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Lenovo ThinkPad P51 (Xeon, 4K) Workstation Review

More performance and a very good display. Lenovo's ThinkPad P51 is a full-fledged mobile workstation with a 15-inch display, powerful Xeon quad-core processor and a professional graphics card from Nvidia. The 4K screen in particular convinced in the review.

For the original German review, see here.

Lenovo has only cautiously updated its workstation lineup this year since there was a major redesign last year. Unlike the ThinkPad P51s (here in review), which has put a bigger focus on the mobility, it is all about the performance with the ThinkPad P51. This is supported by the powerful quad-core processors and faster professional graphics cards, but they are still based on Nvidia's old Maxwell architecture.

Our review unit today is currently one of the most powerful SKUs of the ThinkPad P51 with a mobile Xeon processor (Kaby Lake), Nvidia Quadro M2200M GPU, fast PCIe SSD and high-resolution 4K screen with integrated calibration. However, all this comes at a price. Regular customers pay around 3300 Euros (~$3671); students and eligible scientific employees can get it for 2700 Euros (~$3005).

The biggest rivals are obviously the classic mobile workstations from Dell, HP, or Fujitsu, but we have not been able to review their current models so far. We therefore use the predecessors Dell Precision 7510HP ZBook 15 G3, and Fujitsu Celsius H760. We also want to check what compromises you have to make by choosing a slimmer & lighter alternative such as the Dell Precision 5520 or the previously mentioned ThinkPad P51s.

The basic construction of the ThinkPad P51 has not changed compared to the previous ThinkPad P50, so we will not cover all the sections in this article and only talk about the changes. We recommend our comprehensive reviews of the ThinkPad P50 for more information:

Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE (ThinkPad P51 Series)
Processor
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6 4 x 3 - 4 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA Quadro M2200 - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1038 MHz, GDDR5, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, Dual-Channel, DDR4-2400, up to 64 GB
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 282 PPI, LEN40BD, B156ZAN02.1, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel CM238
Soundcard
Intel A171
Connections
1 Express Card 34mm, 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm stereo jack, Card Reader: 4-in-1 (MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC), 1 SmartCard, 1 Fingerprint Reader
Networking
Intel Ethernet Connection I219-LM (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 29.4 x 377.4 x 252.3 ( = 1.16 x 14.86 x 9.93 in)
Battery
90 Wh Lithium-Polymer, removeable
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p HD
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo (2x2 watts), Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 170-watt power adapter, quick-start guide, warranty information, Lenovo Settings App, Pantone Color Calibrator, Microsoft Office (trial), 36 Months Warranty
Weight
2.634 kg ( = 92.91 oz / 5.81 pounds), Power Supply: 689 g ( = 24.3 oz / 1.52 pounds)
Price
3300 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

As expected, the typical black plastic case has not changed. There is still an aluminum-magnesium alloy underneath the surface, which provides very high stability. Neither pressure nor twisting attempts are a problem for the base, and the overall stability can keep up with unibody constructions. At the front of the bottom is the battery, which can be easily removed. As with the ThinkPad P50, however, one of the support feet is located over the battery. This is an issue when you use the system without the battery.

The lid is rubberized slightly and the construction is made of glass-fiber reinforced plastic. The stability is decent, but could be better. You can warp the lid pretty easily, but it does not result in picture distortions. The hinges work very well and keep the display well in position; the maximum opening angle is 180 degrees.

Size Comparison

380 mm / 15 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 33 mm / 1.299 inch 2.7 kg6.04 lbs386 mm / 15.2 inch 264 mm / 10.4 inch 26 mm / 1.024 inch 2.6 kg5.79 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 257 mm / 10.1 inch 32 mm / 1.26 inch 3 kg6.57 lbs377.4 mm / 14.9 inch 252.3 mm / 9.93 inch 29.4 mm / 1.157 inch 2.6 kg5.81 lbs377.4 mm / 14.9 inch 252.3 mm / 9.93 inch 29.4 mm / 1.157 inch 2.6 kg5.71 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 253 mm / 9.96 inch 22 mm / 0.866 inch 2.2 kg4.85 lbs358 mm / 14.1 inch 237 mm / 9.33 inch 21 mm / 0.827 inch 2.1 kg4.58 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

ThinkPad P51 vs. P51s vs. P71

We had the chance to compare all three current mobile workstations from Lenovo and take some pictures. The ThinkPad P51s, which shares the chassis with the ThinkPad T570, is noticeably slimmer and also more compact than the P51. The test model with the quad-core processor and the Quadro M2200 is obviously more powerful in return. The ThinkPad P71 on the other hand is much bulkier and has a much bigger footprint.

Connectivity

The port selection has not changed with this generation. However, all the necessary ports are available, so this is not a problem. You can connect up to four external 4K monitors via Nvidia GPU.

Rear: 2x USB 3.0 (1x Always-on), Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen. 2)/Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 1.4b, power
Rear: 2x USB 3.0 (1x Always-on), Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen. 2)/Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 1.4b, power
Left side: ExpressCard (34 mm), SmartCard reader
Left side: ExpressCard (34 mm), SmartCard reader
Right side: Stereo jack (combo), 2x USB 3.0, Mini-DisplayPort 1.2a
Right side: Stereo jack (combo), 2x USB 3.0, Mini-DisplayPort 1.2a

SD-Card Reader

The SD-card reader is much faster compared to the slimmer ThinkPad P51s. We determined a very good maximum transfer rate of more than 200 MB/s and still more than 150 MB/s when we copied JPEG pictures in combination with our reference card from Toshiba (Exceria Pro SDXC UHS-II 64 GB). Only the Dell Precision 5520 performs even better. You do not need an external card reader (USB 3.0).

