Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 (Intel) review
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 (Intel) — from 2021, 1.47 kg, performance 58.
Technical specifications
| Type | Business |
| Release year | 2021 |
| Screen | 14" · 1920x1080 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5 1135G7 , Intel Core i5 1145G7 , Intel Core i7 1165G7 , Intel Core i7 1185G7 |
| Graphics | GeForce MX450 2GB |
| Max. RAM | 48 GB |
| Weight | 1.47 kg |
| Battery | 50 Wh |
Performance scores
An MX450 surprise: high-band value on 2021 silicon
The ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 Intel (2021) at $686 carries the era's favorite sleeper config: a Core i5-1135G7, a GeForce MX450 with 2GB, and 48GB of RAM. The discrete card is tiny by modern standards, but the pool scores it at 44.73 — 1064.8 percent above the business-class median of 3.84 — and the flags confirm it works.
Where it holds up
Grand Theft Auto V clears recommended; Far Cry 5 clears recommended with a measured 34 fps; Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege sit at recommended levels as well. Photoshop and Visual Studio Code pass minimums. The indices stack into a high-band value reading of 67.55, among the strongest of the 2021 business group. Overall performance at 57.95 is top-quartile, the CPU scores 70 (high, top-quartile), photo design reaches 82 (high) and portability 69.2 (high).
Where it falls short
No axis lands in the low band against classmates — the peer comparison returns no weakness worth flagging. The honest limits: office at 73.19 is the weakest high-band reading in this group (the i5's era shows), gaming at 44 and modeling at 42 cap the visual ceiling, and the MX450's 2GB frame buffer is a hard constraint no score can talk around.
Price and depreciation
No launch anchor is recorded; the class-derived rate computes to 9.45 percent per year — gentle, fully-aged-platform territory. At $686 the value index of 67.55 has already done the math: this is capability bought after the curve, not before it.
Alternatives to consider
The AMD twin (listing 1887) at the same $686 is a near-equivalent — graphics 43.85 against 44.73, office 85.13 against 73.19; choose on ecosystem preference. The ThinkPad T14 Gen 3 Intel (listing 1890) at $780 moves to the MX550 and a photo score of 87 for $94 more. And the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 (listing 1900) at the same $780 is the graphics step-up: an RTX 3050 Ti at 82.83 matched.
Bottom line
Fairly priced for the class. Recommended-level game flags including a measured 34 fps Far Cry 5, a top-tier value index (67.55) among this batch's 2021 business machines, and no measured weak axis — the MX450's 2GB and an office score that trails its AMD twin are the small print.
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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 (+39.7%) (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).
ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 (Intel): verdict
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