Notebookcheck's Top 10 Workstation Laptops

Lenovo's Test Lenovo ThinkPad P71 (i7, P3000, 4K) WorkstationThinkPad P71 is at the top of the Top 10 ranking. We already know the sturdy chassis from the predecessor Test Lenovo ThinkPad P70 (Xeon E3, M4000M) WorkstationThinkPad P70 and the updates are limited to the components. Besides the Kaby Lake quad-core processor, you also get a modern Quadro GPU from Nvidia based on the Pascal architecture. The performance is very good, which is also the case for the emissions since both the temperatures as well as the fan noise are okay.

We also liked the 4K display, which is equipped with an integrated calibration. The measurements are very good and the screen does not have to hide behind the competitors, either. The ThinkPad P71 is available with numerous components, so you can build it based on your own requirements.

Brand new and already at the top: Dell's Precision 7530 scores 89% (very good) manages to secure a spot in our top 10 ranking of mobile workstations. It is a classic 15.6-inch workstation with a comparatively thick, sturdy chassis and rivals devices like the Lenovo ThinkPad P52 and the HP ZBook 15 G5.

We especially liked the display with full AdobeRGB gamut, the good features, the robust chassis, and the steady performance during the review of the Dell Precision 7530. It is also a very quiet machine during light workloads. This changes under load, where the fans become very loud and the CPU temperature gets very high. It is also unfortunate that you are limited to just two USB-A ports and the i9 processor cannot really utilize its full performance potential. The display is also a bit grainy and there is PWM.

Slim workstation, third attempt – Dell offers a workstation counterpart to its popular XPS 15 for three years now. This year's model is called Dell Precision 5530 and is the best version of the series so far, which is why it easily beats the predecessor Precision 5520 with a score of 89%.

The Precision 5530 is well-designed and we like the touchpad. Dell managed to increase the performance compared to the previous model and the Precision 5530 offers many good features like the excellent 4K display or long battery runtimes. We also found some drawbacks, like the comparatively small keyboard. Dell could also integrate more ports and offer ECC-RAM. Still, the Precision 5530 gets a "very good" rating despite these drawbacks.

Lenovo did not have a direct competitor for the Dell Precision 5530 and the HP ZBook Studio until now – the ThinkPad manufacturer just did not offer a workstation model with the same specifications. This changes with the Lenovo ThinkPad P1, since it is the first thin and light model from Lenovo's ThinkPad P-series.

The ThinkPad P1 is not a unique design, similar to the rivals from Dell and HP. The ThinkPad P1 shares its chassis with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme. This is not an issue though, because the extremely light carbon aluminum chassis is very sturdy and well-built. Except for this, the P1 also convinces with excellent input devices, good CPU performance, the 4K screen with wide color gamut, quiet cooling, and the easy maintenance (2x RAM slots, two SSD slots).

The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 is obviously not perfect, which is why it "only" scored 88 %. We mainly criticized the glossy screen surface and the short battery runtime in our Wi-Fi test. There was also some creaking on the lid and the fan sometimes started spinning while idling. The ThinkPad P1 is also a very expensive laptop, which will probably scare off some users.

The Lenovo ThinkPad P52 is the first mobile workstation in our ranking with the latest Coffee Lake processors. It is the successor to the previous Lenovo ThinkPad P51, but this time we reviewed the entry-level model with the 1080p screen, Intel Core i7-8750H, and Nvidia Quadro P1000.

The design of the ThinkPad P52 is very similar to the older ThinkPad P50 and ThinkPad P51, even though Lenovo tweaked some aspects for this facelift. The P52 still features positive aspects like the sturdy chassis, the excellent input devices and the comprehensive port situation we know from the predecessors, but the entry-level SKU finally offers a better 1080p display. The cooling solution did not leave the best impression, because it already struggled a bit with the base components – only a review update can show whether the more expensive SKUs have temperature issues. It is also unfortunate that Lenovo both improved and impaired the maintainability. All in all, the base model of the ThinkPad P52 just managed a "very good" rating of 88%.

While Dell, HP and Lenovo may be the top dogs in the mobile workstation market Fujitsu is also a force to be considered. And their Fujitsu Celsius H980 may just be Fujitsu’s ticket to the top considering how easily it made our top 10 list.

ZBook Studio, third attempt – HP updated its slim high-end workstation with modern processors and graphics cars, including a complete redesign of the chassis. The new HP ZBook Studio G5 convinces with its extremely well-built metal chassis, the good and matte 4K-UHD display as well as the serviceability, which is great with two SSD and two RAM slots. The device offers many ports and performs very well. Negative aspects include the high weight compared to its direct rivals, for example. The performance is also limited on batter power and in the stress test. The very high price might scare off some users as well.

Mobile processors from Intel H-series are not necessarily the fastest CPUs for laptops. Some manufacturers like Eurocom ship some mobile workstations and gaming laptops with desktop-class processor. The Eurocom Tornado F7W is such a device with the new Intel Core i9-9900K. The Tornado F7W is a big 17.3-inch desktop replacement with a very bulky chassis, which has its advantages: Extremely good maintenance and upgrade options, powerful cooling solution, MXM GPU, and excellent speakers with a dedicated subwoofer. The CPU performance is also extremely high thanks to the desktop processor.

But where there is light, there is also shadow: The extremely powerful components like the Nvidia Quadro P5200 require a huge power adapter, which limits the mobility. The performance is also much lower on battery power. Because of the large case, it can be tricky to access the ports at the back and we think the lid is too flexible. We would also like to see a per-key RGB illumination as well as longer warranty periods.

A premiere for our Top 10 ranking: We have our first convertible workstation in the ranking. The HP ZBook Studio x360 G5 is the most unique workstation here, and its only real rival is the Dell Precision 5530 2-in-1.

We liked the extremely sturdy unibody design of the ZBook Studio x360, the good 1080p screen, long battery runtime, the comfortable typing experience, and the exemplary maintainability. Drawbacks include the comparatively high weight, the fluctuating CPU performance as well as the fans, which can be pretty loud.