Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD Review: affordable laptop with good upgradeability and battery life
In the ThinkPad world, the ThinkPad L series marks the entry into the business series. This means that it is a laptop series for business customers, which is heavily optimized for cost and it offers a low entry level price. The Lenovo THinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD is today's review device, the fourth generation of the 14 inch model ThinkPad L14, in this case with AMD Ryzen 7000.
Since the design remains unchanged compared with the third generation of the ThinkPad L14, areas like the connectivity options, the chassis/design and input devices are described in our comprehensive review of the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 3.
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Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
88.6 % | 08/2023 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 R5 7530U, Vega 7 | 1.5 kg | 19.83 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
86.5 % | 10/2022 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE R5 PRO 5675U, Vega 7 | 1.6 kg | 19.83 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
85.3 % | 06/2023 | Dell Latitude 3440 i5-1345U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.5 kg | 19.4 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
89.1 % | 05/2023 | HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U R7 5825U, Vega 8 | 1.4 kg | 19.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
85.3 % | 03/2023 | HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA i7-1255U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.4 kg | 20.4 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
88.8 % | 09/2022 | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M | 1.4 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1200 |
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1,000 USD/Euros, for University Students, Best Displays
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones
Size & weight comparison
Connectivity
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (8 - 196.8, n=53, last 2 years) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 (AV Pro V60) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (25.8 - 183.3, n=49, last 2 years) |
Networking | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
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iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz |
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Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
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Dell Latitude 3440 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
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iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz |
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HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
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iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz |
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HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
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iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz |
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Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz |
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iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz |
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Display: low power screen for the first time in the ThinkPad L
Traditionally, a weak spot of the ThinkPad L series is the screen quality. As a budget business series, the screens are usually one of the areas where cost savings are made. Subsequently, displays used in these laptops often have a low brightness and color gamut coverage. In the case of the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD, three of the four 14 inch monitor options fit that characterization. Luckily, we have the option number four. All displays are still using the 16:9 aspect ratio, making the ThinkPad L14 one of the last ThinkPad models with this aspect ratio:
- HD (1,366 x 768), TN, 220 cd/m², 45 % NTSC
- Full-HD (1,920 x 1,080), IPS, 250 cd/m², 45 % NTSC
- Full-HD (1,920 x 1,080), IPS, 300 cd/m², 45 % NTSC, Multitouch
- Full-HD (1,920 x 1,080), IPS, 400 cd/m², 72 % NTSC, low power
The low power screen used here is already known to us from older ThinkPads of the T series, which we are reviewing here for the first time in the ThinkPad L14. The display delivers the promised brightness, with an overall result of 409 cd/m². This is a good brightness compared with the other affordable business competitors. Less good are the response times of the AUD panel,, no of the competing laptops is as slow here. For office usage, it is not extremely critical, but users will face some ghosting.
