ThinkStation P series

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The ThinkStation P-Series is an award-winning range of professional stationary workstations from the world's leading Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo . The model variants of the ThinkStation P series, which have been available since summer 2014, are currently the most powerful desktop computers in the Lenovo range and are designed for professional applications with high demands on computing speed, storage space and reliability.

The four model variants P300, P500, P700 and P900, belonging to the first generation of the ThinkStation P series, replaced the previous ThinkStation C30, D30 and S30 models. The entry-level P300 was released in June 2014. The other, technically more powerful model variants followed in August 2014 at the annual SIGGRAPH conference in Vancouver, Canada and only use the latest Intel Xeon processors .

In spring 2016, the P300 entry-level model was replaced by the P310 successor. The ThinkStation P310 is the first model of the second generation of the ThinkStation P series. In June 2016, the P500 model was replaced by the P510 successor. At the same time, a new model variant of the ThinkStation P series, the P410, was released, which should close the gap in the workstation portfolio between the entry-level model and the high-end models from Lenovo in terms of performance and price. Further successor models - the ThinkStation P710 and P910 - have already been announced by Lenovo's marketing department. Their market launch is planned for the further course of 2016.

On the world market, the ThinkStation P series is currently competing in its device class, particularly with the HP-Z model series from the US market leader Hewlett-Packard and the Precision Tower series from the US supplier Dell . Other competitors are the Japanese workstation supplier NEC Corporation and Fujitsu with the models of the Celsius series.

history

development

IBM ThinkCentre S50, model of the ThinkStation P series (2004)

The development of the ThinkStation P-series began in 2010 and lasted four years. According to Victor Rios, deputy chairman of the board and general manager of the workstation department of Lenovo, the ThinkStation P-series was designed with the consideration of customer requirements and is technically based on a further development of the previous model ThinkStation S30. With the help of a special ThinkStation app , a hardware error diagnosis can be carried out in the event of a malfunction via a smartphone or tablet that is connected externally via USB cable and operated with the Android operating system.

Design philosophy

The design philosophy adopted in the development of the ThinkStation P series goes back to the ThinkCentre system architecture introduced by IBM in 2003 and acquired by Lenovo in 2005 . It found expression in models with a hinged case like the ThinkCentre S50 (see photo on the right) and is geared towards high performance, reliability and easy maintenance. All central system components and expansions such as CPUs , graphics cards , hard disks , solid-state drives , power supplies , etc. can be exchanged without the use of tools ( "toolless design" ), so that no in-depth technical knowledge is required for hardware upgrades there are significant downtimes. For this purpose, the models of the ThinkStation P series have a "modular design" that makes it easier to change individual system components through the use of red touch points.

By means of a system of prefabricated modules that can be exchanged ex works or after commissioning - the so-called "FLEX components" - the models of the ThinkStation P series can be adapted to individual configuration requirements. On the front, one of the externally accessible drive bays, the so-called "FLEX bay", can optionally be equipped with an optical drive in standard size or the so-called "FLEX module", which includes an optical drive in slimline design, various card readers, for example for SD cards , or FireWire connections. With the so-called "FLEX-Trays", the ThinkStation P-Series also has specially designed drive bays inside the housing to accommodate one internal 3½-inch or two internal 2½-inch hard drives of different types ( HDD , SSHD , SSD ) and storage capacity per bay . In addition, by using the so-called "FLEX connector", a PCI mezzanine card connected directly to the motherboard , several standard PCIe slots can be saved on the motherboard.

