Lenovo Unveils ThinkStation P320 Tiny SFF Workstation

​Lenovo has unveiled a new ThinkStation model, the P320 Tiny, based on a Kaby Lake / Q270 platform with NVIDIA’s Quadro P600 GPU. The unique aspect is the dimensions – At 1.4″ x 7.1″ x 7.2″ (1L in volume), it is one of the smallest systems we have see that includes a discrete GPU. In order to achieve this compact size, the 135W power adapter is external to the system.

The P320 Tiny supports Kaby Lake CPUs with TDP of up to 35W (such as the Intel Core i7-7700T). NVIDIA’s Quadro P600 is a GP107-based GPU with a 40W TDP. The system comes with two DDR4 SODIMM slots and two M.2 NVMe SSD slots. There is a rich variety of I/O ports – audio jacks in the front, a total of six USB 3.0 ports spread across the front and the rear, a RJ-45 GbE port, and six display outputs (4x mini-DP + 2x DP). Thanks to the Quadro GPU, the P320 Tiny is able to come with ISV certifications for various applications such as AutoCAD etc.

The board used in the system seems to be a custom one – it is larger than a mini-STX board, but, smaller than an ITX one. It is perfect for space-constrained setups, and comes with extensibility options such as add-ons for extra USB ports and a COM port, or, for an optical drive, as shown in the gallery below.

Gallery: Lenovo P320 Tiny SFF Workstation

As for operating systems, the new Lenovo ThinkStation P320 Tiny workstation supports both Windows and Linux. The P320 Tiny starts at $799 and is available now.

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Zotac Unveils 2017 ZBox Magnus SFF Gaming PCs: Powered By Intel Core & AMD Ryzen

Besides of course their video cards, Zotac’s other claim to fame is their variety of mini-PCs. For this year’s Computex trade show, the company did not disappoint, with the announcement of a new generation of Magnus gaming mini-PCs.

The big change for the upcoming family of Magnus boxes is that they have been revamped to make room for some of Zotac’s mini-branded video cards, including the GTX 1060 and GTX 1070. Previously, the ZBox Magnus family utilized the mobile versions of NVIDIA’s 10-series GPUs.

The new ZBox Magnus lineup consists of four different models, with two sporting Intel CPUs and two featuring AMD Ryzen processors. The company wasn’t clear on which specific AMD Ryzen chips would be utilized, but it did disclose that they would sport a 65W TDP.

Each of the two Intel ZBox Magnus offerings sport different CPUs and GPUs, with the Magnus EK51060 featuring an Intel Core i5-7300HQ and a Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 Mini. The Magnus EK71070 sports an Intel Core i7-7700HQ. Both offer support for Intel Optane memory with an M.2 2242/2260/2280 slot.

Over on the AMD side of the ZBox spectrum, the new Magnus ER51060 features an undisclosed AMD Ryzen CPU and a GTX 1060; the new ER51070 sports a Zotac GTX 1070 Mini. If the naming convention of each model is any indication of the hardware inside (see the Intel models), the CPUs will likely be Ryzen 5 chips.

All of the new ZBox Magnus PCs feature an M.2 slot for PCIe or SATA SSDs, a 2.5” drive bay, and support for up to 32GB (2x16GB) of DDR4-2400 SODIMM memory. There’s also four USB 3.0 ports, two USB 3.1 ports (one Type-A, one Type-C), and a 3-in-1 card reader. Network connectivity is provided by two gigabit Ethernet ports and 802.11ac WiFi. For display output, the new ZBox Magnus PCs sport the same outputs as the GPUs; three DisplayPort 1.4 interfaces, an HDMI 2.0 port, and a DVI-D connector.

Pricing and availability for the new ZBox Magnus mini PCs is still undetermined.

Derek Forrest contributed to this report

Dell Launches AMD-Powered Inspiron Gaming Desktop

Alongside their new all-in-ones, Dell is also taking the wraps off of a new gaming desktop tower this morning. Dubbed the Inspiron Gaming Desktop, the new gaming-focused system is aimed at budget-conscious gamers with a starting price of $599.

Right off the bat then, the specs turn out to be quite interesting. Instead of using Intel chips, the system will be powered by a selection of AMD processors, from the 7th-gen quad-core AMD A10-9700 APU on the low end to the more-powerful 3.8-GHz AMD Ryzen 7 1700 CPU on the high end. The choice of AMD’s processors makes sense for the low-end configuration given the budget pricing, while at the higher-end it’s an interesting show of faith on Dell’s part (though equally likely, they want to use the same motherboard throughout the line).

For graphics cards, you have a choice between an AMD Radeon RX 560 GPU with 2GB of VRAM or a faster, Radeon RX 580. Or you can go the NVIDIA route and get a GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB of VRAM. Dell is also offering a dual-GPU option, though outside of perhaps VR (which of course, Dell is promoting here as well), I’d argue a single GTX 1080 would be a better choice.

Memory configurations start at 4GB, maxing out at 32GB DDR4 memory. Dell’s offering several storage options, running the gamut from a 3.5-inch 500GB hard drive to a 256GB M.2 SSD. Keep in mind that the tower has five additional bays, so you can upgrade to your heart’s content. Meanwhile in another surprising move for a gaming desktop, Dell is offering both Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux as OS options.

As for the tower itself, at first glance you wouldn’t be shocked if you found the Inspiron Gaming squirrelled discreetly away in someone’s office. The 30.1 pound, 18.1 x 8.5 x 17.2-inch chassis is made of gray anodized aluminum with black plastic vents positioned along the sides on a slant. Dell lets you show off the system’s gamer aesthetics by enabling the optional polar blue LED lighting that will emanate from between the vents. Meanwhile for cooling, the Inspiron Gaming Desktop will surprisingly offer both air and liquid cooling solutions.

Wrapping things up, like the other devices Dell has announced today, the Inspiron Gaming Desktop is launching immediately, and should be available later today on Dell’s website.

Sherri Smith Contributed to this Report