We compare the processor performance of two different 15-inch laptops that are equipped with the same Core i7 Ice Lake CPU from Intel’s 10th generation of processors. The performance advantage of the more expensive laptop is a maximum of just under 60 percent.
Although the Lenovo IdeaPad S340-15IIL and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 are both equipped with the Intel Core i7-1065G7, the latter is about twice as expensive. As a layperson, one could assume that the CPU performance of the two 15-inch laptops is identical, but our test results below show that the differences are surprisingly large.
In Cinebench R15 and Cinebench R20, the scores of the cheaper Lenovo laptop are within just 10 percent of those of the more expensive Microsoft laptop. It only becomes problematic when you run the same benchmarks in a loop. As the diagram below shows, the IdeaPad is initially close on the heels of the Microsoft system, but the CPU score drops by a whopping 37 percent over time. Here the Microsoft laptop manages to maintain higher scores for a longer period of time.
A look at the CPU clock frequencies in HWiNFO shows what exactly happens. When running Prime95 on both laptops, it can be observed how the IdeaPad boosts to 3.5 GHz and then continuously reduces its clock frequency to up to 1.7 GHz after only about 5 seconds. Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop stabilizes at a higher clock frequency of 2.7 GHz. The consumption of the surface laptop is also higher during the execution of Prime95 (43 W vs. 29 W), which corresponds to the higher processor performance.
If you mainly use the laptop for streaming videos, word processing or surfing, you can neglect the performance differences between the processor of the IdeaPad and Surface. For those who occasionally want to play games, cut videos or edit pictures, the Yoga C940 or the Surface Laptop is a better choice than the IdeaPad, as Intel’s Ice Lake series can develop its potential better there.
