Compared to the Apple iMac, the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 offered stronger performance in benchmarks and hand-timed tasks
Conclusion
Before you invest in an all-in-one PC for yourself or your workforce, make sure it’s up to the task. Our tests showed that the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 was a good multitasking system, consistently achieving higher scores on benchmark tests and completing hand-timed workflows faster than the iMac. Plus, the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 offered strong speaker output and microphone quality for a positive videoconferencing experience and it arrives at the door in thoughtful, sustainable packing that lessens your environmental impact.
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny: Expect big things from small packagesPrincipled Technologies
The ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny outperformed the Apple Mac mini (2023) with an M2 Pro processor on a number of industry-standard benchmarks and hand-timed tasks
Conclusion
If your organization needs powerful computing performance in a smaller footprint, compact desktops may be for you. In our series of benchmark tests, we found that one such compact desktop, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny, outperformed the Apple Mac mini (2023) with M2 Pro processor on everything from office productivity tasks to graphics rendering. Plus, the ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny was more responsive on everyday tasks in Microsoft 365. With stronger performance in a smaller footprint alongside the benefits that Intel Unison, Intel vPro, and Lenovo ThinkShield can provide, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny may fit right into your business plans.
The new ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 cost significantly less, performed better, and included innovations a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) couldn’t match
Conclusion
The redesigned Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 4, which delivered on performance and cutting-edge innovation, was $1,759.54 less expensive than a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) when we ordered systems for this appraisal. In addition to receiving higher productivity, content creation, and ML benchmarks scores and completing Microsoft 365 and Adobe Photoshop tasks in less time, the Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 also provided better video conferencing user experiences than the Apple MacBook Pro (2023).
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 mobile workstation: Get more bang for your buckPrincipled Technologies
We compared processing and graphics performance between a ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 with a 13th Gen Intel Core processor and a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) with an M2 Max chip
Conclusion
In a nutshell: The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 mobile workstation delivered on price, processing power, and workload performance. When we ordered systems for this price and performance comparison, the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 with an Intel Core i9-13900H processor and (optional) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5000 Ada-generation discrete graphics cost $240.07 less than a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) with an M2 Max processor. Bonus content: In addition to receiving higher productivity, digital content creation, AI-based processing, and machine learning benchmark scores, the Intel Core i9-13900H processor-powered Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 also elevated remote collaboration experiences with lower CPU consumption, better background noise reduction, and greater speaker volume output during Zoom meetings than the M2 Max processor-powered Apple MacBook Pro (2023).
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: Leverage your time with faster system responsi...Principled Technologies
compared to Apple MacBook Pro (13‑inch)
An important tool in any hybrid work environment is a powerful and lightweight business laptop that is responsive and easy to transport. We found that a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 was significantly lighter and slightly more compact than a 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro. Additionally, an X1 Nano Gen 2 powered by an Intel Core i7-1280P vPro processor received higher benchmark scores, completed Microsoft 365 and Adobe Premiere Pro tasks faster, and transferred online files faster in a speedtest than a 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro powered by an Apple M1 chip.
In tests, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 4—which cost significantly less—achieved better system performance and saved time on Microsoft 365 tasks compared to the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Max chip (2023)
Conclusion
When we tested Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 and the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M2 processor (2023) with the Cinebench R23 single-core and WebXPRT 4 benchmarks, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 received higher scores. It also saved time on Microsoft 365 tasks, utilized less CPU during Zoom meetings, and reduced background noise more effectively. In addition to these benefits, the lighter-weight ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 cost $1,401.50 less than the MacBook Pro with M2 processor (2023).
A better experience through performance: Intel Core i5 & Core i3 processor-po...Principled Technologies
Workers have a range of tasks to complete and use a number of different applications. Laptops for these users, while providing advantages in mobility, are not always equal in terms of performance, experience, or battery life. We found that Intel Core i5 and Core i3 processor-powered Lenovo Ultrabooks provided a number of advantages in performance and application responsiveness over comparable AMD processor-based notebooks, while also delivering better battery life. When your organization needs notebooks for a broad range of users performing different yet vital tasks, our testing shows that an Intel processor-powered Lenovo Ultrabook could offer a better experience than AMD processor-based HP EliteBook notebooks.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4: Empower productivity with better portabilit...Principled Technologies
Compared to a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro
An important tool for anyone who relies on advanced software is a powerful laptop that can handle resource-intensive applications. We found that a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i9
vPro H Series processor and equipped with half the RAM of its competitor, completed multi-tasking and Adobe Premiere Pro scenarios faster, achieved faster internet connections speeds, and received higher performancebased
scores in multiple resource-intensive benchmark tests than a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro powered by an Apple M1 Max chip.
Get more for your money with Lenovo ThinkPad, ThinkBook, and ThinkCentre devicesPrincipled Technologies
We compared eight Lenovo Think laptops, 2-in-1, and desktops with 12th Gen and 13th Gen Intel Core processors to their Apple Mac counterparts
Conclusion
When it comes to selecting a laptop, 2-in-1, or desktop for you or your workforce, there are many factors at play. In our hands-on evaluation of Lenovo Think business devices with 12th and 13th Gen Intel Core processors and similarly configured Apple Mac devices, we found the Lenovo Think systems offered a range of advantages in performance and user experience.
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny: Expect big things from small packagesPrincipled Technologies
The ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny outperformed the Apple Mac mini (2023) with an M2 Pro processor on a number of industry-standard benchmarks and hand-timed tasks
Conclusion
If your organization needs powerful computing performance in a smaller footprint, compact desktops may be for you. In our series of benchmark tests, we found that one such compact desktop, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny, outperformed the Apple Mac mini (2023) with M2 Pro processor on everything from office productivity tasks to graphics rendering. Plus, the ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny was more responsive on everyday tasks in Microsoft 365. With stronger performance in a smaller footprint alongside the benefits that Intel Unison, Intel vPro, and Lenovo ThinkShield can provide, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 4 Tiny may fit right into your business plans.
The new ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 cost significantly less, performed better, and included innovations a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) couldn’t match
Conclusion
The redesigned Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 4, which delivered on performance and cutting-edge innovation, was $1,759.54 less expensive than a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) when we ordered systems for this appraisal. In addition to receiving higher productivity, content creation, and ML benchmarks scores and completing Microsoft 365 and Adobe Photoshop tasks in less time, the Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 also provided better video conferencing user experiences than the Apple MacBook Pro (2023).
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 mobile workstation: Get more bang for your buckPrincipled Technologies
We compared processing and graphics performance between a ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 with a 13th Gen Intel Core processor and a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) with an M2 Max chip
Conclusion
In a nutshell: The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 mobile workstation delivered on price, processing power, and workload performance. When we ordered systems for this price and performance comparison, the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 with an Intel Core i9-13900H processor and (optional) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5000 Ada-generation discrete graphics cost $240.07 less than a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) with an M2 Max processor. Bonus content: In addition to receiving higher productivity, digital content creation, AI-based processing, and machine learning benchmark scores, the Intel Core i9-13900H processor-powered Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 also elevated remote collaboration experiences with lower CPU consumption, better background noise reduction, and greater speaker volume output during Zoom meetings than the M2 Max processor-powered Apple MacBook Pro (2023).
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: Leverage your time with faster system responsi...Principled Technologies
compared to Apple MacBook Pro (13‑inch)
An important tool in any hybrid work environment is a powerful and lightweight business laptop that is responsive and easy to transport. We found that a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 was significantly lighter and slightly more compact than a 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro. Additionally, an X1 Nano Gen 2 powered by an Intel Core i7-1280P vPro processor received higher benchmark scores, completed Microsoft 365 and Adobe Premiere Pro tasks faster, and transferred online files faster in a speedtest than a 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro powered by an Apple M1 chip.
In tests, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 4—which cost significantly less—achieved better system performance and saved time on Microsoft 365 tasks compared to the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Max chip (2023)
Conclusion
When we tested Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 and the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M2 processor (2023) with the Cinebench R23 single-core and WebXPRT 4 benchmarks, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 received higher scores. It also saved time on Microsoft 365 tasks, utilized less CPU during Zoom meetings, and reduced background noise more effectively. In addition to these benefits, the lighter-weight ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 cost $1,401.50 less than the MacBook Pro with M2 processor (2023).
