Performance
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1, despite its size, isn’t equipped with an ultramobile processor. Instead the review unit has the same Core i5-2520M processor that can be found in full-sized laptops. The fact that Lenovo is able to fit such powerful hardware into this chassis is evidence of the engineering thought that went into the product’s development.
The Apple MacBook Air, by comparison, still gets by with an ancient Core 2 Duo. Even the Samsung Series 9 has to make do with Intel Core ultramobile processors. Although we haven’t had chance to test either of those products, it’s not unreasonable to say that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is in different league of performance given the significant hardware gap.
Let’s dive right in to the SiSoft Sandra processor benchmarks and see what the X1 can do.
The raw processing power of the X1 is hard to ignore. Intel’s Core i5 remains significantly faster than the new A8-3500M quad-core from AMD despite being down on two cores and crammed into a chassis with little thermal overhead. Although the X1 obviously can’t catch the faster quad-core Sandy Bridge in the N53, the gap between them is sometimes smaller than one might expect, such as in the Processor Multimedia benchmarks.
Judging the processor in isolation provides only limited information, however. Let’s take a gander at the general application benchmarks.
Again, the processor strength is readily apparent. The X1 scored extremely well in 7-Zip as well as the Truecrypt and Peacekeeper benchmarks. The high PCMark 7 score, however, is also telling of the laptop’s general strength. Although the processor is the highlight, the X1 tested did come equipped with a speedy 7200 RPM drive as well as 4GB of RAM, which round out the product nicely.
Of course, the X1’s Core i5 also comes with Intel HD 3000 graphics. Let’s see how it holds up in our 3D gaming benchmarks.
While the X1 is no slouch compared to Intel IGP equipped laptops of old, it’s clearly at a disadvantage in this comparison. The performance is only somewhat better than that provided by the AMD Fusion E-350 powered Sony Vaio Y, and clearly can’t match what’s provided by AMD’s new A-series Fusion APUs or a laptop equipped with Nvidia discrete graphics.
With that said, however, Far Cry 2 actually was playable with the settings at low (we test at medium) and I had no trouble playing a handful of less demanding games including Defense Grid: The Awakening at low or medium detail. HD video playback was also fluid, so while the X1 may not be a 3D powerhouse, it should be adequate for many users.
Finally, let’s take a look at boot and resume times.
Lenovo has stated in the past that it believes fast boot times to be an important goal, and it’s one they seem to be making progress towards. Although the X1 is not the most powerful laptop we’ve ever tested by a long shot, it’s one of the quickest where boot and resume times are concerned. This is no doubt due to the combination of a fast processor, fast hard drive and minimal bloatware.
Too bad about the screen
Too bad about the screen resolution. This could actually rival the MacBook Air with a better screen and a slightly lower price…
rival of macbook air? i don’t
rival of macbook air? i don’t think so…. core2 ULV vs sandy bridge… you don’t do the same things with them…
Sure you do. The fact that
Sure you do. The fact that you can do things quicker with the Sandy Bridge doesn’t exclude the many, many things you can do equally well with either.
Don’t be ignorant….you
Don’t be ignorant….you can’t expect the same performance out of an air.
Aside from the processor,
Aside from the processor, seems like a step down from my X301. No matte screen option, lower resolution (this really kills it for me), and a non-replaceable battery. And it’s heavier? I really wanted to like this one. Looks are killer and the new keyboard with backlighting is a great idea, however, there are more steps back than forward with this new flagship IMHO. Looks like I’ll be holding onto my X301 for a little bit longer.