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Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 430 cd/m²
Contrast: 1387:1 (Black: 0.31 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.4 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5.1, calibrated: 1.4
ΔE Greyscale 3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
73.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
73.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.3
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 B140HAN06.9, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE BOE NV140FHM-N4U, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Dell Latitude 3440 BOE NE140FH, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U Chi Mei CMN141D, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA AUO559C, , 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE LP140WU1-SPB2, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -41% | -42% | -7% | -47% | -3% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 73.2 | 41.4 -43% | 40.4 -45% | 66.2 -10% | 37 -49% | 69.2 -5% |
sRGB Coverage | 98.9 | 60.8 -39% | 60.7 -39% | 95.7 -3% | 55.5 -44% | 97.4 -2% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 73.9 | 42.7 -42% | 41.8 -43% | 67.3 -9% | 38.2 -48% | 71.5 -3% |
Response Times | 67% | 24% | 58% | 41% | 35% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 58.1 ? | 25 ? 57% | 35.3 ? 39% | 22 ? 62% | 42 ? 28% | 41.4 ? 29% |
Response Time Black / White * | 32.7 ? | 8 ? 76% | 29.8 ? 9% | 15 ? 54% | 15 ? 54% | 19.2 ? 41% |
PWM Frequency | ||||||
Screen | -80% | -48% | 26% | -113% | 13% | |
Brightness middle | 430 | 292 -32% | 292.6 -32% | 419 -3% | 255 -41% | 451 5% |
Brightness | 409 | 282 -31% | 270 -34% | 392 -4% | 233 -43% | 435 6% |
Brightness Distribution | 88 | 91 3% | 88 0% | 86 -2% | 86 -2% | 94 7% |
Black Level * | 0.31 | 0.24 23% | 0.19 39% | 0.24 23% | 0.21 32% | |
Contrast | 1387 | 1217 -12% | 1540 11% | 1746 26% | 2148 55% | |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.4 | 5.8 -142% | 4.63 -93% | 1.13 53% | 8.41 -250% | 2.4 -0% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.7 | 18.1 -285% | 17.1 -264% | 2.46 48% | 13.51 -187% | 4.1 13% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.4 | 4.5 -221% | 2.13 -52% | 1.3 7% | ||
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3 | 3.7 -23% | 3.2 -7% | 0.94 69% | 7.6 -153% | 3.3 -10% |
Gamma | 2.3 96% | 2.07 106% | 2.34 94% | 2.38 92% | 3.12 71% | 2.13 103% |
CCT | 6489 100% | 7071 92% | 7184 90% | 6585 99% | 6233 104% | 6848 95% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -18% /
-51% | -22% /
-37% | 26% /
23% | -40% /
-67% | 15% /
13% |
* ... smaller is better
Ex factory, the screen is slightly too cool, which we measured with the X-Rite i1Pro 2 and CalMan. After a calibration with the X-Rite i1Profiler, we were able to lower the deltaE from 2.4 to 1.4 - a good, but not a very good value in terms of color accuracy. Especially the color blue is rather inaccurate.
The color gamut coverage of the panel is enough for simple photo editing, as the sRGB color gamut is basically completely covered. The lacking coverage of DCI P3 and AdobeRGB shows that this is not a high end panel.
With the screen brightness of roughtly 400 cd/m² and the matte surface of the screen, the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD is usable in the outdoors. Direct sunlight should be avoided though.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
32.7 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 15.4 ms rise | |
↘ 17.3 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 86 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.8 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
58.1 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 27.2 ms rise | |
↘ 30.9 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 94 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.3 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18732 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Performance: only AMD Ryzen 7030U instead of Ryzen 7040U
Lenovo lists three different CPUs in the spec sheet of the ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD. All of them are part of the Ryzen 7030 series / Barcelo Refresh: AMD Ryzen 3 Pro 7330U, Ryzen 5 Pro 7530U and Ryzen 7 Pro 7730U. We see the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 as being primarily offered.
The L14 G4 AMD is only available with integrated graphics, which means exact type of Vega GPU depends on the chosen processor. In any case, the ThinkPad L14 has two SO-DIMM slots, which enable up to 64 GB DDR4-3200 memory. Lenovo is less generous when it comes to mass storage, as the ThinkPad L14 G4 has only one M.2 2242 SSD slot.
Testing conditions
As usual with Lenovo ThinkPads, no OEM software is used to regulate the CPU performance and system power consumption. Instead, Lenovo uses the Windows energy profiles:
- Best performance: PL1 20.5 W / PL2 40 W
- Balanced: PL1 12 W / PL2 15 W
- Best battery life: PL1 10 W / PL2 10 W
The power limit 1 (PL1) describes the CPU power consumption under sustained load. The power limit 2 (PL2) on the other hand refers to the maximum consumption for short term boost-performance.
Processor
The AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 7530U is s "Barcelo Refresh" processor of the Ryzen 7000 series. The codename of this platform already reveals that this is not actually new technoloty, but rather just a refresh of last years "Barcelo" platform - which itself was already just a renamed Ryzen 5000 aka "Cezanne". Subsequently, the hexacore chip is a two year old processor. The clock rates sit between 2 and 4.5 GHz. The "Pro" in the name shows that this is a chip with a business featureset, like Intel vPro. Our CPU comparison list can be used for more extensive comparisons with other processors.
