Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 3 15.6", Xeon W-10855M, 32GB, 256GB SSD

A lot of RAM in an aging shell. Fine for basic work, but the tiny SSD and old CPU make it a tough sell even at CAD 615.

The Xeon W-10855M is a 6-core chip from 2020, and our database puts it in the 14th percentile for CPUs. That's rough. The 32GB of RAM is the real highlight here, sitting well above average, but the 256GB SSD is a joke for a workstation and lands in the bottom fifth of all laptops we track. The Intel Xe graphics are fine for spreadsheets and video calls, but the gaming score of 14.1 out of 100 tells you everything. This is not a machine for anything graphically demanding.

The ThinkPad P1 Gen 3 gets absolutely smoked by the Apple MacBook Pro M5 in every category that matters, from CPU to screen to port selection. The ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA is a better ultrabook if you want something light and modern. Even the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition offers a better screen and newer silicon. The only reason to pick this Lenovo is if you specifically need 32GB of RAM on a very tight budget and don't care about anything else.

At CAD 615, this is a tough call. You're getting a lot of RAM and a ThinkPad keyboard, but the tiny SSD and aging CPU mean you'll probably spend more money upgrading storage almost immediately. If you just need a reliable machine for writing, browsing, and light office work, it's okay. But don't buy this thinking you're getting a workstation bargain.

The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 3 is a weird mix of workstation ambition and budget reality. You get a Xeon processor and 32GB of RAM, which sounds impressive, but the storage is a cramped 256GB and the integrated Intel Xe graphics mean this thing has no business pretending to be a mobile workstation anymore. It's a refurbished unit selling for CAD 615, and for that price it's a decent typing machine with a lot of memory, but the weak spots are hard to ignore.

If you're looking for a portable machine with good battery life, a bright screen, or any kind of graphics performance, this isn't it. Go get an ASUS Zenbook or a MacBook Air instead. And if you need real workstation power for rendering or CAD, this Xeon is too old to keep up with modern alternatives.

This is a niche buy. If you're a student or office worker who lives in browser tabs and needs lots of RAM for cheap, the ThinkPad P1 Gen 3 will get the job done. But for almost everyone else, the weak CPU, tiny storage, and terrible port selection make it hard to recommend. Spend a bit more and get something newer.