Market success

At the time the ThinkStation P-series was launched, Lenovo's market share in the global workstation segment was 11.7 percent. This put the Chinese computer manufacturer in third place, ahead of its Japanese competitors Fujitsu and NEC, while the US market leaders Hewlett-Packard claimed 45.8 percent and Dell 36.6 percent of the stationary and mobile workstations sold worldwide. In the fourth quarter of 2014, Lenovo was able to increase its own market share to 13.5 percent and thus slightly narrow the gap to Hewlett-Packard with 44.6 percent and Dell with 35.8 percent. In the first quarter of 2015, however, Lenovo's market share temporarily fell back to 11.2 percent, while the competitors Hewlett-Packard were able to claim 46.6 percent and Dell 35.3 percent for themselves. In the second quarter of 2015, Lenovo increased its market share for workstations again to 13.2 percent, while Hewlett-Packard was 43.1 percent and Dell was 37.9 percent. These data suggest that the ThinkStation P-Series has made a significant contribution to consolidating and expanding Lenovo's market position in the workstation segment, even if the exact number of units sold is not known as the available statistics do not distinguish between mobile and stationary Differentiate between workstations.

World market shares of leading workstation manufacturers since the introduction of the ThinkStation P series
quarter units sold
workstations total
HP market share
Dell market share
Lenovo market share		 Units sold
Lenovo Workstations
3/2014 930.894 45.8% 36.6% 11.7% 108,915
4/2014 946.089 44.6% 35.8% 13.5% 127,722
1/2015 838,400 46.6% 35.3% 11.2% 93.901
2/2015 929,850 43.1% 37.9% 13.2% 122,740

hardware

All model variants of the ThinkStation P series have a matching housing design with the honeycomb-like ventilation slots on the front of the housing that are typical of Lenovo's Think products. Furthermore, all model variants are designed for exceptionally reliable ECC memory modules ( "Error Correcting Code" ) that work with error correction coding and professional, high-performance graphics cards from the Nvidia Quadro series. All models of the ThinkStation P series also have a modular design with different configuration options for storage devices, card readers and additional interfaces. With regard to the number of CPUs, chipset, DDR memory technology, case size, cooling system, interfaces, power supply unit, expandability and price, the individual model variants differ considerably.

Chipset Intel C612

The Intel C612 chipset, which is compatible with the fast DDR4 SDRAM memory modules and is used in the larger model variants P500, P700 and P900, allows remote management of the respective ThinkStation including error diagnosis and regular maintenance via its Intel vPro technology. It also has Trusted Execution Technology (TXT), which guarantees a trustworthy runtime environment , and is expected to be available by 2021. In addition, the Intel C612 chipset allows a quick return from sleep mode ( "Rapid Start Technology" ) and has SATA hard disk management technology ( "Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise" ) geared towards professional applications with high data throughput and low fault tolerance . . It also has a total of 14 USB interfaces, eight of which are the older, slower USB 2.0 version and six are the more modern, faster USB 3.0 version. There are also ten SATA connections with a maximum data transfer rate of 6 GBit / s and an integrated LAN connection with a maximum data transfer rate of 1000 MBit / s (GigaBit Ethernet ). To connect the CPU and chipset C612 with peripheral devices, the motherboards of the ThinkStation P series are equipped with up to eight PCIe lanes.

Model variants

First generation

Apart from the entry-level model P300 models using the first generation of ThinkStation P series in Haswell running Intel Xeon processors E5 V3 family. In the P500, P700 and P900 models of the ThinkStation P series, the 2011-3 socket and the Intel C612 chipset (code name Wellsburg ) intended for industrial high-end computers are used. The ThinkStation P300, on the other hand, is equipped with the 1150 socket and uses processors from the Intel Core i series or Intel Xeon processors from the E3 V3 family that are implemented in Intel Haswell micro-architecture. The ThinkStation P300 also uses the Intel C226 chipset (code name Denlow ), which is designed for use in small and medium-sized companies .

ThinkStation P300

The ThinkStation P300, which was brought to market in June 2014, is the most cost-effective entry-level model of the ThinkStation P series for compute-intensive applications with medium data volumes, with an introductory price of US $ 729 in the basic configuration. In addition to a tower version with a capacity of 25 liters, the ThinkStation P300 was also offered in a more compact SFF version ( “small form factor” ) with a mini tower and a capacity of just 12.9 liters.