CPU benchmarks are mixed. In terms of multicore performance, the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD performs well, as it is close to the HP EliteBook 645 G9 with its Ryzen 7 in the boost department. Under sustained load, the multicore performance decreses, though it stays above the Intel competitors. This reverses for the single core benchmarks, where the Intel laptops have the edge.
We could not detect any throttling of the CPU in battery mode.
Cinebench R15 multi sustained loop test
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (6931 - 9336, n=7) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average of class Office (830 - 14919, n=126, last 2 years) |
Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (1371 - 1470, n=7) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (321 - 1995, n=125, last 2 years) |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (2833 - 3633, n=7) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average of class Office (323 - 5790, n=127, last 2 years) |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (528 - 574, n=7) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (114 - 764, n=127, last 2 years) |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (1289 - 1597, n=7) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (160.8 - 2492, n=128, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (213 - 237, n=7) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (82.6 - 284, n=124, last 2 years) |
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
Average of class Office (215 - 3895, n=128, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (348 - 469, n=6) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (32204 - 40888, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (4226 - 61902, n=127, last 2 years) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (5113 - 5544, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (2059 - 6687, n=128, last 2 years) |
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (5475 - 6648, n=6) | |
Average of class Office (1018 - 11744, n=126, last 2 years) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (1393 - 1498, n=6) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average of class Office (594 - 1974, n=126, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (8.17 - 10.9, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average of class Office (0.63 - 17.4, n=127, last 2 years) |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average of class Office (23.6 - 210, n=126, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (44.6 - 58.1, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
Average of class Office (0.4244 - 2.07, n=127, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (0.515 - 0.567, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Dell Latitude 3440 |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (8845 - 10607, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average of class Office (109 - 24250, n=126, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (57481 - 67786, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average of class Office (3414 - 101262, n=126, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (1923 - 2305, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average of class Office (125 - 4418, n=125, last 2 years) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (68103 - 76198, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average of class Office (3308 - 113016, n=126, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (8277 - 9248, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average of class Office (404 - 14169, n=126, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (31632 - 37325, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (1864 - 54003, n=126, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (33314 - 92360, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (189 - 147611, n=126, last 2 years) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (503 - 597, n=6) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average of class Office (67.6 - 987, n=126, last 2 years) |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (4593 - 5452, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average of class Office (59 - 12755, n=126, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (2193 - 48177, n=126, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (9832 - 19525, n=6) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
System performance
The results of the system performance benchmarks are acceptable. The ThinkPad is however slowed down by the single channel RAM, so there is still room for improvement. In everyday use, this is not very impactful. It makes the biggest difference for applications that use the GPU.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
PCMark 10 / Score | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (5686 - 6209, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Average of class Office (2325 - 7157, n=108, last 2 years) |
PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (10016 - 11242, n=6) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average of class Office (5095 - 20841, n=108, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U |
PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (8983 - 9967, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (3053 - 10099, n=108, last 2 years) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Dell Latitude 3440 |
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (4941 - 6061, n=6) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average of class Office (1912 - 8987, n=108, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
CrossMark / Overall | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average of class Office (498 - 1804, n=99, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (1029 - 1336, n=5) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 |
CrossMark / Productivity | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average of class Office (557 - 1870, n=99, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (1115 - 1370, n=5) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 |
CrossMark / Creativity | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average of class Office (424 - 1875, n=99, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (992 - 1390, n=5) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 |
CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (441 - 2017, n=99, last 2 years) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (900 - 1096, n=5) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U |
PCMark 10 Score | 5736 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (7158 - 71600, n=127, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (20155 - 42853, n=6) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average of class Office (7325 - 70553, n=127, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (23068 - 40094, n=6) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average of class Office (7579 - 91257, n=127, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (22954 - 41838, n=6) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (88.1 - 110.8, n=6) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Average of class Office (57.8 - 336, n=128, last 2 years) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Dell Latitude 3440 |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD had some DPC latency issues in our LatencyMon test, for which apparently the network driver is responsible. To work on real-time video and audio, the network modules should be disabled. Of course, this status quo can be amended via driver and firmware updates.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE |
* ... smaller is better
Mass storage
A single sided M.2 2242 SSD with a capacity of 512 GB serves as the storage of the ThinkPad laptop. The SSD was made by Kioxia, it is a NVMe PCie 4.0 SSD - though the ThinkPad can only utilize it in PCIe 3.0 mode, due to the outdated Ryzen 7030 platform. This means that some speed is lost, though the SSD is not slow. Compared with the competition, the ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD performs well and the SSD shows no signs of throttling under load.
