
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
17 fps 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
17 fps
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
1280x720 Lowest Preset
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
115 fps +72%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
98 (44min - 232max) fps +46%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
97 fps +45%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
67 fps
1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:T
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
61 fps +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
49 fps
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
44 fps -10%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
41 (24min - 113max) fps -16%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
41 fps +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
38 fps
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
31 fps -18%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
29 (18min - 63max) fps -24%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
29 fps
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
28 fps -3%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
24 fps -17%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
21 (12min - 37max) fps -28%
3840x2160 Ultra Preset AA:T
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
13 fps
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
10 fps -23%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
9 (6min - 12max) fps -31%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
9 fps -31%
Prey
1280x720 Low Preset AF:2x
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
140 fps
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
125 fps -11%
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:FX AF:4x
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
98 fps
1920x1080 High Preset AA:2TX SM AF:8x
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
109 fps
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
78 fps -28%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:2TX SM AF:16x
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
109 fps
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
89.3 fps -18%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
62 fps -43%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:2TX SM AF:8x
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
36 fps
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
20 fps -44%
BioShock Infinite
1280x720 Very Low Preset
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
317 fps +20%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
285.1 fps +8%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
270.9 fps +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
264 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
262 fps -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
229.9 fps -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
56.9 fps -78%
1366x768 Medium Preset
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
213 fps +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
204 fps +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
192 fps
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
174.1 fps -9%
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
172.6 fps -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
149.3 fps -22%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
36.2 fps -81%
1366x768 High Preset
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
184 fps +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
183.3 fps +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
168 fps
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
150.4 fps -10%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
149.1 fps -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
132.3 fps -21%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
30.4 fps -82%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
Quadro P5000, E3-1280 v5, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
129 fps +98%
MSI WS63 7RF-290US
Quadro P3000, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
92.1 fps +42%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
73 fps +12%
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
68 fps +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
65 fps
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
62.1 fps -4%
HP ZBook 15 G4-Y4E80AV
Quadro M2200, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
56.8 fps -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 20MAS03N00
Quadro P1000, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
51.3 fps -21%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
48.8 fps -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
10.4 fps -84%

Stress Test

Synthetic full CPU stress produces an initial period (roughly 30 seconds) of full turbo clock rates (4.1 GHz) followed by a drop down to 3.7 GHz for the remainder of the test. Temperatures quickly max out at 97 °C before subsiding into the 83 °C range after the frequencies reduce. Meanwhile, synthetic GPU stress using FurMark provokes clock rates in the 1250 MHz range and temperatures stable at 65 – 66 °C. There is no recorded drop in performance or temperatures over time in this test.

A combination of CPU and GPU stress does little to affect GPU frequency, which remains stable at the 1215 MHz level. However, frequencies aren’t the full story: the GPU core load drops all the way to 0%, and consequently, performance in the FurMark GPU window plummets to just 1 – 2 FPS. CPU performance sticks at around the 2.7 – 3.1 GHz mark, which isn’t bad, but which is considerably lower than the 3.7 GHz we received when it was tested separately. CPU temperatures are stable in the mid-80s C while GPU temperatures remain at 63 °C.

None of these scenarios produce CPU or GPU throttle states by definition, as clock rates remain above base frequencies 100 percent of the time during the testing. However, performance most certainly suffers greatly due to the reduction in core load on the GPU specifically (along with the reduced turbo frequencies of the CPU). As compared with the Precision 5530 (which struggled to sustain base CPU frequencies during periods of combined stress), the ThinkPad P1 does fare better, probably because of the Max-Q design. However, naturally, larger workstations with roomier cases and more aggressive cooling (such as the ThinkPad P71 and Eurocom Tornado F5W) come away with much more consistent performance.

Witcher 3 stress provides a more realistic expectation of performance. Here, we see GPU clock rates maxing out at 1544 MHz with temperatures stable at 70 °C. CPU temperatures remain in the 60s C, meanwhile, as utilization is comparatively low; clock rates rest between 3.3 GHz and 4.3 GHz for the majority of the test.

