Thinkpad P16, P1 Gen 5, X1 Extreme Gen 5 GPU Replacement

[lb9452]

Does anyone know or can confirm if the P16, P1 Gen 5, X1 Extreme Gen 5's have replaceable GPUs?

I heard that only the P16 does and that the P1 Gen 5 does not, but I haven't been able to confirm by looking through the Lenovo service manuals (maybe I just don't know what to look for). Since the X1 Extreme Gen 5 is just a P1 Gen 5 the answer should be the same for both.

Asking because I don't have time to wait for the P16 to become available on the outlet and I suspect that a P16 with A4500 will still be out of budget when black friday roles around (even after corporate perks). If the P16 GPU is replaceable I could get something low end, like an A1000, and swap it later for an A4500 later or RTX3070ti if a compatible board exists.

If that turns out to be a bad plan for whatever reason I'll just get a X1 Extreme Gen 5 or P1 Gen 5 on black Friday, though I am worried their chassis will not hold up like my P50's has over the last 6 years.

Thanks!

[BillMorrow]

just FWIW, i have been inside my X1 extremes, gen 1 and gen 2 and while i did not look at the GPU i rather doubt it can be replaced..

[Ibthink]

Of the 2022 ThinkPads, only the ThinkPad P16 has a modular GPU, X1 Extreme and P1 have soldered GPUs.

Be aware though that it isn't really meant to be "user upgradable". These are proprietary parts and Lenovo only sells them at very expensive prices as replacement parts, not as upgrade parts.

Also, if you buy a ThinkPad P16 with a low end GPU, it will have a different, weaker cooling system compared with the P16 with a high end GPU. So if you plan to upgrade down the line, you would have to upgrade the cooling system, too.

[H-Atkinson]

P1G5/X1E5 HMMs are available now if you search by type #, and I can confirm, soldered GPUs as before. Not unexpected. P16 retains modularity introduced on the P15, but I'm not sure if they share a format with the outgoing systems or not. Someone else will have to chime in on that.

[Ibthink]

Safe to assume there is no cross compatibility there. The connector actually looks to be the same, but the form factor of the board is different between P15 and P16:

P15: https://download.lenovo.com/Images/Part ... 4698_A.jpg

P16: https://download.lenovo.com/Images/Part ... 4300_A.jpg

P16 retains modularity introduced on the P15, but I'm not sure if they share a format with the outgoing systems or not. Someone else will have to chime in on that.

[H-Atkinson]

Hadn't looked closely at HMM, but I agree with that assessment. Not unexpected though, this system was devised to allow Lenovo to build multiple SKUs with less manufacturing complexity, NOT to allow users to upgrade down the road.

That isn't to say that we might not see used GPU boards on eBay in the next decade for people to upgrade with, but it won't really matter then...

[lb9452]

Thanks for the great and detailed information everyone!

I agree finding a used high end GPU for P16 seems unlikely in the next few years and Lenovo will probably want too much for a "replacement". It sounds like the best bet would be to try and transfer the GPU and cooling system from a "for parts or not working" P16 on EBay, but that seems very unlikely to work out well even if you can find a P16 in appropriate condition.

The best option for me is probably to get a P16 with an A2000 8GB, after that the price appears to go up rapidly (its $600-800 more for an A3000 12GB). When more GPU performance is needed, I'll just use an eGPU or remote into a desktop. The only reason I want a P16 instead of a P1G5/X1E is because I had a history of destroying laptops before I got a P50 six years ago. A T16g model would have been perfect for me.

[H-Atkinson]

The best option is just to order a P16 specced how you want it through the perks site, and get a warranty with ADP. You wont save much if any money but doing what you said.