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Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 27 Review: Our First Table PC
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1. Lenovo's Table-Sized IdeaCentre Horizon PC

The rapid uptake of touch-based interfaces is leading to so many new form factors. We're seeing smartphone screens grow, Ultrabooks turn into convertibles (to give them that tablet-like feel), and all-in-one desktops struggle to find their place in the world. After all, who really wants to reach up and touch their monitor when a keyboard and mouse does the job just fine?

Realizing this, Lenovo set out to do something a little different with its IdeaCentre Horizon, building an all-in-one with a 27" 1080p display and calling it a Table PC. Naturally, this thing's too big to be considered a tablet, and at close to 20 pounds, it's not something you'd want to haul around with you. Nevertheless, Lenovo arms two of its four Horizon SKUs with a built-in battery and carrying bag. The extent to which we see ourselves moving a machine this large around would probably be from the kitchen to the backyard, or maybe from a bedroom to the living room for family-night gaming. It probably wouldn't leave through the front door, despite its modest weight and impressive 1.3-inch thickness. But that seems to be the point; you get a nice big surface you can relocate at will, for any number of reasons.

Before we dig further into Lenovo’s vision of the ultimate all-in-one desktop, let's have a look at the machine's specifications in comparison to Dell's previously-tested XPS One 27 Touch.

  Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 57315058 Dell XPS One Touch 27" (2710)
PlatformIntel BGA 1023, HM76 Express, Embedded PCIe GraphicsIntel LGA 1155, H77 Express, Embedded PCIe Graphics
CPUIntel Core i5-3337U (Ivy Bridge, 1.8-2.7 GHz, 3 MB Shared L3 Cache, 17 W Max TDP)Intel Core i7-3770S (Ivy Bridge, 3.1-3.9 GHz, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, 65 W Max TDP)
RAM2 x Ramaxel RMT3160ED58E9W1600 (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM, CL112x Nanya NT8GC64B8HB0NS-DI (2 x 8 GB) DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM, CL11
GraphicsNvidia GeForce GT 620M: 625 MHz, 2 GB GDDR5-3600Nvidia GeForce GT 640M: 645 MHz, 2 GB GDDR5-4000
Display10-Point Multi-Touch 27" LED Backlit Glossy LCD, 1920x1080Capacitive Touch 27" LED Backlit Glossy LCD, 2560x1440
Webcam720p (0.9 Megapixel) w/dual array microphone2.0 Megapixel w/dual microphone and sliding cover
AudioRealtek Integrated HD Audio with Dolby Home Theatre V4Realtek Integrated HD Audio with WAVES MAXXAudio 4
SecurityKensington Security SlotKensington Security Slot
Storage
Hard DriveSamsung Spinpoint ST1000LM024: 1 TB 5400 RPM 8 MB Cache, SATA 3Gb/sSeagate Barracuda ST2000DM001: 2 TB 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache, SATA 6Gb/s
Samsung MZMPC032HBCD-00000 32 GB MLC Cache Drive, mSATA 6Gb/s
Optical DriveNoneHL-DS 8x Slot-Loading DVD Burner/BDR Combo HL-DT-ST DVDRWBD CT40N
Media Drive6-in-1 SDXC/MMC/MS flash media interface8-in-1 SDXC/MMC/MS/xD flash media interface
Networking
Wireless LANRealtek RTL8188CD 802.11n PCIeIntel Advanced-N 6235 802.11n PCIe
Wireless PANIntegrated Bluetooth Transceiver on Wireless Combo CardIntegrated Bluetooth Transceiver on Wireless Combo Card
Gigabit NetworkNoneAtheros AR8161 PCIe 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
IEEE-1394NoneNone
TelephonyNoneNone
Peripheral Interfaces
USB2 x USB 3.06 x USB 3.0 (4-rear, 2-side)
Expansion CardNone1 x empty Mini PCIe (for optional TV tuner)
External HDDUSB-onlyUSB-only
AudioHeadphone, MicrophoneHeadphone, Microphone, Rear Out, S/PDIF
VideoHDMI In (Display-Only)HDMI Out, HDMI In (Display-Only)
General Stats
WeightPC 18.4 lbs, peripherals 2.8 lbs, Total 21.2 poundsPC 34.4 lbs, peripherals 1.6 lbs, Total 36 pounds
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 8 64-bit, OEMMicrosoft Windows 8 Pro 64-bit Edition, OEM
WarrantyOne-year parts non-transferableOne-year parts/Labor w/In-Home Service
Price$1499 $2599

The pricey Dell unit employs more performance-oriented parts, including a 2560x1440 screen, to justify its 42%-higher price. Alternatively, Lenovo counters Dell with portability in the form of lower weight and an integrated battery, adding to the attractiveness of saving $1000. Still, these two all-in-ones are the most closely-matched from a component perspective of any we’ve tested.

