Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 6 (Intel) Review (Budget 14" business laptop)
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- Опубликовано: 15 июл 2024
- A review of the Lenovo ThinkPad 14 Gen 6 compact business laptop. (Intel i5-1335U, 16GB DDR5 5600MHz, 512GB PCIe Gen4 NMVe M.2 2242 SSD, Intel IRIS Xe GPU)
The ThinkBook range of Lenovo business laptops has always been value propositions compared to their more expensive siblings, the ThinkPads. Offering 14” and 16” Intel and AMD variants. Today we have the 14” Intel i5-1335U model for review. Is this the best budget compact business laptop to buy?
00:00 Introduction
00:28 Design
01:35 Display
02:41 Connectivity
03:36 Keyboard & Touchpad
04:22 Audio & Webcam
04:45 Audio Samples
05:20 Performance
06:10 Benchmarking Results
08:33 Graphics
08:55 Gaming
09:27 Gaming Samples
10:06 Battery Life
10:35 Security
11:01 Target Audience
11:10 The Good, The Bad and the Really Bad
11:12 Affordable
11:24 Good Upgrades
11:33 Good Inputs
11:48 Plenty of Ports
12:02 Average Display
12:15 Flimsy Ethernet
12:26 Competition
12:48 Summary
13:44 Outro
Gaming benchmarking results
15.5 FPS Low Cyberpunk 2077
50 FPS Low - Forza Horizon 5
49.2 FPS Low - Red Dead Redemption 2
37.7 FPS Medium - Apex Legends
95+ FPS Medium - Grand Theft Auto V
30-40 FPS Medium - Counter Strike 2
If you wish to purchase or need support for this device (UK only), please contact us at www.dovecomputers.com. We are Microsoft / Lenovo Partners.
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We own no rights or claim to the TV shows and games shown in this review.
UK SKU: 21KGCTO1WW £450.04p + VAT (£540.05p inc. VAT) *No OS.
Alternative Model:
Part Number: 21KGCTO1WWGB2 £562.50p + VAT (£675.00p inc. VAT)
Same spec as review model, smaller battery, 3 Cell Li-Polymer 45Wh.
Competition::
Dell Vostro 14
HP ProBook 440 G10
ASUS ZenBook 14
MSI Prestige 14 Evo
Acer Swift Go 14
#Lenovo #ThinkBook14Gen6 #ThinkBook 
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Excellent review. Thanks!
Fantastic Review! Absolutely complete. thanks!
Awesome review, great attention to detail. Thanks!!
Right off the bat, the "cheaper", "less expensive" Thinkbook 14" that is "marketed as not as premium" as the Thinkpad T series line has 2 sodimm slots, 2 ssd slots, upgradeable wifi card and replaceable battery all in a 14" aluminum chassis which can't be said about the 14" Thinkpad T/P series laptops. Seems this is a better laptop.
Hence why I bought one myself when I saw the specs and price! Use it as a daily driver for IT support tasks, ethernet port comes in handy too.
I think new thinkpad is nothing special. Yoga line up is far better tahn thinkpad.
The only think thinkpad do better is costumer support and warranty
@@Dovecomputers Hi. Have you tried to run any virtual machines on this laptop?
@@DovecomputersHave you had a look at this model’s hinge? I couldn’t open the laptop with one hand from the middle of the screen edge but prying it open with 2 hands. Reading about thinkbook hinge breaks really worries me too.
@@depression-cherry Deployed several hundred of these ThinkBooks and not had an issue with the hinges. The review model has been used every day for several months and not had an issue either.
Good review, I’m gonna order this with the ryzen 7 7730u
Thanks for this excellent review - in particular the db measurements. Im thinking of picking the i7-13700h version for music production. I realise this would probably result in the fans running at higher speeds pretty much constantly. Would 43db be the max volume on the i7-13700h version also?