A better experience through performance: Intel Core i5 & Core i3 processor-po...Principled Technologies
Workers have a range of tasks to complete and use a number of different applications. Laptops for these users, while providing advantages in mobility, are not always equal in terms of performance, experience, or battery life. We found that Intel Core i5 and Core i3 processor-powered Lenovo Ultrabooks provided a number of advantages in performance and application responsiveness over comparable AMD processor-based notebooks, while also delivering better battery life. When your organization needs notebooks for a broad range of users performing different yet vital tasks, our testing shows that an Intel processor-powered Lenovo Ultrabook could offer a better experience than AMD processor-based HP EliteBook notebooks.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4: Empower productivity with better portabilit...Principled Technologies
Compared to a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro
An important tool for anyone who relies on advanced software is a powerful laptop that can handle resource-intensive applications. We found that a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i9
vPro H Series processor and equipped with half the RAM of its competitor, completed multi-tasking and Adobe Premiere Pro scenarios faster, achieved faster internet connections speeds, and received higher performancebased
scores in multiple resource-intensive benchmark tests than a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro powered by an Apple M1 Max chip.
Get more for your money with Lenovo ThinkPad, ThinkBook, and ThinkCentre devicesPrincipled Technologies
We compared eight Lenovo Think laptops, 2-in-1, and desktops with 12th Gen and 13th Gen Intel Core processors to their Apple Mac counterparts
Conclusion
When it comes to selecting a laptop, 2-in-1, or desktop for you or your workforce, there are many factors at play. In our hands-on evaluation of Lenovo Think business devices with 12th and 13th Gen Intel Core processors and similarly configured Apple Mac devices, we found the Lenovo Think systems offered a range of advantages in performance and user experience.
Optimize creative and design workflows and enjoy a better user experience wit...Principled Technologies
In a series of tests, a Dell Precision 5680 handled several heavy workloads better while remaining cooler than a 16‑inch Apple MacBook Pro
Conclusion
Whether you’re editing video, rendering 3D graphics, analyzing data, or collaborating with coworkers on a PowerPoint presentation, the performance of your device can impact how productive you are. When you’re catching up on emails on the couch or trying to put the finishing touches on a video project before boarding a flight, the temperature of the device in your lap can impact your comfort. Comparing a Dell Precision 5680 to a MacBook Pro 16", we found the Precision 5680 offered better performance running several demanding workloads, remained up to 12.8°F cooler under a sustained Cinebench workload, and offered comparable audio quality. Based on our tests, users who value performance and comfort should consider the Dell Precision 5680 workstation.
The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 cost substantially less and delivered better performance benchmark scores and end‑user experiences than a 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023)
Conclusion
In our tests, the touch-capable ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 received higher performance benchmark scores (aside from an almost equivalent Ookla download score) and was $2,047.50 less expensive than a 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023). The 13th Generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon also provided better end-user experiences with good mic noise reduction, louder speaker volume output, and considerably less CPU usage during Zoom meetings versus its 14-inch MacBook Pro counterpart.
Check items off your to-do list faster with Dell OptiPlex small and micro for...Principled Technologies
In our hands-on benchmark and scenario-based comparisons, we found Dell OptiPlex desktops powered by Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors outperformed comparable Lenovo ThinkCentre M Series desktops powered by AMD Ryzen 3, 5, and 7 PRO processors.
Boosting productivity and security with modern devices: A comparative studyPrincipled Technologies
We examined how migrating to Dell Latitude 7430 and OptiPlex 7400 PCs preloaded with Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft security features could affect day-to-day productivity
To set up organizations for success now and in the future, company-provided technology must empower employees to finish work without delay and reduce security vulnerabilities. If your company is considering a Dell business PC refresh, our first phase of testing demonstrates that updated hardware in Dell Latitude 7430 laptops and Dell OptiPlex 7400 AIO desktops can deliver better performance while users perform workday tasks, use compute-intensive applications, or multi-task. Our second phase of testing shows that the Latitude 7430 and OptiPlex 7400 PCs we tested—equipped with Windows 11 Pro and default Microsoft security features enabled, including VBS—outperformed their two-year-old Windows 10 Pro counterparts with VBS disabled. Any decision to refresh employee devices can be daunting, but with Dell Latitude 7430 laptops and Dell OptiPlex 7400 AIO desktops running Windows 11 Pro, employees can benefit from more responsive systems preloaded with kernel-level security.
By choosing the HP EliteBook 1040 G10 Notebook PC with Intel Core i7-1370P vPro processor instead of the Apple MacBook Pro 14" with an Apple M2 Max 12‑core processor
Conclusion
Whether you’re selecting a laptop for yourself or making a purchasing decision for a large workforce, price and performance are both top considerations. In our testing, the HP EliteBook 1040 G10 Notebook PC with an Intel Core i7-1370 vPro processor delivered strong performance on two benchmarks with a purchase price almost $1,000 lower than the Apple MacBook Pro 14" with an Apple M2 Max processor. It also offers the security and manageability features of HP Wolf Security and the Intel vPro platform, among others. For fast web browsing and business performance at a lower price, the Intel vPro processorpowered HP EliteBook 1040 G10 is worth a second look.
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2: Amplify performance without spending morePrincipled Technologies
In tests, the ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 provided higher benchmark scores and better end-user experiences than a 13-inch MacBook Air—and at a lower cost
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing a business laptop, every user has different needs. While here is no single metric to determine the best device, business users often look for a device that combines performance, portability, and good support for the office productivity applications they use every day. When we compared a Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 to a 13-inch MacBook Air, we found that the ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 offered better single-core performance, booted and completed the hand-timed tasks in Microsoft 365 applications faster, and provided good speaker and camera quality. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 did all of this while being less expensive and weighing about the same as the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air.
Discover faster web performance at a lower cost with the HP Elite Mini 800 G9...Principled Technologies
vs. the Apple Mac mini powered by an Apple M2 Pro processor
Conclusion
In our hands-on testing, the 13th Gen Intel Core processor-powered HP Elite Mini 800 G9 Desktop PC achieved higher WebXPRT scores than the Apple M2 processor-powered Apple Mac mini. It also delivered comparable performance on two CrossMark benchmark sub-tests. At a 28.1 lower price, the HP system offered a greater variety of ports at the front and back while also taking up less space. These benefits, combined with security and manageability features, could make the HP Elite Mini 800 G9 Desktop PC a good fit for your workforce.
Improve PC app performance, battery charging, and end-user experiences with ...Principled Technologies
on Dell Latitude 9430 laptops and OptiPlex 7400 all-in-one desktop PCs
Whether your company is purchasing new PCs to improve productivity, to better meet end-user needs, or to gain a competitive edge, in our hands-on tests, speedy performance and adjustments from the AIbased Dell Optimizer had a positive impact. We found that enabling Dell Optimizer 3.1 on two different Dell business PCs running Windows 11 Pro improved system responsiveness
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8: A flexible alternative to the clamshellPrincipled Technologies
We compared a 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) to the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8, a convertible laptop/tablet that bends over backwards to give you what you want
Conclusion
The versatile Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 delivered on price and performance, coming in at $1,360.00 less expensive than the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) when we ordered devices for this comparison. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 also received higher scores (aside from an almost equivalent Ookla download score) on performance benchmarks, completed Microsoft 365 tasks in less time, provided solid mic noise reduction, enabled louder speaker volume, and consumed considerably fewer CPU resources during Zoom meetings than the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023). The ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 is a high-performing option for business users who want the most bang for their buck.
Make the most of your time as well as your space with Dell OptiPlex small and...Principled Technologies
In our benchmark and scenario-based comparisons, we found Dell OptiPlex compact desktops powered by Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors outperformed comparable HP ProDesk and EliteDesk compact desktops powered by AMD Ryzen 3, 5, and 7 PRO processors.
Investing in GenAI: Cost‑benefit analysis of Dell on‑premises deployments vs....Principled Technologies
Conclusion
Diving into the world of GenAI has the potential to yield a great many benefits for your organization, but it first requires consideration for how best to implement those GenAI workloads. Whether your AI goals are to create a chatbot for online visitors, generate marketing materials, aid troubleshooting, or something else, implementing an AI solution requires careful planning and decision-making. A major decision is whether to host GenAI in the cloud or keep your data on premises. Traditional on-premises solutions can provide superior security and control, a substantial concern when dealing with large amounts of potentially sensitive data. But will supporting a GenAI solution on site be a drain on an organization’s IT budget?