Full CPU stress
Full CPU stress
Full GPU stress
Full GPU stress
Combined CPU + GPU stress
Combined CPU + GPU stress
0510152025Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB: Ø22.5 (20-25)
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.7 - 83 -
FurMark Stress - 1250 - 66
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 2.7 - 3.1 1215 85 63
Witcher 3 Stress 3.3 - 4.3 1544 63 70

Emissions

System Noise

Our fan noise measurements provide no surprises. By and large, the ThinkPad P1 is a relatively quiet machine (much like its X1 Extreme counterpart), with near-silent idle operation and load averages merely somewhat higher than the X1 Extreme—41.8 dB(A) vs. 36.4 dB(A). It’s notably quieter than both the Precision 5530 and Apple MacBook Pro 15—46.5 db(A) and 46.8 dB(A) under those same conditions—in part thanks to the NVIDIA Max-Q design which helps to regulate thermal development and keep values in balance. Our measurements during Witcher 3 Ultra are still just 39.1 dB(A)—not at all obtrusive and quite a bit lower than the Precision.

However, we do need to mention that while idling after a bit of stress, the fans will regularly rev up to medium RPMs for a few seconds to keep idle temperatures in check. Considering that the machine remains quite warm even after these short bursts of active cooling, it seems like this could have been better handled through the implementation of lengthier cooling sessions to bring temperatures even lower before disengaging the fans. It’s irritating in a quiet environment, but it is possible that Lenovo may be able to correct this later on via a firmware update.

We noticed only very minor electronic/static noise during our time with the P1.

Noise Level

Idle
28.4 / 28.4 / 29.2 dB(A)
Load
41.8 / 41.8 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.3 dB(A)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
Quadro P2000 Max-Q, E-2176M, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
Quadro P2000, E-2176M, SK hynix PC400 512 GB
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
Noise
2%
-5%
-6%
3%
-5%
off / environment *
28.3
28.8
-2%
28.4
-0%
30.25
-7%
28.9
-2%
29.6
-5%
Idle Minimum *
28.4
28.8
-1%
28.4
-0%
30.25
-7%
28.9
-2%
30.1
-6%
Idle Average *
28.4
28.8
-1%
28.4
-0%
30.25
-7%
28.9
-2%
30.1
-6%
Idle Maximum *
29.2
31.3
-7%
28.4
3%
31.8
-9%
32.5
-11%
30.1
-3%
Load Average *
41.8
36.4
13%
46.5
-11%
44.7
-7%
35.1
16%
46.8
-12%
Witcher 3 ultra *
39.1
36.4
7%
46.5
-19%
36
8%
Load Maximum *
41.8
39.2
6%
46.5
-11%
42
-0%
35.1
16%
46.8
-12%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

While idling, surface temperatures generally remain quite low—an average of 24.8 °C / 27.6 °C on bottom/top respectively (against an ambient temperature of 20 °C). Witcher 3 load provokes the highest temperatures of our three profiles; although averages are still just 33.9 °C / 33.7 °C, hot spots along the rear (where heat exhausts through the hinge cavity) reach 45.6 °C / 50.8 °C (rear center). Obviously it’s not advisable to operate a workstation on your lap while it’s being stressed, but it’s actually possible to manage with the ThinkPad P1 thanks to its funneling of the vast majority of the heat to the center quadrants.

Max. Load
 40.4 °C
105 F
43.4 °C
110 F
33 °C
91 F
 
 33 °C
91 F
42.8 °C
109 F
29.6 °C
85 F
 
 28.8 °C
84 F
27.6 °C
82 F
27.6 °C
82 F
 
Maximum: 43.4 °C = 110 F
Average: 34 °C = 93 F
33.4 °C
92 F
50 °C
122 F
35.4 °C
96 F
29.8 °C
86 F
37.2 °C
99 F
33.2 °C
92 F
28.2 °C
83 F
30.2 °C
86 F
30.2 °C
86 F
Maximum: 50 °C = 122 F
Average: 34.2 °C = 94 F
Power Supply (max.)  44 °C = 111 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 32 °C / 90 F for the devices in the class Workstation.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.4 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 38.1 °C / 101 F, ranging from 22.2 to 69.8 °C for the class Workstation.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 50 °C / 122 F, compared to the average of 41.3 °C / 106 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.8 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 32 °C / 90 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 33.9 °C / 93 F, compared to the device average of 32 °C / 90 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28.8 °C / 83.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.8 °C / 82 F (-1 °C / -1.8 F).
Thermal profile, top of base unit (idle)
Thermal profile, top of base unit (idle)
Thermal profile, underside (idle)
Thermal profile, underside (idle)
Thermal profile, top of base unit (max load)
Thermal profile, top of base unit (max load)
Thermal profile, underside (max load)
Thermal profile, underside (max load)
Thermal profile, top of base unit (Witcher 3)
Thermal profile, top of base unit (Witcher 3)
Thermal profile, side (Witcher 3)
Thermal profile, side (Witcher 3)
Thermal profile, underside (Witcher 3)
Thermal profile, underside (Witcher 3)