Both P300 variants have a CPU with DDR3 ECC SDRAM support and a motherboard in Micro-ATX format with an area of ​​244 mm × 244 mm. The dual-channel memory, which has four slots, can be expanded to up to 32 GB. In the most powerful configuration, this model variant could be equipped with a four-core main processor of the type Intel Xeon E3-1280 V3 with a base clock frequency of 3.6 gigahertz, 8 megabytes of cache and a thermal power loss of 82 watts.

ThinkStation P500

The ThinkStation P500 is a mid-range workstation for compute-intensive applications with large data volumes. Due to its versatility, expandability and high reliability at a comparatively low purchase price, it is considered a workhorse or all-purpose weapon ( Swiss army knife ) of the ThinkStation P series.

The ThinkStation P500 has a motherboard with an area of ​​334 mm × 300 mm. The four-channel memory, which has eight slots, can be expanded to up to 512 GB. This model is equipped with a CPU with DDR4-ECC-SDRAM support and, in the most powerful configuration, can be equipped with an 18-core main processor of the type Intel Xeon E5-2699 V3 with a base clock frequency of 2.3 gigahertz, 45 megabytes cache and a thermal power dissipation of 145 watts.

ThinkStation P700

The ThinkStation P700 is a high-end workstation for very compute-intensive applications with a very large data volume.

The ThinkStation P700 has a motherboard with an area of ​​334 mm × 378.5 mm. The four-channel memory, which has twelve slots, can be expanded to up to 768 GB. This model can optionally be equipped with one or two CPUs with DDR4 ECC SDRAM support. In the most powerful configuration, two 18-core main processors of the type Intel Xeon E5-2699 V3 can be used.

ThinkStation P900

The ThinkStation P900 is an ultra-high-end workstation for extremely compute-intensive applications with extremely large data volumes.

The ThinkStation P900 also has a motherboard with an area of ​​334 mm × 378.5 mm. The four-channel memory with 16 slots can be expanded up to 1 TB. This model has two CPUs with DDR4 ECC SDRAM support and, in the most powerful configuration, can also be equipped with two 18-core main processors of the type Intel Xeon E5-2699 V3.

Overview of the first generation ThinkStation P-series models
model length width height volume Weight CPU
count		 CPU
cores		 ECC SDRAM
memory type
Full memory expansion		 USB 2.0
ports		 USB 3.0
ports		 PCI (e)
connectors		 (e) SATA
connectors		 fan
number		 power adapter
P300
(mini tower)		 383 mm 102 mm 375 mm 12.9 l 7.8 kg 1 2-4 DDR3-1600MHz 32 GB 2 × external 6 × external 2 × x16 PCIe 3.0 2 × SATA 2.0
2 × SATA 3.0
1 × eSATA 2.0		 3 240 W
P300 425.2 mm 175 mm 431 mm 25 l 12 kg 1 2-4 DDR3-1600MHz 32 GB 2 × external 6 × external 2 × x16 PCIe 3.0 2 × SATA 2.0
2 × SATA 3.0
1 × eSATA 2.0		 3 450 W
480 W
P500 440 mm 175 mm 440 mm 36 l 13 kg 1 4-18 DDR4-2133MHz 512 GB 4 × external
2 × internal		 8 × external
1 × internal		 2 × x16 PCIe 3.0
1 × x4 PCIe 3.0
1 × x4 PCIe 2.0
1 × x1 PCIe 2.0
1 × PCI 3.0		 7 × SATA 3.0
1 × eSATA 3.0		 7th 490 W
650 W
850 W.
P700 440 mm 175 mm 440 mm 36 l 13 kg 1-2 4-36 DDR4-2133MHz 768 GB 4 × external
2 × internal		 8 × external
1 × internal		 3 × x16 PCIe 3.0
1 × x8 PCIe 3.0
1 × x4 PCIe 2.0
1 × PCI 3.0		 7 × SATA 3.0
1 × eSATA 3.0		 7th 490 W
650 W
850 W.
P900 620 mm 200 mm 440 mm 55 l 32.4 kg 2 8-36 DDR4-2133MHz 1 TB 4 × external
2 × internal		 8 × external
1 × internal		 4 × x16 PCIe 3.0
2 × x4 PCIe 2.0
2 × x1 PCIe 2.0		 8 × SATA 3.0
1 × eSATA 3.0		 7th 1,300 W

Second generation

The first model of the second generation of the ThinkStation P series was brought to market in spring 2016. All models of the second generation are to be equipped with Intel Xeon processors of the E3-V5 or E5-V4 family with DDR4-ECC-SDRAM support, which are implemented in Intel Broadwell micro-architecture.