In our research, we found that the value proposition is just the opposite: Hosting GenAI workloads on premises, either in a traditional Dell solution or using a managed Dell APEX pay-per-use solution, could significantly lower your GenAI costs over 3 years compared to hosting these workloads in the cloud. In fact, we found that a comparable AWS SageMaker solution would cost up to 3.8 times as much and an Azure ML solution would cost up to 3.6 times as much as GenAI on a Dell APEX pay-per-use solution. These results show that organizations looking to implement GenAI and reap the business benefits to come can find many advantages in an on-premises Dell solution, whether they opt to purchase and manage it themselves or choose a subscription-based Dell APEX pay-per-use solution. Choosing an on-premises Dell solution could save your organization significantly over hosting GenAI in the cloud, while giving you control over the security and privacy of your data as well as any updates and changes to the environment, and while ensuring your environment is managed consistently.
Workstations powered by Intel can play a vital role in CPU-intensive AI devel...Principled Technologies
In three AI development workflows, Intel processor-powered workstations delivered strong performance, without using their GPUs, making them a good choice for this part of the AI process
Conclusion
We executed three AI development workflows on tower workstations and mobile workstations from three vendors, with each workflow utilizing only the Intel CPU cores, and found that these platforms were suitable for carrying out various AI tasks. For two of the workflows, we learned that completing the tasks on the tower workstations took roughly half as much time as on the mobile workstations. This supports the idea that the tower workstations would be appropriate for a development environment for more complex models with a greater volume of data and that the mobile workstations would be well-suited for data scientists fine-tuning simpler models. In the third workflow, we explored tower workstation performance with different precision levels and learned that using 16-bit floating point precision allowed the workstations to execute the workflow in less time and also reduced memory usage dramatically. For all three AI workflows we executed, we consider the time the workstations needed to complete the tasks to be acceptable, and believe that these workstations can be appropriate, cost-effective choices for these kinds of activities.
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Optimize creative and design workflows and enjoy a better user experience wit...Principled Technologies
In a series of tests, a Dell Precision 5680 handled several heavy workloads better while remaining cooler than a 16‑inch Apple MacBook Pro
Conclusion
Whether you’re editing video, rendering 3D graphics, analyzing data, or collaborating with coworkers on a PowerPoint presentation, the performance of your device can impact how productive you are. When you’re catching up on emails on the couch or trying to put the finishing touches on a video project before boarding a flight, the temperature of the device in your lap can impact your comfort. Comparing a Dell Precision 5680 to a MacBook Pro 16", we found the Precision 5680 offered better performance running several demanding workloads, remained up to 12.8°F cooler under a sustained Cinebench workload, and offered comparable audio quality. Based on our tests, users who value performance and comfort should consider the Dell Precision 5680 workstation.
The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 cost substantially less and delivered better performance benchmark scores and end‑user experiences than a 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023)
Conclusion
In our tests, the touch-capable ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 received higher performance benchmark scores (aside from an almost equivalent Ookla download score) and was $2,047.50 less expensive than a 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023). The 13th Generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon also provided better end-user experiences with good mic noise reduction, louder speaker volume output, and considerably less CPU usage during Zoom meetings versus its 14-inch MacBook Pro counterpart.
Check items off your to-do list faster with Dell OptiPlex small and micro for...Principled Technologies
In our hands-on benchmark and scenario-based comparisons, we found Dell OptiPlex desktops powered by Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors outperformed comparable Lenovo ThinkCentre M Series desktops powered by AMD Ryzen 3, 5, and 7 PRO processors.
Boosting productivity and security with modern devices: A comparative studyPrincipled Technologies
We examined how migrating to Dell Latitude 7430 and OptiPlex 7400 PCs preloaded with Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft security features could affect day-to-day productivity
To set up organizations for success now and in the future, company-provided technology must empower employees to finish work without delay and reduce security vulnerabilities. If your company is considering a Dell business PC refresh, our first phase of testing demonstrates that updated hardware in Dell Latitude 7430 laptops and Dell OptiPlex 7400 AIO desktops can deliver better performance while users perform workday tasks, use compute-intensive applications, or multi-task. Our second phase of testing shows that the Latitude 7430 and OptiPlex 7400 PCs we tested—equipped with Windows 11 Pro and default Microsoft security features enabled, including VBS—outperformed their two-year-old Windows 10 Pro counterparts with VBS disabled. Any decision to refresh employee devices can be daunting, but with Dell Latitude 7430 laptops and Dell OptiPlex 7400 AIO desktops running Windows 11 Pro, employees can benefit from more responsive systems preloaded with kernel-level security.
By choosing the HP EliteBook 1040 G10 Notebook PC with Intel Core i7-1370P vPro processor instead of the Apple MacBook Pro 14" with an Apple M2 Max 12‑core processor
Conclusion
Whether you’re selecting a laptop for yourself or making a purchasing decision for a large workforce, price and performance are both top considerations. In our testing, the HP EliteBook 1040 G10 Notebook PC with an Intel Core i7-1370 vPro processor delivered strong performance on two benchmarks with a purchase price almost $1,000 lower than the Apple MacBook Pro 14" with an Apple M2 Max processor. It also offers the security and manageability features of HP Wolf Security and the Intel vPro platform, among others. For fast web browsing and business performance at a lower price, the Intel vPro processorpowered HP EliteBook 1040 G10 is worth a second look.
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2: Amplify performance without spending morePrincipled Technologies
In tests, the ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 provided higher benchmark scores and better end-user experiences than a 13-inch MacBook Air—and at a lower cost
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing a business laptop, every user has different needs. While here is no single metric to determine the best device, business users often look for a device that combines performance, portability, and good support for the office productivity applications they use every day. When we compared a Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 to a 13-inch MacBook Air, we found that the ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 offered better single-core performance, booted and completed the hand-timed tasks in Microsoft 365 applications faster, and provided good speaker and camera quality. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 did all of this while being less expensive and weighing about the same as the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air.
Discover faster web performance at a lower cost with the HP Elite Mini 800 G9...Principled Technologies
vs. the Apple Mac mini powered by an Apple M2 Pro processor
Conclusion
In our hands-on testing, the 13th Gen Intel Core processor-powered HP Elite Mini 800 G9 Desktop PC achieved higher WebXPRT scores than the Apple M2 processor-powered Apple Mac mini. It also delivered comparable performance on two CrossMark benchmark sub-tests. At a 28.1 lower price, the HP system offered a greater variety of ports at the front and back while also taking up less space. These benefits, combined with security and manageability features, could make the HP Elite Mini 800 G9 Desktop PC a good fit for your workforce.
Improve PC app performance, battery charging, and end-user experiences with ...Principled Technologies
on Dell Latitude 9430 laptops and OptiPlex 7400 all-in-one desktop PCs
Whether your company is purchasing new PCs to improve productivity, to better meet end-user needs, or to gain a competitive edge, in our hands-on tests, speedy performance and adjustments from the AIbased Dell Optimizer had a positive impact. We found that enabling Dell Optimizer 3.1 on two different Dell business PCs running Windows 11 Pro improved system responsiveness
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8: A flexible alternative to the clamshellPrincipled Technologies
We compared a 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) to the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8, a convertible laptop/tablet that bends over backwards to give you what you want
Conclusion
The versatile Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 delivered on price and performance, coming in at $1,360.00 less expensive than the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023) when we ordered devices for this comparison. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 also received higher scores (aside from an almost equivalent Ookla download score) on performance benchmarks, completed Microsoft 365 tasks in less time, provided solid mic noise reduction, enabled louder speaker volume, and consumed considerably fewer CPU resources during Zoom meetings than the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (2023). The ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 is a high-performing option for business users who want the most bang for their buck.
Make the most of your time as well as your space with Dell OptiPlex small and...Principled Technologies
In our benchmark and scenario-based comparisons, we found Dell OptiPlex compact desktops powered by Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors outperformed comparable HP ProDesk and EliteDesk compact desktops powered by AMD Ryzen 3, 5, and 7 PRO processors.
Investing in GenAI: Cost‑benefit analysis of Dell on‑premises deployments vs....Principled Technologies
Conclusion
Diving into the world of GenAI has the potential to yield a great many benefits for your organization, but it first requires consideration for how best to implement those GenAI workloads. Whether your AI goals are to create a chatbot for online visitors, generate marketing materials, aid troubleshooting, or something else, implementing an AI solution requires careful planning and decision-making. A major decision is whether to host GenAI in the cloud or keep your data on premises. Traditional on-premises solutions can provide superior security and control, a substantial concern when dealing with large amounts of potentially sensitive data. But will supporting a GenAI solution on site be a drain on an organization’s IT budget?