2. What Is A Table PC Used For, Anyway?


The idea of a PC with a table-like display isn't new. Arcade game cabinets began to appear in restaurants and taverns long before many of us owned a PC. But of course those weren't touch-based devices. Alternatively, high-end touch-screen PCs like the one we looked at in Dell XPS One 27: Can An All-In-One Make Us Love Windows 8? would need a custom cabinet in order to become a true tabletop PC.

The IdeaCentre Horizon’s headline feature comes from a spring-loaded stand that supports most positions between 0° and 75° from horizontal. There's no latch to hold the stand flat against the Horizon's back though, so you probably wouldn't pick it up and hold it like a tablet. Still, this PC's combination of moderate weight and integrated battery offer portability you don't typically find in a table-shaped or conventional all-in-one machine.

Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon Tour (Source: Lenovo)

Table mode inspires the return of multiplayer gaming on a single screen, though the addition of touch input means you probably shouldn't set your beer down on this one. Our review unit shipped with two air hockey-style strikers, two joysticks, and a rechargeable die. According to the Horizon’s product page, Lenovo now bundles twice as many strikers and joysticks to support four players.


The Horizon’s low-end GeForce GT 620M GPU isn't particularly interesting to hardcore game enthusiasts. However, the mainstream titles you'd play with four people on this table PC don't often require top-shelf graphics processors. Lenovo even nudges you along in your multi-user quest by including IdeaCentre Horizon-optimized games like Monopoly, Air Hockey, and Roulette. The following video, borrowed from Lenovo, demonstrates game play in action.

Lenovo Horizon Table PC In A Limo (Source: Lenovo)

3. Getting To Know The IdeaCentre Horizon

You could argue that the most prominent feature of any touch-oriented device is its screen. Lenovo protects the 27" display on its IdeaCentre Horizon with rubber around the edges. Hardware-based color control is limited to a brightness button, which is surrounded by volume controls, a rotation selector, and an input selector switch.

The input selector toggles between internal (PC) and external (HDMI) inputs. The 1920x1080 display could be the perfect output device for an attached Blu-ray player, gaming console, or HDMI-attached cable box.

Peripheral connectivity is limited to two USB 3.0 ports, which drops to a single USB 3.0 port once you get the keyboard and mouse hooked up. Those devices communicate through an external, plug-in transceiver rather than the Horizon’s internal Bluetooth controller. Other I/O includes a 6-in-1 flash media drive, a headphone output, and a mic input.

The screen’s lower-left corner hosts hard drive, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and battery status indicators.

A 720p webcam is integrated stealthily above the IdeaCentre Horizon’s screen.

4. Brightness, Contrast, Uniformity, And Gamma

Out of the box, Lenovo’s 27” touchscreen offers a native white point of 7900 K. Both the color temperature and contrast ratio of the screen also remain consistent across most brightness levels. A white point of 6500 K is considered neutral and close to the color of midday sun. If a screen measures below 6500 K, it takes on a warmer appearance that leans towards reds and oranges. If a screen measures above 6500 K, it is said to have a cooler appearance that favors the color blue. Cooler color temperatures are common in a retail environment because they make screens stand out next to other displays.

The IdeaCentre Horizon display produces moderately good brightness uniformity with a maximum deviation of 10%. Maximum brightness is less impressive at 225 cd/m2.

Color uniformity is even less impressive than maximum brightness, with a Delta E of 5.0 between alternate corners. Many people consider a Delta E of 1 to be a noticeable variation, depending on the color.

The IdeaCentre Horizon’s measured gamma response is very close to the standard 2.2 curve used by most Windows systems. A gamma response curve corrects for how the human eye is able to see light and dark colors, and large gamma errors may cause issues with editing or viewing photos. There are no gamma issues present here.

5. Color Gamut, Accuracy, And Calibration

The standard sRGB color gamut is nearly covered by the IdeaCentre Horizon at 97%, though a mere 75% of Adobe’s larger gamut is displayed. Lenovo appears to be shooting for the value market here, and the unit’s $1500 price is probably somewhere on that target.

