I think the Dustin hit the nail on the head with the conclusion. The size and most of the specs are fine.
But for me the biggest flaw with this system is the mechanical drive instead of an SSD. I would expect an SSD even in a lower priced computer, but for $699? Flash storage is a must.
Agreed. With the price of 128GB SSD's (<$100 retail) and the target audience for this machine (who will generally use only 40-60GB of storage) then pouring salt on the wound even further by considering the 500GB Scorpio costs about $50, Lenovo could have outfitted this machine with a SSD for <$50 more in materials. To top it off, being equiped with USB 3.0, IF more storage were needed, its obviously easy to add.
I do not agree about the SSD comment. Just because everyone under the sun wants one in this machine for that price.
System integrators make money by building systems. Then adding a profit to the cost. Followed by support. Also, they possibly make commission when one of the trial apps they offer gets upgraded to a full version. This is how it has always been.
On top of this, the case probably cost a bundle to have designed, and made.
Does this mean I would buy this system as is ? No. While I can see justification for price. I would not spend this much money on this system. Simply, I can build my own similar system for a little more than half the cost. However, if something went wrong with the machine I built. I would get no on site support / repair. Then there is no telling if I would be able to find certain things as easily as Lenovo, The external brick PSU comes to mind. This is not to say it would be impossible, But there is a good chance that the PSU was also custom made specifically for this system.
So while I do agree with the original post here in that it is not enough value *for me*. I can see it being of enough value for people who want a small / efficient system. For general computing.
Before finishing though. 38W load power consumption is quite good. Albeit, with monitor not quite good enough. Sub 50W would be very exciting.
You clearly know nothing about the corporate market, and I seriously question whether Lenovo does by offering such a configuration, either.
Virtually all office machines should have 80-120GB SSD's, especially since they now cost roughly the same price as commonly equiped 500GB hard drives.
99% of corporate PC's I come across on a daily basis have <40GB used on the hard disk. Either all their data is small word/excel documents and some photo's, or all their data is on a server. Multi-user machines on a peer-to-peer network typically have people storing data on a NAS or their personal flash drives. Again, VERY little storage usage. Why equip a machine DESIGNED for this market with a 500GB drive where 460GB will remain free during its entire service duration?
Problem is a Mech drive is very reliable and has more room per dollar.
Yea there are plenty of good SSD's (Intel, Crucial, samsung, etc...) but even then they all have firmware that needs to be updated and updates means someone at the company has to do it, i.e. cost money, and makes it seem like the system is not reliable and could hurt sales in the future.
I think a faster 7200rpm drive would be better and also another stick of ram in it for dual channel, if its an option.
Prove a mechanical drive with multiple moving parts and extreme heat/vibration sensitivity is more reliable than an SSD? Excluding some OCZ crap. Think Intel, Samsung, Crucial, companies with 0.0001% failure rates.
I still haven't seen an Intel or Samsung SSD fail in 5 years.
You realize that even fully fledged 3.5" HDDs don't use 10W under load these days? The difference between 2.5" 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm is 1 or 2 W at most.
For businesses and offices compatibility with XP is important still, while boot up times or app. launch times matter very little. I think a lot of people are forced to upgrade from mid-2000s office towers, to smaller efficient hardware, without having to give up their (no frills) working environment. That's why we see VGA and HDD, along with USB 3 and Display Port.
I just saw this in a Lenovo promotional email and thought "I wonder if AT will review it" and here we are, so kudos on the quick review.
Unfortunately, I just can't see any reason to buy one of these instead of a laptop, particularly since your average notebook (as opposed to ultrabook) is actually easier and cheaper to upgrade than one of these would be.
That said, I'm also hopeful that Lenovo dipping their toe into mini-ITX will help to bring the overall cost of the form factor (particularly the motherboards) down sooner rather than later.
Side question: who makes the mobo Lenovo uses for this anyway? I didn't just miss it in the review, did I?
My guess would be Asus for mobo manufacturer. Just a guess though.
As this motherboard looks like a custom PCB. I am not sure if this would help us cost wise. Dell also had a Core2Duo mini system they sold a couple years back. However I think it was based on mobile components.
As for the reasoning of something like this versus a laptop. Well, *if* it were up-gradable. Then *if* you could add discrete graphics . . . For me, that would be all that was needed. Reasonable gaming performance with a small power footprint,. Granted . . . we'd need a decent low power discrete graphics solution too. Something akin to whats used in mobile systems, with the ability to switch between on board, and discrete.
Hahahahaha. Too true. Dustin Sklavos you must have been taking crack whilst writing this review not to acknowledge that this product is positioned to compete directly with the Mac Mini. And make a fair comparison. Perhaps you were never aware of the existence of that particular product (the Mac Mini?). Or that it can run Windows 7 and do 100% everything else that this product can?
But thank you Jarred. I began to laugh at this comment:
"However, as much as I want to bag on Lenovo for overcharging and nickel-and-diming end users with the M92 Tiny, the fact remains that nobody else has anything like it."
Jesus what a clanger. I mean really? What makes the Leveno so vastly different from the Mac Mini for you to say that?
Oh yeah its, probably this little gem:
"There's no reason to use rivets to seal the enclosure when screws would've done the job."
It must be that in your review you neglected to mention that this little device was made in the 1950's. That explains it then. Must be doubling up as a battleship or transformers or something.
Priceless comedy god. That made my day. Actually rivets are great, aren't they? Thats absolutely hilarious though. I genuinely have to thank you for writing that. You can't put a price on making people smile.
Of course, for many people its rather sad and still a real shame that none of these manufacturers (and Leveno can definitely be added to that list now). They cannot to produce a product to be seriously considered a worthy competitor to the Mac Mini. That is the unvarnished truth. Its even been re-iterated here on Anandtech (by Anandtech staff) when reviewing similar HTPC products.
Personally I'm not bothered. Because the Mac Mini is so great a product. It seems to be going okay out there on its own. Remaining good value to consumers, even without the competition you would normally expect to drive that. Muahahah Leveno and AsRock eat your face out. Doesn't matter what you write Jarred. Just stop smoking that crack hmm? Its bad for your health man. Its making us worry about you.
I don't compare it to the Mac Mini because the Mac Mini isn't servicing the same market this is. Generally speaking if someone wants to buy a Mac, they're going to buy a Mac. Someone named "macuser2134" should be able to grok that well enough. The M92 Tiny is not for Mac users, it's for Windows users, and it's for enterprise and kiosk usage. Those last two markets are places nobody in their right mind is going to buy a Mac for.