I just wish makers would give the variants more distinct names so you can refer to them without specifying all the concerned specs
Great find, it really does offer a lot for the very reasonable price tag. Especially as one can buy the min RAM + SSD via Lenvo and then upgrade (DIY) yourself for the best value. I am looking at buying the Ryzen 7 7730U 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, basic display (I connect to monitors 99% of the time) for
It is a hidden gem of a laptop. Managed to pick up this review model for £450/$570. Crazy for the specs and upgrade options. Use it daily for IT support tasks on-site. (Hence why the rare RJ45 port was attractive to me too!) 👍
Bought one last sep. specs amd 7840h, 32g ddr5, 1tb ssd, for around 700usd. And installed a 2tb seagate ssd for around 100.
Excellent review, i've got the Gen6 - 16inch i7-13700h model. Great performance for everyday work
how's battery life with that CPU?
Is your i7-13700h model quite noisy in basic tasks? And if you use some programs like easy 3D or which ones did you use? Does the cooling system cope with the operation of this processor? (Sorry for the inaccurate translation, because I am writing with the help of a translator)
These Intel processors are designed to run at a high temperature. As a result, the fans rarely kick on for regular tasks even on the 13700H variant. However, this was not always the case in my experience. As noted above, this model has a possible design oversight which can be easily fixed by moving the primary drive from PCIE Slot #1 to PCIE Slot #2. This is because in Slot #1, the drive shares ambient temperatures with the processor as it is located closely to the processor heat pipes.
By moving the primary drive into PCIE Slot #2 with a thin heat sink (Not sticker type; max total height including thermal pads 1.5mm), it outperforms the potential active cooling under load in Slot #1 and reduces idle temperatures and noise by a significant amount. The mylar covering above the RAM also spans from the heat pipe on the processor, to the IO on the side of the notebook creating an additional miniature heat sink. When performing a ram upgrade, the mylar should be carefully attached back to the copper pipe above the processor.@@ivan_E587
@@Linters-uh1kk So does it mean that you can't use any m2 drive in slot #1? That's quite a bummer.
@@domantlen6231 This is only a recommendation, Lenovo engineers traded fan noise for assurance the drive would receive active cooling when needed. The i7-13700H is quite powerful, so for silent operation in ordinary tasks the primary drive placed in slot #2 is best. Loading the OS, page/swap file, indexing, etc. are going to generate heat which increases ambient temperatures by the processor and triggers the fans easier.
By silent, I mean the fan does not kick on during general use. I found a DRAM-less drive or one that generates less heat can be placed in Slot #2 and does not require active cooling. Slot #1 can be used for a secondary drive, but any demanding tasks will increase ambient temperatures and contribute to heat.
tldr; Slot #1 can be used but it will be best with a secondary drive.
As mentioned previously, I bought a version that came with the Ryzen 5 7430u (Not the 7530u) with one 16gb RAM, then added a second 16gb stick. It also has the 45wh battery with the same 300 nit screen as the one reviewed in this video, and the 512gb SSD. I paid USD equivalent of $502 plus $32 for the extra 16gb stick of RAM. I feel like this is quite a good laptop for the $534 I've spent.
It benchmarks well! On Time Spy I got almost the same score on 3 tries:
Total 1371
Graphics 1208
CPU 5911
This is better than average for a 7530u, so I'm impressed.
Battery life lasted me a whole day at work and I was using it a lot. Still had over 30% at the end of the day.
Great review. Just want to mention this model has a potential design oversight with a description and solution below. With this solution, the machine is silent for almost all regular tasks whereas before the fans would kick on often (when installing software, for example).
Description:
Lenovo seems to have created an ingenious cooling system which pulls air from the underside of the chassis across the memory and storage. The ventilation grid is partially covered in the center, forcing air across other components rather than relying on a dual fan system. In theory, this helps keep all components cooler and is a great way to utilize a single fan. However, the fresh air enters closer to the processor and ram, leaving unnecessarily high ambient temperatures on the storage which is located adjacent to the heat pipe leading to the fan. The potential design oversight? To be effective at cooling, the mechanism relies on the condition that air is being moved which produces noise in the process.
