Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tiny review: A tough yet petite desktop PC

Most of the desktops I deal with are so big that they can barely fit underneath your desk—let alone on top of it. But Lenovo’s ThinkCentre M93p Tiny lives up (down?) to its name: This small-form-factor PC measures 7 inches tall, 7.2 inches wide, and 1.35 inches thick, which makes it smaller and more portable than some laptops.

The Tiny packs a fourth-generation Intel Haswell processor into a compact, rugged chassis that weighs less than three pounds (sans power supply and accessories). Lenovo says the machine complies with 8 Mil-Spec criteria: dust, shock, temperature extremes, humidity, and impact.

ROBERT CARDIN

Lenovo's ThinkCentre M93p Tiny lives up to its name. The machine is just 7 inches tall when vertically oriented.

The machine is ostensibly designed for business users—it has a zero footprint if you mount it to the back of display, on a wall, or underneath a work surface (the plug in a wired USB keyboard, and you can power-on the PC by pressing Alt + P). Consumers can also create their own all-in-one this way, or they can stash it in an entertainment center and use it as a home theater PC, like Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC) . Unlike the NUC, this machine is also rugged enough to serve duty in a warehouse or on a factory floor.

The M93p Tiny isn’t super-cheap: Our review model costs $750 as configured. This gets you an Intel Core i5-4570T processor (with Intel’s vPro management technology), 4GB of DDR3/1600 memory, integrated graphics, and a 500GB platter hard drive. You also get Windows 7 Pro, an integrated 2x2 Wi-Fi adapter, and a USB keyboard and mouse. Our version of the Tiny doesn’t come with an optical drive (something you may or may not want for your home theater setup), but you can add a slim external DVD Recordable drive for $75.

Performance-wise, the Tiny is good but not great. It scored a 136 in our WorldBench 8.1 benchmark tests, which means it’s 36 percent faster than our reference machine (an Acer Aspire U A5600U-UB13 with a third-gen Intel Core i5 processor). Compared to the most recent NUC, however, the Tiny falls quite a bit short. The NUC Kit D54250WYK scores 241 on WorldBench 8.1, thanks in part to its SSD (the Tiny has a conventional platter hard drive).

The Tiny also falls behind the NUC in other tests. It’s slower to start up (taking 24.6 seconds instead of the NUC’s 20.9 seconds), uses more power while working (3.5 vs. 1.6 watts) and while idle (12.3 vs. 7.7 watts), but it’s still a fairly speedy, low-power PC when compared to tower desktops. Take the Maingear Shift Super Stock Z87, for example, a powerful gaming desktop whose working power usage is 20.4 watts and whose idle power usage is 106.7.

The Tiny does fairly well in our graphics tests. It’s no gaming powerhouse, but you’ll be able to play plenty of average-quality games on this machine if you so desire. In our Dirt Showdown test (low-quality settings, 1024 by 768 pixel resolution), the Tiny managed a playable 43.8 frames per second. In Bioshock Infinite (low-quality settings, 1024 by 768 pixel resolution), the Tiny managed 26.4 fps. By comparison, the NUC managed 29.7 fps in the same test. Less than 30 fps isn’t exactly playable, but it’s still pretty good for the casual gamer.

ROBERT CARDIN

For a PC this small, Lenovo's M93p Tiny delivers plenty of I/O ports (you can order yours with HDMI if you'd prefer).

The M93p Tiny has plenty of hook-ups for your home theater system, but HDMI isn’t a standard feature (you can specify one when you place your order, or you can buy a $10 DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter). On the front of the compact chassis you’ll find the power button, one USB 3.0 port, microphone and headphone jacks, and an “always-on” USB 2.0 port for charging mobile devices. On the back of the PC, you’ll find another three USB 3.0 ports, two DisplayPort outputs, VGA out, gigabit Ethernet, and a Wi-Fi antenna.

Lenovo’s ThinkCentre M93p Tiny is aptly named, but it will be of more interest to businesses than consumers. If you’re looking for a small HTPC, Intel’s even smaller NUC might be a better choice (it has a Mini HDMI port). The Tiny’s rugged design and VESA mounting options are just the ticket for a business to deploy to an office full of employees.