In our research, we found that the value proposition is just the opposite: Hosting GenAI workloads on premises, either in a traditional Dell solution or using a managed Dell APEX pay-per-use solution, could significantly lower your GenAI costs over 3 years compared to hosting these workloads in the cloud. In fact, we found that a comparable AWS SageMaker solution would cost up to 3.8 times as much and an Azure ML solution would cost up to 3.6 times as much as GenAI on a Dell APEX pay-per-use solution. These results show that organizations looking to implement GenAI and reap the business benefits to come can find many advantages in an on-premises Dell solution, whether they opt to purchase and manage it themselves or choose a subscription-based Dell APEX pay-per-use solution. Choosing an on-premises Dell solution could save your organization significantly over hosting GenAI in the cloud, while giving you control over the security and privacy of your data as well as any updates and changes to the environment, and while ensuring your environment is managed consistently.
Workstations powered by Intel can play a vital role in CPU-intensive AI devel...Principled Technologies
In three AI development workflows, Intel processor-powered workstations delivered strong performance, without using their GPUs, making them a good choice for this part of the AI process
Conclusion
We executed three AI development workflows on tower workstations and mobile workstations from three vendors, with each workflow utilizing only the Intel CPU cores, and found that these platforms were suitable for carrying out various AI tasks. For two of the workflows, we learned that completing the tasks on the tower workstations took roughly half as much time as on the mobile workstations. This supports the idea that the tower workstations would be appropriate for a development environment for more complex models with a greater volume of data and that the mobile workstations would be well-suited for data scientists fine-tuning simpler models. In the third workflow, we explored tower workstation performance with different precision levels and learned that using 16-bit floating point precision allowed the workstations to execute the workflow in less time and also reduced memory usage dramatically. For all three AI workflows we executed, we consider the time the workstations needed to complete the tasks to be acceptable, and believe that these workstations can be appropriate, cost-effective choices for these kinds of activities.
Enable security features with no impact to OLTP performance with Dell PowerEd...Principled Technologies
Get comparable online transaction processing (OLTP) performance with or without enabling AMD Secure Memory Encryption and AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization - Encrypted State
Conclusion
You’ve likely already implemented many security measures for your servers, which may include physical security for the data center, hardware-level security, and software-level security. With the cost of data breaches high and still growing, however, wise IT teams will consider what additional security measures they may be able to implement.
AMD SME and SEV-ES are technologies that are already available within your AMD processor-powered 16th Generation Dell PowerEdge servers—and in our testing, we saw that they can offer extra layers of security without affecting performance. We compared the online transaction processing performance of a Dell PowerEdge R7625 server, powered by AMD EPYC 9274F processors, with and without these two security features enabled. We found that enabling AMD Secure Memory Encryption and Secure Encrypted Virtualization-Encrypted State did not impact performance at all.
If your team is assessing areas where you might be able to enhance security—without paying a large performance cost—consider enabling AME SME and AMD SEV-ES in your Dell PowerEdge servers.
Improving energy efficiency in the data center: Endure higher temperatures wi...Principled Technologies
In high-temperature test scenarios, a Dell PowerEdge HS5620 server continued running an intensive workload without component warnings or failures, while a Supermicro SYS‑621C-TN12R server failed
Conclusion: Remain resilient in high temperatures with the Dell PowerEdge HS5620 to help increase efficiency
Increasing your data center’s temperature can help your organization make strides in energy efficiency and cooling cost savings. With servers that can hold up to these higher everyday temperatures—as well as high temperatures due to unforeseen circumstances—your business can continue to deliver the performance your apps and clients require.
When we ran an intensive floating-point workload on a Dell PowerEdge HS5620 and a Supermicro SYS-621CTN12R in three scenario types simulating typical operations at 25°C, a fan failure, and an HVAC malfunction, the Dell server experienced no component warnings or failures. In contrast, the Supermicro server experienced warnings in all three scenario types and experienced component failures in the latter two tests, rendering the system unusable. When we inspected and analyzed each system, we found that the Dell PowerEdge HS5620 server’s motherboard layout, fans, and chassis offered cooling design advantages.
For businesses aiming to meet sustainability goals by running hotter data centers, as well as those concerned with server cooling design, the Dell PowerEdge HS5620 is a strong contender to take on higher temperatures during day-to-day operations and unexpected malfunctions.
Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Red Hat OpenShift: An easily deployable and powe...Principled Technologies
The 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor‑powered solution deployed in less than two hours and ran a Kubernetes container-based generative AI workload effectively
Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Red Hat OpenShift: An easily deployable and powe...Principled Technologies
The 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor‑powered solution deployed in less than two hours and ran a generative AI workload effectively
Conclusion
The appeal of incorporating GenAI into your organization’s operations is likely great. Getting started with an efficient solution for your next LLM workload or application can seem daunting because of the changing hardware and software landscape, but Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Red Hat OpenShift powered by 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors could provide the solution you need. We started with a Dell Validated Design as a reference, and then went on to modify the deployment as necessary for our Llama 2 workload. The Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Red Hat OpenShift solution worked well for our LLM, and by using this deployment guide in conjunction with numerous Dell documents and some flexibility, you could be well on your way to innovating your next GenAI breakthrough.
Upgrade your cloud infrastructure with Dell PowerEdge R760 servers and VMware...Principled Technologies
Compared to a cluster of PowerEdge R750 servers running VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)
For organizations running clusters of moderately configured, older Dell PowerEdge servers with a previous version of VCF, upgrading to better-configured modern servers can provide a significant performance boost and more.
Upgrade your cloud infrastructure with Dell PowerEdge R760 servers and VMware...Principled Technologies
Compared to a cluster of PowerEdge R750 servers running VMware Cloud Foundation 4.5
If your company is struggling with underperforming infrastructure, upgrading to 16th Generation Dell PowerEdge servers running VCF 5.1 could be just what you need to handle more database throughput and reduce vSAN latencies. As an additional benefit to IT admins, we also found that the embedded VMware Aria Operation adapter provided useful infrastructure insights.
Realize 2.1X the performance with 20% less power with AMD EPYC processor-back...Principled Technologies
Three AMD EPYC processor-based two-processor solutions outshined comparable Intel Xeon Scalable processor-based solutions by handling more Redis workload transactions and requests while consuming less power
Conclusion
Performance and energy efficiency are significant factors in processor selection for servers running data-intensive workloads, such as Redis. We compared the Redis performance and energy consumption of a server cluster in three AMD EPYC two-processor configurations against that of a server cluster in two Intel Xeon Scalable two-processor configurations. In each of our three test scenarios, the server cluster backed by AMD EPYC processors outperformed the server cluster backed by Intel Xeon Scalable processors. In addition, one of the AMD EPYC processor-based clusters consumed 20 percent less power than its Intel Xeon Scalable processor-based counterpart. Combining these measurements gave us power efficiency metrics that demonstrate how valuable AMD EPYC processor-based servers could be—you could see better performance per watt with these AMD EPYC processor-based server clusters and potentially get more from your Redis or other data intensive applications and workloads while reducing data center power costs.
Improve performance and gain room to grow by easily migrating to a modern Ope...Principled Technologies
We deployed this modern environment, then migrated database VMs from legacy servers and saw performance improvements that support consolidation
Conclusion
If your organization’s transactional databases are running on gear that is several years old, you have much to gain by upgrading to modern servers with new processors and networking components and an OpenShift environment. In our testing, a modern OpenShift environment with a cluster of three Dell PowerEdge R7615 servers with 4th Generation AMD EPYC processors and high-speed 100Gb Broadcom NICs outperformed a legacy environment with MySQL VMs running on a cluster of three Dell PowerEdge R7515 servers with 3rd Generation AMD EPYC processors and 25Gb Broadcom NICs. We also easily migrated a VM from the legacy environment to the modern environment, with only a few steps required to set up and less than ten minutes of hands-on time. The performance advantage of the modern servers would allow a company to reduce the number of servers necessary to perform a given amount of database work, thus lowering operational expenditures such as power and cooling and IT staff time for maintenance. The high-speed 100Gb Broadcom NICs in this solution also give companies better network performance and networking capacity to grow as they embrace emerging technologies such as AI that put great demands on networks.