The Mac Mini never enters the equation because even though the form factor and hardware may be similar, the use cases are wildly, WILDLY different.
You know, we have actual Mac coverage so you don't have to wander in to troll non-Apple articles. You know that, right?
Dustin: there is no need to get upset with macuser2134, he/she is obviously an apple fanboy.
Anyhow I just fail to see the point of Lenovo (except maybe for kiosk use). Business can buy cheaper than this and have a case that you can get into to replace damaged parts. Actually a cheap laptop would probably be more useful.
If business wants a complete non-upgradeable closed system where if something breaks it has to be sent back to the manufacturer, then Mac mini is probably a better choice although, outside of media, not many businesses are willing to consider Apple. The only benefit of the Lenovo over the Mac mini is that it would come pre-loaded with Windows and ready to use whereas the Mac would no doubt need to be loaded up with windows - not really a problem for most IT depts but might be too much for a small business to deal with.
Lack of an SSD, poor connection choices, this is just a bad product at the wrong price
Allright, lets say "fair enough" that maybe that was a bit harsh. I apologise for the condescending - sounding tones. Didn't mean to give the impression that the rest of your review was rubbish or anything like that. It was very enjoyable to read about this Leveno product and they are an interesting company.
What seemed really odd to me from a pure reporting and journalistic standpoint the dissmissal of the Mac Mini from the picture here. A kind of biased reporting. There just doesn't seem enough justification or weight behind those market segment arguments to put this product in such a sharply defined seperate category like that. Or rather to exclude the Mini, and put the Mini in a separate category from these other PC products.
Most times that's fair to do because Macs are often a lot more expensive. However not so in this instance.
And in the review it actually says that you don't really know who the Leveno is being aimed at. Because of the "SimpleTap feature" with "Flickr, Facebook, PayPal, Netflix, MTV". So your retort about it being a kiosk only or enterprise only product seems to be inconsistent with that previously expressed viewpoint.
I love the accusation of me being a Mac fanboy but you really know very little about me. I used to have a PC for many years. That is a big reason why I still love to read about these PC reviews and remain interested in the PC market. Nothing really against PCs. When I bought a Mini it was because of merits of the product itself - the Mini. I just couldn't find or make my own PC that was anywhere near as good as that. And there are many other Mac Mini owners just like myself who wanted to get another PC but just couldn't do it anymore. Its a shame but life goes on and maybe one day I can own a PC again.
I was kindda guessing that you would prefer not to have to answer hard questions about your review. Hence the comedy, the jokes. Lighten up a bit maybe? I see now I was wrong because you sound so serious about defending absolutely everything in your article. But without that kind of constructive criticism how are you going to improve your standards of journalistic reporting? It wasn't meant to be mean, I'm sorry if you took it that way. Just really funny. A bit of a clanger but oh well life goes on. No-one got shot did they? No need to take it personally or anything.
A mac mini requires an additional cost, the windows license. And it prevents you from installing backup win images(like acronis). Bootcamp only takes the install .iso. So no, the mac mini is not the best option nor it can ever be.
Show us one MAJOR retailer that uses the mini in a kiosk or PoS. Does bb&b use it? Does Crate and Barrel use it? Unless you can find one, your incessant praise of the mini is moot. And Lenovo never intended this to be used as a HTPC, so it doesn't mean squat when mini wins when used as such.
And you pointing out you used to use PC doesn't mean you aren't an apple fanboy now anyway. That's like saying "Well I used to support the rep. now I support the Dem., so I am DEFINITELY not a dem. fanboy now". Nice argument there lolol
I cannot recall where but I have seen a Mac Mini used in a kiosk display before. It was some time ago using either late G4 model or early Intel Core Duo Mac Mini. Since it was just running a looping video I couldn't determine if it was running OS X or Winodws behind the scene. (If it was an old G4 model it had to have been OS X). They are rare but certainly out there.
Though ultimately I see both of these systems being rather poor candidates for kiosk usage. A system like the Logic Supply LGX AG150 being the superior choice. Nothing with regards to technical specs but rather cooling. Both the Mac Mini and Lenovo M92 have fans and likely need more air circulation than a cramped kiosk can provide.
If you want a SMF for home or generic office use, then comparing the Lenovo M92 to the Mac Mini is a valid comparison with regards to price and features. If the use case differences is just OS X I don't see merit of exclusion since that can easily be changed. Make a note regarding the added price of a Windows and other differences as part of diligent reporting. For some of the tests, you wouldn't even need to install Windows as there are a few applications OS X native binaries. Simply including the Mac Mini would be another good point of comparison for the article.
This sounds like a child who has been chastised, realized he was an a complete idiot, and is trying to justify his idiocy as playing it off as a joke. Kudos to you, macuser, for living up to your cult's moronic stereotypes and furthering my bias against said cults.
My guess is that you have no idea even how to open up a computer, either, so it wouldn't occur to you that Mac Minis, compared to a custom built mini-ITX system, is a complete and total turd at 2-3x the cost of a custom rig.
Jesus. Thought I had been pretty mean there to the reviewer. But reading it back seems like nothing compared to what that person ended up saying back to me.
To be fair to Dustin, I honestly hadn't realized Leveno aims this product only at business and enterprise users. But its clearly written in the first part of his review and I totally skipped over reading all of that. I was not apologising for this anywhere earlier but should have been. This Kiosk thing - its a complete misunderstanding on my part. This thing is for locked-down business systems. My reference talking about other Anandtech reviews usually comparing to the Mini - that was all reviews of HTPC boxes. So my bad there too.
Hadn't understood the implications but thanks to many of these other enterprise people commenting here I am a little better informed now. I can only change my view since reading all that because its really true that Mac Mini doesn't necessarily tick all of those "enterprise feature" boxes. They are considerations which sometimes simply don't exist in the consumer market. Meaning individuals and home users like me.
Likewise on the other side of the coin I have learned that features like the HD2500 graphics performance don't really seem to be as critical or important in the enterprise market either. So for example me pointing out that the Mini might be better because it has a Discrete graphics option (which admittedly is a bit more expensive). But its just not a fair enough comparison for someone like me to be making. Because I am someone who isn't providing enterprise solutions to business customers.
Another thing: People here have been quoting hard prices to this unit. Or making some comparisons on some exact dollar figure. But over on Andrew Cunningham's review page many people have stated that the actual cost of the device can vary considerably. It may be a lot cheaper or more expensive depending upon which channels its being obtained through. Just thought I'd mention that too.
