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Lenovo ThinkPad P51s (Core i7, 4K) Workstation Review

Enduring. Lenovo's mobile ThinkPad P51s workstation is slimmer and more compact than its predecessor. The device can now also offer a modern Thunderbolt 3 interface. Thanks to a high-capacity external battery, the laptop achieves an outstanding battery life.

For the original German review, see here.

We are looking at the ThinkPad P51s, which is the successor of the ThinkPad P50s. Both devices are mobile, 15.6-inch entry-level workstations. The devices are not identical. While the P50s is based on the ThinkPad W550, the P51s is an identically built sibling of the ThinkPad T570. We have already tested the latter several times, among them a model with a 4K screen and GeForce 940MX graphics core. Our P51s review model is based on this version. Devices like HP's ZBook Studio G3 and Dell's Precision 5520 UHD are rivals of the laptop.

Since the ThinkPad P51s and ThinkPad T570 are identical, we will not go in-depth about the casing, connectivity, input devices or speakers. The corresponding information can be found in the reviews of the ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00 (Core i7, 4K) and ThinkPad T570-20H90002GE (Core i5, Full HD).

Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Processor
Intel Core i7-7600U 2 x 2.8 - 3.9 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA Quadro M520 - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1176 MHz, Memory: 1253 MHz, GDDR5, 64 bit interface, ForceWare 382.05, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-2400, single-channel, two memory banks (one bank filled)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 282 PPI, BOE NV156QUM-N44, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Kaby Lake-U iHDCP 2.2 Premium PCH
Storage
Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0), 1024 GB 
, 924 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC298 @ Intel Sunrise Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
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: combo audio, Card Reader: SD, 1 SmartCard, 1 Fingerprint Reader, TPM 2.0
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 4.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 22 x 357 x 253 ( = 0.87 x 14.06 x 9.96 in)
Battery
104 Wh Lithium-Ion, removeable
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD, infrared camera
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, MS Office Home and Student 365, 36 Months Warranty
Weight
2.2 kg ( = 77.6 oz / 4.85 pounds), Power Supply: 351 g ( = 12.38 oz / 0.77 pounds)
Price
2300 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Size Comparison

380.6 mm / 15 inch 258.2 mm / 10.2 inch 22.45 mm / 0.884 inch 2.2 kg4.89 lbs375 mm / 14.8 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 2.1 kg4.6 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
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
 
157.5 MB/s +105%
HP ZBook Studio G3
 
142 MB/s +85%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
 
76.8 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
 
76.3 MB/s -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
 
70.5 MB/s -8%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
 
254.5 MB/s +186%
HP ZBook Studio G3
 
214 MB/s +140%
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
 
90.7 MB/s +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
 
89 MB/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
 
89 MB/s
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
508 MBit/s
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
506 (622min) MBit/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
498 MBit/s -2%
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
672 MBit/s
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
667 MBit/s -1%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
622 MBit/s -7%

Display

The ThinkPad P51s is furnished with the same matte 4K panel (3840x2160 pixels) as the ThinkPad T570 that we have previously tested. It is a viewing-angle stable IPS screen that offers a good contrast (991:1) and a very decent brightness value (289.9 cd/m²). Nevertheless, better rates could be expected from a device in this price range. A contrast beyond 1000:1 (and brightness rate much higher than 300 cd/m²) would not be too much to ask.

Unfortunately, the screen exhibits PWM-flickering at a frequency of 980.4 Hz at brightness levels of 90% and lower. The high frequency should not cause headaches and/or eye problems in sensitive users, though.

