Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 vs. Dell Precision 5540: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 and Dell Precision 5540 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is better than Dell Precision 5540.

Newer manufacturing

2020 vs. 2019

About 39% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 weighed 2.40 pounds, 39% lighter than the 3.93 pounds Dell Precision 5540.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Pound
2.40 lbs.
3.93 lbs.
Kilogram
1.09 kg
1.78 kg

Dell Precision 5540 Pros

Reasons that Dell Precision 5540 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-9980HK inside Dell Precision 5540 has a 113% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-10610U inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i9-9980HK
6,504
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i9-9880H
6,100
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Xeon E-2276M
5,165
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i7-9850H
4,914
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i7-9750H
4,880
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i5-9400H
3,690
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i7-10610U
3,042
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i5-10310U
2,992
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i7-10510U
2,942
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - Intel Core i5-10210U
2,933
Supports larger memory

Dell Precision 5540 supports a larger memory capacity than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. It supports up to 64GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Max system memory size
Dell Precision 5540
64 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Dell Precision 5540 supports a faster memory speed than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8. It supports up to 3200MHz versus 2133MHz of system memory on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Memory type and speed
Dell Precision 5540 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 - LPDDR3
2,133 MHz
Upgradable memory

Dell Precision 5540 comes with two SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 since it has onboard memory.

MemoryLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Slots
Onboard
x2
TypeLPDDR3DDR4
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia Quadro T2000 4GB GDDR5 vs. integrated

11% larger display

Dell Precision 5540 has a 15.6-inch screen size 11% larger than the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8.

Display size
Dell Precision 5540
15.6-inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
14-inch

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Price
Lenovo Latest Gen 8 ThinkPad X1 Carbon 14" FHD Ultrabook (400 nits) with 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U Processor up to 4.90 GHz, 1 TB PCIe SSD, 16GB RAM, and Windows 10 Pro
Lenovo Latest Gen 8 ThinkPad X1 Carbon 14" FHD Ultrabook (400 nits) with 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U Processor up to 4.90 GHz, 1 TB PCIe SSD, 16GB RAM, and Windows 10 Pro
By Lenovo
$1,019.99
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon 14 Inch FHD 1080P Laptop, 8th Gen Intel 4-Core i7-8550U up to 4.0GHz, Intel UHD 620, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, FP Reader, Windows 10 (Renewed)
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon 14 Inch FHD 1080P Laptop, 8th Gen Intel 4-Core i7-8550U up to 4.0GHz, Intel UHD 620, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, FP Reader, Windows 10 (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$459.97
Lenovo 2022 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Ultrabook,14.0" FHD IPS 500 nits Touch,i7-10610U,16GB RAM,512G PCIe SSD,Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, USB-C,Win 10 Pro| 3 Yrs Warranty
Lenovo 2022 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Ultrabook,14.0" FHD IPS 500 nits Touch,i7-10610U,16GB RAM,512G PCIe SSD,Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, USB-C,Win 10 Pro| 3 Yrs Warranty
By Lenovo
$1,175.00
Dell Precision 5540 Price
DELL Precision 5540 Workstation Intel Core i7-9850H 15.6-inch Full HD IPS Display 32GB RAM 512GB SSD NVIDIA Quadro 4GB Win 11 Pro (Renewed)
DELL Precision 5540 Workstation Intel Core i7-9850H 15.6-inch Full HD IPS Display 32GB RAM 512GB SSD NVIDIA Quadro 4GB Win 11 Pro (Renewed)
By DELL
$502.29
Dell Precision 5540 Workstation Laptop PC 15.6" FHD Intel Core i7-9850H Processor, 32GB Ram, 1TB NVMe SSD Drive, Web Camera HDMI NVIDIA Quadro T1000 4GB GDDR5 Windows 10 (Renewed)
Dell Precision 5540 Workstation Laptop PC 15.6" FHD Intel Core i7-9850H Processor, 32GB Ram, 1TB NVMe SSD Drive, Web Camera HDMI NVIDIA Quadro T1000 4GB GDDR5 Windows 10 (Renewed)
By Dell
$700.00
Dell Precision M5540 15.6 UHD Touchscreen Intel Core i7-9750H 2.60Ghz 32GB 1TB SSDR Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
Dell Precision M5540 15.6 UHD Touchscreen Intel Core i7-9750H 2.60Ghz 32GB 1TB SSDR Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
By Dell
$639.00

