by ThinkPads on January 4, 2011
Lenovo continues the flood of new models at CES with a number of new desktop machines. Not surprisingly, all of these models are all-in-ones, use the 2nd generation “Sandy Bridge” Core processors, and all but one have touchscreens. Let’s dive in, shall we?
IdeaCentre A320 – same slim chassis, new innards
- Updated with new processors, two USB 3.0 ports
- *Should* have new Intel HD 3000 graphics for massive performance jump
- “Lenovo Eye Distance System” alerts if you are too close to screen
- Available June 2011 at $699 not in U.S.
IdeaCentre B520 – frameless display with new touch tech
- Industry-first frameless AIO display; 23-inches, 1080p resolution
- Uses Projected Capacitive Touch tech for more accurate touchscreen
- Up to 16GB RAM, 2TB storage
- Optional Blu-ray drive, TV tuner, 32GB SSD
- Available June 2011 starting at $699
IdeaCentre B320 – can be a seamless, hardware-based HDTV
- Optional “Hardware TV” feature allows switching between TV and PC inputs seamlessly, including Picture-in-Picture
- 21.5-inch Full HD multitouch display with optional AMD Radeon HD 6450 1GB graphics
- Single USB 3.0 port and TV tuner are also optional
- Available June 2011 starting at $699
C205 value-line – switching from Intel Atom to AMD Fusion
- Appears to be same 18.5-inch, HD resolution AIO chassis
- Ditching Intel Atom platform for AMD Fusion (see our prior post on Fusion)
- Pricing starts at $449, not available in U.S.
There’s nothing too revolutionary in Lenovo’s desktop updates. We continue to see the dominance of all-in-one form factors, though we will likely see refreshed traditional desktops some time in the next few months.
The B Series is perhaps the most interesting, with the high performance/high feature B520 and the dual-mode B320. Unfortunately Lenovo’s new product showcase page indicates the A320 won’t be available in the U.S.. It would be a fair assumption that something so Apple-esque didn’t sell well in a land where Apple is hugely popular. It also certainly doesn’t help that Lenovo has truly miniscule retail presence.
That’s it for the desktops folks, but do stay tuned – we have one more big announcement coming later today!
by ThinkPads on December 14, 2010
In a world dominated by mobile technology, there are still those who prefer a no-holds-barred high performance beast that isn’t dependent on dinky little batteries. For those people, Lenovo’s IdeaCentre K330 seems to fit the bill with its second generation Core processors, up to 16GB DDR3 RAM, RAID support, and performance toggling chassis switch.
There’s plenty of processing power on hand, with options going up to Core i7 chips based on Intel’s forthcoming “Sandy Bridge” design. This second generation series of Core processors should offer a nice performance boost over the current ones. If you want more details on these chips, which will be officially announced at CES 2011, be sure to check out Anandtech’s articles.
Enthusiasts will appreciate support for up to 16GB RAM, though we don’t know via how many slots, and RAID with up to 4TB storage. Unfortunately there are no details on graphics card offerings, but you can expect some mid-range options from ATI or possibly NVIDIA.
On the multimedia side, a Blu-ray drive and TV tuner will both be available to get you your fill of video content. While some may find this gimmicky, Lenovo has built- in a “Power Control Switch.” This little toggle on the front of the system will adjust CPU performance and cooling needs accordingly, taking you from hotter & higher performance all the way down to cool & silent with a “regular” mode in between.
For those who will be digging into the K330′s guts, the chassis is tool-less to facilitate easy access for upgrading and the like.
If this hot little box interests you, it will be available in early 2011 starting at $699.
by ThinkPads on December 3, 2010
Today’s deal of the day is a nice inventory blowout of one of Lenovo’s sexy all-in-one desktops. The “Essentials” C315 is normally priced at $849, but has a hefty $350 discount that brings it down to a tasty $499.
For your hard earned coin, you get an Athlon II X2 dual-core processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB 7200rpm HDD, and DVD burner all stuffed in a chassis that has a 20-inch 1600×900 touchscreen display. You also get a handy TV tuner and remote control, with a WiFi card to dish up your multimedia from the web.
This deal expires December 6th or after 250 coupon redemptions.
How to get the deal
- Click here to choose your Lenovo C315 all-in-one
- Apply coupon code in shopping cart with no spaces before/after: USPC1G1202
by ThinkPads on October 22, 2010
Lenovo recently announced a new line of low cost ThinkCentre desktops. Powered by AMD processors, the M75e comes in tower or Small Form Factor (SFF) designs starting around $500.
