Lenovo ThinkStations pack Penryn punch

With Intel's 45nm Penryn CPUs all set to start shipping next week, we all knew that it was only a matter of time until Penryn desktops started hitting the market. Looks like Lenovo has beat the rest of them to it: the Chinese vendor's new high-end ThinkStation enterprise desktops pack either a 5400 Xeon processor or a 3Ghz Core 2 Extreme QX9650. Additionally, the ThinkStation D10 and S10 both sport some sort of "passive venting system"--which explains that MacPro-like cheese grater look. Sure, these black boxes are down for some serious number crunching but they're also eco-friendly, earning an Energy Star 4.0 stamp of approval. As if that wasn't enough for you, they're branded with that familiar ThinkStation name and black plastic look, which should make you feel all nostalgic, even though there's no multicolored IBM logo in sight. These business machines start at $1199 for the low-end S10 and $1739 for the beefier D10--expect them to ship in January. 

For more on the new desktops:
- peep this press release