Developer | Lenovo |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Lenovo |
Type | Workstation |
Release date | November 2007 |
Availability | January 2008 |
Media | Current: USB Previous: Optical drive, IEEE 1394 |
Operating system | |
CPU | Intel Core, AMD Ryzen PRO Intel Xeon, AMD Threadripper PRO |
Memory | Up to 4 TB ECC memory (DDR3 SDRAM, DDR4 SDRAM, DDR5 SDRAM) |
Storage | Hard disk drive, solid state drive |
Removable storage | Hot-swappable HDDs and SSDs |
Graphics | Nvidia Quadro, Nvidia RTX, AMD Radeon Pro |
Power | Up to 2 redundant 1.85 kW power supply units (PSUs) |
Platform | Think |
Online services | Microsoft 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Acrobat |
Marketing target | Business purpose |
Predecessor | IBM IntelliStation |
Related | ThinkPad P series |
Website | Thinkstation P Series | Lenovo US |
ThinkStation is a brand of professional workstations from Lenovo announced in November 2007 and then released in January 2008. They are designed to be used for high-end computing and computer-aided design (CAD) tasks and primarily compete with other enterprise workstation lines, such as Dell's Precision, HP's Z line, Acer's Veriton K series, and Apple's Mac Pro line.
Market segment (Processor) | Chassis | Release year | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
Low-end (1x Intel Core ) | Tower | P348 | P2 Gen1 | |||||||||||||||
Entry-level (1x Intel Core or Xeon 3000/E3-1200/E-2000/W-1000 or AMD Ryzen PRO) | E20 | E30 | E31 | E32 | P300 | P310 | P320 | P330 | P330 Gen2 | P340 | P350 | P358 P360 | P3 Gen1 | |||||
(U)SFF | ||||||||||||||||||
Tiny | ||||||||||||||||||
Mid-range (1x Intel Core orXeon W3000/5000/E5-1600/E5-2600/W-2000) | Tower | S10 | S20 | S30 | P500 | P410 P510 | P520 | P5 Gen1 | TBD | |||||||||
Compact tower | P520c | |||||||||||||||||
High-end (1x Intel Xeon W-3000/AMD Threadripper PRO or 2x Xeon 5000/E5-2600/Scalable) | Tower (Intel) | C20 C20x | C30 | P700 | P710 | P720 | P7 Gen1 | |||||||||||
Tower (AMD) | P620 | P8 Gen1 | ||||||||||||||||
Premium/Top (2x Intel Xeon 5000/E5-2600/Scalable) | Tower | D10 | D20 | D30 | P900 | P910 | P920 | PX Gen1 | TBD | |||||||||
Rack |
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Lenovo launched the P3/P5/P7/PX Gen 1 family of ThinkStation in May 2023. [3] The top-of-the-range, ThinkStation PX (pronounced ThinkStation P10), is powered by two 4th Generation Xeon Scalable 'Sapphire Rapids-SP' processors, with up to 120 cores in total. Additionally, it supports up to four Nvidia RTX 6000 Ada Generation graphics cards, each with 48 GB of GDDR6 memory onboard. The high-end ThinkStation P7 is powered by Intel's Xeon W-3400-series processor with up to 56 cores and up to three Nvidia RTX 6000 Ada Lovelace graphics boards. The mid-range ThinkStation P5 with Intel's Xeon W-2400-series CPU features up to 24 cores as well as up to two Nvidia RTX A6000 Ampere-based graphics cards with 48 GB of GDDR6 memory that can be connected using NVLink. The entry-level ThinkStation P3, which is available in Tiny, USFF, and tower form factors, is powered by 13th generation Intel Core 'Raptor Lake-S' processors and Nvidia Quadro T400 or T1000 Turing-based workstation GPUs. The updated ThinkStations have a baseboard management controller and can be serviced remotely.
Lenovo launched the ThinkStation P360, [4] the successor of the P350. It is powered by 12th generation Intel Core 'Alder Lake-S' processors and Nvidia professional graphics support & VR-ready option. The model is eco-certified and built with sustainable materials. The prices for the model started at $1,049.00.
P350 is the successor of model P340, with the 11th-generation of Intel Core or Xeon W-1300 CPUs and PCI Express 4.0.
P340 is the successor of model P330, with the 10th-generation of Intel Core or Xeon W-1200 CPUs.