These are aimed at the mainstream corporate user, where common enterprise management and security features are needed and cost is a concern. Most users don’t need the latest Intel Core processors and six independent displays, making the much less expensive AMD chips an attractive option.
The base model of the M75e, in tower or SFF form, comes with a single-core Sempron processor and 2GB RAM at the $504 price point. The most expensive processor upgrade only adds $130 for a quad-core Athlon II chip and since a dual-core Athlon X2 will run $80, the quad-core is quite a value.
Lenovo was also thoughtful enough to include four DIMM slots, even though this is an entry level box, supporting up to 16GB DDR3 RAM. You do have some room to expand the rest of the components as well, with two internal hard drive bays (only one bay on the SFF), a PCI-e x16 graphics slot, two PCI-e x1 slots, and a good old PCI slot for good measure.
Overall this desktop is a great alternative to the pricier Intel systems, sacrificing few features between the chassis and offering far more day to day value. Users who run more intensive programs that would benefit from the Intel Core processors’ strengths, like video/audio encoding, might be better suited for an M90 or similar system, but the usual browser/office apps will hum along just fine with AMD.
Source: [Lenovo Files]
by ThinkPads on August 19, 2010
We first caught wind of the IdeaCentre A310 a little over a month ago, when it popped up in Japan with a Core i3 processor. It has finally made its way to the U.S. and you can pick it up on Lenovo.com as of today.
Many details are still lacking, but it appears the A310 is primarily a processor refresh of the A300. Announced at CES in January and shipping late May, the A300 is a super stylish all-in-one desktop that is quite reminiscent of a certain fruit-shaped competitor. While the overall concept sounded cool, it was using last year’s Core 2 processors and was found to be “meh” in a review by Engadget.
The A310 brings the 2010 Core i3 and i5 processors to the table, though there don’t appear to be any other changes. Two configurations are currently available, both sporting the standard 21.5-inch Full HD screen, 4GB RAM and DVD burner. For $949 you get a Core i3 chip and 320GB storage or for $1129 you can bump up to a Core i5 and 500GB. WiFi, TV tuner, remote control and Bluetooth wireless keyboard/mouse are standard.
There’s even a coupon on the A310 already, taking 15% off the price for those in the market. The coupon expires August 25th.
How to get the deal
- Click here to choose your IdeaCentre A310
- Apply coupon code in shopping cart w/no spaces before/after: USPLENOVOAIO819
by ThinkPads on August 3, 2010
In Lenovo’s eclectic style of communication, they published a blog post about the new ThinkCentre M70e and A70 models that bring a revised design and lower price point into the mix.
There’s nothing exciting on the technology side of these new desktops; they both appear to use the last generation Core 2, Pentium and Celeron processors. For the average business desktop, there is plenty of horsepower in the “old” chips and definitely helps the wallet as those chips cost less than the shiney new Core i3/i5/i7 versions.
Rather, the appeal is in the redesign and pricing. Apparently they’ve put some concern into where buttons are placed and oriented, so they’re easier to access whether the box is placed on the ground or your desk. In combination with the usability tweaks, the system was also made to be 14mm narrower than previous chassis designs and runs 10% cooler thanks to redesigned cooling systems.
“We grouped together frequently accessed controls near the top of the PC where they are easy to reach whether the PC is placed on the floor, on a desk, or in computer furniture. The indicator lights and power button are on a panel angled toward the use, and the power button is shielded from accidental use by an elegant chrome ring. USB and audio ports are placed conveniently next to the DVD drive at the top of the machine where they are visible and accessible. The red-striped DVD drive eject button, borrowed from our ThinkPad heritage, is easily noticeable.”
This is great and shows a continued commitment to differentiating from the rest of the market, but will the average office manager or IT buyer pick button placement over price? And that is why the M70e starts at $559, while the A70 comes in at near-nettop levels of $379.
While Lenovo hasn’t released further details on configurations or availability, you can bet the starting prices are systems with the lowly Celeron processors. Core 2 Quad chips are available only on the higher end M70e and it appears both models are available in tower or small form factor designs. DDR3 memory is used in both boxes as well, supporting up to 4GB, with a choice of Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics or NVIDIA Quadro FX380 graphics. Storage goes up to 500GB in the A70 and 1TB in the M70e.