ThinkStation P310

The P310 model replaced the original P300 entry-level model in spring 2016. In the most powerful configuration, the device can be equipped with a four-core main processor of the type Intel Xeon E3-1280 V5 with a base clock frequency of 3.7 gigahertz, 8 megabytes of cache and a thermal power loss of 80 watts.

ThinkStation P410

According to Lenovo, the P410 model released in June 2016 closes the "gap between workstations for beginners and standard tasks". In the highest configuration, the P410 model can optionally be equipped with eight-core main processors of the type Intel Xeon E5-2620 V4 with a base clock frequency of 2.1 gigahertz, 20 megabytes cache and a thermal power loss of 85 watts or with a six-core -Main processors of the type Intel Xeon E5-1650 V4 with a base clock frequency of 3.6 gigahertz, 15 megabytes of cache and a thermal power loss of 140 watts.

ThinkStation P510

The release of the P510 model is expected in the second quarter of 2016.

ThinkStation P710

The release of the P710 model is expected in the second quarter of 2016. The case is largely the same as that of the previous model. In the most powerful configuration, the device can be equipped with two 22-core main processors of the type Intel Xeon E5-2699 V4 with a base clock frequency of 2.2 gigahertz, 55 megabytes of cache and a thermal power loss of 145 watts.

ThinkStation P910

The release of the P910 model is expected in the second quarter of 2016. The housing is largely identical to that of the previous model. In the most powerful configuration, the device can be equipped with two 22-core main processors of the type Intel Xeon E5-2699 V4 with a base clock frequency of 2.2 gigahertz, 55 megabytes of cache and a thermal power loss of 145 watts.

software

The models of the ThinkStation P series run ex works with the widespread operating systems Windows 7 , Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 from the US software manufacturer Microsoft .

The ThinkStation P series is geared towards computing and memory-intensive CAD applications and simulations in the fields of architecture , civil engineering , mechanical engineering , electrical engineering , finance and energy, as well as the production and editing of high-resolution digital video films and animations.

reception

“The new P-series models are also among the best-cooled desktop systems thanks to their special design in the form of a triple duct system and the use of special air baffles. The cooling air flow is directed directly to the critical components. At the same time, warm air is automatically guided past the heat-sensitive components without coming into contact with them. "( CADplace , November 4, 2014)

In October 2014, the ThinkStation P-Series received the Silver Edge Award from the editorial staff of the American trade magazine Computer Graphics World .

Web links

Commons : Lenovo  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Data Sheets

