Lenovo quietly debuts Apple Mac Studio rival with AI-powered ThinkCenter Neo Ultra mini PC, but misses a trick by using only Intel Core processors
Originally unveiled at CES 2024, the Lenovo ThinkCenter Neo Ultra is the company’s first ultra-small desktop aimed specifically at SMBs looking to harness the power of AI without spending a fortune.
When it was announced, we knew the device would feature an Intel Core i9 processor, but we didn’t know which one. We also knew it would feature an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM.
Lenovo has made the ThinkCenter Neo Ultra available to buy now, and it’s filled in the specs gap. Buyers can choose from a range of Intel’s 14th-generation processors, from the i5-14500 to the i9-14900T. Unfortunately, there’s no AMD variant available.
Now available… in Australia
As you’d expect, the ThinkCenter Neo Ultra, which measures 195 x 191 x 108 mm (3.6L), features a wide array of ports. Around the front, you’ll find two USB-A (USB 10 Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 2) ports, one of which supports 5V@2.1A charging, a headphone/mic combo jack (3.5 mm), and a USB-C (USB 20 Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 2×2) port for data transfer only. The rear panel is equipped with two USB-A ports (USB 10 Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 2), two USB-A ports (USB 5 Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 1), an HDMI 2.1 TMDS port, an Ethernet port (GbE RJ-45), an HDMI 2.1a FRL port, and four DisplayPort 1.4a ports.
There are optional punch-out ports on the rear that can be configured with one of the following options: VGA (dust off your old CRT monitor!), DisplayPort, HDMI, or USB-C with DisplayPort capability for the first punch-out and VGA, DisplayPort, HDMI, or 2.5GbE RJ-45 for the second.
It can come with both Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, and comes with four M.2 slots – one for Wi-Fi, one for an AI card, and two for SSDs. The system also includes up to four thermal fans to keep everything cool, which is one more than the original specs indicated.
Right now, the ThinkCenter Neo Ultra is only available in Australia, where the standard configuration, with an i5-14500 CPU, RTX 4060 GPU and 16GB of DDR5 RAM, will set you back a pretty penny. 3,299 Australian Dollars ($2,223), which is about the same price as an Apple Mac Studio with M2 Max. It will undoubtedly be made available in other territories in the coming months. Interestingly, this model is labeled as “Gen 1,” suggesting that Lenovo plans to release updated versions in the future.