Source: [Lenovo Files]
by ThinkPads on July 29, 2010
Announced back in May with the whole slew of other Idea products, the 23-inch all-in-one IdeaCentre A700 is now shipping from Lenovo’s U.S. website. For those in the market, one of Lenovo’s 15% coupons also happens to apply to the A700.
Lenovo has three models listed for sale, each with an appropriate step up in specification. For once, Lenovo’s pre-configured model specifications make sense! I also really like that the A700 has a ton of standard features: Win7 Home 64-bit, minimum 4GB RAM, Full HD multitouch display, integrated TV tuner, Bluetooth mouse & keyboard, WiFi and a plethora of ports & connections. Check out the table below for a breakdown of the differences between the three models.
| Specs | 4024-3BU | 4024-2BU | 4024-1CU |
| Processor | Core i3-350M (2.26GHz) | Core i5-540M (2.53-3.06GHz) | Core i7-720QM quad core (1.6-2.8GHz) |
| RAM | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 8GB DDR3 |
| Graphics | Intel HD | ATI HD 5470 512MB | ATI HD 5650 1GB |
| Storage (7200rpm, 3.5-inch) | 500GB | 640GB | 1TB |
| Optical | DVD Recordable | DVD Recordable | Blu-ray ROM, DVD recordable |
| Remote control | IR remote | IR remote | 4-in-1 gyration mouse |
| AC adapter | 120W | 120W | 150W |
| Price | $999 | $1149 | $1599 |
The prices seem a bit high, but we all know Lenovo will consistently drop them 10-20% with coupons. Oh, wait, there’s already a 15% off coupon that is good until August 4th: USPLENOVOAIO729
Click here to browse Lenovo’s IdeaCentre A700
by ThinkPads on July 8, 2010
Lenovo’s been on a roll lately, starting to ship models announced earlier in the year, and now we have the IdeaPad Z360 and IdeaCentre B305 to add to the list.
The IdeaPad Z Series looks to be a mid-range series of notebooks equipped with a stylish chassis and full range of features. The Z360, announced back in May, is the smaller 13.3-inch part of this family and has a couple nice configurations for sale.
On the low end you get a Core i3 chip, integrated graphics and 3GB RAM for $849. The higher end model gets you a Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce 310M 512MB graphics and 4GB RAM for $1049.
On the desktop side of things, the B305 was also announced in May is a mid-range all-in-one with a 21.5-inch multitouch display, powered by AMD Athlon II processors. There are three well spec’d configurations available, ranging from dual core to quad core chips, 2-4GB RAM and 320GB-640GB hard drives. Prices for the three configurations come in at $699, $849 and $949.
As luck would have it, you can get 15% off both models right now with coupon code USPLENOVO708, which expires July 14th.
Check out the IdeaPad Z360 and IdeaCentre B305
by ThinkPads on July 8, 2010
Lenovo’s stylish all-in-one IdeaCentre A300 can now be found in Japan with a new processor and another 10 points added to its name.
Announced back at CES in January, the A300 is a unique product for Lenovo with its surprisingly stylish design and 21.5-inch Full HD display. A perusal of the spec sheet points out the antiquated Pentium/Core 2 Duo processors, integrated-only graphics and lack of optical drive.
The slightly revised IdeaCentre A310 in Japan solves some of these, with its upgraded Core i3-350M processors and included external optical drive. Priced at ¥109,000, the currency conversion nets out to $1,243, which would be several hundred dollars more expensive than the models currently on sale in the U.S.
The A315 will be available in Japan on July 17th.
Source: [PC Watch] via [Engadget]
by ThinkPads on June 22, 2010
Engadget recently got their hands on one of Lenovo’s new all-in-one desktops, the Mac-esque IdeaCentre A300. Announced at CES 2010 back in January, the A300 only started shipping last month and now Engadget has shared their thoughts on it.
While they loved the sleek chassis design, performance and build quality were a big letdown. The 21.5-inch LCD may have had a generous helping of 1920×1080 pixels, but the viewing angles left much to be desired if this were to be used as a media center.
They also got to play with the nifty Lenovo Multimedia Remote (with keyboard) and found it to be useful and quite fun. While the remote has a $60 MSRP, Lenovo is constantly putting this thing on sale for $36 or so. It is on sale at the time of publication and you can find the latest price at eCoupons.