This got me wondering if the storage was causing unnecessary stress on the cooling system. This simple test involved monitoring the temperatures both idle and under load during a speed test.
- PCIE slot #1 idled at 37C to 42C with a max load of 79C on the speed test
- PCIE slot #2 idled at 26C to 31C with a max load of 89C on the speed test
This proved the drive was susceptible to ambient temperatures from the heat pipe while in slot #1, and the cooling system was working on the drive under load as well (and producing noise in the process).
Solution:
When the primary drive is in PCIE slot #2 the machine runs dramatically quieter but did hit an uncomfortably high max as mentioned above. However, placing a 3mm heat sink on the drive (do not do this, the lid doesn't close) yielded max temperatures below 80C putting it in line with being actively cooled. I have since ordered a 1mm heat sink which is rated around 6C to 9C, which should keep the drive within comfortable temperatures under load (which does not happen frequently anyway). In the meantime, I am trading a potentially high max temperature on the drive while under load for a (much) quieter machine pending the heat sink.
tldr; Try placing your primary drive into PCIE slot #2 with a ~1mm heat sink and see if the machine runs cooler and quieter overall.
Update: The heat sink on the NVME reduced temperatures dramatically. Although the vendor rated the heat sink for 6-9C, it actually went from 79C on average to about 47-51C during the tests (28-32C!). The processor is the 13700H variant and the fans manage to stabilize it around 93C, with moderate fan speed which is surprisingly not that loud. According to Intel, the processors are specifically designed to operate hotter while under load. This could explain the 93 mark is maintained without the fans on full. The dual-channel RAM (32GB total) is reaching 73 and above during tests which does seem on the toasty side. But obviously, I am trying to nitpick on performance here in a practical way. Similar to the SSD, I attempted to place a 0.01mm conductive material which did absolutely nothing to RAM temperatures. A larger heat sink (0.5mm) is on order and will update this with results on the memory. So far, really happy with this machine. Even with added upgrades, the machine came out reasonably priced.
Side note: Also replaced the thermal paste with PTM7950 and it did not do much on that front. Idle temps were reduced by 1-3C, but under load it was not much of a difference. Lenovo did a great job applying thermal paste to this machine on the two that were ordered.
edit: Removed the specific cost above because it is not particularly relevant.
Final update: After much deliberation and experimentation with ram cooling solutions, it is not the way to go. The mylar which covers the ram has a thin sheet of aluminum which connects to one of the two heat pipes cooling the CPU. It then connects to the IO on the left side of the notebook, effectively creating another heat sink. Additionally, mylar is great at protecting from interference which could be important when working near some machines. While the ram temperatures do decrease with a heat sink, they still maintain within safe operating temperatures without it.
tldr; The mylar covering the memory slots is actually a functional heat sink and should not be removed. It also protects the ram from interference, and the ram maintains within decent operating temperatures without a heat sink. The first solution with a thin 0.5mm heat sink on the primary storage in NVME slot #2 with default configuration elsewhere is likely the best outcome for this machine.
@@Linters-uh1kkhi, have you had a look inside at this model’s hinge? i couldn’t open the laptop without prying it open with 2 hands and this seems to be considered too tight. reading about common hinge breaks of lenovo thinkbook really worries me
The hinge is attached to the body by about 3 screws on each side. On this model (G6) the point of failure appears to be the display and frame itself, not the hinges or where they are attached. The display can open up to 180 degrees and maintain a position. Going beyond that would likely cause problems but would take force...
For whatever reason, opening notebooks with one hand has been considered a luxury feature generally at the expense of a display that doesn't maintain its position too well. When this notebook is opened at any angle, it tends to stay in that position. Personally, I think opening with two hands is a good tradeoff for hinge stability.
