14 DAY TRIAL // Even though it never quite takes its sight off the consumer segment, Lenovo is known for periodically bringing out new machines aimed at the business sector, in an ever increasing effort to secure as high a share of the market as possible. The latest in the series of professional desktops have now debuted and, predictably, come as part of the ThinkCentre line. They are two in number and bear the names of ThinkCentre M70e and A70.
For the most part, the systems try to stay as compact as possible while also providing all the necessary capabilities without packing too many cost-adding but ultimately unnecessary features. As such, the two desktops employ small form factor and tower casings and place emphasis on accessibility and internal cooling. Nevertheless, they can still be configured with better than average insides, provided end-users have the inclination and funds for it.
A number of processors can end up at the hearts of the systems, the list including Intel Celeron, Pentium, Core 2 Duo and, in the case of the M70e, Core 2 Quad as well. Whichever CPU is selected is backed up by up to 4GB of RAM and paired with the Intel GMA (Graphics Media Accelerator) X4500 Integrated Graphics. Those in need of better graphics can, of course, opt for a better card, in this case the NVIDIA GeForce FX380 Quadro. Lenovo also threw in the possibility of adding up to 500GB of storage on the A70 and 1TB on the M70e. A DVD writer is also present, as is Gigabit Ethernet.
"Desktop PCs remain the backbone of many businesses today with many small and medium business customers depending on reliable PC performance to accomplish critical operational tasks," said Tom Shell, vice president, ThinkCentre Desktop Product Marketing, Lenovo. "The ThinkCentre A70 and M70e deliver practical performance and good-looking design at an affordable price."
All in all, the new ThinkCentre A70 and M70e members should prove quite suited for whatever office tasks professional may engage in. They will sell for $559 and $379, respectively, and will become available this month.