Thinkpad E485 vs A485

[@alienpolygon6926]

Would love to see the thermal comparisons on these and learn about thermal throttling on these APUs as that is a big concern for me. Also if you do the E585, that'd be sweet.

[@dorinxtg]

A485 is for corporate - the Ryzen PRO has management capabilities (including remote management) built in.

[@huitzilopochtli4655]

A couple of points to consider. E485 seems to have a better internal design - better cooling (2 piped heatsink) and better storage upgradability (1 full size NVMe ssd + 1x2.5" SSD). If you absolutely must have a docking port and backlit keyboard, - then sure go for the A model. Otherwise, there is little reason to pay extra in my opinion. I've just received my E485 and am very happy with it. P.S.> Didn't realize the A model costs almost 1200 CAD here (FHD+2700u+Backlit Keyboard) after the 200$ discount, while my E485 with the same specs minus the backlit kb was only 600$! Paying double for docking+backlight and getting less storage?

[@tgdhsuk3589]

@Mario T. mean while in the uk the cheapest e485 with 720p display 4gb ram 500gb hdd and 2200u is £530, about $1000 cad

[@LeowKahMan]

I don't think it cools better because the E model exhaust blows against an obstruction whereas the A model blows outward unblocked. I can imagine with the lid is closed, this situation may only get worse.

[@tuelek]

How is the E485 regarding heat? I plan to do light gaming and coding

[@segaprophet]

@@tuelek I'm on an E485 outputting video to an external 2560x1080 ultrawide display, it can game (world of warships) and play 1080p youtube video playlists in the background at the same time and never breaks 65 celsius, although the fan definitely ramps up and you can hear it. So heat is not an issue, but the fan will get loud.

[@Kacpa2]

You can put on dual pipe heatsink from T480 with gpu. Tho wider singlepipe heatsink is better, i dunno if it isnt found only on ryzen 7 variants tho.

[@segaprophet]

E485 that's my ThinkPad! It's been a champion since 2019 - running Kubuntu Jammy right now very nicely.

[@GameTechReviews]

Yes it is. These AMD ThinkPads have aged well.

[@ammarshaikh5067]

Great video! Subscribed. I appreciate you doing a review of Ryzen 7 pro. Many a485 reviews are about ryzen 5.

[@SethanderWald]

I've been very happy with my E485 so far. :) I do wish it had a backlit keyboard, and a swapable battery, but for a price difference of over $500, I'll happily go without. lol.

[@RichardJeffries]

Just got my E485 with Ryzen5, 8Gig and so far it is great. I would of liked the option for a backlit keyboard. I am going to put in a second SSD for Linux but read that there is an issue with the Bios and running Linux.

[@Denyo49]

no major issues

[@Denyo49]

medium.com/@jthegedus/ubuntu-18-04-lts-on-lenovo-thinkpad-e485-15e1d601473f

[@g.m.9340]

Thanks for the comparaison man, very useful !

[@g.m.9340]

Hey one question, do you think the keyboard on the e485 could be swapped for the one on the a485, the look really similar in the vid and seems like they are both removable

[@GameTechReviews]

It can but the LED feature won't work because the e485 doesn't have the connection for it on the mainboard.

[@MarioSavina]

The not backlighted keybord is a dealbreaker for me and for many others I guess.

[@miguebc5841]

you can build it with backlit keyboard and finger print reader.

[@Romkosss]

But it is spill protected!

[@Kacpa2]

​@@miguebc5841 But no upgradeable battery, docking station, worse build quality. Especially when buying it used E485 is worthless as A485 is incredibly cheap to get.

[@cthallam6850]

You havent mentioned the keyboard difference. One is backlit while another is not. Also key travel? I fine my e485 a bit shallow. A bit worse than my t430. Also i find my e485 screen dim. How is that on a485?

[@Kacpa2]

A485 is really good across the board, keyboard feels much better than any generic mainstream laptop. Plus its perfect storm of all good things, you can have 2 ssds in it, gigantic extended battery plus the internal one so it can run for 15-20 hours in highest configuration, has backlit keyboard, can be safely used ij bed thanks to the off set side exhaust fan location and with big battery it gets nice and angled typing positiong. If you can find it used for a good price, but it right away.

[@giotsigouris6304]

That was a good review and thanks for doing it. Some additional questions though, I heard that the performance of both models is quite close, so I was wondering if you used the 2500U or the 2700U as cpu. Also, I think it was mentioned that e485 has two thermal pipes while a485 has only one ?

[@GameTechReviews]

I chose the 2700u for my A485. The E485 shown in the video is equipped with the 2500u so I can't make a direct comparison based on the thermal design. The E485 has exhaust and intake vents similar to mainstream laptops mounted facing the LCD frame. The A485 exhausts air out the left side. From a design standpoint I think the thermal performance is about the same though yes, the E485 has two thermal pipes. The A485 has a single larger one.

[@MuhammadFuady]

E485 has double heat sinks, and A485 has only one. In many performance tests, E485 tend to be slightly better compared to A485. In Cinebench R15, my E485 (2700u) with single channel ram and BIOS 1.4 consistently scores around 620-640. While I have seen the A485 struggle to scores above 600. And one more: E485 does not have a fingerprint sensor.

[@GameTechReviews]

@@MuhammadFuady Might also be the difference between the Ryzen and Ryzen PRO series processors. The PRO series might boost lower due to prioritizing stability similar to workstation GPUs.