283
cd/m²
305
cd/m²
279
cd/m²
292
cd/m²
317
cd/m²
282
cd/m²
289
cd/m²
291
cd/m²
271
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
BOE NV156QUM-N44 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 317 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 289.9 cd/m² Minimum: 2.95 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 318 cd/m²
Contrast: 991:1 (Black: 0.32 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.6 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
91.1% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
59.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
66.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
91.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
69.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.24
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60, BOE NV156QUM-N44
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
IPS, 2880x1620, 15.50, WX16T028J00, LEN40B5
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60, BOE NV156QUM-N44
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60, SHP1476
HP ZBook Studio G3
IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60, Sharp SPH1445
Display
-6%
0%
3%
26%
Display P3 Coverage
69.7
63.7
-9%
70
0%
67.4
-3%
86
23%
sRGB Coverage
91.2
87.6
-4%
91.1
0%
98.5
8%
98.9
8%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
66.8
63.8
-4%
66.7
0%
68.9
3%
98
47%
Response Times
-31%
8%
-61%
-30%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
38.4 ?(20.4, 18)
38 ?(15.2, 22.8)
1%
41.6 ?(13.2, 28.4)
-8%
59.2 ?(27.6, 31.6)
-54%
44 ?(17, 27)
-15%
Response Time Black / White *
24.8 ?(13.6, 11.2)
28.8 ?(8.4, 20.4)
-16%
15.2 ?(2, 13.2)
39%
41.6 ?(26.8, 14.8)
-68%
23.2 ?(6, 17.2)
6%
PWM Frequency
980 ?(90)
219 ?(90)
-78%
926 ?(90)
-6%
200 ?(55)
-80%
Screen
-9%
-5%
5%
-9%
Brightness middle
317
319
1%
339
7%
372.4
17%
310
-2%
Brightness
290
290
0%
314
8%
368
27%
299
3%
Brightness Distribution
85
82
-4%
89
5%
90
6%
86
1%
Black Level *
0.32
0.31
3%
0.36
-13%
0.48
-50%
0.29
9%
Contrast
991
1029
4%
942
-5%
776
-22%
1069
8%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.6
4.8
-33%
4.2
-17%
2.6
28%
5.9
-64%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.6
7.8
-18%
7.8
-18%
5.6
15%
10.7
-62%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.2
5.7
-36%
5.1
-21%
3.7
12%
5.5
-31%
Gamma
2.24 98%
2.07 106%
2.16 102%
2.14 103%
2.09 105%
CCT
6740 96%
6260 104%
6569 99%
7096 92%
5980 109%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
59.5
56.9
-4%
59.4
0%
63
6%
85
43%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
91.1
87.4
-4%
91
0%
99
9%
99
9%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-15% / -13%
1% / -2%
-18% / -4%
-4% / -6%

* ... smaller is better

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 detected 980 Hz ≤ 90 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 980 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 90 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 980 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

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 screen can boast with a relatively decent color reproduction in delivery state. The DeltaE 2000 color shift is 3.6. A rate less than three would be desirable. The screen does not have a bluish tint, but it displays a very light greenish tint. It can be eliminated via calibration. Calibrating also reduces the color shift (to 1.7) and offers a clearly more balanced grayscale reproduction.

The color profile that we provide can be used to improve the screen's color reproduction according to our calibration. However, it should be checked that the same screen model (manufacturer + model number) is installed as in our review sample. Otherwise, the color reproduction could deteriorate even more. Screens from different manufacturers are often used within a laptop model lineup.

The screen cannot display the AdobeRGB and sRGB color spaces completely. The coverage rates are 91% (sRGB) and 59% (AdobeRGB). Users who rely on high color-space coverage should look at the 4K model of the ThinkPad P51. Lenovo promises 100% NTSC color-space coverage. The review of the device that will be published shortly will show whether this promise is kept.

P51s vs. sRGB (91%)
P51s vs. sRGB (91%)
P51s vs. AdobeRGB (59%)
P51s vs. AdobeRGB (59%)
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN - ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN - ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN - Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN - Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)

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
24.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 13.6 ms rise
↘ 11.2 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 52 % 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
38.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 20.4 ms rise
↘ 18 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. » 52 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Performance

Lenovo offers a series of mobile entry-level workstations in a 15.6-inch format with the ThinkPad P51s lineup. Our review sample is sold for approximately 2300 Euros (~$2574). The presently cheapest model costs about 1730 Euros (~$1936).

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
HWInfo
LatencyMon

Processor

One of the strongest ULV CPUs (TDP: 15 watts) that Intel presently has to offer is inside the ThinkPad - the Core i7-7600U (Kaby Lake) dual-core processor. The CPU looks good in all application fields. Users who need higher multithread computing power will opt for a ThinkPad P51 model. These models are available with quad-core processors. The 7600U processor in the P51s clocks at a base speed of 2.9 GHz, which can be boosted up to 3.9 GHz (both cores) via Turbo.

The processor performed our CPU tests at 3.5 to 3.9 GHz (multithread) and 3.7 to 3.9 GHz (single-thread) - but this is only true for AC mode. The clock rates dropped to 1.8 to 2.4 (single- and multithread) in battery mode. The reason for this: While the TDP can be extended up to 25 watts in AC mode, Lenovo limits it to 8 to 9 watts in battery mode. Consequently, the CPU cannot operate at full speed. Changing the energy settings in the BIOS does not lead to a different behavior. Our review sample is furnished with the newest BIOS version (1.21 from April 2017).