Lenovo on May 7, 2019 introduced upgraded versions of its ThinkStation P720 and ThinkStation P920 workstations. The new workstations are based on up to two Intel 2nd generation Xeon Scalable Cascade Lake-SP processors featuring up to 28 cores per socket and running at up to 4.4 GHz. The CPUs are paired with up to 384 GB or 2 TB of DDR4-2933 memory on P720 or P920 respectively, as well as multiple Nvidia Quadro RTX 8000 or Quadro GV100 graphics cards. Both machines support several NVMe/PCIe SSDs (either in M.2 form-factor or on a special PCIe 3.0 x16 Quad M.2 adapter) as well as up to 60 TB of HDD capacity.
Lenovo described the P330, available in three form factors, as "entry-level workstations." [5] As the middle digit of the model number implied, these replacements for the P320 series represented a new generation of architecture and design language. The P330 series was available with 8th-generation Core i5/i7 (Coffee Lake-S) processors, including Xeon E-2100 workstation CPUs.
Lenovo announced both of the P520 models in November 2017. [6] The main notable difference beside versions are the number of RAM slots (8 slots with maximum of a 256 GB RAM in the P520 vs. 4 slots/128 GB in the P520c) and the case size (P520c is smaller the P520).
A mid/high-end dual-socket solution. Official specs: [7]
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A high-end single-socket solution. Official specs: [8]
A regular dual-socket solution. Official specs: [9]
A high-end dual-socket solution. Official specs: [10]
Announced at AU 2015, the ThinkStation P310 is an "entry-level" workstation and replacement for the P300. It comes standard with an Intel Xeon E3-1200v5 processor and an Nvidia Quadro K series GPU. It can accommodate up to 64 GB of RAM, and supports Lenovo's FLEX drive system. [12]
The P700 was introduced in November 2015. It has simple black case with red accents that includes numerous places on its front for headphones, a card reader, USB ports, etc. The side panel includes a keyed lock and can be removed by depressing a steel lever. All internal components are modular and designed to be removed and replaced without tools. The P700 uses Intel Xeon processors. Nvidia graphics cards come standard. [13]
Specifications: [14]
Lenovo launched the ThinkStation P Series at the Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH) 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. The P Series is designed for use in engineering, architecture, professional video, energy production, finance, and other computationally intensive industries. The series includes the P900, P700, P500, and P300 models. The P Series uses Xeon processors from Intel and Quadro video cards from Nvidia in base. The P300 line uses Haswell-based Xeon E3-1200 v3 CPUs and supports dual channel memory. The P500 uses a single single Haswell-EP Xeon E5-1600 v3 or E5-2600 v3 CPU and quad channel memory. The P700 uses two Haswell-EP Xeon E5-2600 v3 CPUs. The P900 is similar to the P700 but uses multi-PCIe and has enhanced I/O. The P series is ISV-certified for all applications. [15]
The P Series is based on Lenovo's "Flex" system of trays and connectors that are designed to enable toolless upgrades. The Flex Bay at the front of each unit can be configured with an optical drive or a variety of options such card readers and FireWire connections. Drives are installed using Flex Bays that come in 2.5" and 3.5" sizes. Each tray can handle one 3.5" drive or two 2.5" drives. The Flex Connector is a mezzanine card that links the motherboard via PCIe to SATA, SAS, and RAID devices without using up card slots. [16]
A high-end single-socket solution. Official specs: [17]
The Lenovo ThinkStation S30 was introduced in 2013. It features Intel Sandy Bridge chipsets and processors and was later upgraded to Intel's Ivy Bridge Xeon processors from four cores (e.g. Intel Xeon E5-1620 v2) up to twelve cores, such as the high-end model Xeon E5-2697 v2. [19]
On August 21, 2013, Lenovo introduced the ThinkStation E32 professional workstation that is available in either a tower or 12.9L small form factor chassis. The E32 incorporates the latest Intel Haswell chipset and supports the Intel Xeon E3 and 4th generation processors as well as the Intel Core i7 and Core i5 series processors. The E32 supports both on-board Intel HD Graphics P4600 as well as Nvidia NVS or Quadro 3D graphics cards, up to the K4000. The E32 supports up to 32 GB of 1600 MHz, DDR3 ECC memory in both form factors and has USB 3.0 ports on the front and rear of the chassis for a total of six USB 3.0 ports.
As are all Lenovo ThinkStations, the E32 is fully ISV certified for applications suites from Autodesk, Adobe, Dassault Systèmes, PTC and Siemens, as well as many others. The E32 makes an ideal entry-level platform for CAD and AEC users. Both the tower and SFF configurations are reliable and "green," offering 80 Plus Platinum certification with up to 92% power efficiency. Due to the integration of the Intel Haswell microarchitecture and Microsoft officially ending support for the Windows XP operating system in April 2014, the E32 is the first ThinkStation model that does not support the installation of Windows XP.
