Lenovo ThinkCentre Lenovo ThinkCentre M70s 12U3001EUS Desktop Review

This is a business CPU crammed into a misleading package. The 'awesome' GPU score is for integrated graphics, and the storage is tiny. Don't buy it unless your job is literally just running spreadsheets on 20 cores.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M70s is a weird machine. On paper, it looks like a beast with a 20-core Intel 14700 CPU and a GPU that's supposedly in the 97th percentile. But don't get excited. That 'GPU' is integrated graphics, and this desktop is absolutely not for gaming. It's a business PC that got some high-end parts thrown at it, and it's trying to be something it's not. The one thing to know? This is a powerful office machine for data crunching, not a gaming rig or a creative workstation.

The performance story is a tale of two halves. The CPU is genuinely fast, landing in the 76th percentile, which means it'll tear through spreadsheets, databases, and multi-tasking like a champ. The real surprise, though, is that integrated graphics score. At the 97th percentile, it sounds incredible, but that's only because it's being compared against other basic desktops and office PCs. It's still integrated graphics. It'll run your monitors fine, but our database shows its gaming score is a dismal 21.2 out of 100. So yeah, it's fast for office work, but don't even think about playing anything modern.

At around $1278, the value proposition is shaky. You're paying a premium for that powerful CPU and the Windows 11 Pro license, but you're getting bargain-bin storage. For pure business number-crunching where GPU power doesn't matter, it might be justifiable. For anyone else, it's a bad deal.

This is where it gets awkward. Our system lists its top competitors as gaming desktops like the HP Omen 45L and Dell Alienware Aurora. That's a mismatch. Compared to them, the ThinkCentre is a non-starter for gaming. A more relevant comparison is against other business desktops or even entry-level workstations. You could get a Dell Optiplex or HP EliteDesk with similar CPU power, more storage, and save money. If you need real GPU power for anything, you should be looking at those gaming towers or a proper workstation, not this.

If you're looking for a gaming PC, this isn't it. Go get an HP Omen or a Corsair Vengeance instead. If you're a creator who needs GPU power for video editing or 3D work, skip this too. And if you just want a good all-around home desktop, you can find better value with more storage elsewhere.

We can't recommend the ThinkCentre M70s for most people. It's a specialized tool for a very specific job: a business that needs maximum CPU cores for software that doesn't care about graphics, and is okay with tiny storage. If that's not you, and you're looking at this because of the 'high percentile' scores, look away. It's a powerful engine in the body of a commuter car, and it's priced like a sports car.