HWMonitor in a Cinebench R15 multithread test run (battery mode)
HWMonitor in a Cinebench R15 multithread test run (battery mode)
HWMonitor in a Cinebench R15 multithread test run (AC mode)
HWMonitor in a Cinebench R15 multithread test run (AC mode)

We checked whether Turbo is utilized permanently in AC mode by looping the Cinebench R15 multithread test for approximately 30 minutes. The result drops a few percentage points in the first to the sixth run and then remains stable. Thus, the performance is reduced slightly because Lenovo limits the CPU temperature to 75 °C.

0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6813
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
13170
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6263
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
70.9 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
4.03 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.85 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
75.5 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
379 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
162 Points
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
171 Points +6%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
170 Points +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
162 Points
HP ZBook Studio G3
Intel Core i7-6820HQ
149 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
Intel Core i7-7500U
146 Points -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Intel Core i7-6500U
129 Points -20%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
792 Points +109%
HP ZBook Studio G3
Intel Core i7-6820HQ
706 Points +86%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
654 Points +73%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
379 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
Intel Core i7-7500U
373 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Intel Core i7-6500U
307 Points -19%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
1.92 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
1.92 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
1.85 Points
HP ZBook Studio G3
Intel Core i7-6820HQ
1.74 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Intel Core i7-6500U
1.49 Points -19%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
8.61 Points +114%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
7.89 Points +96%
HP ZBook Studio G3
Intel Core i7-6820HQ
7.7 Points +91%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
4.03 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Intel Core i7-6500U
3.45 Points -14%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
6332 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
6263 Points
HP ZBook Studio G3
Intel Core i7-6820HQ
5401 Points -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Intel Core i7-6500U
4886 Points -22%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
23780 Points +81%
HP ZBook Studio G3
Intel Core i7-6820HQ
20868 Points +58%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
13170 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Intel Core i7-6500U
10447 Points -21%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
14680 Points +98%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
7427 Points
32 Bit Single-Core Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
4042 Points +16%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
3486 Points
Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
7978 Points
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
4272 Points
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
8278 Points
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
4386 Points
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
278.4 Points +5%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
270.4 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Intel Core i7-7600U
265.1 Points

System Performance

A fast SSD and strong processor ensure a fast system. We did not encounter any problems. The PCMark benchmark scores are very good. The laptop's total performance can be increased a bit. A second working memory bar would have to be installed into the ThinkPad for this.

PCMark 7 Score
5568 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3232 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4640 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4193 points
Help
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
3641 Points +13%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
3504 Points +8%
HP ZBook Studio G3
Quadro M1000M, 6820HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
3262 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
3232 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
3049 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Quadro M500M, 6500U, Samsung PM871 MZYLN256HCHP
2790 Points -14%
Work Score Accelerated v2
HP ZBook Studio G3
Quadro M1000M, 6820HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4301 Points +3%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
4291 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Quadro M2200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
4256 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
4193 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
3892 Points -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Quadro M500M, 6500U, Samsung PM871 MZYLN256HCHP
3744 Points -11%

Storage Device

An NVMe SSD by Samsung is installed as the system drive. It is an M.2 2280 model with a total capacity of 1 TB. However, the SSD is not inserted into an M.2 slot but is connected to a SATA Express slot via an adapter. The latter is the successor of SATA III. SATA Express combines SATA and PCI Express 3.0, i.e. not only NVMe SSDs can be connected to this interface but also conventional 2.5-inch SATA hard drives. Data is transmitted via PCI Express here. Up to four PCIe 3.0 lanes can be used. Two lanes are utilized in the ThinkPad. Consequently, the SSD's transfer rates remain behind its potential. However, the rates are still very good. Installing Samsung's NVMe driver does not have an impact on the transfer rates.