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
 
157.5 MB/s +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
 
155 MB/s
HP ZBook 15 G3
 
123 MB/s -21%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
 
122.9 MB/s -21%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
 
108 MB/s -30%
Fujitsu Celsius H760
 
84 MB/s -46%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
 
76.8 MB/s -50%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
 
254.5 MB/s +18%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
 
215 MB/s
HP ZBook 15 G3
 
206 MB/s -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
 
197 MB/s -8%
Fujitsu Celsius H760
 
171 MB/s -20%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
 
89 MB/s -59%

Communication

The slot for the Micro-SIM is located in the battery tray.
The slot for the Micro-SIM is located in the battery tray.

The first models of the P50 caused annoyance among the buyers because they were not "WWAN-ready". Lenovo stated that the problem was related to interferences with the memory, since both components used the same frequency of 2133 MHz.

This problem has now been resolved, and all SKUs of the ThinkPad P51 are prepared for an LTE modem. The corresponding Micro-SIM slot is located inside the battery tray, which is also visible on the picture on the right.

The wireless module has been updated to the Intel 8265. This 2x2 module supports 2.4 & 5 GHz networks, the fast 802.11ac standard, and a maximum transfer rate of 867 Mbps. We determined good results in our standardized WLAN test with the router Linksys EA8500 (1 meter away/~3 ft), and we did not experience any issues with the wireless connection during our review period.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
508 MBit/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
508 MBit/s
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
506 (622min) MBit/s 0%
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
672 MBit/s +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
643 MBit/s
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
622 MBit/s -3%

Software

Lenovo ships the ThinkPad P51 with Windows 10 Professional (64-bit). It is the so called Signature Edition without any annoying bloat ware. Instead, Lenovo has installed the App Explorer, which offers a choice of popular applications that you can install.

Preloaded applications
Preloaded applications
Lenovo App Explorer
Lenovo App Explorer
Lenovo App Explorer
Lenovo App Explorer

Warranty

The warranty period is 36 months (on-site service) and it can be extended up to five years. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices

The input devices have not changed. This is no problem for the keyboard – good mechanical typing experience, sufficient key travel, not too loud, illuminated, and spill-water resistant. Prolific writers will be pleased with this input device as well. The touchpad is now a Precision Touchpad, which means that all the inputs are processed by Windows. The design is similar to that of the previous model as well, including the thin stripe between the touchpad and the dedicated buttons for the TrackPoint. Models like the ThinkPad P51s already use an updated design with a slightly bigger touchpad service. Nevertheless, this model still works very well.

Our test model had a small issue with the right dedicated TrackPoint button: The key was sometimes stuck after we used it. However, we did not encounter this with a second test model or the ThinkPad P71, so this should be an isolated issue.

Display

Subpixel array
Subpixel array

The new ThinkPad P51 is available with a matte Full HD IPS screen (250 nits, Touch option with 220 nits) or the high-resolution matte 4K IPS display. This was already the case for the predecessor, but the two P50 test models were not particularly convincing in terms of brightness. The 4K panel of the ThinkPad P51 performs better in this respect and surpasses the advertised value. We can measure up to 330 nits and still 307 nits on average.

The black value is only average (0.36), so we "only" got a contrast ratio of 881:1. This still surpasses the 4K predecessor, and subjectively, we like the picture a lot. There is no grainy impression either, which is often the case with matte screens. The lack of PWM regulation is another positive aspect. We can only notice minimal backlight bleeding in the two bottom corners.