Speakers

The two bottom-mounted internal speakers in the ThinkPad P1 are decent overall and exceed the quality of many other actual workstations. When compared to other high-end crossover-category devices, however, they don’t fare quite as well. Both the XPS 15 and MacBook Pro 15 produce better overall sound with superior linearity and, in the MacBook Pro’s case, notably higher volume also. As with most down-firing speakers, the quality and volume of the audio is enhanced when the notebook is resting on a flat, hard surface off which the sound can reflect.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.937.136.92533.331.933.33134.533.134.5403432345031.231.431.26332.130.932.18033.930.333.91003629.9361253928.63916046.62846.620048.127.248.125052.826.552.83155825.25840059.825.459.850060.625.160.663060.22460.280069.123.669.1100068.523.568.5125062.523.662.5160059.923.359.9200057.423.157.4250058.723.158.7315059.42359.4400054.223.154.2500052.92352.9630054.123.154.1800055.82355.81000056.322.956.31250052.522.952.51600045.422.845.4SPL73.735.673.7N31.42.531.4median 56.3median 23.5median 56.3Delta4.91.14.933.933.532.632.430.130.831.129.830.627.537.52846.425.557.525.664.625.267.523.966.822.871.521.970.521.872.820.874.320.474.519.771.218.870.318.570.91874.717.471.817.475.317.173.417.570.317.172.917.376.517.269.117.369.117.365.317.264.417.38583.430.270.561.21.4median 70.9median 18.5median 15.82.46.614.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUSApple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (73.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 10.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.9% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 73% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 21% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 57% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 36% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X) audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 4.7% away from median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (6.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 2% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 97% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 0% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 99% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

We observe markedly reduced power consumption from the ThinkPad P1 when compared with the Dell Precision 5530 (which features the conventional Quadro P2000 variant of our Max-Q GPU). However, part of this reduction in consumption (the Load Maximum measurement, specifically) is due to intense performance throttling—even though CPU/GPU frequencies technically don’t drop below base rates, as explained above. Witcher 3 values, which as usual are more likely indicative of what you might expect from more conventional processing activities, come to an average of 77.9 W, meanwhile—just a bit above that of the Precision 5530 (76.5 W). Optimus switchable graphics are supported and help to keep idle values reasonable.

Power consumption, Full CPU stress
Power consumption, Full CPU stress
Power consumption, Combined CPU + GPU stress
Power consumption, Combined CPU + GPU stress
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.34 / 0.85 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 7.1 / 14.4 / 14.6 Watt
Load midlight 93.9 / 88.3 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 P1-20MD002LUS
E-2176M, Quadro P2000 Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
E-2176M, Quadro P2000, SK hynix PC400 512 GB, IGZO, 3840x2160, 15.60
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 15.60
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
i7-8850H, Radeon Pro 560X, Apple SSD AP0512, IPS, 2880x1800, 15.40
Power Consumption
-11%
-18%
5%
17%
Idle Minimum *
7.1
7.6
-7%
9.8
-38%
6.1
14%
3.4
52%
Idle Average *
14.4
14.8
-3%
16.8
-17%
10.2
29%
11
24%
Idle Maximum *
14.6
17.6
-21%
16.9
-16%
13.4
8%
14.9
-2%
Load Average *
93.9
86
8%
102.3
-9%
82
13%
78.9
16%
Witcher 3 ultra *
77.9
85
-9%
76.5
2%
Load Maximum *
88.3
118.9
-35%
114.5
-30%
122
-38%
91.2
-3%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The internal battery
The internal battery

