Test Drive: SLJ reviews the Lenovo ThinkCentre M58p Desktop PC

Wow, I can’t believe I’m kicking it old school and actually reviewing a desktop PC. It seems like years since I’ve looked at any computing device that wasn’t a mini-netbook or some eco-friendly, Webcentric, Linux-based thingy. So what’s been going on with desktop computing while my eyes have been off the ball? Apparently, the same evolutionary forces that have spawned alternative computing devices have also been at work reshaping traditional ones.

With 2GB of RAM, an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 processor running at 3 GHz, and a 160GB hard disk, the Lenovo M58p desktop is brawny enough to store and process all the routine applications and files business or education can throw at it. Plus, it’ll go above and beyond, helping your avatar prance nimbly through the virtual worlds of Second Life, for instance, or pushing the pixels needed for moderate-demand gaming. (Add a video card and you should be able to run graphics-intensive games and video applications.) The new wrinkle on this powerful desktop is that it’s leaner and greener at the same time.

For one, there’s the machine’s relatively low power consumption, coupled with Lenovo’s innovative ThinkVantage power management. An energy-efficient machine right out of the box, the M58p’s ThinkVantage system lets you manage power settings locally or centrally, allowing networked machines, for example, to be automatically shut down on evenings and weekends. The compact desktop’s small footprint has earned at least three major green certifications for low power consumption, low impact on indoor air quality, high recyclability, and the absence of nasty toxins like arsenic, lead, and mercury. The optional peripherals are green, too. The lovely L1940p 19" widescreen LCD monitor, for example, is said to consume about 30 percent less power than a conventional model and you can opt to order the PC with a keyboard made largely from recycled materials. Heck, even the packaging is eco-friendly.

For a desktop that’s environmentally friendly without compromising on features, consider the Lenovo M58p (also know as the 7449).