The Kaby Lake-U (KBL-U) series with 15W TDP CPUs was introduced along with the 4.5W Kaby Lake-Y ones in Q3 2016. The first set of products with Kaby Lake-U were ultrabooks. However, ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) PCs were not long behind. There are already three vendors in the market with Kaby Lake UCFF PCs — ASRock (Beebox-S), GIGABYTE (BRIX), and MSI ( Cubi 2 ). MSI was the first to launch KBL-U UCFF PCs in the North American market under the Cubi 2 tag. This review focuses on the build and performance of the Cubi2-005B — the KBL-U UCFF PC from MSI featuring the Core i7-7500U.
Ultra-compact form factor (UCFF) PCs have become quite popular after Intel introduced the NUCs. They have become powerful enough to be the primary computing platform for many households. In addition to the Intel NUCs, many system vendors have come up with their own approach to UCFF PCs. These include ASRock (with the Beebox series), ECS (LIVA), GIGABYTE (BRIX), and MSI (Cubi) amongst others.
Kaby Lake-U, as per Intel’s claims, is fabricated on a much more mature 14nm process and brings about a 11% improvement in performance for the same power consumption. The GPU’s media engine has also been updated. On the whole, the performance improvements look good for UCFF PCs — particularly for those upgrading from the first or second-generation systems.
MSI’s take on the UCFF PC market with the Cubi an Cubi 2 is interesting from two perspectives — Rather than having separate SKUs for units with / without support for 2.5″ drives (like the GIGABYTE BRIX) or compromising on the thickness of the system to include 2.5″ drives (like the ASRock Beebox), MSI allows for interchangeable bottom plates. The default one doesn’t come with 2.5″ drive support and results in a system thickness of 3.7 cm (while the extension bay / thicker bottom plate version makes the system 4.9 cm thick). The extension bay is also included with the Cubi 2 package. The second aspect is that MSI is targeting the Cubi 2 towards effectiveness for the average consumer. While a M.2 NVMe SSD can do wonders in terms of performance, the reality is that the high-performance versions come in the M.2 2280 form-factor. Rather than sacrificing the size of the unit, MSI has decided only to have a M.2 2242 slot in the PC. Even though it is connected to the PCIe lanes from the PCH, we believe it is likely that consumers will be using M.2 2242 SATA SSDs in that slot, or, end up using a 2.5″ drive with the extension bay.
Similar to other UCFF PCs in the market, the Cubi 2 also comes in a version without memory or storage. The Cubi 2 can take up to two DDR4 SO-DIMMs (operating at 2133 MHz) and a 2.5″ drive and/or a M.2 2242 SATA / PCIe SSD. We completed the hardware build to result in the following specifications for our MSI Cubi2-005B review configuration.
The MSI Cubi2-005B kit doesn’t come with any pre-installed OS, but does come with a CD containing the drivers. In any case, we ended up installing the latest drivers downloaded off the component vendors’ product support page. In addition to the main unit, the other components of the package include a 65 W (19V @ 3.42A) adapter, a US power cord, a VESA mount (along with the necessary screws), a 2.5″ drive extension bay, SATA data and power cables, user’s manual and a quick-start guide.
The gallery below takes us around the various chassis features.
The PCIe lanes in our review configuration of the MSI Cubi2-005BUS are distributed as follows:
In the table below, we have an overview of the various systems that we are comparing the MSI Cubi2-005B against. Note that they may not belong to the same market segment. The relevant configuration details of the machines are provided so that readers have an understanding of why some benchmark numbers are skewed for or against the MSI Cubi2-005B when we come to those sections.

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Along with a refresh of the ThinkPad lineup, Lenovo is also offering several new accessories to compliment the new laptops. There are two new docks, and two new displays, each offering at a minimum USB-C connectivity to simplify connections.
It’s great to see more Thunderbolt 3 docking solutions on the market. Thunderbolt 3 offers up to 40 Gbps full duplex, which gives a lot more options for IO than ever before. It can natively support two DisplayPort 1.2 streams, for up to two UHD displays at 60 Hz each, and because it’s done over USB-C, it can leverage the 100 Watts of power delivery from that port.
Since the ThinkPad Thunderbolt 3 dock is meant for business uers, some of the port selections may seem odd, but are still required by many organizations. The Thunderbolt 3 dock offers two DisplayPort ports, HDMI, VGA, five USB 3.0 ports with one of these always powered, Gigabit Ethernet, headset jack, and a Thunderbolt 3 port over USB-C, meaning you won’t lose your USB-C port when docking with this.
