Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra Review (i9-12900/RTX A2000)

The Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Extremely is a extremely compact workstation that mixes the portability of enormous workstation laptops with Desktop-level efficiency. The target market is professionals working within the discipline, capturing or creating knowledge on-site, or working in a cellular studio the place it’s doable to drive doubtlessly massive screens however the place engineers are nonetheless anticipated to journey with the pc.

Specs Overview

Our particular overview unit got here with the next configuration: twelfth gen Intel Core i9-12900 (8P + 8E cores), NVIDIA RTX A2000 GPU, 1x 1TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4×4, 32GB SO-DIMM DDR5-4000 RAM. At current, it prices $2833 at B&H Picture, and you may browse completely different configurations at Lenovo.com.

In its configurator, Lenovo has many CPU choices, going all the way in which right down to the twelfth Gen Intel Core i3, and GPUs going all the way in which as much as the NVIDIA RTX A5000 cellular GPU, so there’s a configuration for everybody, and costs begin at $1200 for the bottom configurations.

Because it’s a workstation, it’s doable to put in as much as 128GB of RAM (ECC or not, easy accessibility), and the SODIMM slots are fairly accessible. Storage-wise, it’s doable to put in two M.2 SSD drives (2x 4TB max, RAID 0/1 doable) and one 2.5″ SATA drive (1TB) for a complete of three storage units.

There are a few PCIe growth slots, in case you need to add extra playing cards (verify in the event that they match): one PCIe 4.0 x 16 and one PCIe 3.0 x 4.

Industrial design

The compact nature of the ThinkStation P360 Extremely and its efficiency “per Lbs” or “per Quantity” is the primary attraction right here. As we talked about within the introduction, the perfect buyer could be touring with this laptop, and it’s nice as a result of it could actually simply slot in a backpack or a small pelican case.

The pc has handed 10 MIL-STD-810H navy transport checks, which most desktops are by no means subjected to. I’ve had conditions the place heavy desktop parts like CPU heatsinks obtained broken throughout delivery as a result of they don’t seem to be designed for transportation shocks after meeting.

That mentioned, we’ve additionally heard about many potential customers who like the concept of constructing a neat workplace and would use this laptop to exchange a robust laptop computer because it has higher upgradability and might drive extra shows.

The ThinkStation P360 Extremely could be extra reasonably priced than a workstation laptop computer with an analogous function set and velocity (just like the ThinkPad P15). When you’re going to make use of a laptop computer as a hard and fast workstation, this could possibly be a compelling argument.

As an ultra-compact desktop laptop, the P360 Extremely includes a huge benefit over specific laptops concerning cooling. As such, it could actually use highly effective parts such because the 125W TDP Intel Core i9-12900 CPU.

However like its laptop computer counterparts, it does use many cellular parts, reminiscent of laptop computer DDR5 RAM, GPU chips, and many others. A full-on desktop would come on prime in sheer efficiency and cooling however can be much less transportable. Even SFF PCs are noticeably larger, however they will use off-the-shelf GPUs and parts, which isn’t all the time the case for this laptop.

It’s doable to open the pc and entry the internals with none instruments, because of an ingenious lever that unlocks the outer shell from the primary chassis. Extra particulars on this official video that reveals it properly:

Ports

One vital benefit of a desktop laptop is the variety of ports, and the ThinkStation P360 Extremely doesn’t disappoint right here. My solely criticism is the shortage of HDMI ports. Within the entrance, you have got the next ports:

And within the rear:

There’s additionally built-in WIFI entry, and the pc comes with an antenna that you just screw into the again. I’d have most well-liked a built-in antenna within the chassis, but it surely’s okay. The wired possibility is there in order for you most networking efficiency and decrease latency.

Massive PSU

It’s truthful to say that the exterior PSU is among the the explanation why the ThinkStation P360 Extremely is so compact in comparison with a mid-size tower with an built-in PSU. The 300W PSU is fairly massive and heavy. Its measurement is just like high-wattage gaming laptops, so there’s nothing new right here, and you could convey it wherever you go.

