AMD strikes back: Ryzen 5 3500U in the ThinkPad E495 much faster than the Core i5-8265U in the ThinkPad E490

[Redaktion]

The implementation of mobile AMD processor is getting better and better, and Intel will definitely notice the stronger competition. The new Ryzen 5 3500U in the ThinkPad E495 consumes a bit less and is much faster than a comparable Core i5-8265U in the ThinkPad E490.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-strikes-back-Ryzen-5-3500U-in-the-ThinkPad-E495-much-faster-than-the-Core-i5-8265U-in-the-ThinkPad-E490.423829.0.html

[siats]

There was a problem with Ryzen APUs where programs like HWinfo64 and similar only reported half the actual power consumption, can you confirm this has been fixed? (perhaps by measuring power at the wall) otherwise the 3500U might actually be using 22W here and that's a lot less impressive against the 15W Intel systems.

[M2018]

@ siats
Not at all. The 15W is only on paper  :D

[genexis_x]

Please use AMD uProf for monitoring like power consumption, HWinfo values aren't accurate

[siats]

@M2018

It has been extensively confirmed in this very site (even this article mentions it) that 15W TDP Intel systems do settle at 15W during sustained workloads, the exception being those tweaked by the OEM to stay at 25W, like the T490 used here, that's why it scores 130 points higher across the board than its E-class brethren.

[LHPSU]

But Lenovo still keeps the E495 from having a backlit keyboard option for some inexplicable reason...

[Andreas Osthoff]

Hi, yes that is correct, the upcoming T495 will probably be the first real AMD machine from Lenovo where you get all the features from the Intel counterpart.

We checked both HWinfo as well we AMD uprof during Cinebench and both showed about 11-12 Watts. The actual TDP limit is higher at ~22W long term, but this includes the GPU.

[genexis_x]

Hi, yes that is correct, the upcoming T495 will probably be the first real AMD machine from Lenovo where you get all the features from the Intel counterpart.

We checked both HWinfo as well we AMD uprof during Cinebench and both showed about 11-12 Watts. The actual TDP limit is higher at ~22W long term, but this includes the GPU.

Hmm weird. I tested an Ideapad S540 with 3500U not long ago: HWinfo shows 11-12W while running Cinebench but AMD uProf shows 24W (which is probably correct)

[Anonym]

Hi, yes that is correct, the upcoming T495 will probably be the first real AMD machine from Lenovo where you get all the features from the Intel counterpart.

Well, almost all features... TB3 isn't there, and things probably won't get any better until USB4 comes out. Honestly can't wait for that day, as AMD is doing really well right now.

Really curious to see if the new Ryzens are competitive in battery run-time, which has always been AMD's real sore point.

[ngazi]

The difference in performance is tiny, and as of your update, the TDP difference is small too. Battery life and noise are more important for most people. Looking forward to more xx95 reviews.

[user123]

How's Battery Life? Any heating issues?

[escuimein]

Is the upgrade from 3500u to 3700u worth it on these thinkpads? Lenovo is asking about $100 for the upgrade.

[NN]

Hi
I was excited to take delivery of a new E495 withcutting edge Ryzen processor, 16 GB of RAM and 512 SSD. I hadnt bought a new machine ( and I always by Thinkpads) for a few years

My elation lasted only a few minutes once I opened the box.

The E495 is cheaper than the X1 in every way. It was ugly, heavy, cheap plastic, slow and hot.  I was so disappointed it made me second guess being a ThinkPad enthusiast. 

specific problems I had were:
- very slow boot (even compared to 3rd gen X1)
- Max battery life of about 4 hrs
- Wifi adapter struggled to connect with previously reliable networks
- trackpad/point freezing
- screen so dim I couldn't use it in the office with hot desks near the window.

I am really glad that Lenovo / Digital River were able to accept the return of the E495 and refund me my money.

I am writing this with great pleasure on my light, bright, fast, long battery life X1 carbon.  I'm not one to normally write reviews, but the difference is so unbelievable.  I thought I would save a few quid (well actually quite a few) but I must say if you can afford it, its worth it. I hazard a guess that even the lowest spec X1 will provide a better experience than the top E495

Sorry Lenovo, just being honest.

[paulka]

Any idea when the full E495 review will be out? Soon I hope :)

[lliamander]

@NN

> The E495 is cheaper than the X1 in every way. It was ugly, heavy, cheap plastic, slow and hot.  I was so disappointed it made me second guess being a ThinkPad enthusiast.

> I'm not one to normally write reviews, but the difference is so unbelievable.  I thought I would save a few quid (well actually quite a few) but I must say if you can afford it, its worth it. I hazard a guess that even the lowest spec X1 will provide a better experience than the top E495

This just seems more like a case of incorrectly set expectations.  My E495 is a excellent *budget* business laptop that has similar build quality (and much more performance) than my P50s.  It has best all-around performance (single core, multi core, gpu) per dollar.  That's exactly what I was looking for and I am quite happy with it.

Now, the X1 is faster (in short bursts), lighter, brighter, and has longer battery life.  But it's a *premium* business laptop and costs a lot more (as you admit yourself).  If someone have the budget for an X1C, there's really no point looking for an E-series.  Even if they don't want an X-series, a T or P-series is going to have a higher overall quality.