Lenovo Announces P410, Updates P510 ThinkStation Tower PCs (Updated)

Update, 6/14/2016, 8:44am PT: We spotted an error in Lenovo's materials concerning the number of M.2 slots on the P410 and made a change to reflect the confirmed specs, in addition to adding new information on multiple-GPU options, pricing and availability.

Lenovo announced a refresh of its P510 ThinkStation, along with a brand-new addition the lineup in the form of the P410. Both of the new ThinkStations offer the latest Intel Xeon E5-1600 v4 processors as well as support for Nvidia Quadro graphics cards. The P410 is intended to provide mainstream workstation performance at an entry-level price; the P510 cranks up the performance potential by offering more robust configuration options.

Processors And Memory

The updated ThinkStation P510 and the P410 both offer the latest Intel Xeon E5-1600 v4 processors, but according to the product spec sheets, special bids can be made for towers with even more powerful Xeon E5-2600 v4 CPUs. The P410 can sport up to 8-core processors in either family, and the P510 can feature up to an 8-core E5-1600 v4 chip or up to a 22-core E5-2600 v4 CPU.

Both new ThinkStations offer memory DIMM compatibility for 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB modules, but the maximum capacity differs. The P410 supports up to 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) of DDR4, and the P510 doubles that, with up to 256 GB (8 x 32 GB) of RAM. The spec sheets for each product were not specific (ironically) as to whether or not the memory is ECC, but that’s likely the case considering the Intel C612 chipset, Xeon processor options and Nvidia Quadro graphics.

Graphics

The performance potential between the ThinkStation P410 and P510 also broadens with their respective GPU options. The P410 can feature up to an Nvidia Quadro M5000 graphics card, featuring 2,048 CUDA cores, 8 GB of GDDR5 (with ECC support) and a 256-bit memory bus at a 150-watt TDP. Its total memory bandwidth reaches 211 GB/s, and it’s a powerful option for the “entry-level” P410 workstation.

However, the ThinkStation P510 once again offers more than the P410 can, featuring up to a Quadro M6000 graphics card with 3,072 CUDA cores, 24 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus and a 250-watt TDP. It’s rated for up to 7 TFLOPs of single precision performance with a memory bandwidth of 317 GB/s. Both models also support multi-GPU setups, but the size of the graphics card is a limiting factor.

Storage

Total drive capacity is also vastly different between the two ThinkStations, with the P410 offering two drive bays (with space for up to four 2.5- or 3.5-inch drives) and the P510 featuring up to 11 drives (four drive bays with up to six 3.5-inch HDDs or up to ten 2.5-inch SSDs). Both models can be configured with RAID 0, 1, 5 or 10 storage arrays.

Curiously, Lenovo’s specs originally claimed that the P410 has three M.2 interfaces and indicated that each of the ports can be equipped with up to a 1 TB M.2 PCIe SSD, for a total capacity up to 3 TB. However, after reaching out to the company, it confirmed the error we spotted in the materials and let us know the P410 also features a single M.2 slot, just like the P510.

Expansion And Connectivity

Both ThinkStations offer two PCIe x16 lanes, but the P510 offers two x4 slots and one x1 slot. The P410 offers a single x8 lane and a x4 lane. By our count, the lesser-equipped P410 has three more lanes of PCIe expansion connectivity, but the P510 features one more physical expansion slot.

The ThinkStation P510 also offers more connectivity than the P410, with double the front-panel USB 3.0 ports, twice the number of rear USB 2.0 ports, a second PS/2 port and an LPT parallel port. Both the new ThinkStations can optionally feature a Thunderbolt 3 interface, but only the P510 can also offer an optional eSATA port or FireWire connection.

Internet connectivity for both models is provided by onboard gigabit Ethernet, and both the P510 and P410 can be equipped with an Intel Wireless AC module, although each ThinkStation sports a different wireless card.

Lenovo said the ThinkStation P510 and P410 will be available on its website by the end of the month, and the MSRP of the P410 starts at $1,049. The starting price of the P510 is $1,399.

Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.