When opening, it would be best not to use too much force concentrated in a small area. There is a flat area above the front-facing webcam, so prying with a palm on that spot, and avoiding the very edges of the display may help reduce concentrated force. @@depression-cherry
@@Linters-uh1kk is this all on 14 inch model? If yes, do you think that 16 inch model has a better thermals due to bigger body? I’m still skeptical between 14” and 16”.
Thanks to you i brought this laptop. Absolutely love ittt.
Great to hear! Still use mine for diagnostics work on a daily basis.
What is it like? It's probably going to be my next too
What about the rigidity of its body??? Some reviewers mentioned problems with that.
@@TheSason666 i mean it's made of STEEL so it's ok that it's rigid (steel good, plastic not good)
I just ordered this with the 7430u (not the 7530u) and it seems like the battery life will be decent even with the smaller battery. Thanks a lot for the review
AMD U-series is power efficient so it should be decent for battery life. 👍
I have bad experience with Thinkbook. The old model 13s G2, have motherboard issues. Most case is the usb type-c fail to charge / during restart it stuck at bios (even after update firmware). Used for 1.5yrs, changed my board x3 times. I'm still using it though but plan to sell when warranty over. Btw, another concerning issue.. it gets very hot easily even when processor usage low. You will notice that the fan will be at full speed (very loud). This indicate that the heat dissipation is very bad on this model. Maybe the newer model might improve on it, but for one.. I'm not getting another Thinkbook again! Sorry lenovo
@Dovecomputers at 13:10 are you showing the second nvme ssd expansion port? I couldn't find much pictures of this device.
Yes, there are two M.2 2280 PCIe® 3.0 x4 slots in the ThinkBook 14 Gen 6.
Im trying to get this on the Lenovo site, which one would have a better battery life and is it significant? Also at these price gaps which one to get?
Thinkbook 14 G6 i5 1335U @ 800usd
Thinkbook 14 G6 AMD R5 7530U @ 650usd
also Thinkbook 14 G6 AMD ABP R5 7530U @ 790usd. What is the ABP??
I can't decide between 14 and 16 inch thinkbook model, in both cases I would go with AMD Ryzen 7 7730U and bigger battery. Mainly for Office tasks and some browsing, maybe 1-2 times/year I would take laptop on vacation - but not any big tasks are planned. I assume battery wouldn't drain faster with Ryzen 7 as with Ryzen 5 or 3 with regular workload, because TDP's are the same? If someone can recommend something - thanks in advance.
LENOVO HAS MY MONEY FOR MY NEXT LAPTOP
What an excellent in depth review, Thanks so much! I'm trying to decide between a Thinkbook & Idepad slim 5 - with almost identical specs. Would you say the Thinkbook is worth the slightly higher price tag - in terms of build quality/reliability? 🙏
The ThinkBook 14 has the slight edge over the IdeaPad Slim. Similar build, but the ThinkBook has upgradeable memory and SSD. IdeaPad memory is soldered on. My ThinkBook 14 is still going strong, using it daily for IT admin tasks. Intel U-series processor is OK if you are only using basic office tasks or web apps. If you need more performance go for the AMD models or the i7-13700H model. 👍
The intel iris xe work with doul channel ram if single channel it function as intel UHD
Excellent test and review.
I have the i7 version with the 13700H processor. I am really happy with the laptop. But I have some needs and doubts. I need to increase ram and SSD capacity. Talking about ssd slots, does it admit two 2280 format ssd´s? It would be fantastic to increase up to 4 tb with two ssd´s.
Thanks in advance for your attention.
Great feature about the ThinkBook is the upgrade options. 64GB DDR5 and two 2280 M.2 SSD slots. I have 2 x 2TB SSD's running in mine. 👍
@@Dovecomputers That´s great!! What nvme model do you recommend me nowadays? I am looking for a balance between reliability and performance...
Thanks very much for your attention.
@@asg_88 Crucial P3 Plus SSD for every day use. Performance, find online deals on the WD Black ones. Mine are WD Blacks on Amazon deals.
@@Dovecomputers thanks for sharing me your setup. I wil take it into account!
