Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra Workstation

Description

There are a few options for graphics support depending on your application needs. In addition to the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 770, the Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra Workstation can also be outfitted with a number of NVIDIA’s mobile graphics cards. This system is independent software vendor (ISV) certified for a number of applications from software suppliers, including Autodesk, Avid, Bentley, Dassault Systems, and Siemens. It runs a single 12th generation Intel Core i9, i7 or i5 processor with up to 16 cores, and has a memory capacity of up to 128GB.

Depending on how this mini-Titan is configured and the associated operating system, it can support up to 8x monitors and features onboard Ethernet and WiFi 6E for super-fast networking connectivity. Surprisingly, it has passed 10 military grade MIL_SPEC STD-810H tests ensuring reliability in the harshest of environments with dramatic temperature variations and high-particulate counts. At only 3.4” x 8.7” x 7.9” it’s small enough to be easily carried between home and work and can easily fit into a backpack or hand-held bag. The system plugs into a standard outlet using an external PSU. Options include 170W, 230W, and 300W.

Performance

With a Socket V LGA 1700 CPU socket, this system is compatible with 12th generation Intel Core processors, including the Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and i9 series. It can provide up to 16 physical cores and 32 virtual threads when outfitted with a top-of-the-line Core i9-12900 vPro processor. These Intel Core processors offer a high clock rate of up to 5.2GHz, and are suitable for gaming applications making this a good cross-over platform for work and play! The system can be outfitted with an optional discrete graphics card or use Intel’s UHD Graphics 770, which is integrated with the CPU architecture.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra Workstation can support a maximum memory capacity of 128GB of DDR5 memory operating at speeds of up to 4000MHz. There are 4x memory module slots, with 2x supported on the CPU side of the motherboard and 2x more on the opposite side of the board with the storage components. Only small outline DIMMs or SODIMM modules with ECC and non-ECC options are supported. DDR5 DRAM modules support higher memory speeds and consume less power compared to DDR4 memory modules—they also offer a 27% increase in performance.

Storage

With the relatively small size of this system, it supports only a single 2.5-inch drive and up to 2x solid-state NVMe M.2 drives with dedicated PCIe slots on the system board. The M.2 drives can be RAIDed together at RAID levels of 0 or 1 for greater levels of performance or resiliency in the event of a drive failure and provide up to 8TB of storage.

Expansion

This little system features 2x PCIe slots with one full-height, full-length at 75W and the other full-height, half length at 25W. In additional to the PCIe slots there are plenty of ports for attaching various external devices, even 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Thunderbolt 4 Type C ports for ultra-fast data transfers. An M.2 module provides intel Wi-Fi at 6GHz or the WLAN can be connected using a PCIe module. There is a choice of integrated graphics using the Intel UHD Graphics 770 or discrete graphics when paired with an NVIDIA RTX A2000 with 12GB VRAM or an RTX A5000 offering 16GB VRAM. Both are mobile GPUs. It also supports 3x display ports for up to 8 displays total when fully configured.

Management

Management of the system is handled through the operating system. The Lenovo P360 Ultra supports Windows 11 Pro as well as Windows 10 Pro, and a few versions of Linux including RedHat and Ubuntu.

Summary

The Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra Workstation offers powerful performance in a very small, portable form factor. With support for several flavors of 12th generation Intel Core processors, it can be outfitted with up to 128GB of ECC or non-ECC memory. This system is ISV certified to work with complex modeling software from Autodesk, Bentley, and supports powerful applications for other disciplines as well. At a little under 4lbs and featuring a small footprint, it is easily transportable for use at home and the office.