Do Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon gen 11 use shared video RAM?

[ultrarunner100]

I am looking for a good laptop, mostly for writing and watching videos; no major games.
I like the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon gen 11 for its excellent keyboard (I am an amateur writer), but am concerned about its integrated video system, which apparently shares the main RAM.
That said, I will be using the computer mainly for writing (MS 365 and Scrivener 3.0x) on Windows 11 Pro.
I would most likely configure my laptop with an IPS touch screen vs an OLED non touch.
I would expect that 16GB RAM @ 6400MHZ would be suitable, but I have this 'sour taste' with shared RAM.
So, should I go with a (more expensive) gaming computer with a dedicated video card, or save my $$ for my next PC build?

Thanks for your help
Ethan - Ultrarunner 100

 

[punkncat]

Even PC with dedicated GPU can allocate some system RAM for VRAM. If you are on your PC you can open Task Manager to the Performance tab and see what is being 'earmarked'. In the case of dedicated graphics it is pretty uncommon for it to be utilized.

 

[ultrarunner100]

I suppose if I'm concerned about shared RAM, I could go with the upgraded processor, which includes 32GB RAM, albeit 6000MHz vs 6400MHz for the 16GB config. I hardly think I'd notice the difference between the two, except that I would have more RAM to work with. It's actually a pretty good deal, as the upgraded processor with the 32GB RAM is only $100 more.

Consider that the main RAM on my Tuf Gaming X570 + is running at 3200MHz, but the base clock on the RTX 2070 Super VRAM is 7000MHz.

I apologize if I seem to be a bit of a noob here, but it's been a while since I've owned a laptop.

 

[ultrarunner100]

I think I'll go with the premium processor and 32GB RAM. Future-proof my investment.
I would assume that even with shared RAM @ 6000MHz, performance will be close to what I get on my Tuf Gaming X570+ 32GB @ 3200MHz and RTX 2070 Super 8GB @ 7000MHz; at least as far as I am concerned.
I'm still going with the IPS touch screen, as I believe I will get more from it than from an OLED screen without touch.

 

[ultrarunner100]

Is now a good time to buy a Lenovo laptop?
I see on their site that prices are (supposedly) 1/2 off, but I read that Lenovo is almost always running sales.
But would I do even better if I waited for Black Friday? I'm not in a real hurry to have this laptop, so if I could save a few bills, the wait would be well worthwhile.

 

[geofelt]

Buy the ram size that fits your needs and ignore the shared ram issue.
The shared ram size will be minimal and not important to performance.
I think you will be able to set the amount to reserve.

Yes, Lenovo does seem to have sales all the time.
As a tip, call Lenovo directly and talk to a sales rep.
They may be able to direct you to a more suitable product.
They also will have info on sales that you do not have access to.

You might look at the x1 extreme units which will include a modest discrete gpu.

 

[ultrarunner100]

I decided to go with the Thinkpad X1 Carbon gen 11 with the i7 1365u and 32G RAM (and IPS touch screen) rather than the 1370P with same, mainly for the longer battery runtime. For my usage, I doubt I would have noticed any performance boost with the P processor.
My first thought was to get the most 'bang for my buck' and with Lenovo including the 32G RAM upgrade with the P processor upgrade, it would be a better deal, but then I thought of the reduced battery runtime; especially considering I may be taking some long trips aboard Amtrak, where I cannot count on a power outlet.

 

[NotADoctor82]

DO NOT BUY A LENOVO COMPUTER. I recently bought a Lenovo T16 G2 as an upgrade to a sturdy (but elderly) Lenovo ThinkPad that was reliable for 5+ years. This computer is absolutely NOT an upgrade; I'm writing my review on the old ThinkPad because, 7 weeks out of the box, I've had major issues with the screen and the mousepad. About 6 weeks into its life, this computer suddenly pixelated the lower 25-30% of my screen, so that I could no longer see the toolbar across the bottom. I was shooting in the dark, so to speak, trying to open the programs that I use. Almost a week later, a technician installed a new screen, which seemed to fix that issue (temporarily? I have no idea how that happened in the first place...). TWO DAYS LATER, the mousepad on the laptop stopped working. I was on the phone with support trying to troubleshoot and they asked me to open a web browser for a remote assistance session. I was not able to do that because the mousepad does nothing. I cannot navigate to or open any programs. The computer is useless to me at this point. Because I didn't purchase the "premium" service package, I waited from Thursday morning until Monday afternoon for a scheduled appointment, which I just learned was cancelled and rescheduled for later this week without anyone even communicating that. It's unfortunate that older Lenovo's were high quality computers, because that's how I was convinced their new ones would be good too. Learn from my mistake and save yourself the headache.

 

[kidziti]

I am happy with my Lenovo X1 gen 11. Like you, I opted for the i7 1365U with 32 GB RAM and the IPS display. The decision to go i7 vs i5 actually boosts the Iris Xe GPU to 96 EUs (vs 50 in the i5). That said, the Iris isn't as much of a kicker as a dedicated graphics GPU, but that's still an option with this laptop by adding an external GPU.

Like you, I wanted a performance-oriented machine but decided that the P processors in an ultrabook format made little sense. My last ultrabook constantly thermal-throttled the processor, negating any performance gains that the spec sheets boasted. My concerns about going with a P were just echoed in this report in NoteBookCheck in which they noted that "under sustained multicore-load, this version of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11 is even slower than the X1 Carbon with the i7-1365U, despite the much higher core count."

It was also probably a good idea to stay with IPS and avoid the OLED - the pulse modulation "flicker" and battery drain were not worth it for me. The IPS screen is plenty bright and sharp, and at home I am on external monitors anyways. I dock my laptop at home with external keyboard, mouse and monitors. Home is my performance setup, where I may add the eGPU. For road trips, it's less about performance and more about portability and battery life. I simply unplug a single Thunderbolt cable, throw it into a travel case and go. Best of both worlds.