That mentioned, there’s no query this manner issue is far more suited to transportation than different desktop workstation designs, because it simply suits right into a backpack. For instance, the MSI GE76 Raider 12U high-performance gaming laptop computer is about 25% smaller than the Thinkstation P360 Extremely in complete quantity however weighs 61% extra.

Laptops have an built-in show and a battery, so it’s not an apples-to-apples comparability. Nonetheless, the ThinkStation P360 Extremely is constructed for mobility use circumstances the place screens shall be obtainable on-site.

Additionally notice that the TS P360 Extremely weight ranges from 3.96 lbs to 7.94 lbs relying on the chosen configuration, add-ons, and many others. This distinction will be seen within the official product knowledge sheet and the detailed specs.

Efficiency

Since efficiency/measurement or efficiency/weight is a robust promoting level, let’s run some key benchmarks to see the place this laptop computer is positioned.

We’ve got the twelfth gen Intel Core i9-12900 CPU possibility (max. is the i9-12900K), however our GPU (the cellular RTX A2000) is way from the quickest one you will get on this laptop (as much as RTX A5000), so hold that in thoughts as a result of it’s doable to tweak the value/velocity ratio. The extra reasonably priced NVIDIA T400 GPU can also be obtainable.

For reference, the RTX A2000 graphics efficiency is between the RTX 3050 and 3060, whereas the RTX A5000 is roughly equal to the RTX 3080. We’re referring to the cellular model of those chips since that’s what Lenovo makes use of within the ThinkStation P360 Extremely.

From a CPU perspective, our unit performs properly in benchmarks like Cinebench R23 and Geekbench 5. The MSI GE76 Raider 12U comparability reveals what to anticipate if you happen to improve our i9-12900 to the i9-12900HK, as discovered within the MSI laptop.

On the identical time, the TS P360 Extremely CPU efficiency “per Lbs” is even higher than laptops, because of its compact design, devoid of show and battery. You can be carrying critical CPU energy in your backpack or carry-on.

For graphics purposes which can be GPU-reliant purposes, the PCMark 10 Artistic benchmark is attention-grabbing to have a look at. They are usually a mixture of CPU and GPU workloads, largely CPU.

For pure 3D efficiency, we are able to observe the cellular RTX A2000 performing beneath the RTX 3060 (Idea D5) and considerably slower than the RTX 3080 (MSI GE76). On the identical time, it possesses all of the options present in that technology of GPUs, together with the power to run the latest AI workloads in right this moment’s imaging and video purposes.

The ThinkStation can drive as much as 8 screens by way of 4 built-in mini-DP on the discrete GPU and three full-size DP ports plus the USB-C connector linked to the built-in graphics unit. It is usually vital to do not forget that, in contrast to laptops, there isn’t any passthrough between discrete and built-in graphics items. Subsequently, it’s best to plan on having your main show linked to the discrete GPU by way of mini-DP.

The ThinkStation P360 Extremely’s SSD efficiency is great and on par with different workstations and Artistic-oriented computer systems. The first distinction with high-end laptops is you could pack as much as 9TB of storage throughout two M.2 and one 2.5″ drive.

Conclusion

The Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Extremely affords a fantastic answer with immense configuration flexibility for professionals and engineers who want a extremely cellular workstation. Rich fanatics might additionally symbolize a small market however see this as an enterprise product.

The desktop nature of the chassis provides it vital thermal cooling and extra growth choices than comparably transportable laptops. This laptop design is extra enticing and almost all the time extra performant and cost-efficient than competing SFF workstations such because the HP Z2 G9 Small Kind Issue Workstation or the Dell Precision Compact Kind Issue.

The workstation parts, such because the NVIDIA RTX A-Sequence or T-Sequence graphics items, additionally include ISV-certified software program that may be a must-have for some workflows.

Enterprises will admire the same old Lenovo security measures and administration instruments, which consumer-minded fanatics typically overlook. Issues like Premier Assist, Unintended Harm Safety, and Guarantee Extensions are potential sway components for IT departments.

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