The ThinkStation D30 is a full-sized traditional tower workstation released in 2012. As is typical for ThinkStations, the front panel features a perforated honeycomb shaped pattern. The D30 can hold up to two Intel Xeon eight-core processors that feature hyperthreading in order to support the processing of up to 32 simultaneous streams of data. Video is powered by Nvidia Quadro graphics cards. The D30 scored a very high 25.31 points on the Cinebench test of 3D rendering. For comparison, the late 2012 Apple Mac Pro only scored 7.36 points on the same test.
In a review of the D30 PC Magazine wrote, "Sometimes, you just need to bring out the big stick, and the Lenovo ThinkStation D30 is that big stick. The sheer power of the dual eight-core Xeon CPUs plus the ability to add on more powerful Nvidia Quadro cards means that this is a system to scorch project deadlines in minutes rather than hours, or hours instead of days. Our last dual-processor workstation Editors' Choice was the Lenovo ThinkStation C20, which amazed us by putting dual Xeon CPUs in a more compact chassis. The Lenovo ThinkStation D30 now usurps that mantle, as the dual-processor workstation Editors' Choice. It wins with power, expandability, and a ruthless devotion to get your project done before any of your rivals can." [20]
The ThinkStation C30 is a high-end dual-processor workstation designed for use in video editing, engineering, and finance. The C30 is slightly smaller than a full-sized tower but still comes with two PCI slots, two free PCIe x16 card slots for graphics cards, a free PCIe x4 slot, and space for two free hard drive bays. Two Intel Xeon E5-2620 processors, 16 GB of ECC DDR3 system memory, an Nvidia Quadro 4000 graphics card, and a 500 GB hard drive come standard. There is an option to rack mount the C30.
PC Magazine wrote, "The Lenovo ThinkStation C30 is a very good dual-processor workstation. It is a powerhouse for the space constrained financial, DCC, or engineering user in your organization. The system therefore comes highly recommended, but its roomier, more powerful, and more expensive big brother the Lenovo ThinkStation D30 holds on to the Editors' Choice for dual-processor workstations for the time being for having a lot more power and being more flexible for future upgrades." [21]
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Announced in March 2011, the E30 workstation could be equipped with either Intel Core i3/i5/i7 [22] or Intel Xeon E3-1200 [23] processors. The workstation could be equipped with either 80 GB or 160 GB solid state drives. [22] Discrete graphics were available on the workstation, in the form of Nvidia Quadro or NVS graphics. [22]
When the E30 was launched, Tao Gu, the executive director and general manager of Lenovo's Workstation Business Unit said, "We created the ThinkStation E30 workstation to offer extremely powerful processing on a software-certified solution at desktop prices." [22] [24]
Detailed specifications of the workstation are as follows: [25] [24]
The C20 workstation was compact, designed to be easy to mount on a rack. [26] This compact size allowed up to 14 workstations to be stacked in a standard 42U rack. [26] It also meant that users who used a single workstation were offered extra space either on or beneath their desk. [26]
Detailed specifications of the workstation are as follows: [26] [24]
SLASHGEAR stated that they "had trouble slowing the C20 down – this isn’t a PC where opening a few dozen browser windows will cause lag – and it stayed admirably quiet too (though fan noise did ramp up as the system was stressed during benchmark testing)". [26] The reviewer also stated that the price would be far too high for most people to afford. [26]
The reviewer summed up the workstation by saying, "Graphics professionals, video editors or anyone looking to do vast amounts of crunching in minimal amounts of time, however – and without turning their office into a server farm – should definitely be considering the C20." [26]
In addition, since the machine was designed as a workstation used by graphic professionals and video editors it was not intended to replace high end gaming machines. [26]
PCMag received the workstation positively, awarding it 4 out of 5 stars as well as an Editors' Choice award. [27]
The workstation has been certified by several ISVs, including: [28]
The E20 workstation was called ‘a "real" workstation for the price of a consumer PC’ by PCMag. [29] It received the "Honorable Mention" award in PCMag's "Best of the Year" 2010 awards. [29] The workstation also included several environmentally friendly features. [29] Among these were Energy Star 5.0 and GREENGUARD certifications. [29] The workstation incorporated 66% recycled plastics, with several recycling programs available from Lenovo once the workstation reached end-of-life. [29]
Desktop Review received the workstation positively saying, "Quiet, capable and offering excellent build quality, the ThinkStation E20 is a good option for those in need of a workstation's benefits in a slimmer, more efficient package." [30] The workstation was awarded 4 out of 5 stars by Desktop Review. [30]