* ... smaller is better
Sustained load read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU
The AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 is an outdated GPU, which was already used in the Ryzen 5000 series. In the ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD, it is additionally hamstrung by the single channel RAM ex factory, further limiting the already low performance. The GPU is only usable for the most simple tasks and basic games. The GPU performance can be improved by putting in a second SO-DIMM module, as that would mean that the memory could run in the faster dual-channel mode.
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (599 - 12195, n=122, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (3353 - 6249, n=57) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
3DMark | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (13713 - 31437, n=43) | |
Average of class Office (5681 - 58068, n=104, last 2 years) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (712 - 8815, n=123, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (1772 - 4037, n=61) | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average of class Office (242 - 3186, n=119, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (496 - 1249, n=56) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
3DMark 11 Performance | 4281 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 15595 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 2145 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 885 points | |
Help |
Blender | |
v3.3 Classroom HIP/AMD | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (570 - 1215, n=11) | |
Average of class Office (322 - 1215, n=16, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
v3.3 Classroom CPU | |
Average of class Office (345 - 3786, n=92, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (556 - 878, n=23) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE |
* ... smaller is better
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (2.66 - 34, n=111, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (3.03 - 45.4, n=91, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Dell Latitude 3440 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (2.03 - 35.3, n=97, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Average of class Office (6.6 - 54.6, n=97, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Average of class Office (7.8 - 104.2, n=129, last 2 years) | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE |
X-Plane 11.11 - 1920x1080 high (fps_test=3) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA | |
Average of class Office (5.55 - 73.4, n=127, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 3440 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U |
Witcher 3 FPS diagram
low | med. | high | ultra | |
GTA V (2015) | 63.6 | 56.5 | 15.6 | 6.94 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 38.9 | 23.8 | 11.8 | 8.22 |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 97 | 69.6 | 33.5 | 31.3 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 22.5 | 11.7 | 8 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 31.9 | 24.7 | 22.1 | |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 44.6 | 17.1 | 14.9 | 12.9 |
F1 22 (2022) | 23.4 | 20.9 | 16.5 | 12.1 |
Emissions: fan is more active in the L14 G4 than in the L14 G3
Noise
Compared with the predecessor ThinkPad L14 G3 AMD, the maximum fan noise of the ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD has decreased, as the fan now outs out up to 38.3 dB(a). When the device is idling, the fan pretty much stays off. Positive: The fan noise is not extremely high pitched, which is more of a problem with the Dell Latitude 3440.
