Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 5 review

Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 5: the successor raises the compute stakes

The ThinkBook 16p Gen 5 (2024) at $1,007 carries an Intel Core i5 14500HX, the same RTX 4050 Mobile with 6GB of VRAM as its predecessor, and 32GB of memory. The HX-class processor in a business chassis is the headline upgrade, and the axis sheet converts it directly into professional throughput.

Where it holds up

Modeling posts 96 and engineering CAD 96 — both top band — with photo design at 92 (top) and office at 91.78 (top): four top-band axes, driven by the 14500HX as much as the card. The graphics score of 75.91 holds at nearly twenty times the business median, reliability reaches 87 (top quartile), performance 79.72 (high) and value 81.5 (high). Every recommended-bar check passes — Overwatch, GTA V, Rainbow Six Siege, Premiere, Photoshop and Visual Studio Code — the full stack, cleared.

Where it falls short

Weight is the named weakness: 2.19kg against a 1.6kg business median, 36.9% over — the HX thermals and the 16-inch canvas both collect. Portability at 31 (low) is the honest carry cost. Gaming at 72 (high) is capped by the mainstream card, and the 2.19kg figure makes this a backpack machine rather than a briefcase one.

Price and depreciation

At $1,007 the class rate reads 11.27% per year with no cohort anchor for a projection — rate-only framing for the business segment. Paying four figures for business-class depreciation speed instead of gaming-class speed remains the quiet advantage of the 16p formula.

Alternatives to consider

The Gen 4 at $121 less posts photo and office figures within a band of this sheet but tops out at 60 in modeling and CAD — the successor's compute case is real. The ThinkBook 14 Gen 6 Plus at the same $1,007 packs the same card into a 14-inch frame with the batch's highest business graphics score, if the size is negotiable.

Bottom line

Fairly priced for the class. The 16p Gen 5 is the compute-first business machine — four top bands anchored by an HX processor, every recommended bar passing — whose 2.19kg weight is the plain-spoken receipt for putting workstation silicon in office clothing.