ThinkPad T470 vs EliteBook 840 G5: 15 metrics compared
ThinkPad T470 vs EliteBook 840 G5: 15 metrics compared — detailed laptop comparison: performance, mobility, price, specifications.
Advantages
- + Performance (+10.0)
- + Gaming performance (+18.0)
- + Mobility (+2.0)
- + Value (+2.9)
- + GPU (+39.1)
- + Estimated price (-$49)
- + Weight (-0.18 kg)
- + Reliability (+5.0)
- + CPU (+14.1)
- + Battery (+23 Wh)
- + Release year (+1)
- + Modernity (+7.7)
Detailed spec comparison
| Spec |
Component A
ThinkPad T470
|
Component B
EliteBook 840 G5
|
|---|---|---|
| USComp overall score | 39.0 | 39.0 |
| Performance | 40.8 (+10.0) | 30.8 |
| Gaming performance | 40.0 (+18.0) | 22.0 |
| Mobility | 58.0 (+2.0) | 56.0 |
| Reliability | 23.0 | 28.0 (+5.0) |
| Value | 54.6 (+2.9) | 51.8 |
| Screen quality | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| CPU | 26.7 | 40.8 (+14.1) |
| GPU | 45.9 (+39.1) | 6.8 |
| Estimated price | $362 (-$49) | $411 |
| Weight | 1.32 kg (-0.18 kg) | 1.50 kg |
| Battery | 27 Wh | 50 Wh (+23 Wh) |
| Max RAM | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Release year | 2016 | 2017 (+1) |
| Modernity | 38.5 | 46.2 (+7.7) |
The ThinkPad T470 (2016) and the EliteBook 840 G5 (2017) sit one corporate generation apart, and that single year matters more than usual: the T470 still ran 7th-gen dual-core CPUs at the low end, while the 840 G5 moved wholesale to 8th-gen quad-cores. Yet the T470 takes a 7-5 verdict on 15 axes — because the comparison isn't "which generation" but "which configurations survived into the used market".
ThinkPad T470 vs EliteBook 840 G5: specs compared
The T470's catalog strengths are its configuration extremes: the best GPU score of 45.9 (its GeForce 940MX option) against the EliteBook's 6.8 integrated ceiling, a gaming index of 40 versus 22, and a lighter 1.32 kg body versus 1.5 kg. It also comes in $50 cheaper at ~$362 versus ~$411. The 840 G5 owns the modern-silicon axes: CPU score 40.8 versus 26.7, reliability 28 versus 23, plus the newer release year and its modernity index. Batteries split the classic way — the EliteBook's 50 Wh versus the T470's 27 Wh — and screen quality, RAM ceiling (32 GB each) and overall score (39 each) tie.
Gaming performance
A 940MX-equipped T470 is the surprising gaming winner of this pair: older esports titles, indies and 2013-era AAA games run fine at 720p-1080p low. The EliteBook's UHD 620, despite the newer CPU generation, has no discrete path — its 22 gaming index is the "efficient but integrated" story. Neither plays modern AAA games, but the T470 at least has a library.
Battery and portability
The EliteBook's 50 Wh battery versus the T470's 27 Wh internal pack is the biggest daily-life difference — though the T470's Power Bridge hot-swap design means a listing with an external 48 Wh pack flips this axis entirely. The T470 is also 180 grams lighter at 1.32 kg. As with every T4x0, check which batteries the seller includes before judging the spec sheet.
Which to buy in 2026
Buy the EliteBook 840 G5 for the CPU: its quad-core 8th-gen chips handle 2026's browser-and-Teams reality with far more headroom than the T470's low-end dual-cores, and the 50 Wh battery makes it the complete office machine. Buy the ThinkPad T470 in its i5-7300U/940MX configurations — dual-core, yes, but higher-clocked and paired with the dGPU — where it wins gaming, weight and price simultaneously. The 7-5 verdict hides a clean split: CPU buyers to HP, GPU-and-value buyers to Lenovo.
🤔 How to choose
Universal advice for any use case.
- Reliability vs price: reliability (median 50) ↔ price (median 385.1).
- Weight vs CPU: mobility (median 48) ↔ overall performance (median 49.9).
- Upgradeability vs battery: upgradability (median 50) ↔ battery life (median 2.9).