[@paulmaks3189]

Any inputs about the battery life?

[@summerha8170]

I am worried about that E485 does not come with a side fan duct, where A485 and common Laptop does. Is there any temperature issue that make E485 less reliable then A485? Anyway, Great Comparison! very useful!

[@segaprophet]

Summer HA E485 owner here: temps are fine just don't set it on a surface that will occlude the bottom intake, bottom back has a riser bar that gives it ~4mm of clearance on a smooth hard surface but a soft surface like a pillow or bedsheet may choke the fan intake

[@Kacpa2]

Either way go for A485. E is just painfully inferior and not as upgradable.

[@pranavjaikishan236]

Could the keyboard on the E485 be replaced for a backlit one at a repair shop?

[@GameTechReviews]

No. It doesn't have the option for backlit. There are stories of people trying to swap it with the one in the A485 and it doesn't light up.

[@pranavjaikishan236]

@@GameTechReviews oh well that's unfortunate. Thanks for replying though.

[@terencebracamonte2783]

I Have A Lenovo Thinkpad e485 when you said "SD Card" l looked to the side there was an sd card!

[@fjr4997]

How about the finger print reader?

[@GameTechReviews]

The fingerprint reader and the backlit keyboard are only available on the A485.

[@sim9955]

Great video! I'm in the market for the e485 actually, i hate the fact that it has only one internal battery, but I like that i can have 2 storage in it. There is a quite difference bt their pricing, would you recommend the e485 anyway?

[@GameTechReviews]

Yes the e485 is a good laptop for the price. It has a good cooling unit for the APU and a nice textured keyboard, much better than the average laptop. The main difference in price is because the A485 has the optional docking station connector.

[@DarkZero310]

@@GameTechReviews I'm in the same boat as Solo B in that dual storage is a priority for me. How is the cooling set up for this laptop? Is it intake at the bottom and vent through the hinge upwards?

[@CrxwdCntrl]

@@GameTechReviews Does the e485 thermal throttle?

[@GameTechReviews]

@@DarkZero310 The intake is on the bottom and half of the vents that face the LCD frame. The other half of the vents facing the LCD frame is the exhaust.

[@GameTechReviews]

@@CrxwdCntrl From what I can tell neither one really thermal throttles. They behave as expected of laptops their size with APUs with the rated 15w TDP.

[@rationalityfirst]

They should have went with a separate power connector on the E485 so the type c connector can be used for a secondary monitor.

[@eugene4637]

you can use the hdmi for that and type c has to be thunderbolt for display output

[@rationalityfirst]

@Yücel Kayabaşı no, you don't need thunderbolt for video through type c, there's DP through type C supported in most new laptops. for instance I have an Asus Zenpad UX410UA that supports that

[@redcar9949]

If was me I would want 2 USB c ports

[@enzosama6820]

This was a great video but i have to ask 1. Is vanguard content coming back 2. If you still play vanguard do you play premium or standard

[@GameTechReviews]

Vanguard may come back but I've been out of the game for many months. When I do play, I play premium because of my card collection. However, I think standard should be the true way to play the game going forward for anyone serious about the competitive scene. The game will eventually move enough newer cards so that premium will either die off completely or be relegated to casual play.

[@louisirwinquesto8246]

what’s the battery life for the e485?

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

Only 30 minutes difference apparently, it comes with more efficient and powerful graphics than the Intel ones, so I'd take the AMD one over the Intel ThinkPad

[@kevinp1659]

Super helpful. Thanks!

[@SketchyChicken281]

What is the battery life like on the a485?

[@GameTechReviews]

with my configuration (24 + 72wh) it's around 8 hours on average but with a low brightness setting such as using it in a dark room it can be 12 hours or more.

[@Kacpa2]

@@GameTechReviews I got 8 hours with 48whr external(it has no internal battery rn) dont forget about quiet mode. Fn+Q to switch between it and performance mode. With that You should be around 16hours or more(with light load work)

[@stategames1]

@@Kacpa2 How was his performance in games, editing and design programs?

[@Kacpa2]

@@stategames1 Didnt try editing software yet, but in Counter Strike Global offensive on low settings and laptop battery savong mode(pretty much a frame limiter to around 50fps) it holds 49-50 at all times smoothly at 1600 by 900 resolution in fullscreen. it also didnt really get too hot when playing with cable attached in performance mode. It doesnt struggle with loading things, file transfers i did were quite fast. And its still only has singly channel memory at the moment. GPU performancd increases drasticly with dual channel. It handles 2D work in Gimp quite well too. Its better overall than my older Y700 gaming laptop that has Intel i5 6300hq quadcore with nvidia 960m gpu. Granted it wont get as good results fps wise graphicly, but seems to be superior than intel in cpu side of things and at quarter of tdp that i5 had.

[@Kacpa2]

@@stategames1 I will try to test it some more in some more demanding tasks later and report back how it does in those.

[@snapverse]

A series work on Linus. E series suck on Linux esp Bluetooth & at booting (requires Grub editing).

[@Mark_James_Hill]

what about performance

[@GameTechReviews]

It's really good. The Ryzen 5 2500u works quite will in the E485 and E585.

[@Silentwalkz]

Battery life not good?

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

Only 30 minutes difference apparently, it comes with more efficient and powerful graphics than the Intel ones, so I'd take the AMD one over the Intel ThinkPad

[@Romkosss]

I liked the review !