Whenever you see a Lenovo with the word Idea you know that it is made for consumers, IdeaPad, IdeaCentre, etc
If a Lenovo product has the word Think in its name it is made for businesses or professionals. ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, ThinkServer, ThinkStation, ThinkVantage, etc.
Two DP's would have been nice. To bad they only ship DP to SL-DVI adapters with it, but I guess this machine fits nicely with a 24" 1920x1200 TFT or newer 27" plus screen with DP at a desk. The latter won't really be possible with a 700 dollar laptop with only HDMI out. (Even if it supports it there aren't a lot of monitors out supporting 3GHz 1.4a HDMI.)
This should be a light manageable machine for the enterprise though. People seem to forget that you won't get Q77 or Intel vPro in 350 dollar clients. Or 500 dollar laptops. Here it's a question about not having to run around and service the machines physically and do most of the administration remotely or automated. If you need to reimage a machine or change any settings you don't need to run to the physical machine or get anyone to start the process, if it isn't configured to boot to the network installation of your Windows image you can configure it remotely. Machines you can simply manage by all the tools there is, remotely without wasting time, and you don't need to leave them on at night to receive updates if you choose to wake them up when needed and so on.
It's not expensive in this class, it's just less flexible then some other options.
Wait a second. For LESS than the price of the Lenovo, a business could pick up an equally well built device from Apple. Enterprise level businesses run site licenses for Windows anyway, this would be no big deal. Install Windows to one Mini, clone drive, and copy away... Why mess with an over-priced, under-performing Lenovo?
For the rest of us, the home users looking for quality machines, why wouldn't I get a Mac Mini? I can install Windows just as quickly at home, and get a nicer looking device, with the option of a real video card. It seems like you are putting a LOT of effort trying to distance the products, when they are direct competitors, and need to be treated as such.
Actually, if you compare them, the Mac Mini is only $50 cheaper after you upgrade to 4GB RAM. The three year on-site support from Lenovo is worth WAY more than $50. I can assure you that any IT person worth his salt is going to take that next-business-day support any day of the week. Also, I'd venture a guess that the Mini does use a bit more power than the M92p (though that's really only a concern to the bean counters that want to save money on power).
Dustin Sklavos writes: "...it's for enterprise and kiosk usage. Those last two markets are places nobody in their right mind is going to buy a Mac for."
Hmmm. I'd suggest that "nobody in their right mind" should make such absolute statements.
Mac Minis have been used in kiosk systems since shortly after the product was first introduced. At that time the Mini was pretty much a unique design, one whose compact size lent itself to that kind of use.
My wife's company has built interactive trade show displays for their enterprise customers that are designed to be powered by a Mac Mini, and I can't imagine that these are at all unique.
While you can of course run Windows on Mac hardware (we have several such setups for various purposes), I'd need to be shown a very good reason to choose a Mac for dedicated Windows use. Swimming upstream tends to get tiring and unproductive. On the other hand a Mini lends itself very nicely to something like an HTML based interactive display system, or of course native Mac programs.
As far as price comparisons between the Lenovo and a Mac Mini go, we shouldn't forget that the latter includes Bluetooth and WiFi, although the current version has dropped the internal optical drive. However for the specialized applications and enterprise market for which the Lenovo is intended I doubt that any of that matters one way or the other. Enterprise customers don't think about a few hundred bucks either way unless they're buying bulk quantities of something.
Err. not really. A Mac Mini with 4 GB RAM, 3 yr warranty and a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter costs $827,-
Besides that, the rivets aren't much of a problem in an enterprise environment where you probably have a couple of units on the shelve in case one breaks. In that case, you just swap the computers and call Lenovo to come and fix it. If it's out of warranty, it's not worth my time to repair it myself.
Even the bloatware doesn't matter, because the first thing I'd do when I'd get a shipment of these is simply add some drivers to the deployment system and re-image the lot. I'd probably do that anyway, with or without bloatware.
$899 for a Mac Mini that still doesn't have a processor as fast as the Lenovo for only $639. (2.7GHz vs 2.9), and the Lenovo is 3rd Gen Intel... not sure if the mac is 2nd or 3rd.
Both have 4GB of ram, 5400rpm 500gb hard drive, no keyboard or mouse. Mini has no optical drive, Lenovo has a CD/DVD-rom drive. Not to mention the Lenovo is easier to open and service... something important for an IT staff.
I just bought a Mac Mini for a classroom environment and to my dismay it doesn't even come with a slot for a kensington lock anymore. I had to pay $60 for a lockable cage to put it in. It seemed like an odd thing to leave out. Also, a comparable Mac Mini with AppleCare (the lenovo comes with 3 yr warranty) is $798. So it doesn't cost less or do more.
Does more? The $599 mac mini doesn't come with an optical drive, and only comes with 2GB of ram. I would argue that its less of a machine, and costs less. Add an super drive, and an extra 2GB or ram and its close cost and feature wise. If you are a mac user its probably a better choice. If you are an Windows user its still missing, well, Windows.
I mean these things are laptops w/o Keyboards, Touchpads, or Displays. and just have to be fit into a square box w/o moving hinges or anything. Why is it they cost so much more than a similarly equipped laptop?
You can upgrade to a 7,200 RPM disk for $0 and eschew the keyboard and mouse for $20, but not the optical drive (only downgrade to a DVD reader).
I think for the money you can get cheaper AllInOne machines for thin client or Kiosk duty. Only if you need a really large monitor for Kiosk duty this makes sense.
As I mentioned to a previous poster, this serves different markets than the Mac Mini does. The Mac Mini is for Apple users; PC and enterprise need not apply.
We buy our PCs from a small company here in the UK, and they will assemble a Shuttle based machine (nice and small) with a Core i3 3.3GHz, 4GB RAM, 64GB Samsung 830, with keyboard and mouse for less than 300 quid (ex VAT).. $470 - it even comes with a 2 year warranty. A far better machine for a desktop where local storage is rarely used.
One possible target here may be call center type locations where the person using it will always have a headset on that is connected to a phone. Thus the audio connection lacking becomes entirely a non issue. The small size makes replacing it with spares incredibly easy and can be done in seconds quickly. Much like replacing a home network switch. I wouldn't be surprised if they sold these things by the dozen.