295
cd/m²
298
cd/m²
302
cd/m²
313
cd/m²
317
cd/m²
330
cd/m²
322
cd/m²
299
cd/m²
307
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LEN40BD, B156ZAN02.1 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 330 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 309.2 cd/m² Minimum: 3.8 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 313 cd/m²
Contrast: 881:1 (Black: 0.36 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.5% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
87.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
99.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
86.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.27
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
LEN40BD, B156ZAN02.1, , 3840x2160, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
LQ156D1JW05, , 3840x2160, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
LP156WF6-SPK1, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
BOE NV156QUM-N44, , 3840x2160, 15.60
HP ZBook 15 G3
Samsung SDC5344, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
Sharp LQ156D1, , 3840x2160, 15.60
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
SHP1476, , 3840x2160, 15.60
Fujitsu Celsius H760
LGD046F LP156WF6-SPP1, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Display
-1%
-52%
-20%
-19%
0%
-18%
-27%
Display P3 Coverage
86.3
85.8
-1%
39.13
-55%
69.7
-19%
66.8
-23%
86.2
0%
67.4
-22%
63.9
-26%
sRGB Coverage
99.5
98.6
-1%
58.5
-41%
91.2
-8%
95.5
-4%
99.7
0%
98.5
-1%
82.4
-17%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
99.3
98.2
-1%
40.45
-59%
66.8
-33%
69
-31%
99
0%
68.9
-31%
60.3
-39%
Response Times
9%
-8%
4%
-37%
-5%
-55%
2%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
40.8 ?(20.8, 20)
39.2 ?(14.8, 24.4)
4%
46 ?(17, 29)
-13%
38.4 ?(20.4, 18)
6%
54 ?(24.4, 29.6)
-32%
40.4 ?(19.6, 20.8)
1%
59.2 ?(27.6, 31.6)
-45%
38 ?(15, 23)
7%
Response Time Black / White *
25.2 ?(14, 11.2)
22 ?(7, 15)
13%
26 ?(9, 17)
-3%
24.8 ?(13.6, 11.2)
2%
35.6 ?(11.6, 24)
-41%
27.6 ?(6.8, 20.8)
-10%
41.6 ?(26.8, 14.8)
-65%
26 ?(7, 19)
-3%
PWM Frequency
217
980 ?(90)
198 ?(95)
198.4 ?(29)
Screen
-38%
-17%
-16%
-42%
-11%
-9%
-21%
Brightness middle
317
250
-21%
263
-17%
317
0%
306
-3%
279.2
-12%
372.4
17%
341
8%
Brightness
309
250
-19%
236
-24%
290
-6%
289
-6%
271
-12%
368
19%
310
0%
Brightness Distribution
89
86
-3%
78
-12%
85
-4%
85
-4%
83
-7%
90
1%
82
-8%
Black Level *
0.36
0.31
14%
0.34
6%
0.32
11%
0.34
6%
0.266
26%
0.48
-33%
0.34
6%
Contrast
881
806
-9%
774
-12%
991
12%
900
2%
1050
19%
776
-12%
1003
14%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
2.7
4.5
-67%
2.35
13%
3.6
-33%
5.1
-89%
4.14
-53%
2.6
4%
3.8
-41%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
4.1
9.3
-127%
6.6
-61%
9.9
-141%
6.56
-60%
5.6
-37%
10.8
-163%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3
7.2
-140%
3.33
-11%
4.2
-40%
7.4
-147%
3.26
-9%
3.7
-23%
2
33%
Gamma
2.27 97%
2.31 95%
2.38 92%
2.24 98%
2.37 93%
2.19 100%
2.14 103%
2.17 101%
CCT
6077 107%
6399 102%
6917 94%
6740 96%
7263 89%
6375 102%
7096 92%
6581 99%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
87.6
85
-3%
37
-58%
59.5
-32%
63
-28%
85.68
-2%
63
-28%
54
-38%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
99.5
98.6
-1%
58
-42%
91.1
-8%
95
-5%
99.72
0%
99
-1%
82.2
-17%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-10% / -24%
-26% / -23%
-11% / -14%
-33% / -36%
-5% / -8%
-27% / -17%
-15% / -19%

* ... smaller is better

Some P51 SKUs also feature integrated color calibration (X-Rite Pantone). Since this is an integrated feature, we would usually take the calibrated results for our database. However, the calibration did not work at all with our test model. The luminance took a hit to just ~200 nits, there was a severe red cast, and the CalMAN deviations were much higher compared to the standard results. The following screenshots were taken with the standard factory settings.

Grayscale pre-calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
Grayscale pre-calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
Saturation Sweeps pre-calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
Saturation Sweeps pre-calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
ColorChecker pre-calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
ColorChecker pre-calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)

Thanks to the wide color gamut (more on that soon), we measured the display against the sRGB and AdobeRGB reference color spaces. The AdobeRGB results are better as can be seen on the screenshots, but the deviations compared to the sRGB reference are not that much worse.

The average deviations for the grayscale and the colors are already within the target range of 3 or less, respectively, ex-works. We noticed a slight red cast in the grayscale though, and the color temperature is not perfect either.

Grayscale post calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
Grayscale post calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
Saturation Sweeps post calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
Saturation Sweeps post calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
ColorChecker post calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)
ColorChecker post calibration (target color space AdobeRGB)

Our calibration (X-Rite i1Pro2 spectrophotometer) reveals the full potential of the screen. The grayscale deviation drops to 0.5 and both the RGB balance as well as the color temperature are almost perfect. The color deviation also drops to 1 on average (up to 2.1), so it is within the target range. You can download our calibrated profile in the display box above.

The color gamut is on par with the 4K panel of the previous model and the Dell 7510. The smaller sRGB gamut is covered completely, and AdobeRGB by 87.5%. Thanks to the low color deviations, you can use the P51 for more serious graphics editing.

ThinkPad P51 vs. sRGB (99.5%)
ThinkPad P51 vs. sRGB (99.5%)
ThinkPad P51 vs. AdobeRGB (87.7%)
ThinkPad P51 vs. AdobeRGB (87.7%)

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
25.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 14 ms rise
↘ 11.2 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 55 % 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
40.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 20.8 ms rise
↘ 20 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. » 59 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The luminance is not reduced on battery, and you can basically use the ThinkPad P51 outdoors thanks to the matte panel surface. The viewing angle stability of the IPS panel is very good; the brightness suffers only slightly from extreme angles, but this is no problem in practice.

Performance

The ThinkPad P51 is a powerful mobile workstation. The system is only available with quad-core processors as well as dedicated Quadro GPUs from Nvidia. The two graphics solutions (M1200 & M2200) are still based on the old Maxwell architecture although the newer Pascal chips are reserved for the bigger ThinkPad P71. Lenovo also offers several options for the memory (including ECC RAM in combination with Xeon CPUs for improved error correction) and the storage. In addition to the pre-configured TopSeller models, it is also possible to configure the system in Lenovo's online shop. The smallest model currently starts at almost 2000 Euros (~$2225), but you can pay up to 5500 Euros (~$5562) when you tick all the optional boxes.

