Seeking to target the users demanding top-level performance, Lenovo on Tuesday unveiled two new desktops, configured on the forthcoming Intel Nehalem-class quadcore processor, to enhance its workstation line, ThinkStation. Lenovo unveiled ThinkStation S20 and D20 workstations.

Ming Xie, ThinkStation worldwide product manager for Raleigh, North Carolina based Lenovo, said, "The reason to launch a new generation of workstations is because there is a large, technological leap coming from technology partners. Intel, NVIDIA and ATI are refreshing their hardware which brings large performance increases."

Xie stated that the new ThinkStation S20 and D20 workstations feature the latest technology from Lenovo's chip and graphics cards vendors, including the latest Intel Xeon processors, and a choice of either the Nvidia Quadro or ATI FirePro graphics cards.

Xie told that the new ThinkStation desktops use Nehalem quadcore processor, the successor to Intel's hugely successful Core microarchitecture, which first appeared in last year's Core i7 rollout and which features meliorations, such as energy efficiency, better power management capabilities and the integration of the memory controller for superior floating point operations. The new ThinkStations are configured around either the Xeon 5500 or the W3500. The ThinkStation S20 uses the Intel X58 Express chipset, while the D20 uses the Intel 5520.

Xie said, "There are a lot of cool features around the chips in these machines. The processors are good about borrowing down power when the system is idle -- that means customers won't have to pay for as much electricity when they are not using it."

The processors include Intel Turbo Boost to offer additional performance, when workload demands. When the workstation OS puts higher pressure on the processor, Turbo Boost helps compensating in 133 MHz increments until the high end of the processors power is met.

According to Lenovo, the new ThinkStations are designed with certain type of customer in mind. "The latest ThinkStation line was designed for engineers and designers, people designing automobiles and aircraft. These workstations are for users that demand the highest in performance, who are generally running processes on multiple cores. For most of these people a standard desktop wouldn't deliver the necessary performance," Xie said.

Lenovo offers Nvidia graphics chips, specifically the Quadro line of graphics cards in the ThinkStation S20 and D20, to target graphic designers. The company offers the option of ATI FirePro graphics cards to provide the graphics power to the professionals. Xie said, "Before, Lenovo only offered NVIDIA graphics. Now we're adding FirePro graphics in order to give our customers more choice. Adding FirePro graphics gives our customers more choice in the specific applications they want."

According to Lenovo, the new ThinkStations are designed to run quietly. They run with less noise, as compared to the rival systems on the market. Xie said, "The D20 has a dual processor and 1060 watt power supply. It runs at about 24 decibels and that's lower than most ambient noise in an office."

What is more, the new ThinkStations are environmentally friendly; they are made from consumer recycled plastics. The new ThinkStations will be available in the first quarter of the current year from Lenovo business partners and via Lenovo. com. The price for the ThinkStation D20 will start from about $1,070, while the price for the ThinkStation S20 will start from $1,550.

The new ThinkStation S20 and D20 workstations will be displayed at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, powering a new virtual customer service world called eLounge that Lenovo is launching today (Tuesday).