Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 review – it’s ultra-light and the battery life is outstanding
Performance: CPU, GPU, Gaming Tests
All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Best Performance” mode activated (the presets are integrated into the Windows Power mode menu).
CPU options
CPU-wise, you can choose among four 15W Raptor Lake U and three 28W Raptor Lake P chips. This includes the Core i5-1335U, Core i5-1345U, Core i7-1355U, Core i7-1365U, Core i5-1340P, Core i7-1360P, and Core i7-1370P.
Here, we evaluate the CPU's performance using a real-world 3D rendering task, assessing its ability to handle complex computations and rendering workloads efficiently.
Results are from the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core test (higher is better)
GPU options
In terms of graphics, you can rely on what is inside the CPU – ergo, the iGPU.
The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.
Results are from 3DMark Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
The results are from 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited. Higher is better.
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (11th Gen, 2023) GPU variants
Here you can see an approximate comparison between the GPUs that can be found in the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (11th Gen, 2023) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (11th Gen, 2023) model is the best bang for your buck.
Note: The chart shows the cheapest different GPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / GPU.
The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.
Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the 3DMark: Wild Life (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Gaming tests
| CS:GO | HD 1080p, Low (Check settings) | HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings) | HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 135 fps | 107 fps | 68 fps |
| DOTA 2 | HD 1080p, Low (Check settings) | HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings) | HD 1080p, High (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 117 fps | 74 fps | 47 fps |
Max CPU load
In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.
Average P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power
| Intel Core i7-1355U (15W TDP) | 0:02 – 0:10 sec | 0:15 – 0:30 sec | 10:00 – 15:00 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 | 3.66 GHz @ 2.80 GHz @ 94°C @ 49W | 3.23 GHz @ 2.50 GHz @ 97°C @ 38W | 2.00 GHz @ 1.55 GHz @ 72°C @ 19W |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 | 3.67 GHz @ 2.81 GHz @ 82°C @ 49W | 3.32 GHz @ 2.53 GHz @ 94°C @ 39W | 2.17 GHz @ 1.64 GHz @ 76°C @ 20W |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 | 3.49 GHz @ 2.65 GHz @ 69°C @ 42W | 3.28 GHz @ 2.46 GHz @ 82°C @ 38W | 2.20 GHz @ 1.62 GHz @ 77°C @ 23W |
| HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 | 3.85 GHz @ 2.89 GHz @ 67°C @ 50W | 3.32 GHz @ 2.48 GHz @ 75°C @ 37W | 2.14 GHz @ 1.44 GHz @ 66°C @ 17W |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L15 Gen 4 (Intel) | 3.34 GHz @ 2.54 GHz @ 86°C @ 39W | 3.16 GHz @ 2.45 GHz @ 93°C @ 35W | 2.38 GHz @ 1.77 GHz @ 77°C @ 20W |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 | 3.78 GHz @ 2.93 GHz @ 82°C @ 48W | 3.45 GHz @ 2.71 GHz @ 90°C @ 41W | 2.52 GHz @ 1.87 GHz @ 78°C @ 22W |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 | 3.83 GHz @ 2.89 GHz @ 78°C @ 51W | 3.7 GHz @ 2.82 GHz @ 93°C @ 49W | 2.38 GHz @ 1.75 GHz @ 64°C @ 21W |
| Acer Aspire 5 (A514-56M) | 3.82 GHz @ 2.82 GHz @ 64°C @ 55W | 2.18 GHz @ 2.26 GHz @ 65°C @ 37W | 1.43 GHz @ 1.98 GHz @ 60°C @ 28W |
| Dell Vostro 15 3530 | 2.06 GHz @ 2.70 GHz @ 94°C @ 40W | 1.56 GHz @ 2.22 GHz @ 96°C @ 26W | 2.06 GHz @ 2.25 GHz @ 95°C @ 26W |
| Lenovo Yoga Book 9 (13IRU8) | 2.23 GHz @ 2.58 GHz @ 76°C @ 40W | 2.13 GHz @ 2.42 GHz @ 85°C @ 35W | 1.64 GHz @ 2.03 GHz @ 77°C @ 24W |
| ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304) | 3.46 GHz @ 2.47 GHz @ 80°C @ 41W | 3.06 GHz @ 2.24 GHz @ 91°C @ 31W | 2.36 GHz @ 1.68 GHz @ 75°C @ 21W |
Here, the Core i7-1355U can sustain a bit higher clocks in short and medium loads compared to the ThinkPad E14 Gen 5. Not bad for an ultra-light device. Still, the temperatures in this scenario are high which is kind of expected. The frequencies in longer load look normal and the temperature drops down to 72°C.
Comfort during full load
Just like many other new Lenovo laptops, the performance presets are integrated into the Windows default power modes. Under heavy CPU stress, the fans aren’t noisy, they are almost quiet. In this case, you can feel some heat under your finger on the left side of the keyboard but thermals are okay for normal usage. That’s possible because of the inlet keycaps so the cooling system can suck air through the keyboard deck.
Interestingly, the fans aren’t spinning in idle or in light loads until the CPU reaches the 50°C mark. When the processor is working hard, the fans’ speed is ~6300 RPM but the noise levels are low. This speaks of good fan quality.
Idle
Web browsing fan off
Web browsing fan on
Max CPU loadBattery
Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. The 57Wh battery unit lasts for 25 hours of Web browsing or 20 hours of video playback. Great!
Brightness: 180 nits; Display Mode: SDR
Time to Full Discharge: Higher is Better
In order to simulate real-life conditions, we used our own script for automatic web browsing through over 70 websites.
Author: Nikolay Palaozov
Author: eng. Kroum NikolovHead of Engineering at LaptopMedia.com, inventor and innovator with 40+ years of experience in electronics and high technology.
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