Lenovo ThinkCentre M92 Tiny System Review: Pint-Sized Power

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.

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.