CrystalDiskMark - Standard NVMe driver
CrystalDiskMark - Standard NVMe driver
CrystalDiskMark - Samsung NVMe driver
CrystalDiskMark - Samsung NVMe driver
AS SSD - Standard NVMe driver
AS SSD - Standard NVMe driver
AS SSD - Samsung NVMe driver
AS SSD - Samsung NVMe driver
Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
Sequential Read: 1189 MB/s
Sequential Write: 1138 MB/s
512K Read: 782 MB/s
512K Write: 959 MB/s
4K Read: 54.8 MB/s
4K Write: 161.4 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 642 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 549 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Samsung PM871 MZYLN256HCHP
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
HP ZBook Studio G3
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
-54%
20%
29%
-4%
20%
Read Seq
1189
475.5
-60%
2253
89%
1578
33%
1210
2%
1705
43%
Write Seq
1138
304.7
-73%
1662
46%
1557
37%
1134
0%
1541
35%
Read 512
782
379.3
-51%
459.1
-41%
1234
58%
789
1%
1038
33%
Write 512
959
303.4
-68%
1611
68%
1391
45%
903
-6%
1157
21%
Read 4k
54.8
34.31
-37%
56.1
2%
59.9
9%
58.4
7%
61.3
12%
Write 4k
161.4
89.4
-45%
169.4
5%
225.6
40%
144.1
-11%
176
9%
Read 4k QD32
642
319.9
-50%
633
-1%
946
47%
559
-13%
664
3%
Write 4k QD32
549
279.4
-49%
506
-8%
359
-35%
474.4
-14%
560
2%

Graphics Card

The ThinkPad is furnished with Nvidia's Quadro M520 GPU. It is, so to say, the professional variant of the known GeForce 940MX graphics unit installed in many laptops. The latter is also found in the 4K model of the ThinkPad T570, for example. Differences between the Quadro and GeForce are primarily found in software. Nvidia publishes certified drivers for Quadro GPU that are optimized for professional applications (e.g. CAD, visualizations). Consequently, the Quadro GPUs do a much better job in these applications than their consumer counterparts.

The Quadro M520 core supports DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.5. It clocks at a base speed of 965 MHz. Up to 1176 MHz is possible via Turbo. The GPU can fall back on a fast 2048 MB GDRR5 graphics memory. The memory is the biggest reason that the M520 scores much better in our GPU tests than the former Quadro M500 model. Both GPUs are based on Nvidia's Maxwell architecture.

The ThinkPad also provides a graphics-switching solution (Optimus). Intel's HD Graphics 620 graphics core is enabled.