There should be an evaluation on whether the unit is still stable or has a tendency to tilt to one side when all the ports (USB, Video and LAN) are used since this unit is small and could be light as well.
...it´s so close! Wireless, SSD (and if you actually can just slide the case open that presents no problem) and a better CPU, primarily graphics-wise, and it´s very close to a machine for me.
Of note: They also didn't compare it to the Mac Mini. The ThinkCentre brand specifically caters to enterprise. I'm pretty sure the folks asking about the absence of this comparison, don't have an enterprise IT perspective. I saw this review and thought, "Oh joy, perhaps next time I perform a desktop replacement, I can just pop the new machine into my laptop bag and be off."
Comparing the pictures, it looks like anand's unit doesn't even have the thumb screws that the one at Ars had. There should just be one philips head screw to remove (probably the one right next to the kensington slot on the back) and then slide the top half forward and off.
To me, this looks like the perfect type system for yes kiosks, but also point of sale type systems.
-Thermal headroom so when its shoved in a small cupboard and left on 24/7 it still keeps going. -No need to be serviced on site, just swap out if something fails, easy enough for a retail worker to do, just unplug 2-3 cables and plug in the new one. -Lack of audio also isn't an issue in this environment.
The idea is that it will be small, cool running, and be able to stay on for months/years at a time without (ever) needing to be serviced.
If you order it without a keyboard and mouse and 'downgrade' to a standard DVD-ROM, the price comes down to $640. I suppose most people need a keyboard and mouse if it's an additional system. But if you're using it to replace something existing and already have a good keyboard and mouse, that much cheaper..
As others have mentioned kiosks, cash registers, etc. Locking one of these boxes in a cabinet takes less space than doing the same with a laptop; and the laptop's built in input/output are sub-optimal (crappy keyboard, small size vs an external monitor) or non-suitable (pos systems typically have screens at eye height facing the customer and either keyboards with keys labelled for what the app's special functions are or a touchscreen for the cashier).
looks like this can be upgraded to 16gb ram and a big ssd. if you can put in a i7 3770t this would be a very nice piece of gear. of course adding all that brings the price to over 1k.
this is actually completely not true. there is a single screw on the back of the unit (in the middle). take that off and slide the front off (it's kind of backwards from what you think and the first time I tried it, I was trying to pry at it and almost broke it). but if you know how, it couldn't be easier.
memory and disk upgrades take about 1 minute each. Lenovo does an incredible job of designing clean systems on the inside.
also, the thermo on it is fantastic. no heat even under load.
lastly I saw a fully configured system w/ wireless on their weg site for $549. yes it was a sale price, but if you wait, they always put them on sale.
I've got two of these and they are awesome. I bought my memory online for $40 so mine are $8G (less if you just need a single 4G stick because unlike most vendors, Lenovo puts a single 4G stick in for the 4G config).
not sure you want to VESA mount the thing anyway. w/out the cage for the DVD (which is as big as the tiny), it sits just about anywhere and looks nice. runs quiet as a church mouse and runs great w/ 7200 RPM drive.
I have two grips : 1) Display port? . I want 3 HDMI ports on the little guy, not two display port and VGA. every try to look at VGA next to DVI on idential monitors? you just want to throw the VGA one out.
2) I want mic and sound ports on the back and front.
They also should sell 1ft display port to HDMI cables so if you want to VESA mount it on the back of your monitor you dont have a big HDMI cable coiled up. everything always looks good in pictures until you get all the damn cables on them:-)
I'd love to see Lenovo build a monitor stand for two monitors that is connected to a base that you could slide the Tiny into. better than an all-in one at that point and probably costing alot less...
Ok, while it isn't identical to a mini, my first thought, is that this was meant to be a competitor in that market. For $649 You get what is essentially the same machine, in a much nicer package. Paying $100 more than the Lenovo nets you a decent video card as well.
For some reason, I am simply not impressed. Lenovo could have done much more with this, and opted not to.
Might have been interesting to see a do it yourself option compared as well.
I recently built a mini system for about $400. While the CPU muscle is certainly less than an i5, the Foxconn nt-A3700, 4GB Ram, a 128GB Samsung SSD, and Windows Pro make for a pretty good system. The SSD makes it feel faster than some of the more powerful desktops around the office as long as your aren't running a CPU intensive task (which most office people don't now days).
At the time of purchase I got every piece on sale (except RAM), bringing the total down to $400.
A Seagate Momentus HD would've been perfect in this little system. It's cheap and spits the difference in performance b/t a true SSD and a true mechanical HD.
To clear up some misconceptions here: The case is not riveted shut. One 5mm Phillips screw allows the clamshell to be opened. The HDD is not 'slow', it is in fact 3.0 Gbps, just lower energy consumption. Wireless is an option. We've seen many of these lose their Ethernet port functionality, new motherboards are currently on backorder.
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Crono - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
I think the Dustin hit the nail on the head with the conclusion. The size and most of the specs are fine.But for me the biggest flaw with this system is the mechanical drive instead of an SSD.
I would expect an SSD even in a lower priced computer, but for $699? Flash storage is a must.
Samus - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Agreed. With the price of 128GB SSD's (<$100 retail) and the target audience for this machine (who will generally use only 40-60GB of storage) then pouring salt on the wound even further by considering the 500GB Scorpio costs about $50, Lenovo could have outfitted this machine with a SSD for <$50 more in materials. To top it off, being equiped with USB 3.0, IF more storage were needed, its obviously easy to add.Just a complete lapse in judgement on their part.
yyrkoon - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
I do not agree about the SSD comment. Just because everyone under the sun wants one in this machine for that price.System integrators make money by building systems. Then adding a profit to the cost. Followed by support. Also, they possibly make commission when one of the trial apps they offer gets upgraded to a full version. This is how it has always been.
On top of this, the case probably cost a bundle to have designed, and made.
Does this mean I would buy this system as is ? No. While I can see justification for price. I would not spend this much money on this system. Simply, I can build my own similar system for a little more than half the cost. However, if something went wrong with the machine I built. I would get no on site support / repair. Then there is no telling if I would be able to find certain things as easily as Lenovo, The external brick PSU comes to mind. This is not to say it would be impossible, But there is a good chance that the PSU was also custom made specifically for this system.
So while I do agree with the original post here in that it is not enough value *for me*. I can see it being of enough value for people who want a small / efficient system. For general computing.
Before finishing though. 38W load power consumption is quite good. Albeit, with monitor not quite good enough. Sub 50W would be very exciting.