We could detect some coil whine with the ThinkPad L14 G3 AMD.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 25.2 / 25.2 / 27.3 dB(A) |
Load |
| 32.1 / 38.3 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25.2 dB(A) |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 Vega 7, R5 7530U, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNT512G | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE Vega 7, R5 PRO 5675U, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNT256G | Dell Latitude 3440 Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1345U, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U Vega 8, R7 5825U, Kioxia BG5 KBG50ZNV512G | HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1255U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HBLU | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE Radeon 680M, R7 PRO 6850U, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNV512G | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | 7% | -1% | -0% | -2% | 3% | |
off / environment * | 25.2 | 24.2 4% | 23.9 5% | 27 -7% | 27 -7% | 24.2 4% |
Idle Minimum * | 25.2 | 24.2 4% | 24.4 3% | 27 -7% | 27 -7% | 24.2 4% |
Idle Average * | 25.2 | 24.2 4% | 24.4 3% | 27 -7% | 27 -7% | 24.2 4% |
Idle Maximum * | 27.3 | 28.6 -5% | 24.4 11% | 27 1% | 27 1% | 25.8 5% |
Load Average * | 32.1 | 28.6 11% | 37.1 -16% | 31 3% | 31.5 2% | 32.2 -0% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.7 | 31.7 11% | 38.2 -7% | 34.1 4% | ||
Load Maximum * | 38.3 | 31.75 17% | 40.2 -5% | 32 16% | 34.9 9% | 38.8 -1% |
* ... smaller is better
Heat
The characterization as a hot-head does not fit the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD well. The maximum temperature we measured was 46.3 degrees Celsius / 115 F at a hotspot to the left above the keyboard. This is not an area that is normally touched much during taxing usage. The palmrest does get warm compared with the situation when the laptop is idling, though the palmrest temperatures always remain below 30 degrees Celsius / 86 F.
The stress test can be summed up with two words: no throttling. Even after an hour, the CPU power consumption remained at 20 W.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 39 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 46.3 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.1 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 33.3 °C / 92 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 30.3 °C / 86.5 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.8 °C / 82 F (-2.5 °C / -4.5 F).
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Dell Latitude 3440 Intel Core i5-1345U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U AMD Ryzen 7 5825U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) | HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA Intel Core i7-1255U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U, AMD Radeon 680M | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heat | 3% | 6% | 10% | 11% | 1% | |
Maximum Upper Side * | 39 | 40.4 -4% | 35.2 10% | 38.1 2% | 38.9 -0% | 48.2 -24% |
Maximum Bottom * | 46.3 | 45.8 1% | 41 11% | 42.3 9% | 37.4 19% | 52.8 -14% |
Idle Upper Side * | 26.3 | 28.2 -7% | 29.8 -13% | 26.4 -0% | 26.7 -2% | 24.4 7% |
Idle Bottom * | 37.5 | 28.9 23% | 32 15% | 26.8 29% | 27.8 26% | 24.5 35% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
The upfiring speakers of the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD put out a sound that is of average loudness and lacking in base. They are acceptable speakers for an office environment, but nothing more.
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 22% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 35% of all tested devices in this class were better, 11% similar, 53% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 45% of all tested devices were better, 9% similar, 46% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 33.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.7% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 65% of all tested devices in this class were better, 10% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 67% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
Energy management: low power consumption results in good battery life
Power consumption
The power consumption is lower compared with the predecessor, at least when idling. Under load, the situation reverses. Overall, the ThinkPad L14G4 AMD is pretty efficient compared to other budget laptops, but the ThinkPad T14 G3 with the Ryzen 7 Pro 6850U is even more efficient.
At the max, the ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD consumes 61.3 W, representing no challenge for the 65 W charger.