3DMark 06 Standard Score
17305 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
11278 points
3DMark 11 Performance
2884 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
32374 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
8544 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2139 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
1058 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
684 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
7425 Points +179%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
5105 Points +92%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
4225 Points +59%
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-7500U
2727 Points +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
2658 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
2222 Points -16%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
36877 Points +175%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
28254 Points +111%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
23067 Points +72%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
13394 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-7500U
13181 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
8281 Points -38%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
5850 Points +150%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
4165 Points +78%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
3478 Points +49%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
2342 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-7500U
2294 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
1610 Points -31%
Geekbench 4.0 - Compute OpenCL Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
32765 Points
Geekbench 4.4 - Compute OpenCL Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
32814 Points
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
178.5 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
129.5 fps -27%
T-Rex Onscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
53.8 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
47.3 fps -12%
GFXBench 3.0
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
95.4 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
67.9 fps -29%
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
28.5 fps +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
27.3 fps
GFXBench 3.1
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
74.3 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
53.2 fps -28%
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
18.6 fps +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
17.9 fps
GFXBench
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
53.1 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
28.9 fps -46%
on screen Car Chase Onscreen
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
12.4 fps +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
11.6 fps
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
Room GPUs-only
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
1318 Samples/s +225%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
979 Samples/s +142%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
830 Samples/s +105%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
405 Samples/s
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
378 Samples/s -7%
Sala GPUs-only
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
2107 Samples/s +198%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
1562 Samples/s +121%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
1470 Samples/s +108%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
945 Samples/s +33%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
708 Samples/s
ComputeMark v2.1 - 1024x600 Normal, Score
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
2045 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
1792 Points -12%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
388 Points -81%
SPECviewperf 11
1920x1080 Siemens NX
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
40.87 fps +31%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
31.28 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
29.41 fps -6%
1920x1080 Tcvis
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
43.34 fps +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
35.81 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
35.63 fps -1%
1920x1080 SolidWorks
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
46.32 fps +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
43.69 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
39.63 fps -9%
1920x1080 Pro/ENGINEER
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
20.22 fps +20%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
16.84 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
14.87 fps -12%
1920x1080 Maya
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
56.2 fps +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
50.8 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
46.88 fps -8%
1920x1080 Lightwave
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
50.9 fps +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
48.34 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
46.9 fps -3%
1920x1080 Ensight
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
40.12 fps +62%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
24.78 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
20.44 fps -18%
1920x1080 Catia
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
53.1 fps +31%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
40.53 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
38.08 fps -6%
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
86.2 fps +88%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
69 fps +50%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
56.7 fps +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
45.9 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
37.22 fps -19%
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
57.7 fps +139%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
34.18 fps +42%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
31.13 fps +29%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
24.13 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
19.13 fps -21%
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
32.8 fps +178%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
26.2 fps +122%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
20.72 fps +76%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
11.8 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
6.08 fps -48%
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
25.66 fps +210%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
17.49 fps +111%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
12.06 fps +45%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
9.51 fps +15%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
8.29 fps
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
46.93 fps +141%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
32.07 fps +64%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
31.27 fps +60%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
19.51 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
11.14 fps -43%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
5.26 fps +892%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
3.78 fps +613%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
2.72 fps +413%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
0.53 fps 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
0.53 fps
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
68.2 fps +144%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
46.12 fps +65%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
33.8 fps +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
27.98 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
20.62 fps -26%
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
72 fps +175%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
45.75 fps +74%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
37.89 fps +45%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
26.22 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
21.42 fps -18%
1900x1060 3ds Max (3dsmax-05)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
19.73 fps
Unigine Heaven 2.1 - 1280x1024 high, Tesselation (normal), DirectX11 AA:off AF:1x
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
61.3 fps +55%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
39.5 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
28.9 fps -27%
Unigine Heaven 3.0
1920x1080 OpenGL, Normal Tessellation, High Shaders AA:Off AF:Off
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
43.8 fps +52%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
28.8 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
20 fps -31%
1920x1080 DX 11, Normal Tessellation, High Shaders AA:Off AF:Off
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
44.9 fps +61%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
27.9 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
21 fps -25%
Unigine Heaven 4.0
Extreme Preset OpenGL
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
30.7 fps +210%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
9.9 fps
Extreme Preset DX11
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
35.1 fps +231%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
10.6 fps
Unigine Valley 1.0
1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
23.2 fps +104%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
18.9 fps +66%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
11.4 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
6.5 fps -43%
1920x1080 Extreme HD Preset OpenGL AA:x8
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
28.3 fps +186%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
16.4 fps +66%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
9.9 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
6.8 fps -31%
SiSoft Sandra 2016
GP Financial Analysis (FP High/Double Precision)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
31.9 KOPT/s +128%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
17 KOPT/s +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
14 KOPT/s
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
12.82 KOPT/s -8%
GP Cryptography (Higher Security AES256+SHA2-512)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
11.7 GB/s +141%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
7.77 GB/s +60%
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
5.37 GB/s +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
4.86 GB/s
Image Processing
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 20HH0016GE
NVIDIA Quadro M2200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
265.3 MPix/s +78%
HP ZBook Studio G3
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Intel Core i7-6820HQ
194.4 MPix/s +30%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
NVIDIA Quadro M520, Intel Core i7-7600U
149.3 MPix/s
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
NVIDIA Quadro M500M, Intel Core i7-6500U
99.5 MPix/s -33%

Gaming Performance

The ThinkPad is not a gaming laptop. Nevertheless, the installed hardware allows playing many games. High resolutions - and even the screen's maximum resolution - are only rarely up to not at all possible. Most games achieve smooth frame rates in the HD resolution (1366x768 pixels) and low to medium quality settings. This is primarily true for games that do not have very high hardware requirements. Performance-driven games, such as Mass Effect Andromeda, require reducing the resolution and/or quality settings.

low med. high ultra4K
Tomb Raider (2013) 188.1 97.9 59.5 28.8
BioShock Infinite (2013) 138.2 76.9 64.1 24.2
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 54.6 32.9 22.8 16.2
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 68.2 51.7 18.3 12.2
Battlefield Hardline (2015) 81.1 74.2 30.4 19.6
Dirt Rally (2015) 145.6 75.1 40.5 18.7 14.7
World of Warships (2015) 135.6 108.1 54 36.7 11
Anno 2205 (2015) 60.1 36.2 17.7 7.4
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) 78.2 48.9 22.3 19.1
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 94.5 60.1 31.8 22.8 8.1
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 30 21.5 13.3 11.7
Far Cry Primal (2016) 46 20 18 12
The Division (2016) 52.2 31.8 14.8 11.2
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 23.6 14.3 12
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 27.2 21 11.6 5.3
Battlefield 1 (2016) 56.4 43.9 33 28.2
Civilization VI (2016) 50.8 30.4 15.2 11.7
Farming Simulator 17 (2016) 183.1 120.6 49.8 32.1 13.7
Titanfall 2 (2016) 72.2 52.5 21.3 17.3
Resident Evil 7 (2017) 84 40 22.1 6.6
For Honor (2017) 64.6 23 21.9 15.9
Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017) 38.1 14.3 12 3.6
Prey (2017) 85.4 32.8 26.7 22
BioShock Infinite - 1366x768 High Preset
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
125 fps +95%
HP ZBook Studio G3
Quadro M1000M, 6820HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
100.1 fps +56%
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
GeForce 940MX, i7-7500U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
64.3 fps 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
Quadro M520, i7-7600U, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0)
64.1 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
Quadro M500M, 6500U, Samsung PM871 MZYLN256HCHP
43.8 fps -32%