Samus - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
You clearly know nothing about the corporate market, and I seriously question whether Lenovo does by offering such a configuration, either.Virtually all office machines should have 80-120GB SSD's, especially since they now cost roughly the same price as commonly equiped 500GB hard drives.
99% of corporate PC's I come across on a daily basis have <40GB used on the hard disk. Either all their data is small word/excel documents and some photo's, or all their data is on a server. Multi-user machines on a peer-to-peer network typically have people storing data on a NAS or their personal flash drives. Again, VERY little storage usage. Why equip a machine DESIGNED for this market with a 500GB drive where 460GB will remain free during its entire service duration?
Marlin1975 - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Problem is a Mech drive is very reliable and has more room per dollar.Yea there are plenty of good SSD's (Intel, Crucial, samsung, etc...) but even then they all have firmware that needs to be updated and updates means someone at the company has to do it, i.e. cost money, and makes it seem like the system is not reliable and could hurt sales in the future.
I think a faster 7200rpm drive would be better and also another stick of ram in it for dual channel, if its an option.
dijidiji - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
If you build a test system on their website, you'll see that you can upgrade the drive to 7200rpm for 0 dollars and 0 cents.yyrkoon - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
... and it will most certainly use more power. How much more I could not say exactly, Possibly 10W give or take.Samus - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
Prove a mechanical drive with multiple moving parts and extreme heat/vibration sensitivity is more reliable than an SSD? Excluding some OCZ crap. Think Intel, Samsung, Crucial, companies with 0.0001% failure rates.I still haven't seen an Intel or Samsung SSD fail in 5 years.
Death666Angel - Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - link
You realize that even fully fledged 3.5" HDDs don't use 10W under load these days? The difference between 2.5" 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm is 1 or 2 W at most.know of fence - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
For businesses and offices compatibility with XP is important still, while boot up times or app. launch times matter very little.I think a lot of people are forced to upgrade from mid-2000s office towers, to smaller efficient hardware, without having to give up their (no frills) working environment. That's why we see VGA and HDD, along with USB 3 and Display Port.
randinspace - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
I just saw this in a Lenovo promotional email and thought "I wonder if AT will review it" and here we are, so kudos on the quick review.Unfortunately, I just can't see any reason to buy one of these instead of a laptop, particularly since your average notebook (as opposed to ultrabook) is actually easier and cheaper to upgrade than one of these would be.
That said, I'm also hopeful that Lenovo dipping their toe into mini-ITX will help to bring the overall cost of the form factor (particularly the motherboards) down sooner rather than later.
Side question: who makes the mobo Lenovo uses for this anyway? I didn't just miss it in the review, did I?
yyrkoon - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
My guess would be Asus for mobo manufacturer. Just a guess though.As this motherboard looks like a custom PCB. I am not sure if this would help us cost wise. Dell also had a Core2Duo mini system they sold a couple years back. However I think it was based on mobile components.
As for the reasoning of something like this versus a laptop. Well, *if* it were up-gradable. Then *if* you could add discrete graphics . . . For me, that would be all that was needed. Reasonable gaming performance with a small power footprint,. Granted . . . we'd need a decent low power discrete graphics solution too. Something akin to whats used in mobile systems, with the ability to switch between on board, and discrete.
ganeshts - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
And it is probably miles ahead in expandability and more importantly, has HD 4000..But Lenovo is probably going to sell a ton of these as thin clients to SMBs...
Scannall - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
So Apple's Mac Mini does more and costs less.http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC815LL/A
$699 seems way overprices.
macuser2134 - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Hahahahaha. Too true. Dustin Sklavos you must have been taking crack whilst writing this review not to acknowledge that this product is positioned to compete directly with the Mac Mini. And make a fair comparison. Perhaps you were never aware of the existence of that particular product (the Mac Mini?). Or that it can run Windows 7 and do 100% everything else that this product can?But thank you Jarred. I began to laugh at this comment:
"However, as much as I want to bag on Lenovo for overcharging and nickel-and-diming end users with the M92 Tiny, the fact remains that nobody else has anything like it."
Jesus what a clanger. I mean really? What makes the Leveno so vastly different from the Mac Mini for you to say that?
Oh yeah its, probably this little gem:
"There's no reason to use rivets to seal the enclosure when screws would've done the job."
It must be that in your review you neglected to mention that this little device was made in the 1950's. That explains it then. Must be doubling up as a battleship or transformers or something.
Priceless comedy god. That made my day. Actually rivets are great, aren't they? Thats absolutely hilarious though. I genuinely have to thank you for writing that. You can't put a price on making people smile.
Of course, for many people its rather sad and still a real shame that none of these manufacturers (and Leveno can definitely be added to that list now). They cannot to produce a product to be seriously considered a worthy competitor to the Mac Mini. That is the unvarnished truth. Its even been re-iterated here on Anandtech (by Anandtech staff) when reviewing similar HTPC products.
Personally I'm not bothered. Because the Mac Mini is so great a product. It seems to be going okay out there on its own. Remaining good value to consumers, even without the competition you would normally expect to drive that. Muahahah Leveno and AsRock eat your face out. Doesn't matter what you write Jarred. Just stop smoking that crack hmm? Its bad for your health man. Its making us worry about you.
macuser2134 - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Sorry I meant Dustin, not Jarred.Dustin Sklavos - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
I don't compare it to the Mac Mini because the Mac Mini isn't servicing the same market this is. Generally speaking if someone wants to buy a Mac, they're going to buy a Mac. Someone named "macuser2134" should be able to grok that well enough. The M92 Tiny is not for Mac users, it's for Windows users, and it's for enterprise and kiosk usage. Those last two markets are places nobody in their right mind is going to buy a Mac for.The Mac Mini never enters the equation because even though the form factor and hardware may be similar, the use cases are wildly, WILDLY different.
You know, we have actual Mac coverage so you don't have to wander in to troll non-Apple articles. You know that, right?
cjs150 - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Dustin: there is no need to get upset with macuser2134, he/she is obviously an apple fanboy.Anyhow I just fail to see the point of Lenovo (except maybe for kiosk use). Business can buy cheaper than this and have a case that you can get into to replace damaged parts. Actually a cheap laptop would probably be more useful.
If business wants a complete non-upgradeable closed system where if something breaks it has to be sent back to the manufacturer, then Mac mini is probably a better choice although, outside of media, not many businesses are willing to consider Apple. The only benefit of the Lenovo over the Mac mini is that it would come pre-loaded with Windows and ready to use whereas the Mac would no doubt need to be loaded up with windows - not really a problem for most IT depts but might be too much for a small business to deal with.
