Lenovo Essential desktops

Lenovo’s line of Essential desktops is a collection of budget-conscious machines designed for consumers, and advertised as being "affordable, space saving, and energy efficient".[1] The Essential desktop line is different from both Lenovo’s ThinkCentre line and Lenovo’s IdeaCentre line.[1] Lenovo defines its ThinkCentre desktops as business-oriented computers, while the IdeaCentre desktops are meant primarily for entertainment.[1] The Essential range of desktops can be categorized as being between the two – meant more for ordinary everyday use.[1]

The Essential desktops are frequently (and erroneously) referred to as IdeaCentre desktops. For example, Desktop Review indicated that the C300 was an IdeaCentre.[2] However, the Lenovo U.S. Web site indicates that the C300 is part of their value line, or ‘Essential’ line.[3] The only brand associated with these desktops is ‘Lenovo’ – ‘Essential’ represents a range of products and is not a brand in itself.

Product series edit

There are two lines of Lenovo-branded desktops sold under the ‘Essential’ banner. These are:

  • C Series
  • H Series

C Series edit

The Lenovo C Series desktops launched by Lenovo are the C100, C200, C300, and C315.

2010 edit

The Lenovo C Series desktops launched in 2010 were the C200 and C315.

C200 edit

The C200 was an All-in-one (AIO) desktop launched by Lenovo in April 2010.[4] Hardware Bistro indicated that the desktop had entry-level specifications, making it more affordable than the B500.[4] The review also indicated that the desktop’s unique selling point was its 18.5 inch Touchscreen display.[4]

The desktop was made available with the Intel Atom D510 processor, 2GB of RAM, and could be configured for up to 500GB storage capacity.[4] The desktop offered options for both integrated and discrete graphics.[4] The integrated graphics option on offer was Intel GMA 3150, while the discrete graphics option was the Nvidia Ion graphics card with 256MB of video RAM.[4] Additional features on the desktop included a DVD multiburner, an integrated Web camera, integrated stereo speakers, LAN, and WiFi.[4]

C315 edit

The C315 was released in 2010 by Lenovo.[1] In its review, silentpcreview said that the “C315 is one of the more interesting all-in-one PCs with which we've crossed paths.”[1] The C315 was equipped with an AMD Athlon II X2 250u processor – a low voltage processor with a speed of 1.6 GHz.[1] The hard disk storage capacity on the desktop was 500GB.[1] The desktop also offered discrete graphics, with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4530 graphics card.[1] The desktop also offered 4GB of DDR2 RAM and a slim dual-layer DVD writer.[1]

Detailed specifications of the desktop are given below:[1]

  • Chipset: AMD 690M
  • ATSC Tuner: Built-in
  • Networking: 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11g
  • Card Reader: 6-in-1
  • Webcam: 0.3 megapixel (maximum resolution of 640x480)
  • USB Ports: 6 USB 2.0
  • Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional x64
  • Dimensions: 19.05 x 14.12 x 2.56 inches
  • Weight: 16.3 lbs

2009 edit

The Lenovo C Series desktops launched in 2009 by Lenovo were the C100 and C300.

C100 edit

Announced in September 2009, the C100 was an All-in-one (AIO) desktop designed for consumer use.[5] The 18.5 inch display was 2 inches deep, with an aspect ratio of 16:9.[5] The desktop also included software such as Lenovo’s OneKey Antivirus and OneKey Recovery that allowed one-button system scanning and restoration.[5] The dimensions of the desktop were 18.5 x 14.5 x 4 inches.[5] The desktop also was made available with options for either Intel Atom 230 single core processors, or Intel Atom 330 dual core processors.[5] In addition, the desktop also included a DVD reader/writer and four USB ports.[5]

C300 edit

The C300 was an AIO launched in 2009 as part of Lenovo’s Essential product line.[2] Desktop Review listed the pros of the desktop as the good 20-inch display with a resolution of 1600x900, the 3.5 inch hard disk drive, and the optional discrete graphics.[2] The cons were listed as the keyboard, and the standard single core Intel Atom 230 1.6 GHz processor.[2] The desktop’s dimensions were 19.05 x 14.12 x 3.28 inches.[2]

Additional specifications of the desktop are as follows:[2]

  • Operating system: Windows Vista Home Basic
  • Memory: 3GB DDR2
  • Hard drive: 320GB
  • Optical drive: 8X DVD+/-RW
  • Audio: Integrated HD audio
  • Speakers: built-in
  • Graphics: Intel GMA 950
  • Wireless networking: 802.11b/g
  • Card reader: Built-in SDHC memory card reader

H Series edit

The Lenovo H Series desktops launched by Lenovo are the H200, H210, H215, H230, H320, and H405.

2011 edit

The Lenovo H Series desktops released in 2011 were the H215, H220, and H320.

