IdeaCentre A series
Lenovo’s IdeaCentre A Series is a line of all-in-one desktops designed primarily for home use and the consumer PC segment. The sections below describe the IdeaCentre A Series desktops, categorized by their year of release.
2014
A740
Lenovo released the IdeaCentre A740 in 2014. The A740 is an all-in-one desktop computer with a 27-inch touchscreen supporting 10-finger multitouch. The top-of-the line version has a WQHD resolution (2560x1440) and comes with the Intel Core i7-4558U quad-core (low-voltage) processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M graphics card in addition to the internal Intel HD graphics processor. The 1TB harddrive is a Solid State Hybrid Drive which includes an 8GB SSD.
2013
A730
Lenovo released the IdeaCentre A730 in 2013. The A730 is an all-in-one desktop computer with a 27-inch touchscreen, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M graphics card.
2012
A720
Lenovo released the IdeaCentre A720 in 2012. The A720 is an all-in-one desktop computer with a 27-inch touchscreen.
2011
The ThinkCentre A Series desktops released by Lenovo in 2011 were the A700 and the A320.
A700
Released in March 2011, the A700 all-in-one desktop was equipped with an Intel i-720QM 1.60 GHz processor, 8GB DDR3 SDRAM, a 23-inch display with a maximum resolution of 1920x1080 and multitouch features, 1TB SATA II 7200 RPM hard disk drive, and AMD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 discrete graphics.[1] The A700 also came with Dolby stereo sound and JBL speakers, had dimensions of 16.9 x 22.4 x 2.8 inches and weighed 32.6 pounds.[1] The pros of the desktop were listed as the large screen with multi-touch capabilities, the TV tuner and the HDMI IN port.[1] The cons were listed as the ‘quirky’ touchscreen and the speakers.[1]
A320
The A320 was the successor to the A310 and Lenovo’s slimmest AIO at the time.[2] The desktop was 18mm thick at its thinnest point.[2] The desktop also offered a 1080p 21.5 inch display, options for an Intel Core i3 or Core i5 Sandy Bridge processor.[2] Other specifications on the desktop included up to 8GB of RAM, a 750GB hard disk drive, and a built-in TV tuner.[2] Users could watch TV without booting the operating system.[2]
2010
The IdeaCentre A Series desktops released in 2010 were the A300 and the A310.
A300
Released in June 2010, the IdeaCentre A300 desktop was described by Engadget as “gorgeous” and “attention-grabbing”.[3] The desktop included an Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard disk drive, Intel GMA X4500 integrated HD graphics.[4] The desktop was described by PCMag as being appropriate for digital entertainment requirements (like movies and audio) but not 3D games.[4] The desktop did not include an optical drive, or a remote for the Media Center and TV features.[4] The IdeaCentre A310 was awarded four of five stars by PCMag.[4]
A310
Released in November 2010, the IdeaCentre A310 desktop represented an update to the A300.[5] The chassis was the same as the A300, with a slim screen and components contained in the base.[5] To compensate for the lack of a built-in optical drive, an external optical drive was included with the desktop.[5] However, the external optical drive did not support reading/writing Blu-ray discs.[5] Also, unlike the A300, a remote was included for the ATSC/HDTV tuner.[5] The IR receiver was not built into the AIO, however, and required a USB dongle to function correctly.[5]
2009
The IdeaCentre A Series desktop released in 2009 was the A600.
A600
The first desktop in Lenovo’s IdeaCentre A Series was the A600. It was an all-in-one (AIO). Engadget indicated that the launch was expected in late March or early April 2009,[6] since the AIOs were made available for orders on Lenovo’s Web site on March 25, 2009.[7] However, the actual launch occurred in May 2009.[6] Engadget reported that different reviewers agreed on the fact that the desktop offered good value for its price.[6] Two features indicated to be especially good value were the TV tuner and the remote that could be used as a controller and a VoIP handset.[6]
In its review of the A600 desktop, PCMag indicated that the desktop was better than large screen notebooks, offering a 16:9 21.5 inch widescreen, with a maximum resolution of 1920x1080.[8] The chassis thickness varied between 1 inch and 2.4 inches – the thickest area was below the screen, which contained the system components.[8] The desktop incorporated processors up to Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo, 3GB RAM, and Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics.[8]
References
- J. R. Nelson (8 March 2011). "Lenovo IdeaCentre A700 Review". Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- Joel Santo Domingo (4 January 2011). "Lenovo Updates IdeaCentre All-in-One Desktops". PC Magazine. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- Vlad Savov (20 June 2010). "Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 and Multimedia Keyboard review". Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- Joel Santo Domingo (19 July 2010). "Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 Review". PC Magazine.
- Joel Santo Domingo (23 November 2010). "Lenovo IdeaCentre A310 Review". PC Magazine. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- Ross Miller (21 May 2009). "Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 review roundup". Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- Darren Murph (25 March 2009). "Lenovo's IdeaCentre A600 now available to order, should ship soon". Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- Joel Santo Domingo (13 May 2009). "Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 Review". PC Magazine.