Lack of an SSD, poor connection choices, this is just a bad product at the wrong price
macuser2134 - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Allright, lets say "fair enough" that maybe that was a bit harsh. I apologise for the condescending - sounding tones. Didn't mean to give the impression that the rest of your review was rubbish or anything like that. It was very enjoyable to read about this Leveno product and they are an interesting company.What seemed really odd to me from a pure reporting and journalistic standpoint the dissmissal of the Mac Mini from the picture here. A kind of biased reporting. There just doesn't seem enough justification or weight behind those market segment arguments to put this product in such a sharply defined seperate category like that. Or rather to exclude the Mini, and put the Mini in a separate category from these other PC products.
Most times that's fair to do because Macs are often a lot more expensive. However not so in this instance.
And in the review it actually says that you don't really know who the Leveno is being aimed at. Because of the "SimpleTap feature" with "Flickr, Facebook, PayPal, Netflix, MTV". So your retort about it being a kiosk only or enterprise only product seems to be inconsistent with that previously expressed viewpoint.
I love the accusation of me being a Mac fanboy but you really know very little about me. I used to have a PC for many years. That is a big reason why I still love to read about these PC reviews and remain interested in the PC market. Nothing really against PCs. When I bought a Mini it was because of merits of the product itself - the Mini. I just couldn't find or make my own PC that was anywhere near as good as that. And there are many other Mac Mini owners just like myself who wanted to get another PC but just couldn't do it anymore. Its a shame but life goes on and maybe one day I can own a PC again.
I was kindda guessing that you would prefer not to have to answer hard questions about your review. Hence the comedy, the jokes. Lighten up a bit maybe? I see now I was wrong because you sound so serious about defending absolutely everything in your article. But without that kind of constructive criticism how are you going to improve your standards of journalistic reporting? It wasn't meant to be mean, I'm sorry if you took it that way. Just really funny. A bit of a clanger but oh well life goes on. No-one got shot did they? No need to take it personally or anything.
ananduser - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
A mac mini requires an additional cost, the windows license. And it prevents you from installing backup win images(like acronis). Bootcamp only takes the install .iso. So no, the mac mini is not the best option nor it can ever be.Penti - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
You only need a volume/upgrade license and you can image it just fine, you do need to set up OS X to do it though.chrnochime - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Show us one MAJOR retailer that uses the mini in a kiosk or PoS. Does bb&b use it? Does Crate and Barrel use it? Unless you can find one, your incessant praise of the mini is moot. And Lenovo never intended this to be used as a HTPC, so it doesn't mean squat when mini wins when used as such.And you pointing out you used to use PC doesn't mean you aren't an apple fanboy now anyway. That's like saying "Well I used to support the rep. now I support the Dem., so I am DEFINITELY not a dem. fanboy now". Nice argument there lolol
Kevin G - Saturday, August 18, 2012 - link
I cannot recall where but I have seen a Mac Mini used in a kiosk display before. It was some time ago using either late G4 model or early Intel Core Duo Mac Mini. Since it was just running a looping video I couldn't determine if it was running OS X or Winodws behind the scene. (If it was an old G4 model it had to have been OS X). They are rare but certainly out there.Though ultimately I see both of these systems being rather poor candidates for kiosk usage. A system like the Logic Supply LGX AG150 being the superior choice. Nothing with regards to technical specs but rather cooling. Both the Mac Mini and Lenovo M92 have fans and likely need more air circulation than a cramped kiosk can provide.
If you want a SMF for home or generic office use, then comparing the Lenovo M92 to the Mac Mini is a valid comparison with regards to price and features. If the use case differences is just OS X I don't see merit of exclusion since that can easily be changed. Make a note regarding the added price of a Windows and other differences as part of diligent reporting. For some of the tests, you wouldn't even need to install Windows as there are a few applications OS X native binaries. Simply including the Mac Mini would be another good point of comparison for the article.
martyrant - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
This sounds like a child who has been chastised, realized he was an a complete idiot, and is trying to justify his idiocy as playing it off as a joke. Kudos to you, macuser, for living up to your cult's moronic stereotypes and furthering my bias against said cults.My guess is that you have no idea even how to open up a computer, either, so it wouldn't occur to you that Mac Minis, compared to a custom built mini-ITX system, is a complete and total turd at 2-3x the cost of a custom rig.
macuser2134 - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Jesus. Thought I had been pretty mean there to the reviewer. But reading it back seems like nothing compared to what that person ended up saying back to me.To be fair to Dustin, I honestly hadn't realized Leveno aims this product only at business and enterprise users. But its clearly written in the first part of his review and I totally skipped over reading all of that. I was not apologising for this anywhere earlier but should have been. This Kiosk thing - its a complete misunderstanding on my part. This thing is for locked-down business systems. My reference talking about other Anandtech reviews usually comparing to the Mini - that was all reviews of HTPC boxes. So my bad there too.
Hadn't understood the implications but thanks to many of these other enterprise people commenting here I am a little better informed now. I can only change my view since reading all that because its really true that Mac Mini doesn't necessarily tick all of those "enterprise feature" boxes. They are considerations which sometimes simply don't exist in the consumer market. Meaning individuals and home users like me.
Likewise on the other side of the coin I have learned that features like the HD2500 graphics performance don't really seem to be as critical or important in the enterprise market either. So for example me pointing out that the Mini might be better because it has a Discrete graphics option (which admittedly is a bit more expensive). But its just not a fair enough comparison for someone like me to be making. Because I am someone who isn't providing enterprise solutions to business customers.
Another thing: People here have been quoting hard prices to this unit. Or making some comparisons on some exact dollar figure. But over on Andrew Cunningham's review page many people have stated that the actual cost of the device can vary considerably. It may be a lot cheaper or more expensive depending upon which channels its being obtained through. Just thought I'd mention that too.
