Lenovo ThinkPad T590 review

A light-dGPU T-series where the CPU is the ceiling

The ThinkPad T590 (2018) at $225 carries an MX250 — a real if entry-level discrete card — and measures 23.68 on graphics against a business-class median of 3.84, light tier. The flagged weakness is the CPU: an i5-8265U scoring 36.42 against a 52.97 median, about a third below, with mobility at 43 versus 60 in the mid band. The verdict prices it worth the asking.

The green checks and the honest order

Overwatch, Grand Theft Auto V and Rainbow Six Siege pass their minimum bars — the MX250's confirmed envelope of competitive and older titles at reduced settings. What the sheet adds is the interesting inversion: the discrete GPU outplaces the processor that feeds it, so sustained CPU-heavy work is the machine's real ceiling, not gaming-adjacent graphics. Buyer priority order here is unusual and worth knowing.

The trade at $225

Reliability sits at the class-typical discount band, and the mid-band mobility score suits a 15.6-inch business chassis. The buyer gets the row's only light-dGPU option at its lower-middle price, paying for it in CPU headroom rather than dollars.

Terminal-band pricing

From a $1,300 anchor the price has decayed to $225 at 8% per year, projecting to $190 in two years — a further 15%. The curve is flat; the machine's economics are settled.

Neighbors in the row

Lenovo's E490 ($243) and E480 ($256) — both dGPU siblings — sit above; Dell's Latitude 5400 ($199) and Latitude E5570 ($194) below without cards. The T590 is the cheapest real-GPU ThinkPad in this batch's business band.

Bottom line

Worth the asking price for light gaming and media on a proper T-series chassis, bought with the CPU — not the GPU — understood as the performance ceiling. For CPU-heavy office work, the plainer siblings at similar prices serve better.