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Anonymous: Lenovo Think P Series Workstation Launch. (No longer available online.) In: Industry Shorty Awards 2014 . Archived from the original on May 17, 2015 ; Retrieved June 4, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / industry.shortyawards.com
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Lenovo is setting new standards with the ThinkStations of the P series. (No longer available online.) In: CADplace . November 4, 2014, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; accessed on June 1, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cadplace.de
  3. ↑ a b c d e Ebenezer Obeng-Nyarkoh u. Michael Shirer: Worldwide Certified Workstation Market Continued to Grow in the Third Quarter of 2014, According to IDC. (No longer available online.) November 5, 2014, archived from the original on September 29, 2015 ; Retrieved September 18, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.idc.com
  4. ↑ a b c d e Ebenezer Obeng-Nyarkoh u. Michael Shirer: Traditional Desktop Workstations Continue to Drive Worldwide Certified Workstations Growth in 2014, According to IDC. (No longer available online.) February 11, 2015, formerly in the original ; Retrieved September 18, 2015 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.idc.com  
  5. ↑ a b c d e Ebenezer Obeng-Nyarkoh u. Michael Shirer: Overall Certified Workstation Growth Was More Disappointing Than Expected in the First Quarter of 2015, According to IDC. (No longer available online.) May 6, 2015, archived from the original on May 8, 2015 ; Retrieved September 18, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.idc.com
  6. ↑ a b c d e Catherine Knowles: HP, Dell and Lenovo lead 'disappointing' workstations market. In: ChannelLive NZ . August 7, 2015, accessed September 18, 2015 .
  7. ↑ Anonymous: This is where Intel chipsets differ in detail. In: Sona Knowledge Base . January 19, 2015, accessed June 7, 2015 .
  8. ↑ Anonymous: Industrial-Grade ATX Mainboard with Intel C612 Chipset. (No longer available online.) In: RTC Magazine . March 2015, archived from the original on July 10, 2015 ; Retrieved June 7, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / rtcmagazine.com
  9. ↑ a b c Intel Corporation: Intel C612 Chipset. Retrieved June 12, 2015 .
  10. ↑ ThinkStation P500 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 3.
  11. ↑ ThinkStation P700 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 2.
  12. ↑ ThinkStation P900 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 2.
  13. ↑ a b ThinkStation P300 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 3.
  14. ↑ Jane McEntegart: Lenovo Unveils ThinkStation P300 in SFF and Tower form. In: Tom's Hardware . May 12, 2014, accessed July 15, 2015 .
  15. ↑ Ricky Grove: The Lenovo P300 SFF Workstation Review. In: Renderosity . Retrieved July 15, 2015 .
  16. ↑ ThinkStation P300 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 10.
  17. ↑ Anonymous: Lenovo's Workhorse: the ThinkStation P500. In: CADplace . Retrieved June 6, 2015 .
  18. ↑ ThinkStation P500 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 2.
  19. ↑ ThinkStation P500 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 3.
  20. ↑ ThinkStation P500 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 7.
  21. ↑ ThinkStation P700 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 2.
  22. ↑ ThinkStation P700 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 3.
  23. ↑ ThinkStation P700 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 6.
  24. ↑ ThinkStation P900 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 2.
  25. ↑ ThinkStation P900 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 3.
  26. ↑ ThinkStation P900 Specifications. Edited by Lenovo Group Ltd. (2015), p. 6.
  27. ↑ Intel Corporation: Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1280 v5 (8M Cache, 3.70 GHz). In: Intel® Xeon® Processor E3 v5 Family . Retrieved May 12, 2016 .
  28. ↑ Lenovo Group Ltd: ThinkStation P410 Workstation. Retrieved August 6, 2016 .
  29. ↑ Intel Corporation: Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2620 v4 (20M Cache, 2.10 GHz). In: Intel® Xeon® Processor E5 v4 Family . Retrieved August 6, 2016 .
  30. ↑ Intel Corporation: Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-1650 v4 (15M Cache, 3.60 GHz). In: Intel® Xeon® Processor E5 v4 Family . Retrieved August 6, 2016 .
  31. ↑ a b Josh Mings: Lenovo Yanks Off Warm-ups, Flexes Powerful P710 & P910 Workstations. In: SolidSmack.com . March 31, 2016, accessed May 12, 2016 .
  32. ↑ a b Anton Shilov: Lenovo Upgrades 2-Way ThinkStation Workstations with Xeon E5 v4 CPUs. In: AnandTech.com . April 1, 2016, accessed May 13, 2016 .
  33. ↑ a b Intel Corporation: Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2699 v4 (55M Cache, 2.20 GHz). In: Intel® Xeon® Processor E5 v4 Family . Retrieved May 13, 2016 .
  34. ↑ Anonymous: CGW Names Silver Edge Award Winners. In: Computer Graphics World . 2014, accessed June 1, 2015 .