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MagyarLenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 workstation review: Faster than the Dell Precision 7670
The ThinkPad P16 G1 is a new generation of 16-inch ThinkPad workstations designed to surpass the existing 16-inch ThinkPad P1 series. It carries some of the fastest mobile CPUs and workstation GPUs currently available up to the Core i9-12950HX and RTX A5500, respectively, to be one of the fastest mobile workstations in the market. Our unit as configured retails for approximately $9000 USD. Of course, lower-end SKUs with slower integrated UHD graphics or the Intel ARC Pro A30M are also available with starting prices of $3400 instead.
The model competes directly with other high-end mobile workstations and some Nvidia Studio laptops like the Dell Precision 7670, Asus ProArt StudioBook Pro 16, MSI CreatorPro Z16P, or the HP ZBook Studio 16 G9. See our full review on the ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A2000 configuration to learn more about the chassis and other physical features of the model. This review will focus on what users can expect from the ThinkPad P16 G1 in terms of performance if configuring with the highest-end CPU and GPU options.
More Lenovo reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91 % | 02/2023 | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 i9-12950HX, RTX A5500 Laptop GPU | 3 kg | 30.23 mm | 16.00" | 3840x2400 | |
12/2021 | Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 W-11955M, RTX A5000 Laptop GPU | 2.4 kg | 21.4 mm | 16.00" | 3840x2400 | ||
| 89.1 % | 12/2022 | Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance i9-12950HX, RTX A5500 Laptop GPU | 2.8 kg | 25.95 mm | 16.00" | 3840x2400 | |
| 88.2 % | 02/2023 | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB i7-12850HX, RTX A2000 Laptop GPU | 3 kg | 30.23 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 84.3 % | 11/2022 | MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST i7-12700H, RTX A3000 Laptop GPU | 2.4 kg | 19 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 90.1 % | 11/2022 | HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA i7-12800H, RTX A2000 Laptop GPU | 1.8 kg | 19 mm | 16.00" | 3840x2400 |
Case
SD Card Reader
The integrated card reader offers just average transfer rates. Moving 1 GB of pictures from our UHS-II test card to desktop takes about 14 seconds compared to under half that on the Precision 7670. For a high-end mobile workstation like our ThinkPad P1, we were expecting a little bit more.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST (AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA (Angelbird AV PRO V60) | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB (AV Pro V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST (AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA (Angelbird AV PRO V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB (AV Pro V60) | |
Communication
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
Webcam
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by 12 Philips screws. The keyboard must be removed to access the WAN module, primary M.2 SSD slot, and two of the four SODIMM slots. Lenovo has an official maintenance manual for end users to follow.
Interestingly, the ThinkPad P16 G1 is one of the very few laptops shipping with a removable GPU. Swapping out a laptop graphics card is not typically recommended except for servicing or replacement purposes.
Accessories and Warranty
There are no extras in the retail box other than the AC adapter and paperwork.
A one-year limited warranty applies whereas the Dell Precision 7670 comes with three years as standard. Lenovo offers on-site service during the one year duration if needed, however.
Display
Lenovo offers four different 60 Hz display options all of which are Pantone factory calibrated with DC dimming. Our measurements below reflect only the bolded option while our second unit with the RTX A2000 GPU comes equipped with the 1600p option.
- 1920 x 1200, non-touch, IPS, 300-nits, matte, 100% sRGB
- 2560 x 1600, non-touch, IPS, 400-nits, matte, 100% sRGB
- 3840 x 2400, non-touch, IPS, 600-nits, matte, 100% AdobeRGB
- 3840 x 2400, touch, OLED, 400-nits, glossy, 100% DCI-P3
Our independent measurements can confirm the full AdobeRGB coverage and 600-nit brightness. Brightness distribution, however, is only average despite the 600-nit target. The top left quadrant of our display, for example, is 29 percent brighter than the bottom right quadrant (642 nits vs. 497 nits). Opting for the OLED panel would improve brightness distribution, but we expected better from our IPS panel when considering the asking price of the ThinkPad P1 G1.
