Lenovo ThinkCentre M92z

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M92z is a very good Windows 7 all-in-one business desktop. It's got quad core power, plenty of system memory, and a responsive two-point touch screen. Unfortunately, Windows 8 is right around the corner with new requirements that the system doesn't quite match.

Design and Features
The M92z is built out of standard black ThinkCentre plastic, and it looks essentially like a monitor with built-in speakers. It's very corporate-looking, matching the Lenovo components and ThinkPads you may have around your office. The system's 23-inch screen has a two-finger touch screen using the more established infrared touch technology, rather than the newer capacitive touch found on newer PCs. This isn't a problem for most business use, as corporate IT departments are unlikely to switch to Windows 8 anytime soon. Touch functionality on Windows 8 is optimized for five to ten point touch screens.

The screen is sunken into the bezel because of the IR sensors, which is less clean looking than the seamless capacitive screens like that of the M92z's consumer cousin, the Lenovo IdeaCentre A720 ($1,449 list, 4 stars) . That said, the touch screen was responsive, and the system's IPS panel was bright and visible from a wide angle. The system came mounted to a height-adjustable, pivoting and tilting monitor stand that tilted far back enough that standing users could comfortably use the system while standing. This is good for kiosk and POS (point of sale) applications like in a retial environment.

The M92z came with a wireless keyboard and mouse, which can be stowed if they're not needed. The keyboard in particular was comfortable to use and the keys felt great to type upon due to their concave, semi-oval shape. The keyboard/mouse combo uses a USB wireless dongle, which fits in one of the system's four USB 2.0 ports on the back panel. Alongside the USB 2.0 ports on the back are an Ethernet port, DisplayPort-in, DisplayPort-out, and a Kensington lock port. DisplayPort-out is useful for connecting a second monitor, while DisplayPort-in can support an additional laptop (provided it has DisplayPort) or desktop. DisplayPort-in can also extend the life of the system, since it can act like a monitor after the rest of the system has been deemed obsolete. We would like to see HDMI-in to support other devices, but since the ThinkCentre line is so business-oriented, the lack of HDMI is not a deal breaker.

Two USB 3.0 ports, audio jacks, plus a SD-based media card slot are on the left side. The system's tray-loading DVD drive is on the right side of the system. The webcam on top of the screen has a physical shutter, so you can be assured the camera is off when you're not using it. That's important for businesses with privacy policies, like government offices. It matches the innovative webcam shutter system we saw on the Lenovo ThinkCentre M71z ($917 direct, 4 stars) .

Like most Lenovo business systems, the M92z comes free of extra icons on the desktop. There are a few programs built into the system's SimpleTap touch-oriented interface, but you have to manually turn that on for the first time. You'll find eBay, Kayak, PayPal, and other services there. It's not ideal, but at least Lenovo made an effort to make some of the services work in the touch interface. It's certainly a better solution than putting a dozen extra icons all over the system.

Performance
The M92z comes with an Intel Core i7-3770S processor, 8GB of memory, a 1TB hard drive, and Intel HD Graphics 4000. The combo is good enough for a 3,872 point score on PCMark 7, a test of the system's day-to-day performance. This is slightly faster than our midrange all in one Editors' Choice, the Asus ET2701INKI-B046C ($1,399 list, 4 stars) (3,512 points) , which has the same processor (but less memory). Both certainly outperform the aging Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,199 list, 4.5 stars) (2,581 points) . Odd, since Apple is continuing to sell this model even though it is over a year old.

The M92z also did well on our multimedia tests: 1 minute 8 seconds on our Handbrake video test, 2:51 on our Photoshop CS5 test. The CS5 test in particular was fast for all-in-one PCs;p only the Asus ET2701INKI-B046C can match it. Systems like the recently reviewed Toshiba LX835-D3230 ($999 list, 3.5 stars) (1:17 Handbrake, 3:20 CS5) lagged behind the M92z. The 3D performance is as to be expected from an integrated Intel HD system: good for video, but only passable to poor for challenging 3D games like Crysis or Lost Planet 2. The system is fine playing casual games like Angry Birds or MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M92z is a very good all-in-one PC for business. The system we tested came with 8GB of memory and a 1TB hard drive, so it can support even content creation workers like web layout folks and desktop publishing. It's certainly more than a match for the aging Apple iMac 21.5-inch platform and other utilitarian systems like the Toshiba LX835 series. However, its lack of 10-finger touch is likely to be a significant factor in future Windows 8 rollouts, so the system's eventual useful life has to be tempered by that omission. (That said, you can always use a Windows 8 optomized keyboard and mouse, but it's not the same as having a 10-point-touch screen.) It's not terrible: The system is one of the better Windows 7 touch-screen PCs out there. But the lack of 10-finger touch hold it back from unseating systems like the Asus ET2701INKI-B046C, our current midrange all in one Editors' Choice systems.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Lenovo ThinkCentre M92z with several other desktops side by side.

More desktop reviews:
??? Lenovo ThinkCentre M92z
??? Dell OptiPlex 9010 Small Form Factor
??? Toshiba LX835-D3230
??? Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tiny
??? Vizio 27-inch All-in-One PC (CA27-A1)
?? more

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