Lenovo ThinkPad T14s G4: Intel models are better for single core tasks

Most ThinkPad laptops are twins: Many of them are available with both Intel CPUs and AMD processors. This begs the question, which ThinkPad version is better? The "traditional" Intel Core i model or the AMD Ryzen version?

In the last years, our recommendations shifted in the direction of AMD, because the AMD based models showed a better performance under sustained load - often combined with better battery life and a lower fan noise. The Intel models had Thunderbolt, but now most AMD models have rectified this with the USB4 standard.

Thus, the Intel CPU itself remains. The current Raptor Lake chips are not very efficient, but they still have one advantage over AMD: The better single core performance.

An example for this discrepancy in terms of performance-class is our comprehensive review of the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 Intel. When using all cores, the HP EliteBook 845 G10 with Ryzen 7040U (available from Amazon for $1,556) is roughly 21 percent faster in the Cinebench R23, under sustained load even 50 percent faster. If only one core is used, the situation reverses: Here, the Intel ThinkPad is 17 percent faster than the AMD EliteBook.

Many modern applications can use all cores, but this is not always the case and the single core performance is often still an important factor. Buyers who are deciding between the two alternatives should thus consider which kind of performance they need: single or multi.