ThinkStation P5 Gen 2 — Intel Xeon 636 with ECC memory and RTX PRO 2000
Intel Xeon 636, 12 cores64 GB DDR5-6400 ECCRTX PRO 2000 16 GB8 DIMM slots, 1 TB max
The ThinkStation P5 Gen 2 is the Xeon-class machine in Lenovo’s workstation range, and this configuration fits an Intel Xeon 636 with twelve cores and 24 threads, 64 GB of registered ECC DDR5-6400 across a quad-channel memory system, a 1 TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD with hardware encryption, and an NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell with 16 GB of GDDR7. It runs Windows 11 Pro for Workstations. What separates a P5 from a P3 is not raw speed but the platform underneath: error-correcting registered memory across eight slots to a one-terabyte ceiling, quad-channel bandwidth, and 2.5 Gigabit networking as standard.
Compatibility — check before buying:
Understand what you are paying for. This machine uses registered ECC memory (RDIMM), which is not interchangeable with the unbuffered DDR5 in a P3 or a desktop — if you plan to expand it, the modules must be the right registered ECC type. Its value is in eight DIMM slots and a 1 TB memory ceiling, four times what a P3 Tower takes, and in ECC correcting single-bit errors rather than letting them silently corrupt a long calculation. The graphics card is the RTX PRO 2000 with 16 GB; Lenovo builds the same P5 Gen 2 with an RTX PRO 4000 and 24 GB under a different code, and everything else in that machine is identical — that is the specification customers most often order wrong. The unit is supplied with a German-language Windows image. No monitor, keyboard or mouse is included.
Best For
✓ Simulation, analysis and engineering that must not tolerate memory errors
✓ Datasets that will outgrow the 256 GB ceiling of a P3
✓ Long-running jobs where a silent bit-flip is unacceptable
✓ CAD, BIM and visualisation on certified drivers
✓ Offices with 2.5 Gigabit networking already in place
✓ Machines expected to be expanded rather than replaced
Key Features
Intel Xeon 636, 12 cores and 24 threads
Twelve performance cores with 24 threads, running 3.5 GHz base and 4.7 GHz turbo with 48 MB of cache, on socket FCLGA4710 within a 170 W envelope. A Xeon here is about platform features — ECC, registered memory, lane count — as much as about core throughput.
64 GB of registered ECC DDR5-6400, expandable to 1 TB
Two 32 GB RDIMMs in an eight-slot quad-channel system. ECC corrects single-bit memory errors as they occur, which matters when a job runs for hours; the 1 TB ceiling means datasets can grow a long way before the machine has to be replaced.
RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell, 16 GB GDDR7
A certified professional card — the kind CAD, BIM and visualisation vendors validate their software against. Sixteen gigabytes covers substantial assemblies and scenes, with drivers built for stability under a large model rather than for frame rate.
Built as a serviceable workstation
A 750 W fixed Platinum supply, discrete TPM 2.0 certified to FIPS 140-2, Intel vPro Enterprise with AMT for remote management, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet on board, and a chassis designed for access. This is a machine an IT department deploys and maintains, not a sealed appliance.