It's worth noting that Lenovo utilizes the same LP160UQ1-SPB1 IPS panel on the ThinkPad P1 G1 for its other 16-inch ThinkPad models including the ThinkPad P1 G4 and ThinkPad X1 Extreme G4.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 77 %
Center on Battery: 601.9 cd/m²
Contrast: 1281:1 (Black: 0.47 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.45 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.6 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
95.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
82.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.3
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 LP160UQ1-SPB1, IPS, 3840x2400, 16.00 | Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 ATNA60YV02-0, OLED, 3840x2400, 16.00 | Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance Samsung 160YV03, OLED, 3840x2400, 16.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB NE160QDM-N63 , IPS LED, 2560x1600, 16.00 | MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST B160QAN02.N, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA BOE0A52, IPS, 3840x2400, 16.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 8% | 8% | -12% | 3% | 3% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 82.9 | 99.9 21% | 99.9 21% | 71.5 -14% | 97.6 18% | 97.5 18% |
| sRGB Coverage | 98.9 | 100 1% | 100 1% | 100 1% | 99.9 1% | 99.9 1% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 95.9 | 98.6 3% | 98.1 2% | 73.3 -24% | 87.4 -9% | 86.3 -10% |
| Response Times | 96% | 96% | 23% | 76% | 75% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 45.6 ? | 2 ? 96% | 1.84 ? 96% | 37.7 ? 17% | 12.8 ? 72% | 15.3 ? 66% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 36.8 ? | 2 ? 95% | 1.92 ? 95% | 26.3 ? 29% | 7.4 ? 80% | 6.1 ? 83% |
| PWM Frequency | 240 ? | 59.52 ? | ||||
| Screen | -2% | -36% | -4% | 9% | 16% | |
| Brightness middle | 601.9 | 353 -41% | 325.2 -46% | 424 -30% | 407 -32% | 554 -8% |
| Brightness | 569 | 360 -37% | 328 -42% | 398 -30% | 388 -32% | 516 -9% |
| Brightness Distribution | 77 | 96 25% | 97 26% | 90 17% | 88 14% | 84 9% |
| Black Level * | 0.47 | 0.24 49% | 0.36 23% | 0.47 -0% | ||
| Contrast | 1281 | 1767 38% | 1131 -12% | 1179 -8% | ||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.45 | 2.45 -0% | 4.59 -87% | 2.6 -6% | 1.3 47% | 1 59% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.46 | 3.75 16% | 7.65 -72% | 4.9 -10% | 2.5 44% | 2.4 46% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.6 | 1.88 28% | 2.5 4% | 4.1 -58% | 2.1 19% | 1.6 38% |
| Gamma | 2.3 96% | 2.31 95% | 2.1 105% | 2.13 103% | 2.26 97% | 2.29 96% |
| CCT | 6805 96% | 6441 101% | 6541 99% | 7252 90% | 6437 101% | 6458 101% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2.77 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | ||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 34% /
19% | 23% /
-0% | 2% /
-2% | 29% /
18% | 31% /
22% |
* ... smaller is better
The color profile can be changed via the pre-installed X-Rite Color Assistant software. It appears to be buggy at the moment since colors are not as accurate as they should be out-of-the-box despite the full AdobeRGB coverage of our panel. When set to sRGB mode, for example, average grayscale and color deltaE values would be just 2.6 and 2.45, respectively, compared to 4.8 and 3.87 when set to AdobeRGB mode.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 36.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 19.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 94 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 45.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 21.2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 24.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 75 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| 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 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Outdoor visibility is decent as the display is brighter than on most other laptops where the 300 to 400 nit range is more common. It's still recommended to work under shade whenever possible, however, as direct sunlight will degrade image quality and colors.
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set our unit to Performance mode and dGPU mode via Windows and the Nvidia control panel, respectively, prior to running any performance benchmarks below. It's recommended that users become familiar with the pre-installed Lenovo Vantage software as it is the central hub for Lenovo-specific BIOS updates, features, warranty status, and more.
There are no Xeon CPU options and so ECC RAM is unsupported. However, the ECC state for the GPU can be toggled on or off via the Nvidia control panel.
Processor
Raw multi-thread performance is about 10 percent faster than the Core i9-12900H in the competing MSI CreatorPro Z16P. Upgrading from the Core i7-12850HX configuration to our Core i9-12950HX one will boost performance by 15 percent. Perhaps most notably, the Precision 7670 is roughly 15 to 20 percent slower even though it ships with the same Core i9-12950HX CPU as our Lenovo.