Emissions

System Noise

The ThinkPad does not produce an excessive amount of noise. The fan is often inactive during idle mode and silence then prevails. The fan speeds up during load. We measured a noise level of 39.4 dB in the stress test. A quiet electronic sizzling can be heard from inside the laptop when holding an ear to it. It is not audible at a normal sitting distance. Nevertheless, this should not occur in a device from this price range.

Noise Level

Idle
29.2 / 29.2 / 31.1 dB(A)
Load
36.7 / 39.4 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: 29.2 dB(A)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
i7-7600U, Quadro M520
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
6500U, Quadro M500M
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M1200
HP ZBook Studio G3
6820HQ, Quadro M1000M
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
i7-7500U, GeForce 940MX
Noise
0%
-6%
-13%
-0%
off / environment *
29.2
28.7
2%
30
-3%
29.3
-0%
Idle Minimum *
29.2
30
-3%
28.7
2%
30
-3%
29.3
-0%
Idle Average *
29.2
30
-3%
32.1
-10%
30
-3%
29.3
-0%
Idle Maximum *
31.1
30
4%
32.1
-3%
30
4%
31.1
-0%
Load Average *
36.7
33.5
9%
41.3
-13%
51
-39%
35.2
4%
Load Maximum *
39.4
41.9
-6%
45.5
-15%
52.8
-34%
41.3
-5%
Witcher 3 ultra *
45.5

* ... smaller is better

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs203529.231.334.831352534.43434.834.73334.4313430.830.232.431.6344031.230.930.832.529.631.25028.928.529.129.328.128.96327.128.626.929.72727.18027.828.827.728.326.727.810026.426.125.325.225.226.412526.625.224.524.926.426.616024.323.923.423.923.124.320025.124.723.723.72425.125026.125.222.622.621.926.131525.323.32221.920.525.340023.823.220.920.619.323.850024.923.321.52018.924.963025.223.422.319.718.125.280025.923.421.619.41725.9100025.924.121.619.316.625.9125026.424.621.719.716.226.4160025.42421.318.216.625.4200024.923.62118.416.524.9250026.72421.417.915.926.7315030.827.723.319.216.330.8400032.528.523.919.716.632.5500027.524.820.517.916.327.5630022.921.218.617.416.922.9800020.819.618.217.31720.81000018.418.818.217.316.918.41250017.518.518.417.316.817.51600017.720.720.518.117.117.7SPL39.436.733.631.129.239.4N3.12.51.91.51.23.1median 25.3median 23.9median 21.6median 19.4median 17median 25.3Delta1.41.81.62.11.61.4hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseLenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE

Temperature

The ThinkPad in the stress test
The ThinkPad in the stress test

Lenovo's laptop performed our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) differently in AC and battery modes. The GPU clocks at full speed (1176 MHz) in battery mode. The CPU throttles to 400 MHz. When running the stress test in AC mode, the CPU and GPU clock at full speed for a few seconds. The CPU then throttles to speeds clearly below 1.5 GHz while the graphics unit still clocks at full speed (1176 MHz). The graphics core's speeds drops gradually and consistently in the course of the test. The CPU's speed climbs proportionally to that. The clock rates settle to about 915 MHz (GPU) and 2 to 2.5 GHz (CPU). The aforementioned CPU temperature limit of 75 °C is also noticed in the stress test.

We reran the 3D Mark 2011 benchmark directly after the stress test. The score is on par with the outcome that we recorded after a cold start run of the benchmark. Thus, the user will not have to deal with performance throttling in routine use.

The ThinkPad heated up quite palpably during our stress test - too palpably for a ULV laptop. However, this should not be disconcerting. Our stress test is an extreme scenario that will not occur in daily use. Thus, the temperature increase will usually be much lower in routine use.