Boost PC performance: How more available memory can improve productivityPrincipled Technologies
With more memory available, system performance of three Dell devices increased, which can translate to a better user experience
Conclusion
When your system has plenty of RAM to meet your needs, you can efficiently access the applications and data you need to finish projects and to-do lists without sacrificing time and focus. Our test results show that with more memory available, three Dell PCs delivered better performance and took less time to complete the Procyon Office Productivity benchmark. These advantages translate to users being able to complete workflows more quickly and multitask more easily. Whether you need the mobility of the Latitude 5440, the creative capabilities of the Precision 3470, or the high performance of the OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010, configuring your system with more RAM can help keep processes running smoothly, enabling you to do more without compromising performance.
Deploy with confidence: VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1 on next gen Dell PowerEdg...Principled Technologies
A Principled Technologies deployment guide
Conclusion
Deploying VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1 on next gen Dell PowerEdge servers brings together critical virtualization capabilities and high-performing hardware infrastructure. Relying on our hands-on experience, this deployment guide offers a comprehensive roadmap that can guide your organization through the seamless integration of advanced VMware cloud solutions with the performance and reliability of Dell PowerEdge servers. In addition to the deployment efficiency, the Cloud Foundation 5.1 and PowerEdge solution delivered strong performance while running a MySQL database workload. By leveraging VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1 and PowerEdge servers, you could help your organization embrace cloud computing with confidence, potentially unlocking a new level of agility, scalability, and efficiency in your data center operations.
Upgrade your cloud infrastructure with Dell PowerEdge R760 servers and VMware...Principled Technologies
Compared to a cluster of PowerEdge R750 servers running VMware Cloud Foundation 4.5
Conclusion
If your company is struggling with underperforming infrastructure, upgrading to 16th Generation Dell PowerEdge servers running VCF 5.1 could be just what you need to handle more database throughput and reduce vSAN latencies. We found that a Dell PowerEdge R760 server cluster running VCF 5.1 processed over 78 percent more TPM and 79 percent more NOPM than a Dell PowerEdge R750 server cluster running VCF 4.5. It’s also worth noting that the PowerEdge R750 cluster bottlenecked on vSAN storage, with max write latency at 8.9ms. For reference, the PowerEdge R760 cluster clocked in at 3.8ms max write latency. This higher latency is due in part to the single disk group per host on the moderately configured PowerEdge R750 cluster, while the better-configured PowerEdge R760 cluster supported four disk groups per host. As an additional benefit to IT admins, we also found that the embedded VMware Aria Operation adapter provided useful infrastructure insights.
Based on our research using publicly available materials, it appears that Dell supports nine of the ten PC security features we investigated, HP supports six of them, and Lenovo supports three features.
Increase security, sustainability, and efficiency with robust Dell server man...Principled Technologies
Compared to the Supermicro management portfolio
Conclusion
Choosing a vendor for server purchases is about more than just the hardware platform. Decision-makers must also consider more long-term concerns, including system/data security, energy efficiency, and ease of management. These concerns make the systems management tools a vendor offers as important as the hardware.
We investigated the features and capabilities of server management tools from Dell and Supermicro, comparing Dell iDRAC9 against Supermicro IPMI for embedded server management and Dell OpenManage Enterprise and CloudIQ against Supermicro Server Manager for one-to-many device and console management and monitoring. We found that the Dell management tools provided more comprehensive security, sustainability, and management/monitoring features and capabilities than Supermicro servers did. In addition, Dell tools automated more tasks to ease server management, resulting in significant time savings for administrators versus having to do the same tasks manually with Supermicro tools.
When making a server purchase, a vendor’s associated management products are critical to protect data, support a more sustainable environment, and to ease the maintenance of systems. Our tests and research showed that the Dell management portfolio for PowerEdge servers offered more features to help organizations meet these goals than the comparable Supermicro management products.
Increase security, sustainability, and efficiency with robust Dell server man...Principled Technologies
Compared to the Supermicro management portfolio
Conclusion
Choosing a vendor for server purchases is about more than just the hardware platform. Decision-makers must also consider more long-term concerns, including system/data security, energy efficiency, and ease of management. These concerns make the systems management tools a vendor offers as important as the hardware.
We investigated the features and capabilities of server management tools from Dell and Supermicro, comparing Dell iDRAC9 against Supermicro IPMI for embedded server management and Dell OpenManage Enterprise and CloudIQ against Supermicro Server Manager for one-to-many device and console management and monitoring. We found that the Dell management tools provided more comprehensive security, sustainability, and management/monitoring features and capabilities than Supermicro servers did. In addition, Dell tools automated more tasks to ease server management, resulting in significant time savings for administrators versus having to do the same tasks manually with Supermicro tools.
When making a server purchase, a vendor’s associated management products are critical to protect data, support a more sustainable environment, and to ease the maintenance of systems. Our tests and research showed that the Dell management portfolio for PowerEdge servers offered more features to help organizations meet these goals than the comparable Supermicro management products.
Scale up your storage with higher-performing Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS ...Principled Technologies
In our tests, Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS outperformed similarly configured solutions from Vendor A, achieving more IOPS, better throughput, and more consistent performance on both NVMe-supported configurations and configurations backed by Elastic Block Store (EBS) alone.
Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS supports a full NVMe backed configuration, but Vendor A doesn’t—its solution uses EBS for storage capacity and NVMe as an extended read cache—which means APEX Block Storage for AWS can deliver faster storage performance.
Scale up your storage with higher-performing Dell APEX Block Storage for AWSPrincipled Technologies
Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS offered stronger and more consistent storage performance for better business agility than a Vendor A solution
Conclusion
Enterprises desiring the flexibility and convenience of the cloud for their block storage workloads can find fast-performing solutions with the enterprise storage features they’re used to in on-premises infrastructure by selecting Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS.
Our hands-on tests showed that compared to the Vendor A solution, Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS offered stronger, more consistent storage performance in both NVMe-supported and EBS-backed configurations. Using NVMe-supported configurations, Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS achieved 4.7x the random read IOPS and 5.1x the throughput on sequential read operations per node vs. Vendor A. In our EBS-backed comparison, Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS offered 2.2x the throughput per node on sequential read operations vs. Vendor A.
Plus, the ability to scale beyond three nodes—up to 512 storage nodes with capacity of up to 8 PBs—enables Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS to help ensure performance and capacity as your team plans for the future.
Get in and stay in the productivity zone with the HP Z2 G9 Tower WorkstationPrincipled Technologies
We compared CPU performance and noise output of an HP Z2 G9 Tower Workstation in High Performance Mode to Dell Precision 3660 and 5860 tower workstations in optimized performance modes
Conclusion
HP Z2 G9 Tower Workstation users can change the BIOS settings to dial in the performance mode that best suits their needs: High Performance Mode, Performance Mode, or Quiet Mode. In good
news for both creative and technical professionals, we found that an Intel Core i9-13900 processor-powered HP Z2 G9 Tower Workstation set to High Performance mode received higher CPU-based benchmark scores than both a similarly configured Dell Precision 3660 and a Dell Precision 5860 equipped with an Intel Xeon w5-2455x processor. Plus, the HP Z2 G9 Tower Workstation was quieter while running CPU-intensive Cinebench 2024 and SPECapc for Solidworks 2022 workloads than both Dell Precision tower workstations. This means HP Z2 G9 Tower Workstation users who prize performance over everything else can do so without sacrificing a quiet workspace.
Open up new possibilities with higher transactional database performance from...Principled Technologies
In our PostgreSQL tests, R7i instances boosted performance over R6i instances with previous-gen processors
If you use the open-source PostgreSQL database to run your critical business operations, you have many cloud options from which to choose. While many of these instances can do the job, some can deliver stronger performance, which can mean getting a greater return on your cloud investment.
We conducted hands-on testing with the HammerDB TPROC-C benchmark to see how the PostgreSQL performance of Amazon EC2 R7i instances, enabled by 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, stacked up to that of R6i instances with previous-generation processors. We learned that small, medium-sized, and large R7i instances with the newer processors delivered better OLTP performance, with improvements as high as 13.8 percent. By choosing the R7i instances, your organization has the potential to support more users, deliver a better experience to those users, and even lower your cloud operating expenditures by requiring fewer instances to get the job done.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Generative AI Deep Dive: Advancing from Proof of Concept to ProductionAggregage
Join Maher Hanafi, VP of Engineering at Betterworks, in this new session where he'll share a practical framework to transform Gen AI prototypes into impactful products! He'll delve into the complexities of data collection and management, model selection and optimization, and ensuring security, scalability, and responsible use.
