Lenovo ThinkCentre M92 Tiny System Review: Pint-Sized Power
by Dustin Sklavos on August 17, 2012 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
- Lenovo
- Mini ITX
- Ivy Bridge
- Enterprise
Conclusion: Everything But the Price
The people responsible for engineering the Lenovo ThinkCentre M92 Tiny deserve at least a measure of respect for what they've accomplished. It's true that you could argue it's basically a notebook with the screen and battery stripped out, but they've made the most out of the space they have. The M92 Tiny is reasonably powerful, runs quietly, and can be easily tucked away somewhere. I'm still fond of Lenovo's black plastic aesthetic (inherited from IBM way back when), too, and I like the removable optical drive/VESA mount.
My issue with the M92 Tiny is that the default configuration feels skint for a system that costs $699; just 4GB of RAM, a slow 5400-RPM hard drive, and no wireless networking of any kind. It's true that Lenovo offers three year warranty coverage standard (per their enterprise roots), but maybe even more damning for something geared towards corporate customers is the fact that the system itself is virtually impossible for the end user to service. There's no reason to use rivets to seal the enclosure when screws would've done the job.
.jpg)
I also can't help but feel like the ThinkCentre M92 Tiny is serving two masters. The build and aesthetic are clearly corporate, but there's enough software bloat on the system (primarily Lenovo's) to suggest a consumer grade system. Their SimpleTap feature opens up a touchscreen-intended interface with links to Flickr, Facebook, PayPal, Netflix, MTV, and so on...why is this here?
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. If you go the boutique route you can get some competitive hardware, but Dell and HP's smallest form factor systems still have nothing on the Tiny. For HP you have to go to their thin clients, which use anemic Intel Atom and VIA processors as opposed to the beefier Ivy Bridge chip on hand in the M92. Until another major vendor can produce something competitive with the M92 Tiny, Lenovo will be able to charge as much as they like. For what it's worth, the M92 Tiny is a pretty solid product by itself, competition or no.
Update: The ThinkCentre M92 Tiny is actually user serviceable; there's a single screw on the back, and then the front and top of the system slides off. Our review unit just happened to be unusually firm, but with enough force it did come off the way it was intended.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
62 Comments
View All Comments
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.