Sarah is a freelance writer and editor based in Silicon Valley. She has a love/hate relationship with social media and a bad habit of describing technology as "sexy."
More by Sarah Jacobsson Purewal

From PC World. Electronics product reviews and advice for best reference

Review: Lenovo’s ThinkCentre Edge 92z is good for both work and play

Lenovo’s ThinkCentre Edge 92z is a handsome all-in-one with a 21.5-inch, IPS, 10-point touch-screen display and several business-class features, including Microsoft Lync-qualified VoIP features. Opt for the discrete graphics option, as our eval unit was equipped, and you have a pretty good gaming system, too. Curiously, the graphics option isn’t available direct from Lenovo. We could find such a configuration available only through resellers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and New Egg.

Styled in shiny black, the Edge92z is a looker, if not quite in the same league as an iMac. It's thin and quite light for an all-in-one. That’s an important characteristic if you plan to take advantage of the unit's VESA mount point and attach it to an articulated arm. The 92z's two front feet can be removed for a cleaner appearance in that configuration, and Lenovo sells the ThinkCentre Extend Arm, which clamps to your desktop, for a reasonable $90.

In its default configuration, the 92z sits on the aforementioned feet, leaning back on a spring-loaded kickstand. This leaves enough room to slide the keyboard between the feet, but the stand blocks much of the rest of the area behind unit.

Robert CardinYou can remove the 92z's feet if you decide to take advantage of the VESA mount.

As is typical of business-oriented desktops, the mouse and keyboard are of the wired USB variety. Consumers will likely prefer wireless peripherals, which are a $39 option if you buy the machine direct from Lenovo (but then you can’t get the discrete graphics option).

The 92z sports a capable and logical mix of ports: two USB 3.0 ports and a card reader on the left side of the unit, where they're easily reachable. Four USB 2.0 ports are on the back, where they are decidedly less accessible. There’s also both HDMI in and HDMI out ports in back, along with a gigabit Ethernet port. The right side of the unit is occupied by a DVD burner. No Blu-ray for you!

Robert CardinA DVD burner is standard, but there's no Blu-ray option.

The non-customizable model 3414 is powered by an Intel Core i5-3470S CPU, 4GB of DDR3-1600 memory, a 500GB, 7200 rpm Seagate hard drive, and a discrete Radeon HD 7650A graphics card. Lenovo offers a range of customizable configurations directly, ranging from a model equipped with an Intel Core i3-3220 processor with integrated graphics for $1,099. Upgrading to a Core i7 with integrated graphics, 16GB of memory, and 180GB SSD boosts the sticker price very near the $2,000 mark.

The model 3414 we tested felt quite lively once Windows 8 had finished caching things. The unit delivered a Desktop WorldBench 8.1 score of 67 (based on a 100-point scale), which is good for an all-in-one. The 92z also managed decent gaming, though not at the display's native 1920 by 1080 resolution. We had to knock it down to 1366 by 768 or 1280 by 720 to get to the 30- to 40 frames per second range with most games.

1080p videos played smoothly, and the sound from the speakers was clear as a bell. Bass response was weak, but not disturbingly so for everyday use. Lenovo could take a cue from Vizio and offer a subwoofer to liven things up. The 2MP camera is par for this class, delivering a relatively smooth picture in normal lighting. A dual-mic array does a good job of eliminating background noise, so you don’t have a don a headset for VOiP calls.

The Lenovo Edge 92z is a better-than-average all-in-one that’s very well suited to business deployments, but the optional discrete graphics option renders it suitable for home environments, too. This AiO was born to live on the end of an articulated stand, though. Add that and a wireless mouse and keyboard and you’ll be very happy you went for the 92z.

Jon L. Jacobi has worked with computers since you flipped switches and punched cards to program them. He studied music at Juilliard, and now he power-mods his car for kicks.
More by Jon L. Jacobi

From PC World. Electronics product reviews and advice for best reference

Lenovo ThinkCentre M92z review: Multitouch comes to business

In today’s business world, the keys to getting the most out of your computer are productivity, space, and power—and the Lenovo ThinkCentre M92z all-in-one desktop PC epitomizes efficiency. Its 23-inch screen and compact dimensions take up little desk space in today's crowded office environments.