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The Metaverse and AI: how can decision-makers harness the Metaverse for their...Jen Stirrup
The Metaverse is popularized in science fiction, and now it is becoming closer to being a part of our daily lives through the use of social media and shopping companies. How can businesses survive in a world where Artificial Intelligence is becoming the present as well as the future of technology, and how does the Metaverse fit into business strategy when futurist ideas are developing into reality at accelerated rates? How do we do this when our data isn't up to scratch? How can we move towards success with our data so we are set up for the Metaverse when it arrives?
How can you help your company evolve, adapt, and succeed using Artificial Intelligence and the Metaverse to stay ahead of the competition? What are the potential issues, complications, and benefits that these technologies could bring to us and our organizations? In this session, Jen Stirrup will explain how to start thinking about these technologies as an organisation.
Climate Impact of Software Testing at Nordic Testing DaysKari Kakkonen
My slides at Nordic Testing Days 6.6.2024
Climate impact / sustainability of software testing discussed on the talk. ICT and testing must carry their part of global responsibility to help with the climat warming. We can minimize the carbon footprint but we can also have a carbon handprint, a positive impact on the climate. Quality characteristics can be added with sustainability, and then measured continuously. Test environments can be used less, and in smaller scale and on demand. Test techniques can be used in optimizing or minimizing number of tests. Test automation can be used to speed up testing.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Encryption in Microsoft 365 - ExpertsLive Netherlands 2024Albert Hoitingh
In this session I delve into the encryption technology used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Including the concepts of Customer Key and Double Key Encryption.
SAP Sapphire 2024 - ASUG301 building better apps with SAP Fiori.pdfPeter Spielvogel
Building better applications for business users with SAP Fiori.
• What is SAP Fiori and why it matters to you
• How a better user experience drives measurable business benefits
• How to get started with SAP Fiori today
• How SAP Fiori elements accelerates application development
• How SAP Build Code includes SAP Fiori tools and other generative artificial intelligence capabilities
• How SAP Fiori paves the way for using AI in SAP apps
Removing Uninteresting Bytes in Software FuzzingAftab Hussain
Imagine a world where software fuzzing, the process of mutating bytes in test seeds to uncover hidden and erroneous program behaviors, becomes faster and more effective. A lot depends on the initial seeds, which can significantly dictate the trajectory of a fuzzing campaign, particularly in terms of how long it takes to uncover interesting behaviour in your code. We introduce DIAR, a technique designed to speedup fuzzing campaigns by pinpointing and eliminating those uninteresting bytes in the seeds. Picture this: instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless mutations in large, bloated seeds, DIAR removes the unnecessary bytes, streamlining the entire process.
In this work, we equipped AFL, a popular fuzzer, with DIAR and examined two critical Linux libraries -- Libxml's xmllint, a tool for parsing xml documents, and Binutil's readelf, an essential debugging and security analysis command-line tool used to display detailed information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format). Our preliminary results show that AFL+DIAR does not only discover new paths more quickly but also achieves higher coverage overall. This work thus showcases how starting with lean and optimized seeds can lead to faster, more comprehensive fuzzing campaigns -- and DIAR helps you find such seeds.
- These are slides of the talk given at IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation Workshop, ICSTW 2022.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
zkStudyClub - Reef: Fast Succinct Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge Regex ProofsAlex Pruden
This paper presents Reef, a system for generating publicly verifiable succinct non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs that a committed document matches or does not match a regular expression. We describe applications such as proving the strength of passwords, the provenance of email despite redactions, the validity of oblivious DNS queries, and the existence of mutations in DNA. Reef supports the Perl Compatible Regular Expression syntax, including wildcards, alternation, ranges, capture groups, Kleene star, negations, and lookarounds. Reef introduces a new type of automata, Skipping Alternating Finite Automata (SAFA), that skips irrelevant parts of a document when producing proofs without undermining soundness, and instantiates SAFA with a lookup argument. Our experimental evaluation confirms that Reef can generate proofs for documents with 32M characters; the proofs are small and cheap to verify (under a second).
Paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/1886
A tale of scale & speed: How the US Navy is enabling software delivery from l...sonjaschweigert1
Rapid and secure feature delivery is a goal across every application team and every branch of the DoD. The Navy’s DevSecOps platform, Party Barge, has achieved:
- Reduction in onboarding time from 5 weeks to 1 day
- Improved developer experience and productivity through actionable findings and reduction of false positives
- Maintenance of superior security standards and inherent policy enforcement with Authorization to Operate (ATO)
Development teams can ship efficiently and ensure applications are cyber ready for Navy Authorizing Officials (AOs). In this webinar, Sigma Defense and Anchore will give attendees a look behind the scenes and demo secure pipeline automation and security artifacts that speed up application ATO and time to production.
We will cover:
- How to remove silos in DevSecOps
- How to build efficient development pipeline roles and component templates
- How to deliver security artifacts that matter for ATO’s (SBOMs, vulnerability reports, and policy evidence)
- How to streamline operations with automated policy checks on container images
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)Ralf Eggert
In this presentation, we examine the challenges and limitations of relying too heavily on PHP frameworks in web development. We discuss the history of PHP and its frameworks to understand how this dependence has evolved. The focus will be on providing concrete tips and strategies to reduce reliance on these frameworks, based on real-world examples and practical considerations. The goal is to equip developers with the skills and knowledge to create more flexible and future-proof web applications. We'll explore the importance of maintaining autonomy in a rapidly changing tech landscape and how to make informed decisions in PHP development.
This talk is aimed at encouraging a more independent approach to using PHP frameworks, moving towards a more flexible and future-proof approach to PHP development.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...
Improve productivity with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 all-in-one desktop PC
1. Multitask without delay
Up to 265.2% higher Cinebench
R23 multi-core scores
Boost your browsing
50.6% higher WebXPRT 4 score
Get to work faster
Launch Microsoft 365 applications
in up to 74.6% less time
Improve productivity with
the Lenovo ThinkCentre
M90a Pro Gen 4 all-in-one
desktop PC
Compared to the Apple iMac, the ThinkCentre
M90a Pro Gen 4 offered stronger performance
in benchmarks and hand-timed tasks
All-in-one (AIO) desktop computers offer several advantages
over laptops that make them attractive to certain business users.
AIO systems often contain more powerful hardware components,
making them better for demanding tasks. They may also have room
for additional storage, so they are easier to upgrade, they typically
have more ports and support multiple types of connections, and
they take up no more room than the monitor since the processing
unit is attached to the back of the screen.
When choosing an AIO, consider how you’ll use it. If you’re a
business user who multitasks, look for a system that delivers a
good experience and offers strong performance on such common
business applications as Microsoft 365, Zoom, and Microsoft
Teams. We compared two AIO desktop systems to see how well
they meet the needs of business users:
• 24-inch Lenovo®
ThinkCentre™
M90a Pro Gen 4 powered
by a 13th
Gen Intel®
Core™
i9-13900 processor
• 24-inch Apple®
iMac®
powered by an Apple M1 processor
Across a range of benchmark tests and hand-timed workflows,
the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 achieved higher scores
and completed scenarios faster than the iMac. Our audio tests
showed that the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 offered louder
speaker output and reduced background noise with its on-board
microphone better than the iMac, making it more suitable for
videoconferencing needs.
Improve productivity with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 all-in-one desktop PC December 2023
A Principled Technologies report: Hands-on testing. Real-world results.
2. Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 vs. 24-inch Apple iMac
Built-in remote
manageability3
Intel vPro™
technology
vs. none
Modern wireless
connectivity
Wi-Fi 6E*
More efficient, stable
connection with less
interference4
Bluetooth 5.3
vs Bluetooth 5.0
Lessen your
environmental footprint
Sustainable packaging
vs. non
Connects with Android or
iOS phones5
Intel Unison™
connects PCs to
Android and/or iOS®
phones
Apple Continuity only
connects macOS®
devices to iOS phones
More connectivity
options
5x USB-A
3x USB-C
1x HDMI
1x DisplayPort
1x Gigabit Ethernet
1x headphone / mic combo
x Smart card reader
1x Kensington Security slot
1x optical disk drive
vs.
