Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo Series ThinkCentre Neo Ultra Gen 2 Tiny Review

A compact PC with an identity crisis and a reliability red flag. You're paying for the small size, not for peace of mind or great performance.

The ThinkCentre Neo Ultra Gen 2 Tiny is a weird little box that tries to be everything at once. It's a business desktop that's secretly hiding a gaming GPU, and honestly, that's the one thing you need to know. It's a compact powerhouse on paper, but our data shows it's a bit of a mixed bag, scoring surprisingly low on reliability and storage compared to other desktops.

The specs look solid on the surface: an Intel 235 14-core CPU and an RTX 5060 GPU. In practice, the CPU lands in the 73rd percentile, which is good, but the RTX 5060 only hits the 68th. That means it's capable, but you're not getting the full-fat gaming performance you might expect from a machine with a discrete graphics card. The real surprise is the 350W power supply crammed in there—it's enough for this config, but it doesn't leave much headroom for upgrades.

At around $1430, it's a tough sell. You're paying a premium for the compact design and the Lenovo business pedigree, but you're getting mediocre storage and questionable reliability scores. If the tiny size is an absolute must-have, maybe. Otherwise, no, it's not a great value.

Look at the HP OMEN 45L or the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i. Both are traditional towers, so they're bigger, but for the same money or less, you'll get more upgradeable power, better cooling, and often more storage. The Alienware Aurora R16 is another competitor in this price range that offers a better balance of gaming performance and reliability. The Neo Ultra Tiny only wins if your desk space is measured in square inches.

If you're a gamer or a content creator looking for the best performance per dollar, skip this. Go get an HP OMEN 45L or a Lenovo Legion tower instead. If you need a reliable, set-and-forget office PC, also skip it—there are more dependable options out there.

We can't recommend this for most people. The low reliability percentile is a deal-breaker for a machine you'd rely on for work, and the limited upgrade path hurts its long-term value. It's a niche product for someone who desperately needs a discrete GPU in the smallest possible box and is willing to accept the compromises and the risk. For everyone else, get a proper desktop tower.