Lenovo IdeaCentre 24 Cloud Grey 2023

Great office brain, terrible gaming muscles. Buy it for spreadsheets and video calls, not for fun.

The i7-13620H is the star here. Ten cores and a 4.9GHz boost clock mean this thing rips through spreadsheets, video calls, and a frankly irresponsible number of Chrome tabs. Our database puts the CPU right around the middle of the pack for all-in-ones, which sounds underwhelming until you remember most AIOs are running much weaker chips. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM helps keep things snappy. But the integrated graphics are a real buzzkill. Gaming scores land at a sad 11.9 out of 100, so don't even think about it. The 512GB NVMe SSD is fine for boot times but fills up fast if you're hoarding photos or videos.

The HP OmniDesk M03-0064 is the most direct competitor, and it often undercuts the IdeaCentre on price while offering similar specs. The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 gives you more upgradeability if you don't mind a traditional tower. And if you're even slightly curious about gaming or creative work, the Apple Mac mini M4 Pro absolutely demolishes this thing in GPU performance, though you'll need to bring your own monitor. The MSI Aegis Z2 and iBUYPOWER Slate are gaming desktops, so they're not really in the same conversation unless you want to play games, in which case, buy one of those instead.

This is where it gets tricky. In the US, you're looking at USD 600 to USD 700 depending on the vendor, and that spread is annoying. The best deal we're seeing is at the lower end of that range, so shop around before you click buy. In Europe, prices are all over the place, EUR 1,320 to EUR 1,495, which feels steep for what you're getting. At USD 600, this is a solid buy for a home office. At EUR 1,400, you're paying a premium for the all-in-one form factor and not much else.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre 24 (or 27, depending on which listing you're squinting at) is a weird mix of solid office chops and confusing spec sheets. The headline here is the Intel Core i7-13620H, a 10-core laptop chip that absolutely crushes everyday multitasking. But then you look at the GPU situation, integrated Intel UHD Graphics, and realize this is not a machine for anything beyond casual browser games. It's a clean, space-saving all-in-one that nails the basics and leaves the heavy lifting to someone else.

If you're looking for a machine that can handle gaming, video editing, or 3D work, this isn't it. Go get a desktop with a dedicated GPU, like the MSI Aegis Z2 or iBUYPOWER Slate. And if you need more than 512GB of storage without juggling external drives, look at a traditional tower where you can actually add a second drive.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre 24 is a perfectly fine all-in-one for people who want a clean desk and don't care about gaming or heavy creative work. The i7-13620H is genuinely impressive for office multitasking, and the 16GB of RAM means you won't be cursing at your computer during a Zoom call. But the integrated graphics and limited storage hold it back. If you can find it at the lower end of the USD 600 to USD 700 range, it's a decent deal. If you're paying European prices, think twice.