Do you have some idea for simillar performances but better in editing photos and videos? Thanks! 😊
Great video!!!
Asus zenbook 14x
Lenovo Yoga 7 Pro with a dedicated GPU, Yoga Slim 7 (Review out this week) or if you are looking at the same ThinkBook family, the ThinkBook 16p. 👍
@@Dovecomputers Thank you@
@@stzan Thanks!
Great review! Would be fantastic if the ThinkBook 14 in Gen 7 would be available with a Ryzen x540U-CPU since the fan noise should be almost silent with such a 15-28W TDP CPU...?
Thanks. The AMD Gen 7 only has the choice of AMD Ryzen 3 7335U, AMD Ryzen™ 5 7535HS and AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processors. The Intel version does have the weaker Core Ultra 7 155U. Reviewing the Core Ultra 7 165U in the X1 Carbon, the fans spin up constantly if set on 'best performance' mode.
@@Dovecomputers Thanks a lot but I can't understand why Lenovo uses Ryzen xx35HS (Zen 3+ High Performance) instead of xx40U (Zen 4 Low Power) CPUs for the ThinkBook 14...
@gunta. ThinkBook budget range, ThinkPad premium range with nicer specs. 👍
Do you know how it compares to the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 in terms of build quality, the keyboard and performance?
E14 chassis slightly better than the ThinkBook. Keyboard similar typing experience, although the E14 has the trackpoint. E14 has slower DDR4 memory compared to DDR5 on the ThinkBook. 👍
@@Dovecomputers Thinkpad E14 has not good build quality, ntsc 45% panel, ddr4 memory, keyboard array and touchpad size as well. E14 is exactly lower grade compared to Thinkbook 14 G6
Nice job! Great review!
I'm looking to buy this exact laptop. They have i5 1335u and Ryzen 7 7730u versions. They're pretty much the same price. Which one would you reccomend buying?
I need it for coding and everyday use like watching RUclips videos and binging. 😊
@owsly_st Not much in it, but the 1335U has a slight edge over the 7730U. Single core, the Intel is much faster, with multi-core, the AMD has a small advantage. 👍
Yes, the AMD Ryzen 7 7730u is much faster and cheaper than the Intel Core i5 1335u, but it is also a last-generation CPU refresh. This means that it does not support Thunderbolt or USB 4, DDR5, or PCIe Gen 4. However, it is more efficient with much better battery life. The limitations of DDR4 and PCIe Gen 3 are not noticeable in most real-world scenarios, but Thunderbolt 4 and speed/efficiency are the most important differentiating factors in my view. If you want a better battery life with a more powerful CPU, go with the Ryzen 7 7730u. If you need to transfer large files quickly, go with the i5 1335u (My bad for any English faux pas, not my first language).
@@TheVoodooochile Please advise on which processor is better to choose from these i7-13700H or Ryzen 7 7730U. It is needed for daily use and for working with simple 3D models. Will the cooling cope with the i7-13700H processor and will it not get very hot and make constant noise? (Sorry for the inaccurate translation, because I am writing with the help of a translator)
@@ivan_E587 The i7-13700H is much more powerful than the 7730U, there will be a compromise with heat, fan noise and battery life as the 7730U is aimed at maximum battery efficiency.
@@TheVoodooochilewhat if i go with ryzen 5 7530u and it says it has pcie gen 4 and ddr4 sodimm and the new thinkbook 16 has even wuxga display with all this features that too at budget range ..so what do u think? But its 16" ??🤔 And 15" has pcie g3 and ips display I'm getting confused where shld i go ...shld i take bigger screen for all good features or ... suggest something nice😅
This or p14s gen 4 lowest settings amd
From Japan. I am thinking of buying a ThinkBook14 gen6 intel i5 13500h with battery upgrade to 60Wh. How long do you think the drive time will be? Also, do you think there will be any heat or noise issues? I am using the translate function, sorry if it is hard to read.