Detailed specifications of the workstation are as follows: [24]
The workstation has received certifications from several ISVs, including: [28]
The S20 workstation was released by Lenovo in 2009 and had significant expansion options. [31] The workstation included a PCI, PCIe x1, and two PCIe x16 slots. [31] The workstation also included space for a second optical drive, and two additional 3.5 inch hard disk drive bays. [31] There were also 10 USB ports and 1 eSATA port. [31] However, there was no standard Firewire port. [31] The S20 workstation also included several environmentally friendly certifications including EPEAT Gold, RoHS, Energy Star 5.0 and GREENGUARD. [31]
Detailed specifications of the workstation are given below: [31] [24]
The S20, like other workstations in the ThinkStation product line, has been certified by multiple ISVs, including: [28]
Also released in 2009 along with the S20, the D20 workstation was reported by Desktop Engineering as bearing a strong resemblance to the S20, although it was noticeably larger. [32] According to Desktop Engineering, the D20 workstation delivered very high scores on their benchmark tests, both for Windows XP and Windows Vista. [32] Despite the presence of several fans, the workstation was reported to be nearly silent after the initial boot. [32]
Detailed specifications for the workstation are as follows: [32] [24]
In its review of the S10, Trusted Reviews indicated that the workstation used a consumer chipset – while also saying, "Looking at the available specifications, there's nothing to raise suspicion that these machines may underperform." [33]
Detailed specifications of the workstation are as follows:
For the D10 workstation, Lenovo incorporated server grade chipset and processors, as opposed to the S10. [33] The Intel 5400a chipset used in the workstation supported two Intel Xeon processors and 64 GB of DDR2 ECC RAM. [33] The size of the workstation's motherboard necessitated a larger case to accommodate it. [33] However, the increase in size offered additional drive bays. The case could also be mounted on a rack. [33] The detailed specifications of the D10 workstation are as follows: [33]
Xeon is a brand of x86 microprocessors designed, manufactured, and marketed by Intel, targeted at the non-consumer workstation, server, and embedded markets. It was introduced in June 1998. Xeon processors are based on the same architecture as regular desktop-grade CPUs, but have advanced features such as support for error correction code (ECC) memory, higher core counts, more PCI Express lanes, support for larger amounts of RAM, larger cache memory and extra provision for enterprise-grade reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS) features responsible for handling hardware exceptions through the Machine Check Architecture (MCA). They are often capable of safely continuing execution where a normal processor cannot due to these extra RAS features, depending on the type and severity of the machine-check exception (MCE). Some also support multi-socket systems with two, four, or eight sockets through use of the Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) bus, which replaced the older QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) bus.
Altix is a line of server computers and supercomputers produced by Silicon Graphics, based on Intel processors. It succeeded the MIPS/IRIX-based Origin 3000 servers.
Dell XPS is a line of consumer-oriented laptop and desktop computers manufactured by Dell since 1993.
The IBM BladeCenter was IBM's blade server architecture, until it was replaced by Flex System in 2012. The x86 division was later sold to Lenovo in 2014.
Mac Pro is a series of workstations and servers for professionals made by Apple Inc. since 2006. The Mac Pro, by some performance benchmarks, is the most powerful computer that Apple offers. It is one of four desktop computers in the current Mac lineup, sitting above the Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Studio.
Skulltrail is an enthusiast gaming platform released by Intel on February 19, 2008. It is based on Intel's 5400 "Seaburg" workstation chipset. The primary difference between Skulltrail and Intel's current and past enthusiast chipsets is a dual CPU socket design that allows two processors to operate on the same motherboard. Therefore, Skulltrail can operate eight processing cores on one system. The platform supports two Core 2 Extreme QX9775 processors, which operate at 3.2 GHz.
The AMD 800 chipset series is a set of chipsets developed by AMD, released in 2009. The chipset series was revealed in its presentation slides during the AMD Financial Analyst Day 2007 held on December 13, 2007. This chipset series also marks the return of AMD to the workstation/server market after the completion of the ATI acquisition in October 2006 with the first server chipsets.
The Ultra 24 is a family of computer workstations by Sun Microsystems based on the Intel Core 2 processor.