The dock ships with a 135-Watt AC Adapter, which provides up to 65W of power to the laptop, and the remainder for powering the accessories. There is also a power button on the dock to control the ThinkPad power state when docked, which is nice since the laptop could easily be closed when docked.
As far as display outputs, this dock will drive up to three UHD displays, but in that scenario only one will be at 60 Hz, since both of the DisplayPort outputs are from a single DP 1.2 stream. The third display would be driven off the Thunderbolt 3 output. It can drive two UHD displays at 60 Hz though, which is a much more likely scenario anyway.
The Gigabit Ethernet port also supports PXE boot and Wake-On-LAN for select ThinkPad systems.
The ThinkPad Thunderbolt 3 Dock will be available in February for $279.99.
If your laptop has USB-C Gen 2, but not Thunderbolt 3, then this dock offers a subset of the Thunderbolt 3 versions features, due to the more limited bandwidth of USB 3.1 Gen 2. It still offers two DisplayPort outputs, along with VGA, and 3 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB Type-C port, Gigabit Ethernet, and a headset jack. This dock ships with a 90-Watt AC Adapter, offering up to 60W of power to charge the laptop.
The display options are much more limited than the Thunderbolt 3 option due to the limited bandwidth. A single UHD display can be driven but only at 30 Hz, or dual 1920×1080 displays at 60 Hz.
The Gigabit Ethernet port still offers PXE boot and Wake-On-LAN support for select ThinkPad systems.
The ThinkPad USB-C Dock will be available in January for $199.99.
Lenovo is also launching two new ThinkVision displays, which offer the same features in either a 23.8-inch or 27-inch model. These thin bezel IPS displays both offer QHD (2560×1440) resolution and factory-calibrated sRGB color gamut. Whether this means per-panel or per-batch is unknown, but it’s good to see a focus on improved color accuracy rather than just quoting gamut coverage values.
Both displays offer two HDMI inputs, DisplayPort input, DisplayPort output for daisychaining, and a USB-C offering for a single cable connection. There are also five USB 3.0 ports, with four down and one up, with the USB now on the edge of the display for easier access.
The stand features adjustable height, tilt, swivel, and pivot of plus or minus 90° and there is a ThinkCenter TINY desktop connector as well.
With the USB-C option, and four USB 3.0 ports, the display could be easily used as a single cable docking solution, and the display will offer up to 45W of power delivery to charge a laptop.
Both of these displays will be available in March 2017, with the P24h priced at $259 and the P27h priced at $329.
Source: Lenovo

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While the PC market has been contracting somewhat in recent years, there is still one line where buyers need more and more performance, and that is gaming. Even looking at just 1920×1080 as a resolution, even as recently as last year’s GTX 980M would not always run games at that resolution at a solid 60 frames per second.
With the launch of NVIDIA’s Pascal for notebooks, that has changed, and Lenovo is announcing today a new sub-brand dedicated to gaming. Previously, their gaming laptops were under their Ideapad lineup, which is the same as most of their consumer lineup, but with new branding of Legion, Lenovo is looking to move into this lucrative market. With a true gaming brand, they want to have the same community engagement that other companies have created around their own gaming brand, and it’s a smart idea.
Lenovo Legion Y720
To launch the Legion brand, Lenovo is announcing two new laptops in the Lenovo Legion Y520 and Y720. This is certainly not Lenovo’s first foray into gaming laptops, and the new models are a spiritual successor to laptops like the IdeaPad Y700 that we reviewed last year. The Y700 had a good design, but a sub-par display and a cramped display, and it’s interesting to see how quickly Lenovo has at least addressed the keyboard – the display may be better, but it will have to wait for proper testing to see.
Lenovo Legion Y720
Lenovo has taken a very interesting approach to fit a full keyboard plus number pad into the new Legion laptops. Where most laptops, including the Y700 from last year, end up compressing the keys into too small a space, Lenovo has shifted the number pad up, creating a nice spot for the dedicated full sized arrow keys. The Zero key is still half size, but that’s not very uncommon on a notebook. It’s a smart design, and on the Y520 it continues with the red backlighting they have previously established on the Y lineup, and they’ve also added some extra lighting around the trackpad for a nice touch. The Y720 offers an optional multi-color zoned keyboard as well. The keys feature 1.7 mm of travel as well.