Processor

You can get the ThinkPad P51 with four different Intel processors based on the Kaby Lake architecture. Besides the Core i7-7700HQ and Core i7-7820HQ, Lenovo also offers two mobile Xeon chips: the Xeon E3-1505M v6 in our test model and the even faster E3-1535M v6. The two Xeons are currently among the fastest mobile processors on the market. The base frequency of the Xeon E3-1505M v6 is 3 GHz, but it can reach up to 4 GHz for one core via Turbo Boost (2 cores: 3.8 GHz, 4 cores: 3.6 GHz). This means that the Xeon is slightly ahead of the i7-7820HQ, which is 100 MHz slower.

Intel XTU
Intel XTU
Intel XTU Advanced
Intel XTU Advanced

Lenovo has increased the TDP limit from 45 to 55 watts (even 75 watts for a short time), so you can utilize the high clocks. You can also notice the advantage of the thicker construction in the benchmarks. While the same Xeon processor in the much slimmer Dell Precision 5520 is still on par in the Cinebench R15 Single test, it suffers from temperature problems in the Multi test and falls behind by 17%. The difference compared to the slimmer ThinkPad P51s is also significant, because the ULV processor does not even manage half the points of the P51 (CB R15 Multi). All in all, the new Xeon is a few percent points ahead of the Skylake models. The two optional Core i7 chips are not that much slower either. If you do not need all the CPU performance you can get or ECC RAM, you can also choose one of the two less expensive models.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
171 Points
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
170 Points -1%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
162 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
162 Points -5%
Dell Precision 3520
Intel Core i7-7820HQ
160 Points -6%
HP ZBook 15 G3
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
158 Points -8%
Fujitsu Celsius H760
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
158 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
157 Points -8%
Acer Predator 17 G9-793-70PJ
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
157 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Intel Core i7-6820HQ
117 Points -32%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
792 Points
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
750 Points -5%
Dell Precision 3520
Intel Core i7-7820HQ
736 Points -7%
HP ZBook 15 G3
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
732 Points -8%
Acer Predator 17 G9-793-70PJ
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
732 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
729 Points -8%
Fujitsu Celsius H760
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
710 Points -10%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
654 Points -17%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Intel Core i7-6820HQ
592 Points -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
379 Points -52%

It is always interesting to see whether fast processors can maintain their performance for long periods. We check this with a loop of the Cinebench R15 Multi test. The ThinkPad P51 does not have any problems, and the performance is still steady after 50 runs.

The processor is slightly lower on battery though, and the Multi test is "only" executed with a clock of 4x 3.2 GHz. The score is 682 points, which is 14% slower compared to mains. More technical information and benchmarks for the Xeon E3-1505M v6 are listed in our Tech section.

0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450460470480490500510520530540550560570580590600610620630640650660670680690700710720730740750760770780790800Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6332
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
23780
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.92 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
8.61 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
171 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
792 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
103.9 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help

System Performance

Our ThinkPad P51 is equipped with powerful components – Xeon CPU, Nvidia Quadro GPU, fast NVMe SSD – so the subjective performance impression is very good. However, some of the synthetic benchmarks only rank it in the middle of our comparison group; it only comes out on top in the Creative test and the older PCMark 7.

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Fujitsu Celsius H760
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
4028 Points +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4023 Points +10%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
Quadro M2000M, E3-1535M v5, Samsung SSD SM951a 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVKV512)
4020 Points +10%
HP ZBook 15 G3
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
3959 Points +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
3641 Points
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
3504 Points -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
3232 Points -11%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Fujitsu Celsius H760
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
5301 Points +25%
HP ZBook 15 G3
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5221 Points +23%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4372 Points +3%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
4291 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
4256 Points
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
Quadro M2000M, E3-1535M v5, Samsung SSD SM951a 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVKV512)
4246 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
4193 Points -1%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
6301 Points
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
Quadro M2000M, E3-1535M v5, Samsung SSD SM951a 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVKV512)
5537 Points -12%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
5086 Points -19%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
4640 Points -26%
HP ZBook 15 G3
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4392 Points -30%
Fujitsu Celsius H760
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
4345 Points -31%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4291 Points -32%
PCMark 7 - Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
6440 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
5568 Points -14%
HP ZBook 15 G3
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5521 Points -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4979 Points -23%
PCMark 7 Score
6440 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3641 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
6301 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4256 points
Help

Storage Devices

Three storage bays in theory
Three storage bays in theory

Inside the ThinkPad P51 are a total of three storage slots: 2x M.2-2280 with PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and 1x 2.5-inch slot for drives with a height of up to 7 millimeters (~0.27 in). At least in theory. You can access all three slots after the removal of the maintenance hatch, but the required adapters are missing. Lenovo should take HP as an example, because the ZBook 15 G3, for instance, is shipped with the required cables.

Our test model is equipped with a 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD from Samsung, more precisely the PM961. The benchmark results are very good across the board, but all the comparison devices perform very well in this section. More benchmarks are available in our comprehensive HDD/SSD list.

Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
HP ZBook 15 G3
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
Samsung SSD SM951a 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVKV512)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
-15%
11%
4%
-1%
-1%
Read Seq
1705
1189
-30%
1771
4%
1502
-12%
1648
-3%
2253
32%
Write Seq
1541
1138
-26%
1304
-15%
1538
0%
1575
2%
1662
8%
Read 512
1038
782
-25%
1364
31%
1164
12%
1155
11%
459.1
-56%
Write 512
1157
959
-17%
1291
12%
1432
24%
1561
35%
1611
39%
Read 4k
61.3
54.8
-11%
60.2
-2%
59.1
-4%
53
-14%
56.1
-8%
Write 4k
176
161.4
-8%
256.7
46%
207.3
18%
158.9
-10%
169.4
-4%
Read 4k QD32
664
642
-3%
953
44%
798
20%
623
-6%
633
-5%
Write 4k QD32
560
549
-2%
389.6
-30%
393.8
-30%
423
-24%
506
-10%
Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
Sequential Read: 1705 MB/s
Sequential Write: 1541 MB/s
512K Read: 1038 MB/s
512K Write: 1157 MB/s
4K Read: 61.3 MB/s
4K Write: 176 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 664 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 560 MB/s

GPU Performance

GPU-Z: Nvidia Quadro M2200
GPU-Z: Nvidia Quadro M2200

We have already mentioned that the ThinkPad P51 is available with two different Quadro GPUs from Nvidia, the M1200 and M2200. These chips are the direct successors to the old M1000M and M2000M GPUs. The letter "M" already indicates they are still based on the old Maxwell architecture, while the new Pascal generation is reserved for higher performance classes (starting with the Quadro P3000) in the bigger ThinkPad P71.

The Quadro M2200 is, similar to the consumer GeForce GTX 965M (Refresh), based on the GM206 chip and comes with 4 GB of GDDR5-VRAM. The maximum clock is 1038 MHz and therefore a bit lower compared to the GTX 965M. The test model also supports Nvidia's Optimus technology in combination with the integrated Intel HD Graphics P630 to save power during simple workloads.

There are no surprises in the benchmarks: The M2200 is basically on par with the M2200 in the bigger MSI WE72 and usually ~15 to 30% (depending on the benchmark) ahead of the old Quadro M2000M as well as the current Quadro M1200. The Quadro P3000 in the bigger ThinkPad P71 on the other hand is between 20 and 30% faster; the old Quadro M3000M is also slightly ahead in many tests.

Thanks to the similar architecture, the Quadro M2200 is unsurprisingly on par with the consumer GeForce GTX 965M, but the latter has an advantage due to the slightly higher clock. The Pascal based GTX 1050 is also a bit faster.