Max. Load
 41.6 °C
107 F
42 °C
108 F
39.4 °C
103 F
 
 42.8 °C
109 F
43.6 °C
110 F
38.7 °C
102 F
 
 38.8 °C
102 F
39 °C
102 F
34.5 °C
94 F
 
Maximum: 43.6 °C = 110 F
Average: 40 °C = 104 F
47 °C
117 F
51 °C
124 F
50.2 °C
122 F
40.7 °C
105 F
60.8 °C
141 F
53.5 °C
128 F
28.1 °C
83 F
29.4 °C
85 F
31.3 °C
88 F
Maximum: 60.8 °C = 141 F
Average: 43.6 °C = 110 F
Power Supply (max.)  53.1 °C = 128 F | Room Temperature 20.8 °C = 69 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 40 °C / 104 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 43.6 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 38.1 °C / 101 F, ranging from 22.2 to 69.8 °C for the class Workstation.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 60.8 °C / 141 F, compared to the average of 41.3 °C / 106 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.5 °C / 80 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 39 °C / 102.2 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.8 °C / 82 F (-11.2 °C / -20.2 F).
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
i7-7600U, Quadro M520
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
6500U, Quadro M500M
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M1200
HP ZBook Studio G3
6820HQ, Quadro M1000M
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
i7-7500U, GeForce 940MX
Heat
3%
6%
-33%
9%
Maximum Upper Side *
43.6
44.2
-1%
51.6
-18%
69.8
-60%
43.1
1%
Maximum Bottom *
60.8
57.8
5%
43.6
28%
77.3
-27%
55.4
9%
Idle Upper Side *
27.3
26.4
3%
26.6
3%
37.8
-38%
24.3
11%
Idle Bottom *
29
28.1
3%
26.2
10%
31.4
-8%
25
14%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature development upper side (load)
Temperature development upper side (load)
Temperature development underside (load)
Temperature development underside (load)

Speakers

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs203338.42532.739.33129.6384030.736.95027.834.66327.936.78027.639.410025.237.412525.741.516024.245.220023.653.32502262.631521.462.540020.35850019.558.763018.861.980017.770.2100017.366.7125016.858.4160016.762.6200016.460.8250016.458.3315016.656.6400016.364.8500016.664.9630017.263800017.157.61000017.156.9125001757.3160001754.1SPL29.675.2N1.336.9median 17.2median 58.4Delta2.44.645.64345.638.335.938.336.535.936.535.734.235.735.433.235.433.934.333.936.835.136.846.732.646.753.731.153.758.23058.254.229.154.249.627.649.65427.95457.527.157.556.826.856.866.625.766.668.325.268.366.725.166.765.524.765.56925.16958.824.558.862.524.262.569.223.969.27223.97266.423.866.463.323.763.37123.67166.823.666.869.523.769.566.323.766.379.636.879.646.82.946.8median 65.5median 25.1median 65.56.31.36.3hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGEDell Precision 5520 UHD
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%

Dell Precision 5520 UHD audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 12.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (12% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 37% of all tested devices in this class were better, 10% similar, 53% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 24% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 70% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram comparison (checkboxes above can be turned on/off!)

Energy Management

Power Consumption

We measured a maximum idle power consumption of 13.5 watts - a very high rate for a ULV laptop. The 4K screen is responsible for this. At the beginning of the stress test, the rate climbed to 73.1 watts. The 65-watt power supply is overloaded with this. However, the rate drops since the CPU and GPU throttle. The power consumption was 51 watts at the end of the stress test.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.25 / 0.38 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 5.8 / 10.4 / 13.5 Watt
Load midlight 62.4 / 73.1 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 P51s 20HB000SGE
i7-7600U, Quadro M520
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
6500U, Quadro M500M
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M1200
HP ZBook Studio G3
6820HQ, Quadro M1000M
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
i7-7500U, GeForce 940MX
Power Consumption
22%
-44%
-42%
10%
Idle Minimum *
5.8
4.3
26%
8.9
-53%
8.7
-50%
4.7
19%
Idle Average *
10.4
9.7
7%
13.6
-31%
14.2
-37%
9.9
5%
Idle Maximum *
13.5
10.2
24%
14.1
-4%
14.4
-7%
10.9
19%
Load Average *
62.4
45.7
27%
100.3
-61%
85.6
-37%
56.1
10%
Load Maximum *
73.1
55.8
24%
126.3
-73%
129.7
-77%
75
-3%
Witcher 3 ultra *
100.2

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

The ThinkPad achieves a runtime of 11:52 hours in our practical Wi-Fi test. We simulate the load needed for opening websites via a script here. The "Balanced" profile is enabled, the energy-saving features are disabled, and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². The P51s finished the video test after 11:40 hours. We loop the short video Big Buck Bunny (H.264 encoding, 1920x1080 pixels) for this. The "Energy Saving" profile is enabled, the wireless modules and energy-saving features are disabled, and the screen's brightness is dimmed to 150 cd/m².

