Lenovo's Latest ThinkStation Is A Diminutive Workhorse

Lenovo has just unveiled the next entry in its ThinkStation line of computers, and this time around, it's a really interesting PC — a small form-factor workstation. Made to serve professionals from all kinds of fields ranging from design to data analysis and machine learning, the Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra puts a beefy, powerful PC inside a very small case that you can always take with you if you tend to work away from home. Lenovo teamed up with industry giants to make the new ThinkStation, ensuring that you get all the latest components — and the workstation can be configured to become even more powerful than the base model. 

As Lenovo notes in its announcement of the new PC, the P360 Ultra belongs in its own class due to its unusually small size. The chassis is less than 4L in total volume and its measurements are truly minuscule — 3.4 inches in width, 8.7 in depth, and 7.9 in height. It weighs just under four pounds. All of that put together means that the P360 Ultra is around half the size of the usual small form-factor desktop workstation, but despite cutting back on the size, the company didn't have to compromise where specifications are concerned.

Desktop workstations are usually made to be more powerful than your standard gaming PC. Lenovo advertises its latest release as a beast capable of running highly advanced software, such as CAD and BIM applications. It can also tackle computer-intensive tasks, ranging from virtual and mixed reality experiences to content creation and processing large datasets. Whether you're an architect, a 3D designer, or an engineer, you could most likely use the P360 Ultra in your line of work.

Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra is the fruit of Lenovo's collaboration with NVIDIA. You can customize the PC with one of NVIDIA's graphics cards, including up to an NVIDIA RTX A5000 mobile with 16GB of VRAM or an NVIDIA RTX A2000 with 12GB of VRAM. However, to fit such a powerful GPU inside a small chassis and not have it overheat, Lenovo and NVIDIA had to get creative about the thermals and the fit. As a result, we expect the temperatures to be kept at bay in this workstation, and that's crucial for such a small PC with so little natural airflow.

The P360 Ultra also comes decked out with a 12th-Gen Intel Core processor and can be configured to include an up to Core i9 with 16 cores and a clock speed of 5.2GHz. Installing the CPU inside the small chassis also required some creativity and collaboration between the two manufacturers, resulting in the use of a dual-sided motherboard for increased airflow. Upgrading to an Alder Lake (12th-Gen Intel) processor also marks an important step in terms of memory — the P360 Ultra supports the latest DDR5 RAM. Users will be able to get up to 128GB of DDR5 memory. Despite DDR5 RAM, the P360 Ultra still sticks to PCIe Gen 4, and offers two slots that amount to an up to 8TB of M.2 storage. There's also a 2.5-inch SATA slot for an additional 1TB of storage.

In addition to keeping things compact, Lenovo seems to have emphasized connectivity when designing its new workstation. The little PC can support up to eight displays, all connected simultaneously. It's also the only desktop workstation that offers dual onboard Ethernet ports. This is rounded up by the addition of two Thunderbolt 4/USB Type-C ports, a total of five USB Gen 2 Type-A ports, three DisplayPorts, and an audio combo jack. You can also expect support for the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard.

The P360 Ultra is set to release shortly, with Lenovo saying it would be "later this month" — implying it would still be in June. The base configuration will arrive priced at $1,299, but of course, the prices will only go up as you upgrade the PC with better components. Although the real performance of the workstation is yet to be seen, the specifications point to a fairly powerful PC locked inside a tiny chassis. As long as Lenovo has succeeded in keeping the temperatures reasonable even during intense workloads, the ThinkStation P360 Ultra could prove to be a real gem for professionals who find value in its compact size.