2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
2x USB 3 ports
About the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
This AIO business desktop computer features a 13th
Gen Intel Core
i9-13900 processor, Intel UHD graphics 770, Intel vPro®
Enterprise,
16 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of SSD storage. According to Lenovo,
the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 can “address the needs of
modern workplaces and content creators.”1
The system includes
features such as:
• Energy Performance Optimizer,
which uses machine learning to
boost performance
• Thunderbolt 4 for ultra-
fast file sharing
• Support for an additional
8K monitor or two
additional 4K monitors
• Support for external GPUs and
storage devices
• Flicker Free and Eyesafe
certified display with Natural
Low Blue Light technology
• Intelligence privacy features
such as Human Presence
Detection and zero-touch
login and logout
• Built-in phone-docking bar and
cord management base2
To learn more about the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4, visit
https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-releases/thinkcentre-m90a-
pro-gen-4-all-in-one-desktop-pc/.
About the Intel Core i9-13900 processor
According to Intel, 13th
Gen Intel Core processors meet the needs of gamers, creators, and professionals who want
“highly flexible architecture and industry-leading tools for the ultimate in performance customization.”6
The Intel Core i9-
13900 processor features advanced performance hybrid architecture that includes Performance-cores (p-cores) for single
and lightly threaded performance, and Efficient-cores (E-cores) for highly threaded workloads. The Intel Core i9-13900
processor we tested has a 36 MB Intel Smart Cache, a max turbo frequency of 5.6 GHz, 24 cores (8 Performance-cores
and 16 Efficient-cores), 32 threads, and enhanced Intel Thread Director controller. To learn more about the Intel Core i9-
13900 processor, visit https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/230499.html.
*Both systems had these features.
System shown with optional
Conference Call Base
Improve productivity with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 all-in-one desktop PC December 2023 | 2
3. Real-world ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 packaging
We took a picture during our unboxing process so you could see the sustainable
packaging for yourself.
ThinkCentre M90a Pro
Gen 4 sustainability
Many consumers are conscious of the
effect their purchases have on the
environment. In fact, studies show
that consumers are willing to pay
more for technology products that use
sustainable packaging.7
To work toward
their stated goal of net-zero emissions
by 2050, Lenovo ships many systems in
recycled or biodegradable packaging
materials.8
With environmental concerns
in mind, the Lenovo ThinkCentre
M90a Gen 4 offers:
• ENERGY STAR®
certification
• EPEAT®
Gold certification
• TCO 9.0 certification and available
CO2 Offset Service
• Sustainable packaging, including:
Š EPE cushioning, an
environmentally safe, recyclable
foaming material
Š System bags made with 30%
ocean-bound plastic (OBP)
Š Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) certified paper packaging
materials, which saves trees
Š Packaging made with 65%
post-consumer content
Figure 1: Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 packaging.
Source: Principled Technologies.
Improve productivity with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 all-in-one desktop PC December 2023 | 3
4. How we tested
Before we started our hands-on evaluation, we set the Windows power mode on the
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 to “Best performance.” Because the 24-inch
Apple iMac has no such setting, we left it as-is. Other than making and verifying that
single change, we used out-of-box OEM performance settings for both devices:
• Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 running Windows 11 Pro, with
a 13th
Generation Intel Core i9-13900 vPro processor (4.2 – 5.6 GHz), 24 cores,
Intel UHD graphics, 16 GB of memory, and 1 TB of SSD storage.
• 24-inch Apple iMac running macOS Ventura, with an M1 processor (3.2 GHz),
8 cores, M1 8-core GPU, 16 GB of memory, and 1 TB of SSD storage.*
*We completed testing before the new iMac with M3 chip was available; this was the
best available model at the time of testing.
To measure the performance of the devices, PT conducted six benchmark tests:
• Cinebench R23 evaluates CPU and GPU capabilities using Redshift, a Cinema
4D rendering engine, and reports system performance under a heavy load.
• WebXPRT 4 is an internet browser benchmark that runs a series of tests that
include HTML and JavaScript handling, as well as online homework, photo
manipulation, and face detection tasks.
• CrossMark evaluates how well devices handle diverse tasks such as application
and file launches; web browsing; document, photo, and video editing;
scientific simulation forecast modeling within a spreadsheet application;
and multitasking.
• Procyon Office Productivity measures performance with workloads that
contain common tasks in Microsoft 365 applications.
• Procyon Photo Editing measures performance with workloads that feature
common photo-editing tasks in Adobe®
Lightroom®
and Adobe Photoshop®
.
• Geekbench 6 measures system performance using everyday tasks in popular
applications. The benchmark provides a score for both the CPU and the GPU.
To get a better understanding of the systems and their application responsiveness,
we hand-timed a series of common tasks in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
We also measured how long it took the devices to complete custom multitasking
workflows, compared Zoom video conferencing experiences, and conducted speaker
and microphone tests.
All the results we report reflect the specific configurations we tested. Any difference
in the configurations you test, as well as browsers, screen brightness, network
traffic, or software additions, can affect these results. For more information on these
24-inch AIO devices and our testing parameters and procedures, see the science
behind the report.
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5. System responsiveness (performance) results
One of the potential advantages of an AIO desktop system is that these systems are larger than laptop and
mobile devices and can accommodate bigger, more powerful hardware components. To measure the system
responsiveness of the two systems, we conducted a series of benchmark tests that stress the systems in
different ways.
Benchmark scores
Cinebench R23
The Cinebench R23 benchmark stresses the GPU and CPU of the systems to see how the systems perform under
constant heavy load. A high Cinebench R23 score indicates that a system can handle multi-threaded tasks, such
as 3D rendering, video editing, and gaming.
Cinebench R23
Overall score | Higher is better
2,108
1,519
Single-core Multi-core
28,666
7,848
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
Figure 2: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores. Higher is better. Source: Principled Technologies.
WebXPRT 4
Many business workers use web-browsing and web-
based applications frequently. A higher WebXPRT
score indicates that a system can provide a better,
more responsive web-browsing experience.
WebXPRT 4
Overall score | Higher is better
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
339
225
Figure 3: WebXPRT 4 overall scores using the Chrome browser.
Higher is better. Source: Principled Technologies.
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6. CrossMark
The CrossMark benchmark uses models of
real-world applications to measure system
responsiveness. A higher CrossMark score
indicates better general system responsiveness.
CrossMark
Overall score | Higher is better
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
1,990
1,377
Figure 4: CrossMark overall scores. Higher is better. Source:
Principled Technologies.
Connected computing with Intel Unison
Few of us can work on our laptops for very long without needing to check our phone or take a call. Fortunately for users
of the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4, this system comes with Intel Unison.9
According to Intel, “Unison seamlessly
connects your PC and devices for a universal, easy-to use experience.”10
Unison gives users the flexibility to make calls, send
and receive test messages, transfer files, and manage notifications from their PC or their phone. To learn more about the
features of Unison, visit https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/unison/overview.html.
The Intel®
Unison™
solution is currently available for approved configurations of Windows-based PCs and pairs with Android
or iOS-based phones or tablets. Intel Unison also requires a companion mobile app that can be downloaded from the
relevant app store and all devices must run a supported OS version. Results may vary.
Figure 5: Screenshots of successful pairing of an Apple iPhone and a Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 using Intel Unison.
Source: Principled Technologies.
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7. Procyon Office Productivity
The Procyon Office Productivity benchmark measures
performance while completing office productivity tasks
in the Microsoft 365 suite of applications. A higher
Procyon Office Productivity score indicates that the
system can provide better performance while using
Microsoft 365 applications.
Procyon Office Productivity
Overall score | Higher is better
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
258,000
176,000
Figure 6: Procyon Office Productivity overall scores. Higher is better.
Source: Principled Technologies.
Procyon Photo Editing
The Procyon Photo Editing benchmark uses workloads
that simulate real-work photo-editing tasks in Adobe
Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. A higher Procyon
Photo Editing score indicates a system can offer better
performance while editing photos in these apps.
Procyon Photo Editing
Overall score | Higher is better
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
5,335
4,802
Figure 7: Procyon Photo Editing overall scores. Higher is better.
Source: Principled Technologies.
Geekbench 6
Geekbench 6 evaluates a system’s single-core and multi-core performance using everyday tasks and scenarios,
such as checking email or playing music, or doing both at the same time. A higher Geekbench 6 single-core
score indicates that the system could provide better performance while processing workloads that don’t require
multiple cores, such as web browsing and office productivity applications. A higher Geekbench 6 multi-core
score indicates the system could provide better performance while processing multi-threaded workflows, such as
data analysis, video editing, and 3D gaming.