H215 edit

The H215 offered AMD Athlon II X2 dual core processors, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 320GB hard disk drive.[6] Additional, detailed specifications for the H215 are given below:[6]

  • Chipset: AMD 760G
  • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3000 (integrated)
  • Optical drive: dual layer DVD reader/writer
  • Audio: integrated HD audio
  • Media Card reader: integrated, 16-in-1
  • Operating system: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit)
  • USB ports: 6 USB 2.0
H220 edit

The specifications of the H220 desktop are as follows:[7]

  • Operating System: DOS
  • Processor: 3 GHz Intel E5500
  • RAM: 2GB DDR3
  • Storage: 320GB
  • Optical drive: DVD reader/writer
H320 edit

The H320 was a small form factor desktop in the Lenovo H Series desktop line released in 2011.[8] Desktop review called the H320 “a little - but not too little - box that does it all”.[8] Desktop Review listed the pros of the desktop as the Blu-ray drive, the Intel Core i5 processor, and the small form factor.[8] The cons were indicated to be the low graphics capabilities, few USB ports, and the lack of wireless networking.[8]

Detailed specifications of the desktop are given below:[8]

  • Processor: 3.20 GHz Intel Core i5-650
  • RAM: 6GB DDR3
  • Storage: 640GB 7200 RPM SATA2
  • Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
  • Optical drive:
    • Blu-ray ROM
    • DVD reader/writer
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 310

2010 edit

The Lenovo H Series desktop launched in 2010 was the H230.

H230 edit

The H230 was launched at the same time as the Lenovo IdeaCentre K300 desktop.[9] The desktop offered an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Intel GMA integrated graphics, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB hard disk drive, and a DVD reader/writer.[9]

2009 edit

The Lenovo H Series desktops released in 2009 were the H200 and the H210.

H200 edit

The H200 was announced by Lenovo at CES 2009.[10] It offered the Intel Atom 230 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard disk drive.[10] It was Lenovo’s first desktop with the low power Intel Atom processor.[11] The CPU incorporated a fanless design, minimizing desktop noise and, according to tech2, made the H200 Lenovo’s quietest desktop.[11] The display was 15.4 inch Thin-film Transistor (TFT) screen.[11]

H210 edit

The Lenovo H210 was also released in 2009 as part of the Essential range of desktops.[12] PCWorld listed the pros of the desktop as above average performance for a desktop that cost less than US$500.[12] The cons were listed as average expandability. Although PCWorld reported that the desktop was “one of the better sub-$500 systems”, it was reported not to handle games well.[12] The inability to handle games came from the integrated graphics – Intel GMA 3100 graphics.[12] The H210 could not run PCWorld’s Unreal Tournament 3 benchmark and offered only 24 frames per second on Far Cry (at a resolution of 1280x1024 with no antialiasing).[12]

Additional specifications of the H210 include:[12]

  • Processor: 2.5 GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200
  • RAM: 4GB DDR2-667
  • Storage: 500GB
  • Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (32 bit)
  • PCI Express x16 slot: 1
  • PCI Express x1 slot: 2
  • PCI slot: 1
  • Optical drivel: DVD reader/writer
  • USB ports: 6

2008 edit

The Lenovo H Series desktop released in 2008 was the H215.

H215 edit

The H215, released in October 2008, was an entry-level addition to Lenovo’s Essential line of budget PCs.[13] It was praised for its large storage capacity - a total of 1TB.[13] While performance was reported by About.com to be "decent", it was indicated that options to upgrade the desktop were limited.[13] This was due to the low-wattage power supply commonly used in small form factor PCs as opposed to traditional tower PCs.[13] Another point not in the desktop's favor was the recessed optical drive.[13] This was described by About.com as being difficult to open and appearing out of place.[13]

Detailed specification of the desktop are as follows:[13]

  • Processor: AMD Athlon II X2 250 Dual Core
  • RAM: 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3
  • Storage: 1TB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
  • Optical drive: 16x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
  • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3000 Integrated Graphics Processor
  • Audio: 7.1 Audio Support
  • Ports and slots: six USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA, 16-in-1 Card Reader

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lawrence Lee (21 June 2010). "Lenovo C315 Touch Screen All-in-One PC". Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kevin O'Brien (4 November 2009). "Lenovo IdeaCentre C300 Review". Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  3. ^ "Lenovo Essential Desktops C300". Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "HardWare Bistro - Lenovo C200 Review". Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Lenovo announced new C100 All-in-One desktop PC". 17 September 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Lenovo Essential H215 Desktop Dual Core 2.80 Ghz Win7". 6 April 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Lenovo Essential H220 Desktop PC Price". Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e J. R. Nelson (28 February 2011). "Lenovo Essential H320 Desktop Review". Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Lenovo H230 Value Desktop PC". Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Lenovo Announced Atom-Powered H200 Desktop". 14 January 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  11. ^ a b c "Lenovo Launches New Low-cost Desktop PC". 12 February 2009. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  12. ^ a b c d e f David Murphy (24 February 2009). "Lenovo Lenovo 3000 H210". Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Mark Kyrnin (28 October 2010). "Lenovo IdeaCentre H215 Budget Desktop PC". Retrieved 28 November 2011.