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Released20202019
Release Date
  • Announced at CES 2020
  • Announced at Computex 2019.
  • Available from early July 2019.
PricingStarting at $1,553.30Starting at $1,339
Generations-

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Dimensions12.71” x 8.54” x 0.59” (323 x 217 x 14.95 mm)
Width: 12.71” (323 mm)
Depth: 8.54” (217 mm)
Height: 0.59” (14.95 mm)
14.06 x 9.26 x 0.44 in (357 x 235 x 11.2 mm)
Width: 14.06” (357 mm)
Depth: 9.26” (235 mm)
Height: 0.44” (11.2 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.40 lbs (1.09 kg)3.93 lbs (1.78 kg)
Colors
  • Black
  • Black with Woven Top Cover
    Available only on UHD displays.
  • Aluminum Platinum Silver LCD Cover
  • Aluminum Titan Gray LCD Cover
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • New FN row F9-F11
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device.
  • Full-size backlit keyboard.
  • 4.03 x 2.45 in (102.40 mm x 62.40 mm) touchpad with 5 multi-touch gesture support.

Display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Size14 Inches15.6 Inches
Info
  • 14” UHD (3840 x 2160)
    IPS, glossy, Dolby Vision™ HDR 400, 500 nits.
  • 14” WQHD (2560 x 1440)
    IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits.
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, PrivacyGuard, anti-glare, 500 nits.
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, anti-glare, low power, touchscreen, 400 nits.
  • 14” FHD (1920 x 1080)
    IPS, anti-glare, 400 nits.
  • 15.6" UltraSharp FHD IGZO4
    • 1920x1080, AG, NT, w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% sRGB.
  • 15.6" Ultrasharp UHD IGZO4
    • 3840x2160, Touch, w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% Adobe,
  • 15.6" Ultrasharp OLED UHD
    • 3840x2160, Non-Touch,w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% DCI-P3

Ports

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3
    Supports Power Delivery & DisplayPort.
  • 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
    Full-size USB-A ports (1 port is always on).
  • 1 x Network extension for Ethernet/side mechanical docking
  • 1 x HDMI 1.4
  • 1 x Headphone / mic combo
  • 1 x WWAN slot
  • 1 x Power button
  • 1 x Kensington lock slot
Dell Precision 5540 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (5)
  • 1 x power port
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x lock slot

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Processor
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.60 → 4.20 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.80 → 4.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.70 → 4.40 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.80 → 4.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 4.30 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.60 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  4. Intel Xeon E-2276M
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.80 → 4.70 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  5. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.80 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  6. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  4. Intel Xeon E-2276M
    Intel® UHD Graphics P630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  5. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  6. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB 16GB
    2133 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR3 SRAM.
  • Memory Slots
    • 2 x DDR4 SoDIMM
  • Memory Configurations
    • Minimum Memory: 8GB
    • Maximum Memory: 64GB
Discrete Graphics-
  • NVIDIA Quadro T1000 (Optional)
    Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1395 → 1455 MHz, 768 CUDA Cores.
  • NVIDIA Quadro T2000 (Optional)
    Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1575 → 1785 MHz, 1,024 CUDA Cores.
Storage
  • 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
    M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe (Replaceable).
  • Hard Drive Slots
    • 1 x M.2 PCIe SSD slot
    • 1 x 2.5 inches hard drive slot
      Available only on a 3-cell 56Wh battery model.
  • Hard Drive Configurations
    • Up to 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD
    • Up to 2TB SATA Hard Drive

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Wi-Fi
  • Intel® Wi-Fi 6™ AX201 802.11AX (2 x 2)
    Up to 2400 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
  • Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2x2 802.11ax 160MHz
  • Intel Wireless-AC 9260 2x2 802.11ac
  • Qualcomm QCA6174A 2x2 802.11ac
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Bluetooth 5.0
MoreOptional WWAN: Integrated Global Mobile Broadband 4G LTE-A-

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Size
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 51 Wh
  • 56 Wh (3-cell lithium-ion)
  • 97 Wh (6-cell lithium-ion)
Battery Life
  • Up to 19.5 hours
* Tested with MobileMark 2014
-
Power Supply65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.
130 W power adapter
Power rated at 19.5VDC/6.67A.