Off / Standby | 0.5 / 0.6 Watt |
Idle | 3.5 / 7.2 / 7.6 Watt |
Load |
32.2 / 61.3 Watt |
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 R5 7530U, Vega 7, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNT512G, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE R5 PRO 5675U, Vega 7, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNT256G, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Dell Latitude 3440 i5-1345U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U R7 5825U, Vega 8, Kioxia BG5 KBG50ZNV512G, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA i7-1255U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HBLU, , 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNV512G, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Average of class Office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 2% | -16% | 8% | -19% | 10% | -12% | -12% | |
Idle Minimum * | 3.5 | 4.8 -37% | 3.7 -6% | 3.8 -9% | 5.1 -46% | 2.4 31% | 4.68 ? -34% | 4.25 ? -21% |
Idle Average * | 7.2 | 7.7 -7% | 6.5 10% | 5.3 26% | 7.4 -3% | 5.3 26% | 7.57 ? -5% | 7.4 ? -3% |
Idle Maximum * | 7.6 | 8.5 -12% | 9.5 -25% | 7 8% | 8.4 -11% | 5.6 26% | 8.97 ? -18% | 9.13 ? -20% |
Load Average * | 32.2 | 27.4 15% | 46.9 -46% | 34 -6% | 42.6 -32% | 39.7 -23% | 38.6 ? -20% | 39.9 ? -24% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.7 | 32 10% | 42.1 -18% | 33.8 5% | 42.3 -18% | 42.8 -20% | ||
Load Maximum * | 61.3 | 36.5 40% | 67 -9% | 45.7 25% | 64 -4% | 50.6 17% | 51.7 ? 16% | 57.6 ? 6% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption Witcher 3 / stress test
Power consumption with external monitor
Battery life
There are three internal battery options for the ThinkPad Gen 4 AMD. Our unit has a 57 Wh battery, the middle option. There is also a 46.5 Wh battery and a 63 Wh battery available.
Combined with the low power screen, the ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD delivers a very good battery life. 13 hours and 34 minutes in the WiFi test (150 cd/m² screen brightness) and eleven hours and 10 minutes in the WiFi test with max screen brightness are bot admirable results, meaning that the device will be able to last a whole workday.
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 R5 7530U, Vega 7, 57 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE R5 PRO 5675U, Vega 7, 57 Wh | Dell Latitude 3440 i5-1345U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 54 Wh | HP EliteBook 645 G9, Ryzen 7 5825U R7 5825U, Vega 8, 51.3 Wh | HP ProBook 440 G9-5Y3Z3EA i7-1255U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 42 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M, 52.5 Wh | Average of class Office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | 16% | -35% | -3% | -58% | -3% | 12% | |
WiFi v1.3 | 814 | 795 -2% | 528 -35% | 592 -27% | 344 -58% | 772 -5% | 589 ? -28% |
Load | 76 | 101 33% | 93 22% | 76 0% | 115.7 ? 52% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD is a good workhorse for less money
Backlight keyboards, IPS screens, those features were not present in Lenovo's affordable ThinkPad L series for a long time. They are options now, and the same is true for the low power screens, which were able to test in the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD as a first for the budget series.
This solves one of the central points of criticism of the predecessor, the bad screen, at least for this specific variant. Still, the low power screen is not perfect either, the panel used here has bad response times - but this is not a huge deal for an office laptop, compared to a low brightness or bad color gamut.
Apart from the display, the ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD is not much different than the ThinkPad L14 Gen 3 AMD. Chassis, input devices and the connectivity options have not changed, all three aspects of the device are very good (input devices, connectivity) to good (chassis). The chassis is a little bit of a downgrade compared with more expensive models in terms of materials and stability. Very positive is the battery life of the ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD.
A definite weak point is the outdated platform. Ryzen 7030U has a new name, but it is still Ryzen 5000 basically. This means no USB4, no DDR5 memory and no PCIe 4.0. The performance is also hampered by the single-channel RAM, but the user can easily solve this by adding a second RAM module. A small problem is the fact that the L14 G4 uses the M.2 2242 SSD size, limiting upgrade options. On the other hand, the two RAM slots make the ThinkPad L14 into the most upgradable 14 inch ThinkPad by default.
Long battery life and upgradeable: The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD is a solid workhorse in the lower price range.
All in all, we think the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD is a very solid work device for a more affordable price range. This lower pricing means that some newer technologies are not present and the materials used for the chassis are not as high-quality as other ThinkPads, but it will do a good job in the office.
An alternative could be the Dell Latitude 3440. This Intel-based competitor has a higher single core performance, but users have to forgo the second USB C port and microSD slot if they choose the Dell.
Pricing and availability
The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD model 21H6S00900, which we reviewed, is a special model for students as part of the German Lenovo education program. It costs €700 from Campuspoint.
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900
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08/09/2023 v7
Benjamin Herzig
Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.