Roland00Address - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Whenever you see a Lenovo with the word Idea you know that it is made for consumers, IdeaPad, IdeaCentre, etcIf a Lenovo product has the word Think in its name it is made for businesses or professionals. ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, ThinkServer, ThinkStation, ThinkVantage, etc.
snajk138 - Saturday, August 18, 2012 - link
Except for the Thinkpad Edge series.Penti - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Two DP's would have been nice. To bad they only ship DP to SL-DVI adapters with it, but I guess this machine fits nicely with a 24" 1920x1200 TFT or newer 27" plus screen with DP at a desk. The latter won't really be possible with a 700 dollar laptop with only HDMI out. (Even if it supports it there aren't a lot of monitors out supporting 3GHz 1.4a HDMI.)This should be a light manageable machine for the enterprise though. People seem to forget that you won't get Q77 or Intel vPro in 350 dollar clients. Or 500 dollar laptops. Here it's a question about not having to run around and service the machines physically and do most of the administration remotely or automated. If you need to reimage a machine or change any settings you don't need to run to the physical machine or get anyone to start the process, if it isn't configured to boot to the network installation of your Windows image you can configure it remotely. Machines you can simply manage by all the tools there is, remotely without wasting time, and you don't need to leave them on at night to receive updates if you choose to wake them up when needed and so on.
It's not expensive in this class, it's just less flexible then some other options.
waldojim42 - Saturday, August 18, 2012 - link
Wait a second. For LESS than the price of the Lenovo, a business could pick up an equally well built device from Apple. Enterprise level businesses run site licenses for Windows anyway, this would be no big deal. Install Windows to one Mini, clone drive, and copy away... Why mess with an over-priced, under-performing Lenovo?For the rest of us, the home users looking for quality machines, why wouldn't I get a Mac Mini? I can install Windows just as quickly at home, and get a nicer looking device, with the option of a real video card. It seems like you are putting a LOT of effort trying to distance the products, when they are direct competitors, and need to be treated as such.
cryogenic666 - Thursday, August 23, 2012 - link
Actually, if you compare them, the Mac Mini is only $50 cheaper after you upgrade to 4GB RAM. The three year on-site support from Lenovo is worth WAY more than $50. I can assure you that any IT person worth his salt is going to take that next-business-day support any day of the week. Also, I'd venture a guess that the Mini does use a bit more power than the M92p (though that's really only a concern to the bean counters that want to save money on power).NCM - Saturday, August 18, 2012 - link
Dustin Sklavos writes: "...it's for enterprise and kiosk usage. Those last two markets are places nobody in their right mind is going to buy a Mac for."Hmmm. I'd suggest that "nobody in their right mind" should make such absolute statements.
Mac Minis have been used in kiosk systems since shortly after the product was first introduced. At that time the Mini was pretty much a unique design, one whose compact size lent itself to that kind of use.
My wife's company has built interactive trade show displays for their enterprise customers that are designed to be powered by a Mac Mini, and I can't imagine that these are at all unique.
While you can of course run Windows on Mac hardware (we have several such setups for various purposes), I'd need to be shown a very good reason to choose a Mac for dedicated Windows use. Swimming upstream tends to get tiring and unproductive. On the other hand a Mini lends itself very nicely to something like an HTML based interactive display system, or of course native Mac programs.
As far as price comparisons between the Lenovo and a Mac Mini go, we shouldn't forget that the latter includes Bluetooth and WiFi, although the current version has dropped the internal optical drive. However for the specialized applications and enterprise market for which the Lenovo is intended I doubt that any of that matters one way or the other. Enterprise customers don't think about a few hundred bucks either way unless they're buying bulk quantities of something.
Sbijman - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Err. not really. A Mac Mini with 4 GB RAM, 3 yr warranty and a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter costs $827,-Besides that, the rivets aren't much of a problem in an enterprise environment where you probably have a couple of units on the shelve in case one breaks. In that case, you just swap the computers and call Lenovo to come and fix it. If it's out of warranty, it's not worth my time to repair it myself.
Even the bloatware doesn't matter, because the first thing I'd do when I'd get a shipment of these is simply add some drivers to the deployment system and re-image the lot. I'd probably do that anyway, with or without bloatware.
colinstu - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Wrong.$899 for a Mac Mini that still doesn't have a processor as fast as the Lenovo for only $639. (2.7GHz vs 2.9), and the Lenovo is 3rd Gen Intel... not sure if the mac is 2nd or 3rd.
Both have 4GB of ram, 5400rpm 500gb hard drive, no keyboard or mouse. Mini has no optical drive, Lenovo has a CD/DVD-rom drive. Not to mention the Lenovo is easier to open and service... something important for an IT staff.
sphigel - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
I just bought a Mac Mini for a classroom environment and to my dismay it doesn't even come with a slot for a kensington lock anymore. I had to pay $60 for a lockable cage to put it in. It seemed like an odd thing to leave out. Also, a comparable Mac Mini with AppleCare (the lenovo comes with 3 yr warranty) is $798. So it doesn't cost less or do more.ender8282 - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Does more? The $599 mac mini doesn't come with an optical drive, and only comes with 2GB of ram. I would argue that its less of a machine, and costs less. Add an super drive, and an extra 2GB or ram and its close cost and feature wise. If you are a mac user its probably a better choice. If you are an Windows user its still missing, well, Windows.mrsmegz - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
I mean these things are laptops w/o Keyboards, Touchpads, or Displays. and just have to be fit into a square box w/o moving hinges or anything. Why is it they cost so much more than a similarly equipped laptop?DanNeely - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Volume is a big park of it. Bottom grade laptops sell in much larger numbers winning economies of scale.Also in this case Lenovo includes a 3 year warranty. That covers a large portion of the price gap with an entry level laptop.
Conficio - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
You can upgrade to a 7,200 RPM disk for $0 and eschew the keyboard and mouse for $20, but not the optical drive (only downgrade to a DVD reader).I think for the money you can get cheaper AllInOne machines for thin client or Kiosk duty. Only if you need a really large monitor for Kiosk duty this makes sense.
rkhpedersen - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Why would I get this over a Mac Mini, which by the way is remarkable absent from the comparison?Dustin Sklavos - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
As I mentioned to a previous poster, this serves different markets than the Mac Mini does. The Mac Mini is for Apple users; PC and enterprise need not apply.piroroadkill - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
We buy our PCs from a small company here in the UK, and they will assemble a Shuttle based machine (nice and small) with a Core i3 3.3GHz, 4GB RAM, 64GB Samsung 830, with keyboard and mouse for less than 300 quid (ex VAT).. $470 - it even comes with a 2 year warranty. A far better machine for a desktop where local storage is rarely used.Pino - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Dustin,The chassis is not rivet locked, you can open the chassis.