Technical Specifications
| Identification |
| Brand |
Lenovo |
| Series |
ThinkStation P5 |
| Model |
ThinkStation P5 Gen 2 |
| Part Number |
30KB0026GE |
| EAN / GTIN |
0199276328144 |
| Processor & graphics |
| Processor |
Intel Xeon 636 |
| Cores / Threads |
12 cores, 24 threads |
| Frequency |
3.5 GHz base, 4.7 GHz turbo |
| Cache |
48 MB |
| Socket |
FCLGA4710 |
| Thermal design power |
170 W |
| Graphics |
NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell, 16 GB GDDR7 |
| Memory & storage |
| Memory fitted |
64 GB DDR5-6400 ECC RDIMM, 2 × 32 GB |
| Memory architecture |
Quad channel, 8 DIMM slots |
| Maximum memory |
1 TB |
| Storage fitted |
1 TB M.2 2280 PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe SSD |
| Storage encryption |
TCG Opal |
| Chassis, power & ports |
| Form factor |
Tower |
| Dimensions |
165 × 453.9 × 440 mm (with feet) |
| Weight |
Up to 19 kg at maximum configuration |
| Power supply |
750 W fixed, 80 PLUS Platinum |
| Network |
2.5 Gigabit Ethernet |
| Front ports |
2 × USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 2 × USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 3.5 mm audio combo jack |
| Rear ports |
2 × USB-A 2.0, 2 × USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1 × USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1 × USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2, 2.5 GbE, line-in and line-out |
| Security & software |
| Security |
Discrete TPM 2.0, TCG certified, FIPS 140-2 |
| Management |
Intel vPro Enterprise with AMT |
| Operating system |
Windows 11 Pro for Workstations, supplied with a German-language image |
| Peripherals |
No monitor, keyboard or mouse included |
| Warranty |
| Warranty |
1-Year Warranty (Singular) |
| Manufacturer Term |
Lenovo’s specification sheet for this configuration states a 3-year on-site warranty with Premier Support. Singular’s direct warranty is 1 year; beyond that we assist you with the manufacturer’s warranty process for its full duration. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a P5 rather than a P3 Tower?
Ask what your memory ceiling is. A P3 Tower takes 256 GB of unbuffered DDR5; a P5 takes 1 TB of registered ECC. If your datasets are comfortably inside 256 GB and your jobs are short, the P3 costs less and does the same work. If you run long calculations where a silent memory error would be expensive, or you can see 256 GB coming, the P5 is the right platform.
What does ECC memory actually give me?
It detects and corrects single-bit errors in memory as they happen, instead of letting them pass into your results. On a workstation running short interactive tasks that is rarely noticed; on one running an eight-hour simulation or a large dataset it is the difference between a result you can trust and one you cannot check.
How is this different from the RTX PRO 4000 version of the P5 Gen 2?
Only the graphics card. Same Xeon 636, same 64 GB of ECC memory, same 1 TB SSD, same chassis and same warranty. This one has the RTX PRO 2000 with 16 GB; the other has the RTX PRO 4000 with 24 GB. If your models fit in 16 GB, this is the code to order.
Can I add ordinary DDR5 memory to expand it?
No. This machine uses registered ECC DDR5 RDIMMs, which are a different module type from the unbuffered DDR5 used in desktops and in the P3. Mixing them will not work. Tell us how much you want to expand to and we will quote modules that match what is already fitted.
Singular Expert Insight
The P5 is bought for the memory platform, not for the core count — twelve cores is modest, and a P3 with a Core Ultra 9 will beat it in plenty of benchmarks. What a P3 cannot do is take a terabyte of registered ECC memory across eight slots, and that is the entire reason to choose this chassis. If your work does not need ECC and will never need more than 256 GB, you are paying for headroom you will not use. Within the P5 Gen 2 line, the only thing that changes between the two common codes is the graphics card, so decide that on your model sizes rather than on price: 16 GB here, 24 GB on the RTX PRO 4000 version. Screens are worth planning at the same time in our
PC monitors section, and
memory is where we will match registered ECC modules to what is fitted.
Buyer’s Guide
Buy it if
Your work needs error-correcting memory and a platform that can reach 1 TB, and 16 GB of certified professional graphics covers your models. The 3-year on-site term with Premier Support makes it deployable as a long-life engineering standard.
Skip it if
Your datasets fit inside 256 GB and you do not need ECC — a P3 Tower with a faster Core Ultra processor will do more work for the money. Skip it too if your scenes need 24 GB of graphics memory, or if a German-language image out of the box is a problem.
Also consider
The same P5 Gen 2 with an RTX PRO 4000 and 24 GB if you need the larger frame buffer, or a ThinkStation P3 Tower Gen 2 if ECC and the 1 TB memory ceiling are not requirements.