The 9W Intel Core i7-1160G7 has a big potential as shown by the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
Low TDP CPUs have been getting better and better. Nowadays, you can squeeze so much performance out of a 10W or a 15W chip, as showcased by the most recent Tiger Lake processors from Intel, or the Apple M1, which has been crushing tests and has made the MacBook Air one of the most sought after devices, as it brings flagship performance at a surprisingly affordable price. Today, however, we want to talk about Tiger Lake, and the Core i7-1160G7, to be specific. This little chip has showcased a shocking level of power, considering it has a 9W TDP, which can be quite limiting.
The laptop that we tested it with was the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano, which is a very compact and portable device. It weighs less than a kilogram and this means that there is little space inside of it for cooling and ventilation. For that reason, you would need a very power-efficient processor, which wouldn’t heat up as much. The Core i7-1160G7 is exactly that and it does a fantastic job at providing enough performance and staying at reasonable temperatures.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano: Full Specs / In-depth Review
Below, you can see the results of our benchmarks, which put the Core i7-1160G7 through its paces.
CPU specs table
| Ranking | 39 |
|---|---|
| Base / Max CPU frequency | 2.10 – 4.40 GHz |
| Number of cores | 4 |
| Instructions type | 64 bits |
| TDP | 7 / 9 / 15 W |
| Integrated GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EU) |
| Base GPU frequency | 400 MHz |
| Max. operating temperature | 100 °C |
| Memory channels | 2 |
| Released | Q3 2020 |
|---|---|
| Core / Architecture | Tiger Lake UP4 |
| Logical Cores (Threads) | 8 |
| LL cache | 12288 KB |
| Lithography | 10 nm |
| Official website | |
| Max. GPU frequency | 1100 MHz |
| Memory Type | DDR4-3200MHz, LPDDR4x-4267MHz |
| Max Memory | 64 GB |
CPU benchmarks
Results are from the Cinebench 20 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
GPU benchmarks
The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.
Results are from 3DMark Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Temperatures and comfort
In our CPU stress tests, we utilize 100% of the CPU’s cores, while recording the temperatures and the clock speeds. The processor delivers exceptional performance, considering its low TDP and simple cooling setup. After 15 minutes of testing, the CPU managed to maintain a clock speed of 2.35GHz at 94°C. However, take a look at the power it draws – 40W in the beginning and 21W at the end of the test. It’s really good to see that Intel hasn’t put heavy restraints on this processor’s power, and Lenovo managed to do a good job with the cooling, considering the small form factor of their laptop.
| Intel Core i7-1160G7 (9W TDP) | 0:02 – 0:10 sec | 0:15 – 0:30 sec | 10:00 – 15:00 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano | 3.25 GHz (B+55%) @ 75°C @ 40W | 3.04 GHz (B+45%) @ 97°C @ 34W | 2.35 GHz (B+12%) @ 94°C @ 21W |
Comfort during full load
The laptop remained very quiet, even after an intense load. With that said, the bottom panel got pretty warm, but the keyboard remained within reasonable margins. We measured an outside temperature of 46.1°C.
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