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
OS
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Ubuntu 18.04 LTS RedHat 7.5
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • Lenovo Vantage
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee® Small Business Security 30 Day Free Trial

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Camera
  • Front-facing camera with ThinkShutter privacy cover
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
  • Optional: Hybrid Infrared (IR) & HD 720p with ThinkShutter
  • Front-facing camera
    Top-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
Audio
  • Dolby Atmos™ Speaker System
  • 4 x 360-degree far-field microphones
  • Waves MaxxAudio Pro
  • Two speakers
  •  dual-array microphones

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
Sensors
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader on the palm rest
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader in the power button (optional)
Security
  • Fast Identity Online (FIDO) authentication capabilities
  • Match-on-Chip Fingerprint Reader
  • dTPM 2.0 chip
  • ThinkShutter camera cover
  • Optional: ThinkPad PrivacyGuard
  • Optional: ThinkPad PrivacyAlert*
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Kensington lock slot
  • Intel® vPro™ Technology (iAMT 12) (optional, requires Intel WiFi® Link WLAN and a vPro compatible processor), Dell Client Command Suite available (dell.com/command), Factory Installed Dell Client Command | Update, Dell Command | Power Manager
  • Intel® Platform Trust Technology
  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0
  • Chassis wedge-shaped security lock
  • Support for Computrace and SmartCard Reader
  • Touch Fingerprint Reader with Control Vault 3.0 (Advanced Authentication with FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Certification)
In the box
  • ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
  • 65W AC adapter
  • 4 Cell 51Wh Internal battery
  • Quick Start Guide
-
Warranty1-year Depot or Carry-in1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540
At Glance
Released in
2020
16:9 4K UHD
14”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
2.40 lb
1.09 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-10610U
4C/8T, 1.80 → 4.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
968
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,042
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
2133 MHz LPDDR3
Released in
2019
16:9 4K UHD
15.6”
2160p OLED
Weight
3.93 lb
1.78 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-9980HK
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,114
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,504
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
3200 MHz DDR4
Dell Precision 5540 Ports
Nvidia Quadro
T2000
4GB GDDR5

Comparison Summary

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 vs. Dell Precision 5540

Lenovo has released the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8, a 14-inch machine, in 2020. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-10610U with a boost clock speed up to 4.90 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics (24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 15.6-inch Precision 5540 was introduced by Dell about a year earlier in 2019. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-9980HK with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia Quadro T2000 with 4GB GDDR5.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 81
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U94484.29%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U95785.45%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™94684.46%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™96886.43%
Dell Precision 55401
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H98487.86%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H1,04493.21%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H1,08096.43%
4
Intel Xeon E-2276M1,120100.00%
5
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H1,06695.18%
6
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK1,11499.46%
01,120

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 81
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10210U2,93345.10%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U2,94245.23%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10310U with vPro™2,99246.00%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10610U with vPro™3,04246.77%
Dell Precision 55401
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H3,69056.73%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H4,88075.03%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H4,91475.55%
4
Intel Xeon E-2276M5,16579.41%
5
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H6,10093.79%
6
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK6,504100.00%
06,504

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 has a 14-inch display which is slightly smaller than the 15.6-inch Dell Precision 5540. In addition, The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 weighs 2.40 lbs. about 63% lighter than the 3.93 lbs. Dell Precision 5540. Moreover, measured at 12.71” x 8.54” x 0.59”, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is slightly bulkier than the Dell Precision 5540 at 14.06” x 9.26” x 0.44”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8Dell Precision 5540

Moving over to upgradability, Lenovo claims that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 supports up to 16GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Dell Precision 5540, it supports up to 64GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also has a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace or upgrade when needed. Besides that, it also comes with a SATA slot where you can install an additional 2.5-inch SATA-based SSD, SSHD, or a hard disk drive.

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