The GPU performance is not reduced on battery power. More benchmarks with the Quadro M2200 are available here.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI GE72VR-6RF16H21
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
15019 Points +102%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
11162 Points +50%
Nexoc G739
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
10008 Points +35%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
8391 Points +13%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
8313 Points +12%
MSI GL62M 7RD-077
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8223 Points +11%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7919 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
7425 Points
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7319 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
5203 Points -30%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
5107 Points -31%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
5105 Points -31%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
5023 Points -32%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
4997 Points -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
2658 Points -64%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
MSI GE72VR-6RF16H21
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
66406 Points +80%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
61574 Points +67%
Nexoc G739
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
51987 Points +41%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
50666 Points +37%
MSI GL62M 7RD-077
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
39824 Points +8%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
38935 Points +6%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
37841 Points +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
36877 Points
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
36659 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
30495 Points -17%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
30236 Points -18%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
28254 Points -23%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
26869 Points -27%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
26669 Points -28%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
13394 Points -64%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI GE72VR-6RF16H21
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
11617 Points +99%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
9022 Points +54%
Nexoc G739
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8027 Points +37%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
6658 Points +14%
MSI GL62M 7RD-077
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
6382 Points +9%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
6160 Points +5%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5904 Points +1%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5869 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
5850 Points
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
4193 Points -28%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
4165 Points -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
4126 Points -29%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
4091 Points -30%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
4071 Points -30%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
2342 Points -60%
SPECviewperf 11
1920x1080 Siemens NX
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
51.2 fps
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
49.91 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
48.26 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
43.31 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
43.29 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
43.17 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
31.28 fps
1920x1080 Tcvis
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
56.3 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
50.6 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
49.11 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
44.89 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
43.93 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
43.79 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
35.81 fps
1920x1080 SolidWorks
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
54.4 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
53 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
48.13 fps
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
48.01 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
46.69 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
43.69 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
42.66 fps
1920x1080 Pro/ENGINEER
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
22.46 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
21.57 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
21.27 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
19.51 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
17.54 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
16.84 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
16.23 fps
1920x1080 Maya
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
57.8 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
57.7 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
57.6 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
57.3 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
56.9 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
56.6 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
50.8 fps
1920x1080 Lightwave
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
56.4 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
56.3 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
52 fps
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
51.9 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
48.34 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
48.27 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
47.95 fps
1920x1080 Ensight
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
59.3 fps
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
59.1 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
55.7 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
46.68 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
46.43 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
45.8 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
24.78 fps
1920x1080 Catia
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
54.1 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
53.5 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
53.5 fps
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
53.4 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
50.3 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
48.49 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
40.53 fps
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
107.3 fps +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
86.2 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
85.3 fps -1%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
84.8 fps -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
74.7 fps -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
71.7 fps -17%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
69 fps -20%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
68.7 fps -20%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
66 fps -23%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
45.9 fps -47%
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
73.3 fps +27%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
65.8 fps +14%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
58.1 fps +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
57.7 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
35.87 fps -38%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
34.18 fps -41%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
33.95 fps -41%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
32.86 fps -43%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
32.41 fps -44%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
24.13 fps -58%
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
54 fps +65%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
43.81 fps +34%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
32.8 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
32.77 fps 0%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
26.2 fps -20%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
23.86 fps -27%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
21.35 fps -35%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
21.15 fps -36%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
20.58 fps -37%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
11.8 fps -64%
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
29.32 fps +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
25.66 fps
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
22.34 fps -13%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
20.34 fps -21%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
18.19 fps -29%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
17.49 fps -32%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
15.03 fps -41%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
14.68 fps -43%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
14.43 fps -44%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
8.29 fps -68%
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
64.6 fps +38%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
50.4 fps +7%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
46.94 fps 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
46.93 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
38.46 fps -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
37.15 fps -21%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
35.94 fps -23%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
35.55 fps -24%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
32.07 fps -32%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
19.51 fps -58%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
7.6 fps +44%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
5.26 fps
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
4.85 fps -8%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
4.28 fps -19%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
3.98 fps -24%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
3.78 fps -28%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
3.29 fps -37%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
3.2 fps -39%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
3.13 fps -40%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
0.53 fps -90%
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
85.6 fps +26%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
68.5 fps 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
68.2 fps
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
64.8 fps -5%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
46.12 fps -32%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
45 fps -34%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
40.61 fps -40%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
39.39 fps -42%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
38.95 fps -43%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
27.98 fps -59%
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
92.3 fps +28%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
77.9 fps +8%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
73.2 fps +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
72 fps
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
47.08 fps -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
46.26 fps -36%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
45.75 fps -36%
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
45.28 fps -37%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
44.98 fps -38%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
26.22 fps -64%
1900x1060 3ds Max (3dsmax-05)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
19.73 fps
Unigine Heaven 4.0
Extreme Preset OpenGL
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
53.8 fps +75%
Nexoc G739
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
45 fps +47%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
30.7 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
29.5 fps -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
9.9 fps -68%
Extreme Preset DX11
MSI GE72VR-6RF16H21
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
75.7 fps +116%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
59.3 fps +69%
Nexoc G739
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
47.6 fps +36%
MSI GL62M 7RD-077
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
38.8 fps +11%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
35.1 fps 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
35.1 fps
MSI GE72 965M Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
33.9 fps -3%
HP Omen 15-ax007ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
31.8 fps -9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
10.6 fps -70%
Unigine Valley 1.0
1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8
MSI GE72VR-6RF16H21
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
81.7 fps +252%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
50.9 fps +119%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
38.5 fps +66%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
28.1 fps +21%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
27.1 fps +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
23.2 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
20.6 fps -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
20.4 fps -12%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
20.4 fps -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
11.4 fps -51%
1920x1080 Extreme HD Preset OpenGL AA:x8
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
40.5 fps +43%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
32.2 fps +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
28.3 fps
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
23.1 fps -18%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
18.3 fps -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
18.2 fps -36%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
13.2 fps -53%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
9.9 fps -65%
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
Room GPUs-only
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
1824 Samples/s +38%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
1318 Samples/s
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
1288 Samples/s -2%
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1204 Samples/s -9%
MSI GL62M 7RD-077
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1027 Samples/s -22%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
979 Samples/s -26%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
957 Samples/s -27%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
930 Samples/s -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
791 Samples/s -40%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
742 Samples/s -44%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
405 Samples/s -69%
Sala GPUs-only
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
3386 Samples/s +61%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
2288 Samples/s +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
2107 Samples/s
MSI WE72 7RJ
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
2086 Samples/s -1%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1908 Samples/s -9%
MSI GL62M 7RD-077
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1808 Samples/s -14%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
1562 Samples/s -26%
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
1556 Samples/s -26%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
1426 Samples/s -32%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
1344 Samples/s -36%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
708 Samples/s -66%
SiSoft Sandra 2016
Image Processing
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
424.3 MPix/s +60%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
322.6 MPix/s +22%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
265.3 MPix/s
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
228.6 MPix/s -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
222.6 MPix/s -16%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
155.7 MPix/s -41%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
149.3 MPix/s -44%
GP Cryptography (Higher Security AES256+SHA2-512)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
17.82 GB/s +52%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
12.74 GB/s +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
12.28 GB/s +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
11.7 GB/s
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
9.82 GB/s -16%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
9.6 GB/s -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
4.86 GB/s -58%
GP Financial Analysis (FP High/Double Precision)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
47.27 KOPT/s +48%
HP ZBook 17 G3 TZV66eA
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
32.46 KOPT/s +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
31.9 KOPT/s
HP ZBook 15 G3
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
21.8 KOPT/s -32%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
21.75 KOPT/s -32%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
21.49 KOPT/s -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
14 KOPT/s -56%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
29465 points
3DMark 11 Performance
7709 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
20644 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
5275 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
2665 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
1920 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Since the performance of the Nvidia Quadro M2200 is roughly on par with the GeForce GTX 965M or GeForce GTX 1050, you can also use the ThinkPad P51 for gaming. Even modern games such as “For Honor” can be played smoothly at the highest settings, but only in Full HD. The native 4K resolution on the other hand is usually too demanding. More gaming benchmarks with the Quadro M2200 are listed here.

low med. high ultra4K
The Witcher 3 (2015) 66.6 37.2 20 12.7
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 71.6 41.6 35.2 13.7
For Honor (2017) 54.8 51.9 37.5 14.6

Emissions

System Noise

The two fans of the ThinkPad P51 leave a very good impression. They are often deactivated in practice, and the recorded 32.2 dB(A) under medium workloads is hardly annoying. The maximum noise level is 36.6 dB(A), which is a very good result considering the powerful components. The fans do not create any annoying frequencies either. The coil whine is a problem though, because you can hear it since the fans are often deactivated.

