Desktop Computer Review: K320 6GB 640GB HDD Win 7 Review

Funny how every time a Dell or HP engineer sneezes, they get 25 more reviews for their products, but the silence on Lenovo products is deafening.Still, they make solid machines with decent parts and good overall software packages.I've been loyal to IBM/Lenovo for over 20 years and have stuck with them this time, and don't regret it.

Lenovo has some very strange marketing these days, though.When the Ideacenter K series first came out last October, they had last-generation Core chips that just weren't competitive.I waited for the i3/i5/i7 K320's, and they finally started appearing at resellers, including Amazon, at decent prices.I don't know why anyone would buy a K300, or the K305 AMD versions.

But the "high-end" K320 series is a good machine, and well worth considering for a good but not rocket powered desktop/medium gamer/media center machine.

Here's a copy of a review I wrote for the Lenovo forum website:

Overall, how much do you like the machine?

Overall, great.It is light years ahead of my oldPentium machine, and works very well.

How stable has the hardware and software been?

Mostly okay.No problems with the hardware at all.The Windows 7 is fine, I really like the new interface.It does, however have occasional hiccups and freezes that require reboots.I guess there is no way to avoid that with a Microsoft machine.Also, the NVIDIA graphics card has trouble returning from full screen mode and resets itself.It does this almost instantly so not a problem.

Is it as fast as you'd hoped?

Here I have a bit of concern.The machine does just fine on HD video in any mode,so no problems there.And it does video editing that I could never even dream of on my old machine.However, video editing, especially converting formats,does slow it down more than I had hoped.It can take up to ten minutes to convert ten minutes of uncompressed video into MP4.I had thought with all those cores, it would chew video up for lunch.Also, the graphics are just acceptable for a relatively high-end machine, with 20 to 40 frame rates on games that I thought would fly based on their hype, and some jerky pauses if the machine is doing anything else whileI play a game.If I make sure everything else is off, including the automatic backup, it is pretty smooth, but any other CPU intensive activities are really noticeable.I'm not a tuning wiz,but I think the problem is with the hard drive, because when I notice problems, the CPU is stilljust at30% or so and only a thirdof the memory is in use.

Also, I don't notice any huge "Enhanced Experience" improvement.It takes a standard two or three minutes to boot up completely.If this is EE, I'd hate to see native Windows!

How are the graphics? For games, HD videos and/or video editing?

See above.

How quiet is it?

Almost silent in all modes.Really great.

Have you made any modifications?

No, other than removing junkware.

Is there any software you had problems running?

Surprisingly, almost none.After all the fuss about Windows 7/64 not running old 32 bit programs, it ran all my favorites just fine, even programs over ten years old.I only had problems with two commercial programs that I was able to download free upgrades for.No need to upgrade to Windows 7 Pro and run the XP virtual machine.

Is the power setting switch useful, or just a gimmick?

Mostly gimmick,but it does seemto work.I leave it on blue (auto) most of the time and it just humsalong.I put it on "Turbo" when I'm hitting a game hard, and maybe I see a bit of improvement.

Do you actually use the power setting switch, or just leave it on one setting?

See above. The blinking colors are pretty and my kids like it.You can turn it off easily.Several of my friends think it looks really cool.

Do you think it was a good value, and would you recommend it?

Overall,I think it is a good value for the price.I don't think the disk drive and other hardware are keeping up with the i5 chip.If you are looking for a real hard core gamer or video machine, I'd spend more elsewhere, but for theprice it works well.Since the i7 versions have most of the same hardware, I really wouldn't wait or bother with the additional expense.

The build looks really good,and I think I'll be really happy with the machine for aboutthree to four years, then I'll pass it on to the kids.

Click Here to see more reviews about: K320 6GB 640GB HDD Win 7

Product Description:
The IdeaCentre K320 desktop is a PC equipped to power the most intensive programs. With its front-mounted power control switch, users can choose between performance, dynamic and silent operating modes with a suitable halo lighting effect to match. The K320 lets users experience superior in high-performance multimedia. The IdeaCentre K320 also comes equipped with Bright Vision technology, which automatically adjusts screen brightness based on the user's proximity and surrounding light conditions, reducing eye strain.

Get 1% OFF