How to open Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 5 – disassembly and upgrade options

LaptopMedia.com Guides How to open Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 5 - disassembly and upgrade options

From: Dimitar Stalev 24 October 2024 / 13:49 0

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Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 5

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155U
VideoCard: Intel Graphics (4-Cores)
RAM: 16GB RAM
STORAGE: 512GB SSD

Detailed review

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Opening the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 5

Undo 10 captive Phillips-head screws and eject the SIM card tray on the back.
Pop the zones behind the hinges using a lever tool.
Pry the back and sides with a thin plastic tool (no need to pop the front).
Lift the rear end of the panel, tilt it, and remove it from the base.

Note: The bottom panel is shown with its internal structure after removal.

Battery Removal

The laptop comes with an optional 57Wh battery (base version is 46.5Wh).
To remove the battery, disconnect the connector from the motherboard and undo the three Phillips-head screws.

Note: The 57Wh battery offers around 14 hours of video playback.

Memory and Storage

The memory section and SSD are covered by Mylar heat shields. Peel the shield to access the RAM.
The two SODIMMs support up to 64GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM in dual-channel mode, but the CPU can handle up to 96GB.
There is a single M.2 slot for 2280 Gen 4 SSDs, with the NVMe drive cooled by a thermal pad underneath.

Additional Features

The WWAN slot for optional eSIM functionality is located next to the cooling system.
The soldered Wi-Fi card is positioned above the M.2 slot.

Cooling System

The thermal system includes one large fan, a heat pipe, a heat sink, and a heat spreader.

Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 5 (Intel) in-depth review

The Intel version of the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 5 may be a dream come true for the modern-day business employee. The compact device relies on 15W or 28W Intel Meteor Lake CPUs with an NPU unit for enhanced AI-assisted productivity alongside good upgradability and great port selection. Yep, it's a rare find to spot a 14-incher with five USB connectors and a Gigabit LAN. By the way, one of the USBs is based on the 2.0 standard and it's mentioned by the manufacturer as "Hi-Speed USB"!Security is very important for such a laptop that's why it offers a dTPM 2.0 chip for data encryption, a Lock[...]

Read the full review

Pros

Solid build
Feels snappy for work
The fan is quiet during long max CPU loads in "Best Performance" mode
PWM-free display (LEN403D)
Comfortable viewing angles + 16:10 aspect ratio (LEN403D)
442 nits of max brightness (LEN403D)
Web camera with a privacy shutter
Modern port selection with 5x USB ports and a Gigabit LAN
Comfortable keyboard and touchpad
2x SODIMMs
vPro CPU, IR Web camera, fingerprint reader, Nano-SIM card slot, Smart card reader, Wi-Fi 7, NFC (all are optional)
The Core Ultra 7 155U sustains a 2.26 GHz / 1.87 GHz P and E-core clock in longer loads
The bottom plate can be popped easily
Fast and well-cooled SSD (SK Hynix HFS512GEJ9X164N)