ThinkPad P15 & ThinkPad P17: Redesigned workstations introduce a new modular design

Lenovo's ThinkPad P series is the workstation line of the company. Simply put, the P series ThinkPads are the most powerful ThinkPad laptops in existence. And among the P series, the traditional, thicker models like the ThinkPad P53 and ThinkPad P73 are the ones that contain the strongest components.

With the 2020 ThinkPad P series lineup, there are several big changes. Instead of releasing a ThinkPad P54 or P74, Lenovo instead adopts the new naming scheme that all other ThinkPads follow: The ThinkPad P53 is succeeded by the ThinkPad P15, and the 17 inch ThinkPad P73 is replaced by the ThinkPad P17. But the new models are not just a mere change in name: According to Lenovo, both have been redesigned from the ground up.

Lenovo ThinkPad P15 & P17: Same look, different cooling design

This may not be obvious when looking at the P15 and P17 from the outside, however: Visually, they are both very much alike their predecessors, even sporting the same traditional ThinkPad hinge design.  Lenovo also did not make any significant changes to the thickness or size.

Instead of focusing on looks, Lenovo says that they have focused on the internals. Specifically, the cooling solution: From a bigger CPU cooling system to wider fan-outlets for an improved airflow, improving the cooling seems to have been a priority here. Accordingly, the Nvidia Quadro GPUs will be able to consume more energy than before: In the ThinkPad P15, the Quadro RTX 5000 can consume 90 instead of 80 W, while the ThinkPad P17 will permit a GPU power consumption of up to 110 W.

Modular instead of soldered: Lenovo ThinkPad P17 & P15

Another focus according to Lenovo: A more modular design. To achieve this, Lenovo claims that the new ThinkPad P15 and ThinkPad P17 use daughtercards instead of soldering components like the GPU to the motherboard. With this new design, the new model will offer up to four times as many CPU/GPU configurations as previous models.

Unfortunately, Lenovo will not offer the new ThinkPad workstations with AMD Ryzen options. Instead, a choice of Intel Xeon or Core i7 processors (Comet Lake) is being offered. Different from the last generation, the new ThinkPad laptops offer AX-Wi-Fi and the 15.6 inch 4K-UHD screen in the ThinkPad P15 will offer a higher brightness (600 cd/m² instead of 500 cd/m²). These powerful components are backed up by a 94 Wh battery and up to 128 GB RAM (4 SO-DIMM slots) in both systems.

ThinkPad P15 & P17: Pricing & Availability

ThinkPad P15 and P17 will be available in July. The P15 starts at $1,979, while the P17 starts at $2,119.