Lenovo IdeaCentre C340 review
A great price and fast processor, but the screen quality lets the side down
Specifications
3.3GHz Intel Core i3-3220, 6GB RAM, 20in 1,600×900 display, Windows 8
Should you want to watch videos or listen to music, the IdeaCentre C340’s integrated speakers are a nice surprise. They’ve got a decent about of bass and plenty of volume without distortion. They’re much better than many other all-in-one speakers we’ve heard.
There’s a 1TB hard disk, which is just about standard on desktop PCs. It certainly draws no complaints for us, as this is plenty of space for most people and will take a lot of filling.
In terms of expansion there aren’t a lot of ports, with no HDMI inputs or outputs. All you’ve got to make do with are six USB ports, two of which are USB3, a multi-format card reader, separate headphone and microphone jacks and a Gigabit Ethernet port.
While many manufacturers ship their computers with wireless keyboards and mice, Lenovo provides a wired set instead. There’s nothing wrong with that and, as wired sets can’t run out of batteries, they’re often preferable. We were pleased with the quality. You’ll have to get used to the keyboard having the Fn key being in the bottom left-hand corner instead of Ctrl, but its chunky Chiclet-style keys had plenty of bounce and the mouse was just the right size for our hand.
To keep the price down, Lenovo has had to make some compromises along the way, particularly with the screen quality. However, the fast processor goes a long way to making up for that. It’s a decent all-round computer that doesn’t take up a lot of space, but spend more, such as on the Asus ET2220IUTI, and you’ll end up with better performance and a high-quality Full HD display.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | **** |
Processor | Intel Core i3-3220 |
Processor external bus | 100MHz (DMI) |
Processor multiplier | x33 |
Processor clock speed | 3.3GHz |
Processor socket | LGA1155 |
Memory | 6 |
Memory type | DDR3 |
Maximum memory | 8GB |
Motherboard | Lenovo Mahobay |
Motherboard chipset | Intel H61 |
Ports | |
USB2 ports (front/rear) | 2/4 |
Firewire ports (front/rear) | 0/0 |
eSATA ports (front/rear) | 0/0 |
Wired network ports | 1x 10/100/1000 |
Wireless networking support | 802.11n |
Internal Expansion | |
Case | all-in-one |
PCI slots (free) | 0 |
PCI-E x1 slots (free) | 0 |
PCI-E x16 slots (free) | 0 |
Free Serial ATA ports | 0 |
Free memory slots | 2 |
Free 3.5in drive bays | 0 |
Hard Disk | |
Hard disk model(s) | Seagate Barracuda (ST1000DM003-9YN162) |
Interface | SATA3 |
Total storage capacity | 1,000GB |
Graphics | |
Graphics card(s) | Intel HD Graphics 2500 |
Graphics/video ports | none |
Sound | |
Sound | Realtek HD Audio |
Sound outputs | 3.5mm stereo line out, 3.5mm mic in |
Speakers | integrated |
Removable Drives | |
Supported memory cards | SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro |
Optical drive type(s) | DVD+/-RW +/-DL |
Display | |
Viewable size | 20 in |
Screen model | integrated |
Native resolution | 1,600×900 |
Screen inputs | none |
Other Hardware | |
Keyboard | Lenovo LXH-EKB-10YA |
Mouse | Lenovo SM-8825 |
Software | |
Software included | N/A |
Operating system | Windows 8 |
Operating system restore option | restore partition |
Buying Information | |
Warranty | one year RTB |
Price | £499 |
Supplier | http://www.amazon.co.uk |
Details | www.lenovo.co.uk |