Lenovo unveils new consumer desktops, impressive all-in-one

Aggressively targeting the consumer market, Lenovo released three new desktops today that really go after home users.  The B500 and K300 go after users who need performance while the low-priced H230 is geared toward the value segment of the market.

Lenovo's new all-in-one, the B500, is one of the most impressively styled all-in-one desktops we've seen in a long time.  When it comes to systems like this, you basically have two options to go toward in terms of design and aesthetics: on one end sits Apple's iMac and the now-defunct Gateway One.  On the other end is the Lenovo B500.  It's sleek and elegant, but manages to put forth an aggressive, high-tech style.

The new systems offer quad-core processors in the form of Intel's Core 2 Quad CPUs, discrete graphics cards, a 23-inch, 1920x1080 display and up to a terabyte of storage space.  Sitting below and to the sides of the display are JBL-certifed speakers; the B500 also comes with the 4-in-1 remote control made famous with the A600 all-in-one.  One of the features Lenovo pointed out was the integrated webcam that comes with a software package designed to keep users at the center of the camera's focus.

The two other desktops announced today, while slightly less exciting, are still a notable departure from Lenovo's prior efforts in the consumer market.  The K300 is a minitower with a small footprint and packed with more Intel quad-core processors, RAID hard drive configurations and dual discrete video cards.  It's the first time Lenovo has really made a high performance consumer PC.  The front of the desktop features a switch with three settings: turbo, regular and quiet - turbo bumps everything up a notch and overclocks the CPU while quiet, calming things down, does precisely the opposite. 

Rounding up the trio is the low-priced H230.  Bridging the gap between nettops and more traditional desktops, the H230 starts at just $299 - while specs are still being kept quiet, it will be offered in a number of configurations and use DDR3 RAM, which rules out CPUs like the Intel Atom.  It'll likely be a good alternative for users who don't mind sacrificing a bit of style to gain stronger performance.