Average Delta E is acceptable at 1.19, particularly in the value market, but 1F teal blue is significantly off-spec. Grey scale is nearly perfect with a maximum Delta E of 1.07.

One of the nice things about Lenovo’s display is that it doesn’t require much calibration out-of-the-box. Casual users will likely only need to adjust brightness, which is good since that’s the only manual control on the chassis.

Greens are pulled back slightly and blues slightly more by Datacolor’s calibrator, but the original curve wasn’t very far off target.

Calibration software requested a manual brightness setting of around 80%, and my compliance with that request is reflected in its information bar.

6. Test Settings And Benchmarks
Test Hardware Configurations
 Lenovo IdeaCentre HorizonDell XPS Touch 27
Processor
(Overclock)
Intel Core i5-3337U (Ivy Bridge, 1.8-2.7 GHz, 3 MB Shared L3 Cache, 17 W Max TDP)Intel Core i7-3770S (Ivy Bridge, 3.1-3.9 GHz, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, 65 W Max TDP)
Graphics
(Overclock)
GeForce GT 620M
625 MHz, GDDR5-3600
GeForce GT 640M
645 MHz, GDDR5-4000
Memory
(Overclock)
8 GB DDR3-1600
CAS 11-11-11-28
16 GB DDR3-1333
CAS 11-11-11-28
Motherboard
(Overclock)
Lenovo (Proprietary)
Intel HM76 Express
Asus IPIMB-PV
Intel H77 Express
Hard DriveSamsung Spinpoint ST1000LM024: 1 TB 5400 RPM 8 MB Cache, SATA 3Gb/sSeagate Barracuda ST2000DM001: 2 TB 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache, SATA 6Gb/s
Samsung MZMPC032HBCD-00000 32 GB MLC Cache Drive, mSATA 6Gb/s
PowerDelta ADP-120ZB
19 V, 6.32 A (120 W)
Proprietary Integrated Power Adapter
Software
OSMicrosoft Windows 8 Pro x64
GraphicsGeForce 307.21
ChipsetIntel INF 9.3.0.1021

Sold as a tool for screen calibration, Datacolor’s Spyder4Elite also includes a few handy utilities to display image quality. Having passed through several hands before arriving here, I pieced the torn retail box back together in Photoshop.

The Spyder4Elite colorimeter hangs over the screen by its weight-counterbalanced cord, measuring various points on the screen.

3D Game Benchmarks
Battlefield 3Campaign Mode, "Going Hunting" 90 Seconds Fraps
Test Set 1: Medium Quality Defaults (No AA, 4x AF)
Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Defaults (4x AA, 16x AF)
F1 2012Steam Version, In-Game Benchmark
Test Set 1: High Quality Preset, No AA
Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 8x AA
The Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimUpdate 1.5.26, Celedon Aethirborn Level 6, 25 Seconds Fraps
Test Set 1: DX11, High Details No AA, 8x AF, FXAA enabled
Test Set 2: DX11, Ultra Details, 8x AA, 16x AF, FXAA enabled
Far Cry 3V. 1.05, DirectX 11, 50 Seconds Fraps "Amanaki Outpost"
Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA, Standard ATC., SSAO
Test Set 2: Ultra Quality, 4x MSAA, Enhanced ATC, HDAO
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe After Effects CS6Version 11.0.0.378 x64: Create Video which includes 3 Streams, 210 Frames, Render Multiple Frames Simultaneosly
Adobe Photoshop CS6Version 13 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates
Adobe Premeire Pro CS6Version 6.0.0.0, 6.61 GB MXF Project to H.264 to H.264 Blu-ray, Output 1920x1080, Maximum Quality
Audio/Video Encoding
iTunesVersion 10.4.1.10 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format 
LAME MP3Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s)
HandBrake CLIVersion: 0.98: Video from Canon Eos 7D (1920x1080, 25 FPS) 1 Minutes 22 Seconds
Audio: PCM-S16, 48,000 Hz, Two-Channel, to Video: AVC1 Audio: AAC (High Profile)
TotalCodeStudio 2.5Version: 2.5.0.10677: MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, Two-Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV
Productivity
ABBYY FineReaderVersion 10.0.102.95: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages
Adobe Acrobat XVersion 10.0.0.396: Print PDF from 115 Page PowerPoint, 128-bit RC4 Encryption
Autodesk 3ds Max 2012Version 14.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080
BlenderVersion: 2.64a, Cycles Engine, Syntax blender -b thg.blend -f 1, 1920x1080, 8x Anti-Aliasing, Render THG.blend frame 1
Visual Studio 2010Version 10.0, Compile Google Chrome, Scripted
File Compression
WinZipVersion 17.0 Pro: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r"
WinRARVersion 4.2: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3"
7-ZipVersion 9.28: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5"
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings
3DMark 11Version: 1.0.4.0, Benchmark Only
PCMark 7Version: 1.0.3 x64, System, Productivity, Hard Disk Drive benchmarks
SiSoftware Sandra 2011Version Version 2013.01.19.11, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / Cryptography, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark
TouchXPRT 2013v0.213.15.101, All Tests
7. Results: 3DMark And PCMark