Just slide the top cover to front.
mfenn - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
"Skint"? "aces"? Kids these daysDemon-Xanth - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
One possible target here may be call center type locations where the person using it will always have a headset on that is connected to a phone. Thus the audio connection lacking becomes entirely a non issue. The small size makes replacing it with spares incredibly easy and can be done in seconds quickly. Much like replacing a home network switch. I wouldn't be surprised if they sold these things by the dozen.valjean - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
There should be an evaluation on whether the unit is still stable or has a tendency to tilt to one side when all the ports (USB, Video and LAN) are used since this unit is small and could be light as well.kevith - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
...it´s so close! Wireless, SSD (and if you actually can just slide the case open that presents no problem) and a better CPU, primarily graphics-wise, and it´s very close to a machine for me.Quincunx - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Which one did Ars review, because theirs seemed to pop right open after two thumbscrews and a phillips:http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/08/review-ivy-...
Of note: They also didn't compare it to the Mac Mini. The ThinkCentre brand specifically caters to enterprise. I'm pretty sure the folks asking about the absence of this comparison, don't have an enterprise IT perspective. I saw this review and thought, "Oh joy, perhaps next time I perform a desktop replacement, I can just pop the new machine into my laptop bag and be off."
BigLan - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Comparing the pictures, it looks like anand's unit doesn't even have the thumb screws that the one at Ars had. There should just be one philips head screw to remove (probably the one right next to the kensington slot on the back) and then slide the top half forward and off.poorted - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
To me, this looks like the perfect type system for yes kiosks, but also point of sale type systems.-Thermal headroom so when its shoved in a small cupboard and left on 24/7 it still keeps going.
-No need to be serviced on site, just swap out if something fails, easy enough for a retail worker to do, just unplug 2-3 cables and plug in the new one.
-Lack of audio also isn't an issue in this environment.
The idea is that it will be small, cool running, and be able to stay on for months/years at a time without (ever) needing to be serviced.
Quincunx - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Also, as of this moment, you can upgrade this to a 500GB, 7200RPM drive for zero additional dollars.Quincunx - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
If you order it without a keyboard and mouse and 'downgrade' to a standard DVD-ROM, the price comes down to $640. I suppose most people need a keyboard and mouse if it's an additional system. But if you're using it to replace something existing and already have a good keyboard and mouse, that much cheaper..StrangerGuy - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
When there are things called "laptops"?DanNeely - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
As others have mentioned kiosks, cash registers, etc. Locking one of these boxes in a cabinet takes less space than doing the same with a laptop; and the laptop's built in input/output are sub-optimal (crappy keyboard, small size vs an external monitor) or non-suitable (pos systems typically have screens at eye height facing the customer and either keyboards with keys labelled for what the app's special functions are or a touchscreen for the cashier).philipma1957 - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
looks like this can be upgraded to 16gb ram and a big ssd. if you can put in a i7 3770t this would be a very nice piece of gear. of course adding all that brings the price to over 1k.srtour2011 - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
this is actually completely not true. there is a single screw on the back of the unit (in the middle). take that off and slide the front off (it's kind of backwards from what you think and the first time I tried it, I was trying to pry at it and almost broke it). but if you know how, it couldn't be easier.memory and disk upgrades take about 1 minute each. Lenovo does an incredible job of designing clean systems on the inside.
also, the thermo on it is fantastic. no heat even under load.
lastly I saw a fully configured system w/ wireless on their weg site for $549. yes it was a sale price, but if you wait, they always put them on sale.
I've got two of these and they are awesome. I bought my memory online for $40 so mine are $8G (less if you just need a single 4G stick because unlike most vendors, Lenovo puts a single 4G stick in for the 4G config).
not sure you want to VESA mount the thing anyway. w/out the cage for the DVD (which is as big as the tiny), it sits just about anywhere and looks nice. runs quiet as a church mouse and runs great w/ 7200 RPM drive.
I have two grips :
1) Display port? . I want 3 HDMI ports on the little guy, not two display port and VGA. every try to look at VGA next to DVI on idential monitors? you just want to throw the VGA one out.
2) I want mic and sound ports on the back and front.
They also should sell 1ft display port to HDMI cables so if you want to VESA mount it on the back of your monitor you dont have a big HDMI cable coiled up. everything always looks good in pictures until you get all the damn cables on them:-)
I'd love to see Lenovo build a monitor stand for two monitors that is connected to a base that you could slide the Tiny into. better than an all-in one at that point and probably costing alot less...
CharonPDX - Friday, August 17, 2012 - link
Small SSD instead of spinning drive, quad-core option, and pair it with a DisplayPort display with audio, and it would be a GREAT corporate desktop.waldojim42 - Saturday, August 18, 2012 - link
Ok, while it isn't identical to a mini, my first thought, is that this was meant to be a competitor in that market. For $649 You get what is essentially the same machine, in a much nicer package. Paying $100 more than the Lenovo nets you a decent video card as well.For some reason, I am simply not impressed. Lenovo could have done much more with this, and opted not to.
Notmyusualid - Saturday, August 18, 2012 - link
If it had that, I'd have ordered one right away.Dustin Sklavos - Saturday, August 18, 2012 - link
There are USB 2.0 to 10/100 NICs available right now, and I'd wager at some point we'll see USB 3.0 to gigabit. At that point, you should be covered.pixelstuff - Saturday, August 18, 2012 - link
Might have been interesting to see a do it yourself option compared as well.I recently built a mini system for about $400. While the CPU muscle is certainly less than an i5, the Foxconn nt-A3700, 4GB Ram, a 128GB Samsung SSD, and Windows Pro make for a pretty good system. The SSD makes it feel faster than some of the more powerful desktops around the office as long as your aren't running a CPU intensive task (which most office people don't now days).
At the time of purchase I got every piece on sale (except RAM), bringing the total down to $400.
Foxconn nt-A3700
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
G.Skill DDR3 1333 - 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
Samsung 830 - 128GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20...
Windows 7 Pro - 32bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
The total at regular prices appears to be $464.46
MichaelD - Saturday, August 18, 2012 - link
A Seagate Momentus HD would've been perfect in this little system. It's cheap and spits the difference in performance b/t a true SSD and a true mechanical HD.The Grinch - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
To clear up some misconceptions here:The case is not riveted shut. One 5mm Phillips screw allows the clamshell to be opened.
The HDD is not 'slow', it is in fact 3.0 Gbps, just lower energy consumption.
Wireless is an option.
We've seen many of these lose their Ethernet port functionality, new motherboards are currently on backorder.