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Lenovo Group is upping the performance of its Lenovo 3000-brand computers.
The Raleigh, N.C., company on Sept. 19 updated its Lenovo 3000 N100 notebook PC line with Intels dual-core Core 2 Duo processor. The company is also expected to soon add dual-core processors to its Lenovo 3000 desktop line.
The new processors, along with other component upgrades, are designed to increase the performance of Lenovos relatively new Lenovo 3000 PC line, which the company hatched in February 2006 in an effort to more aggressively target SMBs (small and midsize businesses).
The updated Lenovo 3000 N100 notebook is also the first Lenovo-brand PC sold in the United States to adopt Intels Core 2 Duo, although Lenovo officials have said the company will offer the Core 2 Duo in its ThinkPad and ThinkCentre notebooks and desktops in the future.
Lenovo said in a statement that the company is aiming to offer its N100 customers more bang for their buck by incorporating the Core 2 Duo and other hardware bits that collectively boost performance for running applications and connecting to networks.
The N100 can also be outfitted with higher-bandwidth wireless networking technology, based on the forthcoming 802.11n standard, and Nvidia graphics processors, the company said in the statement.
A Lenovo 3000 N100 model with a 14-inch screen and Core 2 Duo T5500, which runs at 1.6GHz, starts at $829 and also comes with 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive and a combination CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, according to Lenovos Web site, while a version with a 15.4-inch screen starts at $899.
Lenovos 3000 N100 model joins a number of business-oriented notebooks offering Intels Core Duo from companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard. Intel unveiled the new dual-core chip on July 27, and it made its debut in notebooks on Aug. 28.
And the N100 wont be the only Lenovo 3000 machine to gain in processor performance. The company is expected to unveil in October its Lenovo 3000 J110 and J115 desktops. The machines will be the first Lenovo 3000 desktops to incorporate dual-core processors from chip makers Intel and Advanced Micro Devices.
A Lenovo 3000 J110 model is expected to offer updated Intel hardware, including the chip makers dual-core Pentium D, Celeron or Pentium 4 processors. A Lenovo 3000 J115 model is expected to adopt an Nvidia chip set and offer a choice of AMDs dual-core Athlon 64 X2, Sempron or Athlon 64 processors. The machines are expected to appear in early October for prices starting at about $600.
Lenovo officials did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the new desktops.