Although it's armed with a discrete GeForce GPU, the IdeaCentre Horizon is decidedly limited to mainstream gaming. With that said, the performance of its low-power dual-core host processor doesn't help the large all-in-one's 3DMark score, evident from the Physics sub-test.

PCMark similarly exposes the performance deficit of the IdeaCentre's 5400 RPM notebook hard drive. The competing XPS, which isn't portable, benefits from a 3.5" disk and a solid-state cache.

The fairness of this comparison largely depends on what you want from an all-in-one PC. Lenovo is using a low-voltage CPU, an entry-level GPU, and a laptop hard drive in the interest of making its integrated battery useful. Dell charges $1000 extra, employs faster hardware, and sticks to a more conventional desktop paradigm, where you keep your PC in one place, plugged in to the wall.

8. Results: Sandra And TouchXPRT

Naturally, a low-voltage dual-core chip isn't going to stand a chance against a faster quad-core processor in a synthetic measure of CPU performance like SiSoftware’s Sandra Arithmetic module. Lenovo isn’t just shooting for a lower price on this one, though. It's also trying to equip you with usable battery life for those times when you want to pick the IdeaCentre Horizon up and lay it down on the coffee table in your living room. The Dell system doesn’t even have a battery.

The IdeaCentre Horizon enjoys a win in Sandra's Memory Bandwidth sub-test thanks to its use of DDR3-1600. Curiously, although we found DDR3-1600 in Dell's XPS 2710 as well, the company had it configured to run at 1333 MT/s.

This is the first review where we've used TouchXPRT, a home media benchmark that synthesizes a touch-oriented workload. It doesn’t actually require that you have fingers in order to run.

Of course, Dell's XPS 2710 wasn’t around by the time we rolled this metric into our all-in-one test suite. You'll see it applied to other systems moving forward though, giving us a larger library of comparison data.

9. Results: Battlefield 3 And Far Cry 3

We can't expect much from Nvidia's low-end GeForce GT 620M, but we're hoping it's useful for playable 3D performance in a few titles at least. After all, even AMD’s on-die graphics engines give us entry-level frame rates across our entire test suite. My own expectations of a discrete GPU are a little higher, so I'm setting the minimum bar at 1280x720 and medium-quality detail settings.

And, as is often the case, it looks like my expectations were a bit high. First-person shooters aren't the GeForce GT 620M's target market, but a lack of performance this severe could also be caused by a host processor bottleneck.

Anything less than the High Quality preset in Far Cry 3 makes big sacrifices in visual detail. And yet, it appears that those sacrifices are necessary in order to play this game at 1280x720 on Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon.

10. Results: Skyrim And F1 2012

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is notably more platform-bound. Unfortunately, when you're using a 17 W Core i5-3337U, graphics bottlenecks aren't your only concern. Once again, it appears that 3D gaming isn't in the cards for Lenovo's table PC.

F1 2012 is often limited by memory bandwidth when we test high-end hardware. But narrow scaling on the IdeaCentre Horizon appears to indicate a CPU bottleneck. Fortunately, the low-cost portable all-in-one still plays smoothly through 1600x900 at High Quality.

11. Results: Audio And Video Encoding

Our iTunes workload is single-threaded, so Lenovo’s reliance on a dual-core CPU isn’t much of a disadvantage against more complex quad-core processors in this test. It still suffers from a lower clock rate, however. The same applies to our LAME benchmark.

Our video encoding tests are well-optimized for threading though, which helps the Dell machine justify its added expense.