Noise Level

Idle
29.6 / 29.6 / 29.6 dB(A)
Load
32.2 / 36.6 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 29.6 dB(A)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
HP ZBook 15 G3
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
Quadro M2000M, E3-1535M v5, Samsung SSD SM951a 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVKV512)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
Fujitsu Celsius H760
Quadro M2000M, E3-1505M v5, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
Noise
-4%
-8%
-14%
-9%
-10%
-10%
off / environment *
29.6
29.2
1%
30
-1%
30
-1%
28.2
5%
28.7
3%
29
2%
Idle Minimum *
29.6
29.2
1%
30
-1%
30
-1%
29.8
-1%
28.7
3%
29
2%
Idle Average *
29.6
29.2
1%
30
-1%
30
-1%
29.8
-1%
32.1
-8%
29
2%
Idle Maximum *
29.6
31.1
-5%
30
-1%
30
-1%
31.2
-5%
32.1
-8%
29
2%
Load Average *
32.2
36.7
-14%
42.1
-31%
45.3
-41%
37.2
-16%
41.3
-28%
43.1
-34%
Load Maximum *
36.6
39.4
-8%
42.1
-15%
49.7
-36%
49.4
-35%
45.5
-24%
49.2
-34%
Witcher 3 ultra *
45.5

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Stress test
Stress test

The temperature development indicates that the cooling solution is working at its limits when you stress both components simultaneously. The surfaces hardly warm up while idling, but we can measure up to 52 °C (~126 °F) at the center of the bottom. However, you will hardly use such a big device on the lap, so the temperature is still acceptable. The palm rests and the keyboard stay cooler, so working with the device is not uncomfortable.

The processor runs at 3.4 GHz in the stress test with the tools Prime95 and FurMark, but quickly reaches more than 90 °C (~194 °F). The clock will drop to 3.2 GHz after a few minutes and then to 3.0 GHz. It will level off between 2.8 and 3.0 GHz over the course of the test and is at 2.9 GHz most of the time. We can quickly find the reason, because the CPU temperature is 98 °C (~208 °F) and therefore dangerously close to the limit of 100 °C (~212 °F). The situation should be a bit better with the two Core i7 chips.

The graphics card on the other hand maintains 1038 MHz all the time and the temperature is more relaxed at 69 °C (~156 °F). A 3DMark 11 run immediately after the stress test does not determine a lower result.

Max. Load
 42.4 °C
108 F
41.2 °C
106 F
43 °C
109 F
 
 38 °C
100 F
39.3 °C
103 F
39.6 °C
103 F
 
 32.6 °C
91 F
36.1 °C
97 F
35.5 °C
96 F
 
Maximum: 43 °C = 109 F
Average: 38.6 °C = 101 F
45.3 °C
114 F
52.2 °C
126 F
42.7 °C
109 F
41.9 °C
107 F
43.4 °C
110 F
42.6 °C
109 F
33.5 °C
92 F
35.9 °C
97 F
30.1 °C
86 F
Maximum: 52.2 °C = 126 F
Average: 40.8 °C = 105 F
Power Supply (max.)  46.6 °C = 116 F | Room Temperature 21 °C = 70 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 38.6 °C / 101 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 °C / 109 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 52.2 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 41.3 °C / 106 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.2 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 32 °C / 90 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 36.1 °C / 97 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.8 °C / 82 F (-8.3 °C / -15 F).
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (bottom)
Maximum load (bottom)

Speakers

The two speakers are still located above the keyboard and they are slightly more powerful at 2x 2 watts compared to last year's model (2x 1.5 watts), but the maximum volume is a bit lower at 65 dB(A) and pretty low in general. You should use external solutions, even for presentations in medium-sized rooms. The audio analysis shows balanced mids and highs, which is positive for the playback of voices.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2026.928.12526.531.93126.427.74024.326.85021.824.9632425.48022.326.71002126.212521.132.116018.434.720019.64025017.742.531517.345.540016.946.250017.250.363016.550.580016.252.1100016.754.5125017.256.4160017.553.1200017.755.1250017.851.6315017.949.2400017.853.550001847.7630017.352.8800017.251.71000016.644.51250016.139.31600015.632.7SPL29.564.5N1.218.6median 17.3median 49.2Delta0.86.73338.432.739.329.63830.736.927.834.627.936.727.639.425.237.425.741.524.245.223.653.32262.621.462.520.35819.558.718.861.917.770.217.366.716.858.416.762.616.460.816.458.316.656.616.364.816.664.917.26317.157.617.156.91757.31754.129.675.21.336.9median 17.2median 58.42.44.6hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GELenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (64.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 12.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.7% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (13.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 82% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 15% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 71% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 23% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (75.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 10.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (10.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.1% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (15.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 28% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 63% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 19% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 77% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency Comparison (Checkboxes select/deselectable!)

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Lenovo has managed to reduce the minimum consumption compared to the old ThinkPad P50, but we noticed a higher maximum luminance of the 4K screen with up to 22 watts while idling. The two devices are pretty close under load, which is a good result considering the brighter panel and the higher performance. We can only see the maximum consumption of 130.6 watts at the start of the stress test before it levels off at around 120 watts.