At $1247 (as configured, as of September 19, 2012), the ThinkCentre M92z represents a significant investment if a business plans to outfit its entire office with new machines, but it provides the power to back up the price. This true desktop system doesn't rely on laptop-style construction, and the result is better performance. The M92z comes outfitted with an Intel Core i7-3770S processor that runs at a standard 3.1GHz. A healthy 8GB of RAM supports optimal multitasking; when you run spreadsheets and browsers on this all-in-one, they'll seem as light as air.

On our strenuous WorldBench 7 benchmark suite, the M92z earned a score of 91—about 9 percent slower than our baseline system. By way of comparison, the Vizio CA27-A1 27-inch all-in-one, also priced at $1250, racked up a mark of 122. In part, the big difference in scores is attributable to Vizio’s quick startup time (20.6 seconds), which is less than half as long as the M92z requires (49.4 seconds). The Vizio included a small SSD as cache to support its included 5400-rpm 1TB drive; that SSD cache also improves performance in the content creation and office productivity benchmarks. The M92z has a 1TB (7200-rpm) hard drive that manages to outperform the Vizio on most normal hard-drive benchmarks, however, so take that into account when you're choosing a business system. The Vizio would be a good choice for a larger, prettier screen, but for pure productivity the Lenovo comes out ahead.

Don’t expect too much gaming performance from the M92z. The all-in-one comes with Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 4000, though you have the option to move up from that to an AMD Radeon HD7650 with 1GB of memory. When we ran our graphics benchmark at the highest quality settings and a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, the M92z managed average frame rate of 15.9 frames per second on Dirt 3 and 10.1 fps on Crysis 2—about what you'd expect with Intel's GPU. When we lowered the graphics qulity setting and dropped the resolution to 1024 by 768 pixels, the M92z ran Dirt 3 surprisingly well (65.3 fps), but Crysis 2 still struggled at a playable but far from pretty 34.2 fps. Of course, gaming performance is rarely a major consideration for business desktops.

The screen is a 23-inch multitouch display with antiglare capability and a maximum resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. The screen gives a good 178-degree viewing range, and you can easily adjust the screen by tilting it. The sturdy stand looks like something you'd find on a clerical worker's desk. The LED screen isn’t exceptionally sharp, and its antiglare material gives it a slightly cheaper look.

The M92z is well stocked with ports and connectivity options. It includes optional PS/2 keyboard and mouse connectors as well as a serial port for unusual holdover peripherals. Businesses often need to connect legacy devices, so the inclusion of older ports like PS/2 and RS-232 can be quite useful. In case you need additional screen space, you'll find a DisplayPort-in and -out connection, but you don’t get any DVI, HDMI, or VGA connections. The all-in-one has four USB 2.0 ports on the back and two USB 3.0 ports on the left side. An ExpressCard slot and an 11-in-1 card reader slot on the left side, and a DVD multiburner on the right round out the offerings. Finally, if you worry about workplace theft, the M92z has an integrated Kensington lock to keep it in place.

The ThinkCentre M92z also offers full networking capabilities. It has a gigabit ethernet port on the back, a Centrino Wireless N 2230 Wi-Fi adapter, and Bluetooth, so it can connect in practically any office—with or without a wired connection.

The M92z comes equipped with an integrated webcam and microphone. It has been optimized for VoIP and comes with integrated speakers that feature Dolby sound enhancement. It's also the first 20-inch all-in-one that is vPro-ready, for even more business support.

Finally, the system is bundled with its own wireless mouse and keyboard. They are standard peripherals except that the mouse is astonishingly small: It fit into about half of my hand. The keyboard provides plenty of room for your hands to move around, far removed from the cramped layouts that torment stubby-fingered users like me.

Overall, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M92z is a great choice for users in need of a strong, smart business system. The screen is large enough and eminently usable, thanks to its touchable antiglare properties, the hardware can rival any other office system (though it's not a good choice for playing games), and the price is right for equipping certain key office workers who need relatively strong performance in a small space.

Performance charts

PC WorldBench 7 Results Office Productivity Performance Content Creation Performance Startup times Storage Performance Gaming performance

From PC World. Shop computer and accessories from Amazon here