12. Results: Adobe Creative Suite

Adobe After Effects is threaded, but we'd typically expect the clock rate differences and core counts of our two processors to have a more dramatic effect. Fortunately, plenty of experience with this application tells us that it's also very sensitive to memory capacity as a result of QuickTime.

Photoshop isn't as memory-constrained, so we see the larger delta we were expecting surface in that metric. Employing OpenCL helps mitigate this somewhat, as each setup's discrete GeForce GPU accelerates the workload.

Premiere is processor-bound, and we see the quad-core CPU decimate the dual-core chip.

Our Acrobat benchmark isn’t threaded, so Dell’s lead is limited to differences in CPU frequency.

13. Results: Productivity

Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon is more about utility than it is performance. Equipped with half as many physical cores and a lower frequency, its CPU relies on that integrated battery and a lower price point to attract customers, rather than outright speed.

14. Results: File Compression

Since the Horizon isn’t designed to be an office PC, its weak performance in a lot of these tasks doesn't surprise us. Think "Ultrabook-class hardware in a 27" monitor."

15. Energy, Heat, And Battery Life

When you spend all day talking about high-end hardware, you're bound to hear from folks who feel strongly about the gratuitous power consumption of those components. Dell's XPS One 2710 is mostly made up of desktop-oriented parts, which benefit it in the performance metrics. However, the same potent pieces of gear also use quite a bit more power. 

The same power-saving low-voltage parts in Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon that hold back our benchmark results effectively minimize consumption, to the point that its integrated battery is actually useful. Not surprisingly, then, Dell's XPS hits a peak power number twice as high as Lenovo's all-in-one.

The IdeaCentre Horizon also runs cooler in spite of its ultra-thin dimensions. Significantly less power consumption translates to less heat to dissipate.

Unlike Dell’s XPS One 2710, which only looks a little like a tablet, Lenovo’s IdeaCentre Horizon is portable and has a battery. Because this configuration is a first in my lab, the Lenovo stands alone in this test. For a bit of perspective, its combination of large screen and small CPU/GPU barely outlasts the opposite combination.

16. The Overall Efficiency And Value Of Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon

Lenovo’s IdeaCentre Horizon costs far less than Dell’s XPS One 2710, and more affordable parts often translate to better value, even in the face of performance deficits. If that’s the case here, then the IdeaCentre’s portability is going to be icing on the cake.

Using the average of both systems as a baseline (100%), the IdeaCentre performs almost half as well as Dell's pricier XPS One.

All of our comparison charts use a 100% baseline for calculations. Since efficiency can’t exceed 100%, we zero out its chart by subtracting the 100% baseline after making those calculations.

Because its performance trails so far behind, the IdeaCentre Horizon's efficiency is lower, despite using notably less power. Because we're dealing with two large 27" displays, similar energy needs could be hindering Lenovo's efficiency story.

Performance per dollar also suffers. The same exception concerning screen size applies to this measurement as well, but not to the same extent since the lower price you pay for an IdeaCentre Horizon gets you a far lower resolution (1920x1080) than Dell's XPS One (2560x1440). Factoring out the storage tests for those who aren't as worried about boot times narrows the IdeaCentre’s loss by only 5%, and deleting games from the overall results actually increases the XPS One’s victory by 10%.

Paying The Price For Portability

If we ignore differences between screen resolution, Lenovo's slower IdeaCentre Horizon could still use a discount to match the value of Dell's XPS One. If you absolutely need the portability of a battery-equipped touchscreen all-in-one, you're going to have to tolerate the lackluster performance of a 17 W CPU and entry-level graphics processor. But let's say you don't really care about cutting-edge performance. Is there enough cool-factor in a big all-in-one that'll run for almost two hours away from the wall to justify that compromise? I sought out an impression from someone who spends most of her time on tablets.

Spoiled by Dell's choice of a quicker quad-core processor and accustomed to the lighter software load of her portable devices, the same person who wrote the glowing blurb at the end of my XPS One review, yet wished it could lay completely flat and play the same type of touch-oriented games that the Horizon is designed for, threw her hands up after a few hours and decided that the IdeaCentre's dual-core chip just wasn't fast enough for a desktop PC (even a portable all-in-one). Doh.

Fortunately, the $1500 model we reviewed isn't Lenovo's only offering. The company sells three other designs with Core i7s that are still dual-core, Hyper-Threading-equipped, 17 W chips, but run at higher frequencies. There's even a version with an SSD cache. Just bear in mind that two of the four configurations don't come with batteries. Portability has its price, after all.