The provided 170-watt power adapter (15.5 x 7.3 x 3 cm; 689 grams/6.1 x 2.9 x 1.2 in; 1.5 lb) is sufficient and has enough headroom to charge the battery under load.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.35 / 1 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 8.6 / 15.9 / 22.1 Watt
Load midlight 84.4 / 130.6 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M2200, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
i7-7600U, Quadro M520, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0), IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
E3-1505M v5, Quadro M2000M, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
HP ZBook 15 G3
E3-1505M v5, Quadro M2000M, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e, UWVA-IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
E3-1535M v5, Quadro M2000M, Samsung SSD SM951a 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVKV512), IGZO IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M1200, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Power Consumption
35%
0%
19%
-66%
6%
Idle Minimum *
8.6
5.8
33%
10.2
-19%
5.7
34%
23.9
-178%
8.9
-3%
Idle Average *
15.9
10.4
35%
17.8
-12%
12.2
23%
28.9
-82%
13.6
14%
Idle Maximum *
22.1
13.5
39%
18.3
17%
12.6
43%
30
-36%
14.1
36%
Load Average *
84.4
62.4
26%
76.9
9%
83.1
2%
95.2
-13%
100.3
-19%
Load Maximum *
130.6
73.1
44%
123.5
5%
138.2
-6%
157.1
-20%
126.3
3%
Witcher 3 ultra *
100.2

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

Charging
Charging

Lenovo offers two batteries for the ThinkPad P51: a 4-cell module with 66 Wh and a 6-cell module with 90 Wh (both lithium-polymer). The latter is used for our test model and provides good battery runtimes.

In addition to the normal Battery Eater Classic Test, we also determine the minimum battery runtime with a loop of the SPECviewperf 12 benchmark for mobile workstations. The Classic test runs for 95 minutes; the SPECviewperf 12 test runs 12 minutes longer.

We determine the Wi-Fi and video runtime at an adjusted luminance of 150 nits. The ThinkPad P51 benefits from the switchable graphics in both cases. At around 7 and 7.5 hours, respectively, the test model manages good results and can beat the workstation rivals. The exception is the slim ThinkPad P51s with its ULV processor, which lasts longer in all tests.

A full recharge of the battery takes 155 minutes.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
16h 21min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 38.14393.1066.0)
6h 53min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
7h 35min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 35min
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M2200, 90 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
i7-7600U, Quadro M520, 104 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad P50
E3-1505M v5, Quadro M2000M, 90 Wh
HP ZBook 15 G3
E3-1505M v5, Quadro M2000M, 90 Wh
Dell Precision 7510 (4K IGZO)
E3-1535M v5, Quadro M2000M, 91 Wh
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M1200, 97 Wh
Fujitsu Celsius H760
E3-1505M v5, Quadro M2000M, 72 Wh
Battery Runtime
107%
-25%
-2%
-47%
-33%
-23%
Reader / Idle
981
1581
61%
539
-45%
822
-16%
268
-73%
724
-26%
557
-43%
H.264
455
700
54%
331
-27%
449
-1%
273
-40%
WiFi v1.3
413
712
72%
288
-30%
386
-7%
239
-42%
254
-38%
333
-19%
Load
95
323
240%
98
3%
110
16%
70
-26%
61
-36%
106
12%

Verdict

Pros

+ very good build quality and stability
+ excellent input devices
+ very high performance, even under load
+ modern port selection
+ many security features
+ fast PCIe-SSD
+ quiet cooling
+ can be configured
+ 36-month warranty
+ matte 4K panel with wide color gamut and low color deviations
+ good upgradeability in theory (4x RAM, 3x hard drive) ...

Cons

- ... that is unnecessarily complicated
- poor speakers
- high surface temperatures under load at some spots
- coil whine
In review: Lenovo ThinkPad P51. Test model courtesy of Lapstars.
In review: Lenovo ThinkPad P51. Test model courtesy of Lapstars.

Lenovo's ThinkPad P50 was a good mobile workstation last year, but there were some problems. These included the two display options, because they could not meet our expectations in terms of luminance and suffered from PWM (4K). This year's ThinkPad P51 is the Kaby Lake update and uses an identical construction.

Once again, we get a very sturdy system with great input devices and quiet cooling. The performance is higher thanks to the new components, and Lenovo finally uses a very good 4K screen with wide color gamut. The initial problems of the P50 (WWAN problems, heavily reduced CPU performance on battery) were fixed as well.

High performance, good case, and great screen – this year's ThinkPad P51 is a very good mobile workstation. But some details can still be improved.

However, the ThinkPad P51 is not perfect. Besides some small things (problem with the right TrackPoint button on our test model, poor speakers, tricky maintenance), the integrated calibration once again did not work. The cooling system is also at its limit when you stress both components simultaneously, and you cannot utilize the full performance of the Xeon processor. The occasional coil whining is also annoying. You will notice it even more since the fans are often deactivated.

All in all, Lenovo still offers a very successful package, and the upcoming models from Dell & HP will have a strong competitor.

Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE - 06/18/2017 v6(old)
Andreas Osthoff

Chassis
86 / 98 → 88%
Keyboard
95%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
73 / 81 → 90%
Weight
59 / 10-66 → 87%
Battery
89%
Display
93%
Games Performance
89%
Application Performance
94%
Temperature
88 / 95 → 92%
Noise
87 / 90 → 97%
Audio
66%
Camera
42 / 85 → 49%
Average
80%
89%
Workstation - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo ThinkPad P51 (Xeon, 4K) Workstation Review
Andreas Osthoff, 2017-06-20 (Update: 2019-04-30)