Geekbench 6
Overall score | Higher is better
2,928
2,390
Single-core Multi-core
13,922
8,714
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
Figure 8: Geekbench 6 scores. Higher is better. Source: Princi`pled Technologies.
Full lifecycle security with Lenovo ThinkShield
Lenovo systems offer ThinkShield to deliver comprehensive security across the full lifecycle of your devices. According to
Lenovo, “ThinkShield evolves with the modern threat landscape to protect your business and adapt to the needs of the
workforce.”11
ThinkShield provides security features such as:
• Endpoint security and management
• Data defense and
secure cloud backup
• Passwordless authentication
• BIOS firmware
• Firmware, hardware, and software
security and verification
• Trusted Supplier program12
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8. Everyday productivity results
A typical workday involves hundreds of tasks such as launching an application, opening an Excel spreadsheet, or
exporting a PowerPoint presentation. While each of these tasks may take only a few seconds, over the course of
weeks and months, these seconds can really add up. We hand-timed how long each system took to complete a
series of common tasks in Microsoft 365 and found that the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 completed the tasks in
less time than the iMac.
Time to complete tasks in Microsoft 365
Seconds | Less time is better
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
Launch Word
7.3
1.9
Open a 90MB
Word doc
4.1
3.0
Perform word
find/replace
2.0
1.9
Launch Excel
7.3
2.1
Open a 92MB
Excel spreadsheet
containing macro 16.8
15.5 Export 180MB
PPTX to PDF
10.2
7.1
Open 650KB
10K-row Excel
spreadsheet 3.0
2.2
Insert a 3D 100%
stacked column
chart in Excel 20.7
17.2
Launch
PowerPoint
6.5
2.0
Word Excel PowerPoint
Figure 9: Time to perform various tasks in Microsoft 365. Less time is better. Source: Principled Technologies.
To measure how well the systems performed in a
web-browsing scenario, we hand-timed how long
it took the systems to launch the Mozilla Firefox
browser and populate 20 tabs. The ThinkCentre
M90a Pro Gen 4 was able to complete this workflow
faster than the iMac.
Web scenario: Open 20 tabs
Time (seconds) | Lower is better
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
37.8
38.9
Figure 10: The time, in seconds, it took the systems to launch Firefox
and open 20 tabs. Lower is better. Source: Principled Technologies.
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9. Collaboration workflow using Zoom (Outlook,
PowerPoint, Google Chrome, Excel)
To measure how well the systems performed in a
collaboration scenario, we created a custom workflow
using multiple tasks in Zoom, Outlook, PowerPoint,
Google Chrome, and Excel. When we timed how
long each system took to complete the workflow,
the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 completed it
in 6.6 percent less time than the iMac. Speeding
up multitasking in productivity and collaboration
applications with the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
could provide a better experience for end users.
Collaboration workflow using Zoom
Time (seconds) | Lower is better
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
98
105
Figure 11: The time it took the systems to perform
the collaboration workflow, in seconds. Lower is better.
Source: Principled Technologies.
Zoom video conferencing results
CPU usage
We also measured CPU usage in group and one-on-
one Zoom meetings on the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a
Pro Gen 4 and 24-inch Apple iMac. For this test, we
configured Zoom to enter full-screen automatically
when starting or joining a meeting; chose the audio
and video on options when joining a meeting; and
chose side-by-side mode when screen-sharing. This
last choice was to ensure the cameras were always
on-screen along with the screenshare. For repeatable
audio measurements, we played a YouTube™
video on
the host device.
System maximum CPU utilization while using Zoom
Percent utilzation | Lower is better
Host, 1:1 meeting
100%
0%
35%
3%
Guest, 1:1 meeting
100%
0%
14%
1%
Host, 1:3 meeting
100%
0%
38%
2%
Lenovo ThinkCentre
M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac
(M1 CPU)
Figure 12: Zoom CPU usage, as reported by Zoom. Lower usage is
better. Source: Principled Technologies.
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10. Audio experience (microphone and speaker) results
The prevalence of videoconferencing means that audio experience, including background noise and speaker
output, are more important than ever. We compared the quality of the audio experience on both devices and
found that the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 reduced background noise and offered louder speaker
output to help make remote meetings a success. (See the science behind the report for test details.)
Background noise reduction
Hard-working AIO systems can produce background
noise that might distract from the message you’re
getting out to your team. We measured the
background noise elimination capabilities of both
devices and found that the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen
4 was more effective at reducing background noise, as
the background fan was too quiet to register a sound.
Lenovo ThinkCentre
M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac
(M1 CPU)
Background fan volume
Too quiet to
register a
sound
Registered
audible noise
at -44.4 LUFS
Figure 13: Microphone test background fan volume results. Lower
LUFS, which is a standard loudness measurement, are better.
Source: Principled Technologies.
Louder speaker output
We found that the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen
4 offered louder speaker output than the Apple iMac.
Strong speaker output gives you the flexibility to turn
up the volume of your device to drown out distractions
and keep you on task.
Maximum audio output needed to reach target dB
Percent of maximum system volume | Lower is better
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4
24-inch Apple iMac (M1 CPU)
100%
0%
100%
0%
64%
81%
64dB
64dB
Figure 14: Speaker volume output level results. Lower is better.
Source: Principled Technologies.
Improve productivity with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 all-in-one desktop PC December 2023 | 10
11. Conclusion
Before you invest in an all-in-one PC for yourself or your workforce, make sure it’s up
to the task. Our tests showed that the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 was a
good multitasking system, consistently achieving higher scores on benchmark tests
and completing hand-timed workflows faster than the iMac. Plus, the ThinkCentre
M90a Pro Gen 4 offered strong speaker output and microphone quality for a positive
videoconferencing experience and it arrives at the door in thoughtful, sustainable
packing that lessens your environmental impact.
1. Lenovo, “Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 Raises Standards for Flagshio All-in-One
Desktop PCs,” accessed October 15, 2023, https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-re-
leases/thinkcentre-m90a-pro-gen-4-all-in-one-desktop-pc/.
2. Lenovo, “Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 Raises Standards for Flagshio All-in-One
Desktop PCs,” accessed October 15, 2023, https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-re-
leases/thinkcentre-m90a-pro-gen-4-all-in-one-desktop-pc/.
3. Intel, “What is the Intel vPro Platform?,” accessed October 15, 2023, https://www.intel.
com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/vpro/what-is-vpro.html.
4. Joe Svetlik, Becky Scarrott, “Bluetooth 5.0: everything you need to know,” accessed Octo-
ber 16, 2023, https://www.whathifi.com/advice/bluetooth-5-everything-you-need-to-know.
5. Intel®
Unison™
solution is currently available on Windows-based PCs to pair with Android- or
iOS-based phones and tablets. Some premium features only available on eligible designs. All
devices must run a supported OS version. See intel.com/performance-wireless for details.
6. Intel, “13th
Gen Intel Core Processor Family,” accessed October 15, 2023, https://www.intel.
com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/processors/core/13th
-gen-processors.html.
7. McKinsey & Company, “Consumers care about sustainability—and back it up with their
wallets,” accessed November 2, 2023, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consum-
er-packaged-goods/our-insights/consumers-care-about-sustainability-and-back-it-up-with-
their-wallets.
8. Lenovo, “Environmental, Social and Governance Report,” accessed November 2, 2023,
https://investor.lenovo.com//en/sustainability/reports/FY2023-lenovo-sustainability-report.pdf.
9. Intel®
Unison™
solution is currently available on Windows-based PCs to pair with Android- or
iOS-based phones and tablets. Some premium features only available on eligible designs. All
devices must run a supported OS version. See intel.com/performance-wireless for details.
10. Intel, “Put Your PC at the Center of All You Do,” accessed October 13, 2023, https://www.
intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/unison/overview.html
11. Lenovo, “Lenovo ThinkShield,” accessed October 13, 2023,
https://techtoday.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/thinkshield.
12. Lenovo, “Lenovo ThinkShield.”
Principled Technologies is a registered trademark of Principled Technologies, Inc.
All other product names are the trademarks of their respective owners.
For additional information, review the science behind this report.
Principled
Technologies®
Facts matter.®
Principled
Technologies®
Facts matter.®
This project was commissioned by Lenovo.
Read the science behind this report at https://facts.pt/LG8Hvd5
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