We performed an additional load test. We looped the SpecviewPerf 12 benchmark using the "High Performance" profile. The ThinkPad achieved a runtime of almost 3 hours here.

Like the ThinkPad T570, the ThinkPad P51s has an internal battery (32 Wh) and an external battery. Our review sample comes with the highest capacity battery (72 Wh) that Lenovo offers. Consequently, the laptop delivers outstanding battery runtimes. The 72 Wh battery protrudes visibly toward the bottom. Thus, the ThinkPad does not lie evenly on a surface but is tilted toward the user.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
26h 21min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 40)
11h 52min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
11h 40min
Load (maximum brightness)
5h 23min
Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE
i7-7600U, Quadro M520, 104 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad P50s-20FKS00400
6500U, Quadro M500M, 67 Wh
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
E3-1505M v6, Quadro M1200, 97 Wh
HP ZBook Studio G3
6820HQ, Quadro M1000M, 64 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad T570-20HAS01E00
i7-7500U, GeForce 940MX, 56 Wh
Battery Runtime
-39%
-66%
-72%
-42%
Reader / Idle
1581
1107
-30%
724
-54%
511
-68%
799
-49%
H.264
700
537
-23%
228
-67%
484
-31%
WiFi v1.3
712
408
-43%
254
-64%
208
-71%
414
-42%
Load
323
129
-60%
61
-81%
65
-80%
171
-47%

Verdict

Pros

+ matte IPS screen
+ stable, well-built casing
+ very good battery life
+ NVMe SSD
+ empty slot for an LTE modem
+ Thunderbolt 3
+ three-year warranty

Cons

- CPU throttles in battery mode
- temperatures too high during full load
- undersized power supply
In review: Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE. Review sample courtesy of Notebooks and More.de
In review: Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE. Review sample courtesy of Notebooks and More.de

Lenovo provides a compact, 15.6-inch, mobile workstation with its ThinkPad P51s. However, buyers should be aware that the workstation's performance is limited due to the ULV processor. A workstation with a quad-core processor will be needed for much higher performance - for example, the ThinkPad P51.

The ThinkPad is the identically built sibling of the ThinkPad T570. Thus, the P51s features the same solid casing, the good input devices, and the diverse connectivity of the T570. The infrared camera is also installed.

Unfortunately, the P51s also inherits the shortcomings of the T570. For example, the CPU throttles in battery mode. We measured clock rates of approximately 1.8 to 2.4 GHz. This throttling results in a deduction. Furthermore, the laptop heated up too strongly in our stress test. We recorded a temperature of 60.8 °C on one measuring point - too high for a ULV laptop. Noise development looks better; the ThinkPad is on a normal level here.

The outstanding battery life is a highlight of the laptop.

In total, the P51s has a battery capacity of 104 Wh (internal: 32 Wh, external: 72 Wh). That is enough to keep even a 4K laptop running for a long time. A fast NVMe SSD ensures a quick system. The laptop could also be equipped with a 2.5-inch hard drive instead of an M.2 NVMe SSD. An LTE modem could also be retrofitted; our review sample has an empty slot and the corresponding antennas.

The matte 4K screen in the P51s is known from the ThinkPad T570. Both laptops are furnished with the same panel. The IPS screen pleases with stable viewing angles and a good contrast. The brightness is satisfactory although it could be higher. Unfortunately, the screen exhibits PWM-flickering at brightness levels of 90% and lower.

Lenovo ThinkPad P51s 20HB000SGE - 06/03/2017 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
88 / 98 → 90%
Keyboard
94%
Pointing Device
89%
Connectivity
72 / 81 → 88%
Weight
62 / 10-66 → 92%
Battery
94%
Display
91%
Games Performance
69%
Application Performance
86%
Temperature
84 / 95 → 89%
Noise
92 / 90 → 100%
Audio
71%
Camera
53 / 85 → 62%
Add Points
-2%
Average
73%
83%
Workstation - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo ThinkPad P51s (Core i7, 4K) Workstation Review
Sascha Mölck, 2017-06-10 (Update: 2020-05-19)