Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 (Intel) review
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 (Intel) — from 2020, 1.7 kg, performance 58.
Technical specifications
| Type | Business |
| Release year | 2020 |
| Screen | 15.6" · 1920x1080 |
| Processor | Intel Core i3 1115G4 , Intel Core i5 1135G7 , Intel Core i5 1145G7 , Intel Core i7 1165G7 |
| Graphics | GeForce MX450 2GB |
| Max. RAM | 40 GB |
| Weight | 1.7 kg |
| Battery | 45 Wh |
Performance scores
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen 2: the MX450 that punches far above its shelf
The ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 (2020, Intel) at $604 is an odd and appealing artifact: an Intel Core i3 1115G4 paired with a GeForce MX450 discrete card and a full 40GB of memory. Business laptops of this vintage rarely carried a real GPU, and that combination is the entire reason this listing is interesting.
Where it holds up
The graphics score of 44.73 towers over the business-class median of 3.84 — better than eleven times the typical showing, mainstream-tier and firmly in the top quartile. The CPU posts 70 against a 52.97 median, and the performance index at 57.77 sits 39% above class. Photo design lands at 71 (high) and value at 72.45 (high), while the recommended-bar checks pass for Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege, GTA V is judged by its pass flag alone, and Far Cry 5 logs a plausible 34 frames at its recommended bar. Photoshop and Visual Studio Code clear their minimums.
Where it falls short
Mobility is the named weakness: 51 against a class median of 60, a 15% shortfall that reflects the bigger chassis and discrete-card thermals. Portability at 49 (mid) tells the same story from the carrying side. Gaming at 44 (mid) clears recommended bars but the i3 CPU keeps it far from comfort-tier, and engineering CAD at 44 (mid) marks the professional ceiling.
Price and depreciation
The $604 listing carries a class rate of 8.92% per year — one of the gentler curves in this batch — with no cohort anchor for a concrete projection. Slow-drifting business hardware with a discrete card already priced near its floor is about as low-risk as used-laptop economics gets.
Alternatives to consider
The ThinkBook 14 Gen 2 from the same year at the same $604 keeps the CPU and memory but drops the discrete card — the pick if office silence outranks GPU headroom. The ThinkBook 15 Gen 4 at $780 upgrades to an MX550 and a newer platform while holding the same value proposition.
Bottom line
Fairly priced for the class. The Gen 2 is the budget pick for anyone who needs a real, if modest, discrete GPU inside a business chassis — eleven-times-median graphics at a $604 asking price, paid for honestly through below-par mobility and an aging CPU tier.
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⭐ What stands out
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graphics performance is higher than typical business class (+200%) (mainstream tier).
top 25% of its category -
overall performance is higher than typical business class (+39.3%) (mid).
top 25% of its category -
CPU performance is higher than typical business class (+32.2%) (high tier).
top 25% of its category
🎮 What it can run
⚙️ Configuration analysis
Top configuration suits everyday productivity, light photo editing, and esports titles.
🤔 How to choose
Universal advice for any use case.
- Reliability vs price: reliability (median 42.5) ↔ price (median 297.4).
- Weight vs CPU: mobility (median 60) ↔ overall performance (median 41.5).
- Upgradeability vs battery: upgradability (median 62.5) ↔ battery life (median 3.3).
ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 (Intel): verdict
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