Lenovo is taking a new angle with desktop PCs, using high-end laptop chips, rather than traditional desktop processors.
What's the point of that? Well, we'll come back to explore that further, but the bottom line is that it's about reducing costs.
To that end, Chinese tech site IT Home reports (via VideoCardz) that Lenovo has a new range of Legion 7000K gaming PCs that are built around a MoDT platform and use Lenovo's powerful HX-series laptop processors. Intel (current and latest generation). gene too).
What is a MoDT platform? It stands for 'Mobile on Desktop', which means the use of a mobile (laptop) CPU on the desktop PC motherboard.
A normal motherboard has a socket for a desktop CPU, but in the case of these MoDT PCs, the processor is literally built into the motherboard (soldered to it).
What that means is that it's not possible to upgrade the processor (that's the advantage of a traditional socket, of course: you can remove the CPU from said socket and insert a replacement or upgrade).
However, the other components of this custom MoDT motherboard (RAM, graphics card) can still be upgraded like with a regular desktop PC. In all respects, this is a desktop PC, just with a slightly different type of motherboard that comes with the processor bolted on.
Unfortunately, there are no clues about a release date or price here, so we'll have to wait and see.
Analysis: A new twist on desktops that could take off
The MoDT concept has already gained popularity in China, but it is a big step forward for this type of PC. Remember, Lenovo fully embraces this concept: the world's largest PC supplier. You can't get anything bigger from the major PC makers (and you have to wonder if others will follow suit soon enough).
Furthermore, not only is this a normal desktop PC chassis, save for the chip and the caveats mentioned, but you will also run the processor at full desktop power levels (and therefore performance) with cooling provided by a custom CPU cooler capable of keeping these chips tamed in terms of temperatures, even when pushed hard.
The end result, in theory, is a desktop PC with plenty of power (not far off from a Core i9 desktop chip, especially since the recent issues with the stability of those products) but with savings thanks to the use of the mobile CPU in instead of a traditional plug-in desktop processor.
So, as noted at the beginning, the hope is that this can lead to more affordable high-performance PCs (and better PC sales) and that the mobile processor can hold its own with a good cooler. Also taking into account, of course, that the GPU is the most important part of the puzzle for gaming PCs (well, certainly far from 1080p resolution, anyway).
So this seems like a smart idea in many ways, especially considering that the downside (not being able to upgrade the CPU) is a moot point for many people. There are many people who buy a PC and never upgrade the processor, with a more common practice being to beef up the GPU (and perhaps a memory upgrade at some point).
Of course, if the processor on one of these MoDT PCs ends up bricked, that's a fly in the ointment: you can't replace it, so you'll have to buy a whole new motherboard unit (and mess around with a more complex upgrade). ). Still, that's a compromise many will be happy to live with, given the possible trade-offs here, and chances are the CPU won't blow up (not unless you're pretty unlucky).
