Nehalem momentum
Lenovo is the second PC maker to adopt Intel's yet to be launched Nehalem server/workstation processors - the 5500 series - after Apple got the ball rolling at the start of this month.
The 5500 series isn't due to be officially launched until next week and is the long anticipated server/workstation of Intel's Nehalem CPU architecture, which has been available as the desktop brand Core i7 since late last year.
The Thinkstation S20 and D20 are intended for compute and graphics intensive applications like computer-aided design and digital content creation. For this reason Lenovo is providing the option of adding the NVIDIA Tesla C1060 GPU platform for ‘personal supercomputing'. The option of ATI FirePro professional graphics is also given.
Here's Lenovo's list of features:
- Choices of the latest Intel Xeon processors 5500 and W3500 Series for increased efficiency and performance with optional Intel Turbo Boost technology for extra performance during peak processing
- Choices of the latest NVIDIA Quadro line of professional graphics cards or optional ATI FirePro graphics
- Certifications from leading independent software vendors to help ensure compatibility between workstations and major applications
- Preloaded with Windows Vista with support for RedHat Enterprise Linux 5.2.
- ThinkVantage Technologies to help with tasks such as data recovery, data migration and more
Lenovo said the ThinkStation S20 and D20 will be available in 1Q, which must mean pretty soon. Prices start at $1,070 and $1,550, respectively.
We can expect to see a bunch of workstation and server launches in the next week or two, coinciding with Intel launching the 5500 series.
