Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 91z 7075 (Core i3-2100 3.1GHz - 21.5-inch TFT)

Pros: Rich Brown reviewed the Core i5 model 7075-G4U, not the Core i3 stated in the headline. No wonder it screams, and the retail price was only another $80 bucks. The Lenovo has a large display, using less room than the current dual CRT monitors.

Cons: I bought the Lenovo specifically for the VGA-input port, so I could toss the CRT monitors and keep the legacy computers. There are complete display controls including 4:3, but in VGA mode it acts like a dumb monitor and displays only the 16:9 image.

Summary: When VISTA would not run software written for XP, Microsoft provided the option in Windows 7 to dual-boot XP in a separate partition on the hard drive. There is a much simpler solution available with this Lenovo All-In-One. Just replace those old monitors, use the VGA-input port for the display, and keep the legacy computer tower. Except Intel does not provide the capability, and Lenovo has not extended the Intel driver to the VGA-input port.

There is no video card, Intel performs all the graphics in software. The Intel Media Control menu produces any size display, even centering a 4:3 image between black bars on the 16:9 display. The same menu also controls the HDMI-output for a dual monitor. They could have easily extended the same controls to the VGA-input port, to emulate the 4:3 CRT display from the legacy computers, on the Lenovo 16:9 LCD monitor.

It is not clear whether this feature is provided by Lenovo or Intel. Makes no difference to me. As it stands now, Lenovo tells me it is an Intel problem (a stock Intel driver is supplied); and Intel says it is a problem with the (nonexistent) Lenovo driver. I wish the two of them would get together and resolve this problem. It is a nice feature, if it just worked.

I have kept all of my legacy computers since I started the business in 1992, including an IBM 386 running DOS 5, and a Windows 98 computer loaded with software and hardware. I do not expect any of the software to run correctly on a newer machine. I used both CRT monitors as a dual display for Windows 98, and I toggle one to the 386 with a KVM switch. Windows XP is running on an IBM ThinkPad laptop (hence the Lenovo purchase), but to upgrade the desktop computers, desk space is a serious problem. If I sacrifice the dual display, I can replace both bulky CRT monitors with the new All-In-One, and connect the VGA-input port to the KVM switch for the legacy machines. Except all my AutoCAD drawings are distorted now, and also the original Digital Research graphics produced on the 386.

BTW, there is a 64-bit version of Vision Wise supplied with this computer. I see a ghost of the divided screen on bootup, but it is quickly overwritten by the Intel driver. The software was probably developed with an earlier version of the driver, which was since rendered useless by Intel. I suspect the same thing happened with the VGA-input port. I tried the latest Intel driver (by a few months) with no change, so I reinstalled the Intel driver originally supplied by Lenovo. I hope they figure this out soon and fix the problem, so I do not have to keep a CRT display on the desk just for the legacy machines. It defeats the purpose.