Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo 50s 2022, Core i5-13400, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Black

A compact office workhorse with a surprisingly strong CPU, hamstrung by a tiny SSD and zero upgrade path. Great for spreadsheets, useless for anything fun.

The CPU here is the quiet overachiever. That i5-13400 sits at the 54th percentile, which sounds average until you realize it's a 10-core chip running at 2.5GHz base. For office work, it'll chew through anything you throw at it without breaking a sweat. The GPU situation is weirdly ranked at the 97th percentile, but that's only because integrated graphics are being compared against other integrated graphics. Don't get excited. The 16GB of DDR4 RAM lands at the 32nd percentile, which is fine for multitasking but not future-proof. The 256GB NVMe SSD is the real weak spot at the 20th percentile. Windows 11 Pro plus a few apps and you're already hunting for space.

Against the HP Omen 45L or ASUS ROG GM700, this thing isn't even playing the same sport. Those are gaming towers with dedicated GPUs and upgrade paths. The ThinkCentre Neo 50s is closer to the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 in spirit, but Dell gives you more storage headroom for similar money. The Apple Mac Studio M5 Max is in a completely different universe on price and performance, so if you're cross-shopping those, you need to rethink what you actually need. For pure office duty, the Neo 50s holds its own, but it's not the value leader.

At CAD 1,000, this is a tough sell unless you specifically need a compact business PC with Windows 11 Pro. The CPU is solid, but you're paying for the small form factor and enterprise OS, not raw performance. If you don't need the compact size, you can get more RAM and storage for the same money in a standard tower.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo 50s is a small form factor office PC that knows exactly what it is, and it's not trying to be anything else. The one thing to know: this is a business machine for spreadsheets, email, and web apps, not a gaming rig or content creation workstation. The Core i5-13400 is a genuinely capable 10-core chip, but pairing it with integrated Intel HD Graphics and a 256GB SSD tells you everything about who this is for.

If you're looking for any kind of gaming, video editing, or 3D work, this isn't it. Go get a tower with a dedicated GPU and a real power supply instead. If you need more storage out of the box, look at the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 or a standard mid-tower with a 512GB or 1TB SSD. This machine is for offices, reception desks, and people who never want to think about their computer.

Buy the Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo 50s if you need a compact, quiet, no-nonsense office PC and you'll never install a game or a GPU. The i5-13400 is more than enough for business apps, and Windows 11 Pro is a nice touch. But that 256GB SSD is a real limitation, and the 260W PSU means this machine is a dead end for upgrades. It's a fine office tool, just don't expect it to be anything more.