Lenovo ThinkPad P70 Mobile Workstation Review: Xeon And Quadro On The Go
Software and First Boot
The unit Lenovo sent us shipped with Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, though the online vendors that carry this particular SKU list Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, which is available through downgrade rights. Windows 10 Home 64-bit is the default option for the four baseline configurations Lenovo sells on its website.
Gamers and professionals are the two crowds that OEMs would be wise not to irk with bloatware, as they tend to be more demanding and savvy than the average PC owner. The ThinkPad P70 is aimed at the latter, and to Lenovo's credit, there's not much in the way of bloat.
Upon bootup, we're greeted by a clean desktop with custom wallpaper from Lenovo. There's a lot of screen real estate to play with on a 4K Ultra HD resolution display, even one measuring 17.3 inches, so Lenovo bumped up the size of text, apps, and other items to 250 percent.
What you can't see (but is present) is ISV (Independent Software Vendor) certification, which gives professionals peace of mind that the ThinkPad P70 supports hundreds of popular workstation class programs, which comes part and parcel with its NVIDIA Quadro and Intel Xeon config.
Upon bootup, we're greeted by a clean desktop with custom wallpaper from Lenovo. There's a lot of screen real estate to play with on a 4K Ultra HD resolution display, even one measuring 17.3 inches, so Lenovo bumped up the size of text, apps, and other items to 250 percent.
What you can't see (but is present) is ISV (Independent Software Vendor) certification, which gives professionals peace of mind that the ThinkPad P70 supports hundreds of popular workstation class programs, which comes part and parcel with its NVIDIA Quadro and Intel Xeon config.
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed McAfee's iconic shield icon in the taskbar of our desktop screenshot, and sure enough, the ThinkPad P70 comes pre-loaded with a trial to McAfee's LiveSafe security software. It's the only piece of semi-bloatware (depending on your perspective) Lenovo includes and it's easily uninstalled, albeit it requires a reboot.
What's of more use are Lenovo's own utilities that it installs on the ThinkPad P70. One of them is the Solution Center, a handy hub for monitoring your laptop's health and security. It's not critical to the function of the ThinkPad P70, but we recommend leaving it installed and periodically running hardware scans to make sure everything is in tiptop shape.
What's by far the biggest value-add of the ThinkPad P70 is the optional X-Rite PANTONE color calibration system. There's a little sensor embedded into the laptop next to the touchpad. When you run the color calibration software, you're prompted to close the lid for a short period. There's a series of beeps as the color calibration process does its thing, and when it's finished, the ThinkPad P70 will produce colors that more accurately match what users will want for print, web or digital media content creation. More notebooks should come standard with this very valuable tool.