Turbo Boost sustainability is good but not perfect. When running CineBench R15 xT in a loop, for example, the original score of 3141 points would fall to ~2830 points over time for a performance dip of 10 percent.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 -9! | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (15499 - 22868, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (77846 - 115907, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (3426 - 5069, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (102752 - 104726, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (10134 - 12823, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (37146 - 57340, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (72599 - 181128, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (8455 - 12432, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (35479 - 42655, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
System Performance
PCMark scores are some of the highest we've seen on any mobile workstation. Our system even edges out the Dell Precision 7670 which ships with the same CPU and GPU options as the ThinkPad P16 G1.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU (6883 - 7236, n=3) | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU (10898 - 11465, n=3) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU (8054 - 9489, n=3) | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU (9155 - 9944, n=3) | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU (1801 - 1889, n=3) | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU (1684 - 1785, n=3) | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU (2042 - 2192, n=3) | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU (1501 - 1585, n=3) | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 7236 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (59731 - 64732, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (59744 - 70359, n=7) | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (57750 - 67899, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals minor DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage which is disappointing for a workstation. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise excellent with just a single dropped frame during our test video.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Whereas our A2000 configuration would ship with a Micron 3400 SSD, our A5500 configuration ships with a WD SN810 OPAL SSD instead. Sequential read and write rates are comparable between the two, but our WD drive appears to have issues maintaining maximum transfer rates after about 5 minutes of stress as shown by our comparison graph below.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The RTX A5500 in our Lenovo is performing roughly 10 percent faster than the same GPU in the competing Precision 7670. This is despite the fact that the GPU in the Dell is rated for a 135 W TGP versus the 130 W TGP in our Lenovo according to the Nvidia control panel. Moving down to the lower-end RTX A2000 SKU will reduce graphics performance by as much as 50 to 65 percent.
| 3DMark Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16IAX7-82TD004SGE -34! | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance -1! | |
| Average NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU | |
| Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 -19! | |
| MSI WE76 11UM-456 -9! | |
| HP ZBook Fury 15 G8 -1! | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST -17! | |
| HP ZBook Studio 15 G8 -17! | |
| HP ZBook Studio G7 -17! | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA -9! | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 -9! | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB -17! | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 32536 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 54323 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 25940 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 10760 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
Witcher 3 FPS Chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |
| GTA V (2015) | 185.9 | 183.4 | 177.7 | 124.4 | 103.5 | |
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 489.4 | 329.9 | 211.8 | 110.4 | 63.7 | |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 194.3 | 174.5 | 166.1 | 156.3 | 132.8 | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 212 | 142.5 | 113.1 | 83.5 | 45.4 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 155.8 | 137.6 | 108.8 | 93.7 | ||
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 442 | 264 | 223 | 197.7 | 138.6 | |
| Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 (2022) | 132.3 | 117.7 | 96.1 | 80.7 | 47 | 20.4 |
Emissions
System Noise
When on the default Balanced mode, the fans would remain quiet for longer periods than expected despite the high-performance processors inside. When running 3DMark 06, for example, fan nose would top out at just 28 dB(A) by the end of the first benchmark scene. It would take multiple runs before the fans would pulse to louder RPMs of up to the 40 dB(A) range.
Fan noise when running more demanding loads on Performance mode would top out at just over 50 dB(A) to be noticeably louder than competing workstations including the Precision 7670 as shown by the table below. Of course, these alternatives are also slower than our Lenovo configuration.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 23.1 / 23.1 / 23.1 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 28.9 / 51.4 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.1 dB(A) | ||
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 RTX A5500 Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, WDC PC SN810 2TB | Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 RTX A5000 Laptop GPU, W-11955M, 2x Micron 2300 2TB MTFDHBA2T0TDV (RAID 0) | Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance RTX A5500 Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB RTX A2000 Laptop GPU, i7-12850HX, Micron 3400 1TB MTFDKBA1T0TFH | MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST RTX A3000 Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR | HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA RTX A2000 Laptop GPU, i7-12800H, Micron 3400 1TB MTFDKBA1T0TFH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -14% | -16% | -6% | -11% | -9% | |
| off / environment * | 23.1 | 26 -13% | 23.9 -3% | 23.2 -0% | 24.1 -4% | 24 -4% |
| Idle Minimum * | 23.1 | 26 -13% | 24 -4% | 23.2 -0% | 27.1 -17% | 24 -4% |
| Idle Average * | 23.1 | 26 -13% | 24 -4% | 23.2 -0% | 27.1 -17% | 27.7 -20% |
| Idle Maximum * | 23.1 | 26.5 -15% | 38 -65% | 23.2 -0% | 27.1 -17% | 27.7 -20% |
| Load Average * | 28.9 | 42 -45% | 46.3 -60% | 47.8 -65% | 42.9 -48% | 39.8 -38% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 51.6 | 41.9 19% | 34.1 34% | 44 15% | 44.3 14% | |
| Load Maximum * | 51.4 | 43 16% | 47.9 7% | 56.3 -10% | 47 9% | 47.7 7% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Surface temperatures are warmer than expected even when idling on desktop with no running applications. The bottom, for example, can be as warm as 37 C compared to just 31 C on the Precision 7670. If running higher loads, these same hot spots on the Lenovo can reach 49 C or warmer while the keyboard center can reach 40 C. Skin temperatures can feel uncomfortable if the laptop is on the lap instead of on a table.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.8 °C / 113 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 49.8 °C / 122 F, compared to the average of 41.3 °C / 106 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.6 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 32 °C / 90 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 36.4 °C / 98 F, compared to the device average of 32 °C / 90 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (32.4 °C / 90.3 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.8 °C / 82 F (-4.6 °C / -8.3 F).