The Cray CX1 is a deskside workstation designed by Cray Inc., based on the x86-64 processor architecture. It was launched on September 16, 2008, and was discontinued in early 2012. It comprises a single chassis blade server design that supports a maximum of eight modular single-width blades, giving up to 96 processor cores. Computational load can be run independently on each blade and/or combined using clustering techniques.
Nvidia Ion was a product line of Nvidia Corporation intended for motherboards of low-cost portable computers. It used graphics processing units and chipsets intended for small products.
The ThinkPad W series laptops from Lenovo were described by the manufacturer as being "mobile workstations", and suit that description by being physically on the larger side of the laptop spectrum, with screens ranging from 15.6" to 17.3" in size. Most W series laptops offered high-end quad-core Intel Core processors with an integrated GPU as well as an Nvidia Quadro discrete GPU, utilizing Nvidia Optimus to switch between the two GPUs as required. Notable exceptions are the W500, which has ATI Mobility FireGL integrated workstation-class graphics, and the W550s, which is an Ultrabook-specification laptop with only a dual-core processor. The W series laptops offered independent software vendor (ISV) certifications from various vendors such as Adobe Systems and Autodesk for computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D modeling software.
The M-series of desktops are part of Lenovo's ThinkCentre product line. Formerly an IBM brand, Lenovo acquired the ThinkCentre desktop brand following its purchase of IBM's Personal Computing Division (PCD) in 2005. Following its acquisition of IBM's PCD, Lenovo has released M-series desktops in multiple form factors, ranging from traditional tower, small form factor, to ultra small form factor, and all-in-ones (AIOs).
In addition to the ThinkPad and IdeaPad laptops, Lenovo also offers a value-priced series of laptops. Called ‘Essential’ on the Lenovo website, the products available in this line include the G Series, B Series, and V Series. Launched in 2009, the first laptop in the Essential range was the G530.
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". The Essential desktop line is different from both Lenovo's ThinkCentre line and Lenovo's IdeaCentre line. Lenovo defines its ThinkCentre desktops as business-oriented computers, while the IdeaCentre desktops are meant primarily for entertainment. The Essential range of desktops can be categorized as being between the two – meant more for ordinary everyday use.
ThinkSystem and ThinkServer are families of Intel and AMD servers from Lenovo. The ThinkSystem product line began with the TS100 from Lenovo.
Intel Ivy Bridge–based Xeon microprocessors is the follow-up to Sandy Bridge-E, using the same CPU core as the Ivy Bridge processor, but in LGA 2011, LGA 1356 and LGA 2011-1 packages for workstations and servers.
The ThinkPad P series line of workstation laptops produced by Lenovo and was introduced by the company as a successor to the previous ThinkPad W series. With 15.6" and 17.3" screens, the ThinkPad P series saw the reintroduction of physically large laptops into the ThinkPad line. Marketed largely as portable workstations, many P series laptops can be configured with high-end mobile workstation-class Intel processors as well as error correction code (ECC) memory and a discrete Nvidia Quadro GPU. The P series offers independent software vendor (ISV) certifications from software vendors such as Adobe and Autodesk for various computer-aided design (CAD) software.
HP Z is a series of professional workstation computers developed by Hewlett-Packard. The first-generation desktop products were announced in March 2009, replacing the HP 9000 xw series. The product line expanded to mobile with the announcement of ZBook in September 2013, replacing HP's EliteBook W-series mobile workstations. The Z workstations mainly compete against Dell's Precision workstations, Lenovo's ThinkStation and ThinkPad P series workstations, as well as Apple's Mac Pro and MacBook Pro.
Raptor Lake is Intel's codename for the 13th and 14th generations of Intel Core processors based on a hybrid architecture, utilizing Raptor Cove performance cores and Gracemont efficient cores. Like Alder Lake, Raptor Lake is fabricated using Intel's Intel 7 process. Raptor Lake features up to 24 cores and 32 threads and is socket compatible with Alder Lake systems. Like earlier generations, Raptor Lake processors also need accompanying chipsets. Raptor Lake CPUs have suffered issues such as elevated voltage which leads to system instability and can cause permanent damage.
The new NVIDIA GP100 will be beneficial to our customers in industries such as design and manufacturing who require extreme compute capability for larger datasets. The unmatched power of the Lenovo ThinkStation P910 offers workstation users best-in-class performance with up to three NVIDIA GP100 GPUs, enabling customers in deep learning, AI and simulations to process more data in real time.
The Lenovo ThinkStation C20 should be at the top of your list if you're looking for an ISV-certified Windows 7-based workstation. It costs a pretty penny, but if you're working on multi-million dollar projects, the system's speed and serviceability make it a great choice.