How Powerful Are Intel Powered Ultrabooks When Compared To Gaming Laptops?

The Evo Experience

The Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon is not just a normal ultrabook, it is an Evo-certified laptop. A laptop with an Intel Evo badge has several confirmed advantages over a regular ultrabook in terms of design, performance, battery life, and even boot time.

I used the Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon for my office work and multimedia consumption, it almost felt more like a tablet despite having a Core i7 processor with 16GB RAM. From charging via a USB Type-C port to all-day battery life (over 8 hours), the Yoga 7i Carbon performed as advertised.

A few surprise elements on the Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon are the infrared powered Windows Hello face recognition and the sound output. The built-in speakers are not just loud but they are also clear, even when compared to some of the high-end gaming laptops that I have tested so far.

I have tested multiple Evo-certified laptops from various OEMs in the last few months, and the Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon is one of the best devices for sure. However, for the asking price of over a lakh, I would have loved if the laptop had support for touch input.

 

CPU Performance

The highlight of the 11th Gen Tiger Lake U series processor is the single-core CPU performance and the onboard GPU performance. We ran multiple benchmarks to determine the actual performance of this 28W CPU (max TDP) and then compared it to some of the H series processors which usually have 35W of TDP.

On Geekbench 5, the Intel Core i7-1165G7 scored 1135 and 3044 on single-core and multi-core performance. In comparison, the Acer Nitro 5 with the Intel Core i5-11300H almost double the TDP scored 1372 and 4126 points, respectively.

If we look at the performance difference between the two, the Legion i7-1165G7 is just around 15 percent slower in single-core and around 25 percent slower in multi-core performance. Though the H series CPU powering the Nitro 5 is more powerful, the performance of the Intel Core i7-1165G7 is more power-efficient.

Similarly, on Cinebench R23, the Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon posted 1226 and 3859 points on single-core and multi-core rendering tests. In comparison, the Acer Nitro 5 scored 1403 and 6107 points on single-core and multi-core CPU rendering tests.

GPU Performance

The Intel Core i7-1165G7 also packs the Intel Iris Xe Graphics with 1.3GHz clock speed. However, it uses the device's onboard memory as video memory. The Intel Iris Xe is the most powerful integrated graphics from the company, which offers more than double the performance that of the Intel UHD graphics.

On Superposition GPU benchmark, the Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon offered an average FPS of 23.90 at 1080 resolution and medium graphics settings. Similarly, when the resolution was set to 720p with low graphics settings, the GPU offered an average FPS of 53.79.

To measure the real-world performance of this graphics card, we played GTA: 5 on the Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon, where, we got around 25fps at 1080p resolution and low graphics settings and around 45fps at 720p resolution and medium graphics settings. This is a huge leap in terms of graphics performance when compared to ultrabooks that came with previous generation processors.

The Clear Advantages

Most people looking for an ultrabook are likely to consider features like battery life, sound, and connectivity rather than the sheer performance. Keeping aside the CPU and GPU benchmarks, the Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon offers a color-accurate 2K display, WiFi 6 connectivity, over eight hours of battery life inside a thin-and-light form-factor.

The Disadvantages

As one can see from the benchmark comparison between the Levono Yoga 7i Carbon and the Acer Nitro 5, the Nitro 5, which costs almost half of the Yoga 7i Carbon offers better CPU and GPU performance. Hence, if you need performance, something like the Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon might not be the right choice.

The Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon also has an all USB Type-C I/O, which means you need dongles to connect peripherals and accessories. This laptop also does not have touch screen support, which would have made this an all-rounder ultrabook.

Verdict: Ultrabooks Are More Versatile Than Gaming Laptops

Ultrabooks are like the jack of all trades, whey they offer the right amount of performance, features, and connectivity. Whereas the gaming laptops are mostly bulkier and don't last as long as an ultrabook. Ultrabooks are also getting a lot faster, and the Lenovo Yoga 7i Carbon is a testament to the same.