The Intel i5-13500H is a more powerful processor compared to the U-series processors. Therefore battery life will be lower with this CPU. Select a U-series CPU if you need better battery life.
Thank you very much. I will consider this purchase carefully.
Did you buy?
It seems to almost be standard now for laptop speaker volumes to be capped.
True. Almost like laptop webcams, the manufacturers have neglected these two areas over the years.
Would the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G6 14" WUXGA Laptop i7-1355U 16GB 512GB W11P be good for doing big data and business ops. I regularly handle excel with +50mB sheets with a lot of data?
Yes, we have clients who use this with Dynamics, spreadsheets and BI.
@@Dovecomputers ok nice - would you recommend upgrading to 64GB ram?
@@aristidesnik12 Wouldn't make too much difference. Another recommended model is the IdeaPad Slim 5i Gen 9 (15" Intel), has a faster processor than the ThinkBook 14 (And bigger display) Perfect for complex spreadsheets.
I need lihtweight and small laptop to work from bed. I am thinking about buying Acer Swift Go, Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 and this one. Acer Swift Go is liftweight and small, Ideapad Flex 5 can bend, flex for 360 degrees and Lenovo Thinkpad that I plan to buy has stronger CPU - i7 13700H in comparison with other two. They have i7 1355U. What do you reccomend?
The ThinkBook 14 Gen 6, Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 and Yoga Pro 7 are all very good, working from bed. I can attest to this!
@@Dovecomputers I bought Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5.
Would this laptop be suitable for audio recording and production?
If you get the Intel i7-13700H model with 16 or 32GB RAM, then yes.
Cool laptop. I'm just surprised it has two usb-a ports. They just seem outdated with usb-c nowadays.
You'll be surprised how many people have USB Type-A accessories around. Plus in my line of work, electronic equipment still use type-a diagnostic cable connections. Hence why this ThinkBook 14 is the Swiss knife of laptops!
never seen a mouse with type-c
Is this the touch screen model?
nope
Is there anybody using this laptop with i7-13700H and 60Wh battery? I couldn't find any user review. What about the temperatures and battery life? Also, I saw someone was complaining about screen quality, is it that bad?
Battery life won't be good due to the i7-13700H "full fat" processor. Display is average as its a 'budget' business laptop, Lenovo save the better ones for their premium ThinkPad lineup.
@@Dovecomputers The processor has 8E cores and 6P cores in a big.little arrangement. It is Intel's trick up the sleeve regarding battery and perhaps rather understated. Have one with the same configuration and the battery is now 71% with an estimated 6.5 hours remaining which seems about right.
What about rigidity of its body?
I use it every day for work (7 months), still looks new. We've deployed hundreds of the 14 and 16 models, not had one back yet. 👍
Lenovo lineup is very confusing.
Ideapad and Thinkbook is very similar.
Then Ideapad Pro is very similar with Yoga series.
They all have confusing lineups. HP, EliteBooks, ProBooks, Essentials, Dragonfly, ZBook etc. Dell, Vostro, Inspiron, Latitude, Precision, Alienware, etc.
Yoga slim pro > slim5=thinkbook > slim3 > V15 > slim1. slim5 pro line-up has discontinued.
No LED for hdd,wless ,etc?
I lot of modern laptops have stopped adding these LED indicator lights.
I wish it had a bit better screen.
Look at the similar IdeaPad Slim 5 with OLED display panel.
@@Dovecomputers Seems like alot of the IdeaPads have touch screen. They need some options that are non-touch screen.
my country has the upgradable choice of IPS 100%RGB
But for business (banking, accounting, SQL databases and so on) this type of screen and its resolution are ideal.
Is this laptop good for Fortnite?
I’m thinking about Minecraft XD
@@PlatinAviation eh I have this exact laptop as a school laptop, and I can play Minecraft all too well on it, I’m asking if it’s good for Fortnite to see if it’s worth going through the pain of bypassing admin lock and formatting the PC.
@@RankyTev Oh ok!