Both the Y520 and Y720 are 15.6-inch models, and the higher model number is a reflection of the higher performance parts in the new shell. Both models feature the 7 th generation (Kaby Lake) Intel Core i7 processor, with the Y720 offering up to the i7-7700HQ quad-core model. Both offer two SODIMM slots, with up to 16 GB of RAM available from Lenovo, and more if you want to buy your own DDR4. They also both feature PCIe SSD based boot storage, as well as mechanical HDD options for bulk storage, and I would imagine the lowest end models may forgo the SSD option to save cost.
The big difference is really the GPU option, with the Y520 offering up to a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. The 1050 Ti has not been formally announced for notebooks as of the time of writing, but expect it to fall in-line with the other Pascal parts as far as the notebook performance is concerned, where it’s a bit slower than the desktop counterpart, but close enough that NVIDIA has stopped branding them separately. The Y720 offers the more powerful GTX 1060.
Lenovo Legion Y520
On the display side, the lower cost Y520 offers just a 1920×1080 display, but the Y720 offers a choice of either that or a 3840×2160 panel. The GTX 1060 is not going to be enough GPU for gaming at that resolution, especially with maximum settings, but it should be nice for lower demand games and office work.
As for audio, both have 2x2W speakers, but the Y720 adds a 3W subwoofer and is the first ever Dolby Atmos PC according to Lenovo.
On the battery side, the Y520 has just a 45 Wh battery, which is very small for a gaming notebook, and the Y720 bumps that up to 60 Wh. With the extra battery and performance, the Y720 tips the scales at 7.05 lbs, up from the 5.3 lbs of the Y520. Both models are fairly thin, with the Y720 at 1.14-inches and the Y520 at 1.01-inches, which should help with portability. The Y720 will be available in April for a starting price of $1400, and the Y520 will be offered in February for just $900 starting price, which is a pretty low entry point for a gaming notebook.
The new Legion brand appears to be off to a good start with these new models, and we hope to get some hands-on time with them this week.
Source: Lenovo

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Lenovo has already announced updates to many of their business focused ThinkPad lineup, but today they are also announcing a successor to the MIIX 700 with the MIIX 720. The new model offers quite a few nice changes, but also a price bump over the predecessor.
Of course, as a new product launching in 2017, the MIIX 720 upgrades the CPU to Kaby Lake, but unlike the Core m7 version in the MIIX 700, the new model appears to feature 15-Watt processors. Lenovo doesn’t list the exact CPU models available, but they do list In the HD 620 graphics, rather than the HD 615 which would be featured on the Y series, so expect the MIIX 720 to offer up to a Core i7-7500U CPU, assuming the graphics aren’t a typo. Despite the higher powered CPU, the device dimensions have not changed, nor has the weight, with the MIIX 720 keeping the same 292x210x8.9mm dimensions and 780 gram weight (11.5×8.27×0.35” and 1.72 lbs). This means that they’ve added active cooling, which is a disappointment to some, but more performance, which should be pleasing to most.
The extra performance will be necessary to drive the higher resolution display, with the MIIX 720 offering a 12-inch 2880×1920 3:2 panel, which is an impressive 288 pixels per inch, which is much higher than the 214 pixels per inch of its predecessor, and even a bit higher than the 267 pixels per inch of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Lenovo rates the display at 400 nits brightness, and it’s got Gorilla Glass over the top.
Lenovo has also outclassed the Surface Pro 4 with the inclusion of not one, not two, but three USB ports, with one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one USB 3.0, and one USB 2.0 port. It also offers up to 16 GB of DDR4 memory, and up to 1 TB of PCIe storage.
The battery is only 41 Wh, and Lenovo rates the MIIX 720 for up to 8 hours of battery life. This is a reasonable sized battery for a small tablet like this, where severe internal constraints always limit available battery capacity.
The tablet also features a Windows Hello capable front-facing camera, which something that is great to see on more and more devices. Once you’ve used a device with Windows Hello, it’s really tough to go back.
As with the previous MIIX 700, the MIIX 720 features a detachable full-sized, backlit keyboard, and there is a new Lenovo Active Pen 2 which will be included on the second wave of device shipments, which offers a clickable shortcut button for Windows Ink, and up to 4096 levels of sensitivity.
The MIIX 720 also features the watchband hinge on its kickstand, which is one of the most elegant solutions around.
The new Lenovo MIIX 720 is available in either Champagne Gold or Iron Gray, beginning in April 2017 for $999.99 and up, and the Active Pen 2 will be available in February for $59.99.
Source: Lenovo

© Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/10960/lenovo-refreshes-the-miix-tablet-with-the-miix-720
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