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU | Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 Intel Xeon W-11955M, NVIDIA RTX A5000 Laptop GPU | Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB Intel Core i7-12850HX, NVIDIA RTX A2000 Laptop GPU | MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA RTX A3000 Laptop GPU | HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA Intel Core i7-12800H, NVIDIA RTX A2000 Laptop GPU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | -1% | -3% | 17% | -3% | 9% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 44.8 | 45.7 -2% | 53 -18% | 43.1 4% | 56.3 -26% | 38.7 14% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 49.8 | 48.3 3% | 43.2 13% | 39.9 20% | 68.3 -37% | 53.4 -7% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 30.6 | 35.3 -15% | 36.8 -20% | 26 15% | 25.2 18% | 27.3 11% |
| Idle Bottom * | 38.6 | 34.4 11% | 33.8 12% | 27.6 28% | 25.9 33% | 31.6 18% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
The system is definitely straining when the processors are under heavy load. When running Prime95, for example, CPU clock rates and board power draw would boost to 4.1 GHz and 135 W, respectively. Unfortunately, core temperature would spike to 100 C almost immediately and so clock rates would quickly fall to prevent even warmer temperatures. The processor would eventually stabilize at 3 GHz, 82 W, and 100 C meaning that it is pushing the limits of the ThinkPad P16 G1 cooling solution. Repeating this test on the Precision 7670 equipped with the same processor would result in a slower stable clock rate of 2.3 GHz and a cooler core temperature of 78 C.
When running Witcher 3 to represent high loads, GPU clock rate, memory clock, and temperature would stabilize at 1477 MHz, 2000 MHz, and 78 C, respectively, compared to 1417 MHz, 1750 MHz, and 82 C on the Precision 7670 when under similar conditions. Board power draw would also be higher on our Lenovo at 129 W compared to just 100 W on the Dell which would explain the GPU performance advantages mentioned above.
Running on battery power limits performance. A Fire Strike test on batteries would return Physics and Graphics scores of 18903 and 12395 points, respectively, compared to 31226 and 28885 points when on mains.
| CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | Average GPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | -- | -- | 39 | 39 |
| Prime95 Stress | 3.0 | -- | 100 | 45 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 2.1 - 2.8 | ~500 - 1550 | 88 - 100 | 75 |
| Witcher 3 Stress | ~1.2 | 1477 | 72 | 78 |
Speakers
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 17% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 77% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 10% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 87% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | bass is linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (4.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% 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, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Power consumption when idling is lower than on the Precision 7670 by several watts likely because of the more demanding OLED panel on the latter. When running higher loads like Witcher 3, however, consumption would become noticeably higher on the Lenovo than on the Dell (208 W vs. 159 W). The higher power draw coincides with the faster CPU and GPU performance over the competing Dell model as shown through our benchmarks above.
Though power users may appreciate the extra performance, our fully loaded Lenovo is significantly more demanding than most other mobile workstations. In fact, the medium-sized (~15 x 8.6 x 2.6 cm) 230 W AC adapter may not be enough to power the machine when the CPU and GPU are at high utilization. We're able to measure a temporary maximum draw of 286 W from the 230 W adapter before it eventually falls and stabilizes at around 223 W. Thus, expect the battery charge rate to slow or even become negative when running demanding loads. When running Witcher 3 for 90 minutes straight, for example, we observed our battery level drop from 100 percent to 87 percent. A similar behavior was observed on the older XPS 17 or Precision 5750. It's too bad that Lenovo does not offer AC adapter options higher than 230 W at checkout.
