Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12 - 1st Generation or 2nd Generation?


Lenovo often designs a device, releases it, and a year later refreshes the device with new components.  On the third year they may re-design the system, and the cycle repeats.  The ThinkPad Yoga 12-inch is currently on its second generation.  Below are some details on components that should differentiate the first from the second generation.

CPUs of 1st generation ThinkPad Yoga 12:
  • Intel Core i3-4010U, 2 cores, 1.70GHz (NO Turbo Boost), 3MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 4400, 200MHz Base, 1.00GHz Max Dynamic
  • Intel Core i3-4030U, 2 cores, 1.90GHz (NO Turbo Boost), 3MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 4400, 200MHz Base, 1.00GHz Max Dynamic
  • Intel Core i5-4200U, 2 cores, 1.60GHz (Turbo Boost of 2.60GHz), 3MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 4400, 200MHz base, 1.00GHz Max Dynamic
  • Intel Core i5-4210U, 2 cores, 1.70GHz (Turbo Boost of 2.70GHz), 3MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 4400, 200MHz Base, 1.00Ghz Max Dynamic.
  • Intel Core i5-4300U, 2 cores, 1.9GHz (Turbo Boost of 2.90GHz), 3MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 4400, 200MHz Base, 1.10GHz Max Dynamic.
  • Intel Core i7-4500U, 2 cores, 1.80GHz (Turbo Boost of 3.00GHz), 4MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 4400, 200MHz Base, 1.10GHz Max Dynamic
  • Intel Core i7-4600U, 2 cores,  2.10GHz (Turbo Boost of 3.30GHz), 4MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 4400, 200MHz Base, 1.10GHz Max Dynamic

CPUs of 2nd generation ThinkPad Yoga 12:
  • Intel Core i3-5005U, 2 cores, 2.00GHz (NO Turbo Boost), 3MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 5500, 300MHz Base, 850MHz Max Dynamic
  • Intel Core i5-5200U, 2 cores, 2.20GHz (Turbo Boost of 2.70GHz), 3MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 5500, 300MHz Base, 900MHz Max Dynamic
  • Intel Core i5-5300U, 2 cores, 2.30GHz (Turbo Boost of 2.90GHz), 3MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 5500, 300MHz Base, 900 MHz Max Dynamic
  • Intel Core i7-5500U, 2 cores, 2.40GHz (Turbo Boost of 3.00GHz), 4MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 5500, 300MHz Base, 950MHz Max Dynamic
  • Intel Core i7-5600U, 2 cores, 2.60GHz (Turbo Boost of 3.20GHz), 4MB Cache
    • Intel HD Graphics 5500, 300MHz Base, 950MHz Max Dynamic

Generally we assume that because something is "new" we suspect that they are faster and better.  In the case of the ThinkPad Yoga 12 we find out that the 1st generation is actually faster both in CPU and GPU.  However, there may be other technologies in the 2nd generation that could make it better than the 1st generation, but I'm not aware of them.  One more consideration is the amount of available RAM, i3 systems are limited to 4GB RAM, i5 systems can have either 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and all of the i7 systems have 8GB RAM.

Furthermore, my many years old Lenovo ThinkPad X230T has the Intel Core i7-3520M, which runs at 2.9GHz base (Max Turbo boost of 3.60GHz), Intel HD Graphics 4000 (650MHz base, and 1.25GHz Max Dynamic).  On specs, it's faster than the fastest ThinkPad Yoga.  However, the X230T is a heavier and thicker system, whereas the ThinkPad Yoga is a slim and light device.  But, the Yoga 12 did beat the X230T on several of my benchmarks.

Sources:
http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/ttcbook.pdf
http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/Think_Tablet&Convertible.pdf

Published: Jun 15, 2015

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