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Are you a professional or content creator looking for the most powerful ThinkPad? That's what the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is for. It's one of the best ThinkPads for people who want a laptop with a lot of computing power. It's also one of the best Lenovo laptops because of all the high-end components inside, like the latest 12th-generation Intel CPUs and Nvidia's latest mobile graphics cards. But with this much power comes a high price.

Pricing on this ThinkPad model starts at $3,000 or $1,649.45 when on sale at the time of publishing. You can customize it to your own needs, which means options vary in price.

The base model is what we'll reference when building out the pricing in these various sections. It comes with an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU, Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics, Windows 11 Home, 8GB of DDR5 RAM, 256GB of M.2 2280 PCIe storage, no second SSD, and the standard 16-inch WUXA 1920 x 1200 resolution IPS display. All that said, here's a look at the different configurations of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5: CPU

One of the first things you can upgrade and configure with the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is the CPU, and there are three CPUs that you can choose from.

CPU Name

Price Change

12th-generation Intel Core i7-12700H Processor

N/A (Stock)

12th-generation Intel Core i7-12800H vPro Processor

+$373

12th-generation Intel Core i9-12900H vPro Processor

+$905 (or $894 when on sale) (Will also add RTX 3080 graphics)

If you're searching for the best performance, we suggest picking the Core i9 option. For most people, the base Core i7 option will be fine for web browsing and productivity. Not everyone needs a Core i9 CPU unless they're into video editing and other demanding tasks. Remember that these are all 45W processors, so battery life won't be the best. However, 45W CPUs are still really powerful and will blast through any task with ease.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5: Operating system

There are three different operating systems to choose from. Windows 11 Home is standard, but you also can downgrade to Windows 10 Pro for an additional fee or upgrade to Windows 11 Pro. These are all 64-bit operating systems.

Operating System

Price Change

Windows 11 Home

N/A Stock

Windows 10 Pro Downgrade

+$80 ($60 when on sale)

Windows 11 Pro

+$80 ($60 when on sale)

If you're not ready for Windows 11, the Windows 10 downgrade could be useful. Windows 11 Pro also unlocks features like BitLocker, as well as the ability to access your PC remotely with Microsoft Remote Desktop.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5: RAM

Despite only three CPU options, there are six RAM choices. RAM is what stores some data on your PC for quick access, like data from a webpage, so the one you choose is quite important. 8GB is standard in 2022 for productivity, but if you want to do multitasking, you'll want to go higher. The more RAM, the better.

RAM Option

Price Change

8GB DDR5-4800 MHz

N/A Stock

16GB DDR5-4800 MHz (2 x 8GB sticks)

+$170 ($149 when on sale)

16GB DDR5-4800 MHZ (1 stick)

+$170 ($149 when on sale)

32GB DDR5-4800 MHZ (1 stick)

+$510 ($447 when on sale)

32GB DDR5-4800MHZ (2 x 16GB stick)

+$510 ($447 when on sale)

64GB DDR5-4800 MHZ (2x 32GB stick)

+$1,190 ($1,043 when on sale)

As you can see, Lenovo offers a dual-channel RAM option where both RAM slots have the same size stick. For gaming and heavy tasks, we suggest you pick a dual-channel option for the best possible performance. Generally speaking, we think that 32GB should be the minimum for gaming, higher-end video editing, or content creation.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5: Primary solid-state drive (SSD)

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5's primary SSD comes in seven different sizes. Like with RAM, if you plan on gaming or creating content, the more storage the better. But if you can't afford storage upgrades from Lenovo, you can always buy your own drive and upgrade later. Anyway, here are the SSD sizes available from Lenovo.

SSD Size

Price Change

256GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe TLC Opal

N/A Stock

512GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal

+$180 ($164 when on sale)

512GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe TLC Opal

+$194

1TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal

+$480 ($373 when on sale)

1TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe TLC Opal

+$470 ($402 when on sale)

2TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal

+$945 ($745 when on sale)

4TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal

+$1,310 ($1,118 when on sale)

As you can see, SSD upgrades can get quite expensive. We don't think most people will need more than 1TB of storage, but extra storage is also nice to have, especially if you plan to install a lot of games or store a lot of projects and apps.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5: Secondary solid-state drive (SSD)

Lenovo also has the option for a secondary SSD. This is for storing files separately from the main operating system drive. Check out the pricing below.

Second SSD Size

Price Change

No Second SSD

N/A Stock

256 GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe TLC Opal

+$522

512 GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe TLC Opal

+$715

1 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe TLC Opal

+$924

Again, secondary storage is nice to have, as you can keep files separate from your main Windows C drive. This can help prevent data loss if Windows ever crashes or fails, and can speed up the booting process.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5: Display

There are four different display options on the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5. These include higher resolution panels, touch, or brighter displays. Changing the display type will also impact the cover type, as we indicate. All the displays are 16 inches.

Display Option

Price Change

16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200), IPS, Anti-Glare, Non-Touch, 100%sRGB, 300 nits, 60Hz

N/A Stock

16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS, Anti-Glare, Non-Touch, 100%sRGB, 500 nits, 165Hz

+$544

16-inch WQUXGA (3840 x 2400), IPS, Anti-Glare, Non-Touch, 100%Adobe, HDR 400, Dolby Vision Certified, 600 nits, 60Hz

+$723 (also adds woven cover)

16-inch WQUXGA (3840 x 2400), IPS, Anti-Reflection/Anti-Smudge, Touch, 100%Adobe, HDR 400, Dolby Vision Certified, 600 nits, 60Hz

+$842 (also adds woven cover)

For content creators and gamers buying this ThinkPad, WUXGA resolution might not be enough, so we suggest bumping up to the WQXGA option. This increases the pixels on the screen and adds higher brightness and faster refresh rates. In the long run, the content on the screen will look more lively and accurate.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5: Graphics card

For extra power for gaming and content creation, there are three different graphics cards available on the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5. Keep in mind, though, that some options are locked behind a CPU upgrade. Here's what you can choose from.

Graphics Card

Price Change

Additional Note

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6

N/A Base

N/A

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6

+$358

N/A

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 16GB GDDR6

+$905 ($894 when on sale)

Will need the 12th-generation Intel Core i9-12900H vPro Processor

The Nvidia RTX 3050Ti is a great GPU that can play most games without issues. It'll also help you power through most tasks, but some might find the 4GB GDDR6 memory too limiting. If that's the case, then the RTX 3060 with 6GB of GDDR6 memory will be the better option. For the very best performance, we suggest the RTX 3080 Ti, but it might be overkill if you're just a casual gamer or content creator.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5: Optional LTE

One of the last things that you can configure with the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is LTE support. It's an additional add-on for $370 or $298 when on sale. It's provided via a Fibocom FM350-GL 5G SUB6 Modem.


And those are all the configuration options you can get on the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5. The base configuration we mentioned still makes this one of the best laptops of 2022. However, if you need more power and room for your favorite apps and documents, it's a good idea to upgrade to 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and that mid-range graphics card and display. If all of this sounds interesting, check out the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 with the link below.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is a powerful business laptop with Intel H-series processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics to handle demanding workloads and gaming.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is a powerful business laptop with Intel H-series processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics to handle demanding workloads and gaming.