Configuring with the lower-end RTX A2000 would cut consumption down by about one half. In this case, the 230 W AC adapter would be sufficient.
| Off / Standby | 0.03 / 1.6 Watt |
| Idle | 7.5 / 20.1 / 40 Watt |
| Load |
137 / 285.9 Watt |
   
| |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 i9-12950HX, RTX A5500 Laptop GPU, WDC PC SN810 2TB, IPS, 3840x2400, 16.00 | Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 W-11955M, RTX A5000 Laptop GPU, 2x Micron 2300 2TB MTFDHBA2T0TDV (RAID 0), OLED, 3840x2400, 16.00 | Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance i9-12950HX, RTX A5500 Laptop GPU, , OLED, 3840x2400, 16.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB i7-12850HX, RTX A2000 Laptop GPU, Micron 3400 1TB MTFDKBA1T0TFH, IPS LED, 2560x1600, 16.00 | MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST i7-12700H, RTX A3000 Laptop GPU, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA i7-12800H, RTX A2000 Laptop GPU, Micron 3400 1TB MTFDKBA1T0TFH, IPS, 3840x2400, 16.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 14% | -35% | 45% | 19% | 28% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 7.5 | 12.4 -65% | 16.4 -119% | 5.1 32% | 10.8 -44% | 7.2 4% |
| Idle Average * | 20.1 | 16.5 18% | 35.9 -79% | 9.2 54% | 16.3 19% | 18.1 10% |
| Idle Maximum * | 40 | 25 37% | 47 -18% | 9.9 75% | 16.9 58% | 18.5 54% |
| Load Average * | 137 | 132 4% | 147.1 -7% | 124.1 9% | 111.7 18% | 112.8 18% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 208 | 132 37% | 158.8 24% | 87.7 58% | 152.1 27% | 106.7 49% |
| Load Maximum * | 285.9 | 134 53% | 311 -9% | 168.9 41% | 177.4 38% | 186 35% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Witcher 3 / Stresstest
Power Consumption external Monitor
Battery Life
Runtime is several hours shorter than on our lesser RTX A2000 SKU for a total of just under 6 hours if set to the Balanced power profile.
Charging from empty to full takes about 2 hours. Lenovo's estimated charge time isn't so accurate, however, as Vantage may show it to be as long as 4 hours at first before automatically recalibrating itself. Keep in mind that charging rate will slow significantly if running demanding applications as mentioned above.
The system cannot be recharged via USB-C.
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 i9-12950HX, RTX A5500 Laptop GPU, 94 Wh | Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 W7600H5A-2BL2 W-11955M, RTX A5000 Laptop GPU, 90 Wh | Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance i9-12950HX, RTX A5500 Laptop GPU, 93 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 21D6001DMB i7-12850HX, RTX A2000 Laptop GPU, 94 Wh | MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST i7-12700H, RTX A3000 Laptop GPU, 90 Wh | HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA i7-12800H, RTX A2000 Laptop GPU, 86 Wh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -14% | -20% | 61% | -1% | 8% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 350 | 301 -14% | 280 -20% | 564 61% | 348 -1% | 377 8% |
| H.264 | 106 | 509 | ||||
| Witcher 3 ultra | 94 | |||||
| Load | 106 | 63 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict — The 230 W AC Adapter Is Not Enough
From a purely performance perspective, the ThinkPad P16 G1 is one of the fastest mobile workstations currently available regardless of screen size. Its Core i9-12950HX CPU and RTX A5500 GPU slightly but consistently outperform the Precision 7670 even though the Dell model comes with similar processor options.
There are two key drawbacks that we hope Lenovo can address on future iterations. Firstly, CPU temperatures are much warmer than average when running demanding loads. High temperatures are not unexpected, of course, but plateauing at 100 C is just too warm for comfort when the same CPU in the aforementioned Dell model would barely crack the 80 C mark under similar conditions. The high temperature is perhaps the price to pay for the slightly faster performance.
Secondly, the 230 W AC adapter is sweating bullets trying to power a 100+ W CPU and a 130 W GPU. The struggle is observable when running demanding loads as the system charge rate would slow significantly or even begin to drain the battery in certain scenarios. When we're able to measure a peak draw of 285 W from an AC adapter rated for just 230 W, then there's clearly a bottleneck here. A larger 280 W or 330 W AC adapter would have been more appropriate given our configuration level.
The ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 maximizes performance even if it means higher power consumption and higher core temperatures. The 230 W AC adapter may be too conservative, however, given the very demanding processors of our top-end configuration.
The overall high system performance is nonetheless undeniable despite the high temperatures and insufficient 230 W power brick. Be sure to exit out of any demanding applications for decent charging speeds.
Price and Availability
The ThinkPad P16 G1 is now shipping at Best Buy and Amazon at lower configuration levels starting at $2570 or $3850 USD, respectively. We recommend purchasing directly from Lenovo as they have the most configurable options in stock.
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500
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02/06/2023 v7
Allen Ngo
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Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
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