Lenovo ThinkPad T 15.6" T560, Core i5-6300U, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Gray

The T560's 97th percentile GPU ranking is a mirage, it's an integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 that scores 17.5 out of 100 for gaming. The real story is 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD at CAD 609, paired with a 1366x768 display that ranks in the bottom 7 percent of all laptops. Buy it for the keyboard and the RAM, not the screen.

Let's talk about that 97th percentile GPU ranking first, because it's the most misleading number in this whole review. The Intel HD Graphics 520 is integrated, shares system memory, and lands in the top tier of our database only because most laptops in this category have equally ancient or worse graphics. It's not a gaming chip. The gaming score of 17.5 out of 100 tells the real story. You can run Solitaire and maybe some 2012-era indie games, and that's about it.

The Intel Core i5-6300U at 2.4GHz sits at the 45th percentile for CPUs, which is about average for a six-year-old dual-core chip. It'll handle web browsing, spreadsheets, and light multitasking without falling over, but don't expect it to chew through video renders or heavy compile jobs. The 16GB of RAM is a genuine bright spot, even if it only ranks at the 37th percentile, because most refurb units in this price range ship with 8GB. The 512GB SSD is also solid, same 37th percentile, and it's the main reason this machine feels responsive at all.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M5, this thing is not even in the same conversation. The M5's display, CPU, and GPU all sit in the top tier of our database, while the T560's screen is a 7th percentile panel and its gaming score is 17.5 out of 100. The MSI Prestige and ASUS ProArt PX13 both offer modern CPUs, better portability, and displays that don't make you squint, but they also cost several times more. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition is lighter, sharper, and faster, but again, the price gap is enormous. The Acer Predator Helios Neo is the only one here that's a gaming machine, and its GPU performance makes the T560's integrated graphics look like a calculator. The T560's only real advantage is price, and even then, you're buying a six-year-old CPU and a bottom-tier screen to save money.

At CAD 609 from a single Newegg listing, this is a budget play. The 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD are the value anchors here, because finding both in a refurb under CAD 650 is not always easy. But you're also paying for a screen that ranks in the bottom 10 percent of all laptops we track, and that's a daily tax on your eyes. If you need a cheap workhorse for text-heavy tasks and you already have an external monitor, the value math works. If this is your only screen, the CAD 609 starts to feel less like a deal and more like a compromise with a keyboard attached.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T560 scores a 45.3 out of 100 overall in our database, which puts it firmly in the budget-refurb category. The headline numbers are a 97th percentile GPU ranking that sounds amazing until you realize it's an Intel HD Graphics 520, and a 7th percentile screen that is exactly as rough as it sounds. This is a machine built for typing, not for looking at pretty things.

For developers it manages a 47.4 and for business users a 45.8, so it's not a total write-off. The 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD are the saving graces here, giving it enough headroom for office work and light coding. But that 1366x768 display on a 15.6-inch panel is a compromise you'll feel every single day.

Skip this if you care about the screen at all. The 7th percentile display is a dealbreaker for anyone doing photo work, video editing, or even just reading text for long stretches without an external monitor. Gamers should also stay away, the 17.5 out of 100 gaming score is one of the worst we've seen. And if you need portability, the 2.26kg weight and 31st percentile compactness ranking mean this is more of a desk-bound machine than a travel companion. The CPU at the 45th percentile is fine for basic tasks, but anyone running virtual machines, heavy data work, or modern creative software will feel the age immediately.

The ThinkPad T560 is a 45.3 out of 100 laptop that earns its score honestly. The 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD make it usable for office work and light development, and the ThinkPad keyboard is still one of the best typing experiences you can get. But the 1366x768 display is a 7th percentile screen, and that's not a small flaw, it's the thing you stare at for hours every day. At CAD 609, it's a reasonable buy only if you plan to dock it to an external monitor most of the time. If this is your primary machine and you value your eyesight, keep looking.