Battery life is below that of the X1 Extreme at just 5 hours and 20 minutes in our standardized Wi-Fi web surfing test. This is a full hour less than the 6 hours and 24 minutes logged during our testing of the X1 Extreme and fully three hours less than the 8 hours, 21 minutes managed by the Precision 5530. The MacBook Pro 15 leads in this category with an impressive 10 hours and 14 minutes of runtime.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
5h 20min
Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS
E-2176M, Quadro P2000 Max-Q, 80 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme-20MF000XGE
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, 80 Wh
Dell Precision 5530 Xeon E-2176M
E-2176M, Quadro P2000, 97 Wh
HP EliteBook 1050 G1-4QY20EA
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, 96 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS03900
i5-8550U, UHD Graphics 620, 57 Wh
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
i7-8850H, Radeon Pro 560X, 83 Wh
Battery Runtime
20%
57%
63%
62%
92%
WiFi v1.3
320
384
20%
501
57%
523
63%
519
62%
614
92%
Reader / Idle
691
991
1027
1328
Witcher 3 ultra
63
88
Load
119
110
128
106

Pros

+ high-quality, robust aluminum/GFRP casing
+ strong CPU performance
+ top-notch input devices
+ good port selection
+ attractive UHD display with good color and contrast
+ reasonably good display brightness
+ quiet cooling
+ easy maintenance/upgrades
+ support for up to 64 GB RAM
+ dual PCIe x4 (NVMe) M.2 slots available
+ 3-year, on-site warranty

Cons

- highly reflective display finish
- sustained CPU load results in 10% performance drop
- pressure on back of lid produces creaking/popping
- fans regularly spin up audibly for a few seconds while idling
- relatively short battery life
- very expensive

Verdict

In review: Lenovo ThinkPad P1. Test model provided by Lenovo US
In review: Lenovo ThinkPad P1. Test model provided by Lenovo US

Alongside the growing popularity of lightweight gaming machines, thin-and-light workstations (in the vein of Dell’s Precision 5530) have also carved out a segment of the market for themselves, and Lenovo’s ThinkPad P1 represents a strong addition to this budding lineup.

Considering that the two machines are identical in design, not much has changed with the ThinkPad P1 since our review of the X1 Extreme a couple of weeks ago. We’re still impressed by the sturdy, high-quality, and attractive case, colorful IPS display, strong CPU and GPU performance, unobtrusive yet effective cooling, and top-notch input devices. We also appreciate the simplicity of maintenance and upgrades, with an easy-to-remove bottom cover and plenty of opportunity for expansion (dual-channel RAM up to 64 GB, dual PCIe x4 M.2 slots).

The X1 Extreme was already a head-turning premium consumer-grade offering, but the design also holds a lot of merit when viewed from the perspective of an ultraportable workstation.

Of course, compromises do apply when you’re essentially slicing the size and weight of a typical workstation by 30 to 50%. The ThinkPad P1 manages good performance under most workloads, but combined heavy stress serves as a sobering reminder of the limitations of such a design. With NVIDIA’s Max-Q at the helm, temperatures and power consumption never get out of hand, but GPU performance plummets (and CPU performance is notably reduced) under the heaviest of computing loads. Still, workstation performance is adequate to handle the majority of modeling and design demands, even if it is below conventional P2000-powered devices (such as the Precision 5530).

Most of our original X1 Extreme quibbles also still apply to the ThinkPad P1. Pressure on the display lid still produced a conspicuous initial creak/pop, and fan operation while idling remains subject to random (and aurally irritating) surges. Battery life falls short of category leaders by a significant margin. And the lack of anti-glare display configurations makes for troublesome operation in brighter environments.

The (roughly) $4,220 price of our positively decked-out review unit—with its massive 2 TB NVMe SSD—is also sure to give pause. Users may find slightly more affordable options with comparable performance in the X1 Extreme, Precision 5530, EliteBook 1050 G1, or even XPS 15-9570. However, there isn’t much explicitly wrong with the P1, and what it gets right in balance goes a long way toward justifying its value in the ever-competitive business universe.

Lenovo ThinkPad P1-20MD002LUS - 10/11/2018 v6(old)
Steve Schardein

Chassis
91 / 98 → 93%
Keyboard
95%
Pointing Device
91%
Connectivity
78 / 81 → 96%
Weight
65 / 10-66 → 98%
Battery
84%
Display
85%
Games Performance
90%
Application Performance
87%
Temperature
87 / 95 → 92%
Noise
85 / 90 → 94%
Audio
68%
Camera
50 / 85 → 59%
Average
81%
88%
Workstation - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo ThinkPad P1 (Xeon E-2176M, Quadro P2000 Max-Q) Workstation Review
Steve Schardein, 2018-10-17 (Update: 2019-04-30)