Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny vs Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q Tiny
| Field | Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny | Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q Tiny |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel 8th-gen T-series (STH tested Pentium Gold G5400T; i5-8500T SKUs exist) | Intel Core i5-8500T / i7-8700T (8th gen, six-core) |
| Cores | 2C/4T tested (up to 6C SKUs) | 6C / 6T (i5) – 6C/12T (i7) |
| Form factor | 1 L Tiny | 1L Tiny |
| Measured idle power | ~11–14 W idle (dual-core G5400T config, 120 V wall); an i5-8500T config draws somewhat more wall-measured · Wall meter (120 V) · source · 2020-09-05 | 12–15 W idle (120 V, quad/six-core); ships with a 90 W adapter wall-measured · Wall meter (ServeTheHome 120 V) · source · 2021 |
| ECC memory | No cited source — left blank. | No (Q370 chipset, non-ECC) source · 2021 |
| NIC chipset | Intel i219 1GbE source · 2020-09-05 | 1× 1GbE Intel I219 source · 2021 |
| RAM ceiling | 32 GB (2× DDR4 SODIMM) source · 2020-09-05 | 64 GB (2× DDR4 SODIMM) source · 2021 |
| IOMMU / passthrough | No sourced passthrough report yet. | Has an optional PCIe/M.2 riser slot; widely used for an added NIC. iGPU (UHD 630) transcode works well under Proxmox LXC. source · 2021 |
| AMD reset bug | — | — |
| Price band | $120–200 (used) | $120–200 used |
| Proxmox fit (editorial) | good — Low 11–14 W idle (on the tested dual-core SKU), a solid Intel i219 1GbE NIC and 32 GB DDR4 ceiling make a clean low-power 1 L Proxmox node; an i5-8500T config idles a bit higher. | excellent — 6-core, 64 GB ceiling, riser slot, UHD 630 for transcode — the most capable used 1L Intel box. Slightly higher idle. |
| Where to buy | Amazon Newegg eBay | Amazon Newegg eBay |
Frequently asked questions
Does the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny or the Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q Tiny use less idle power?
The Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny idles at ~11–14 W idle (dual-core G5400T config, 120 V wall); an i5-8500T config draws somewhat more (wall-measured); the Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q Tiny idles at 12–15 W idle (120 V, quad/six-core); ships with a 90 W adapter (wall-measured). On the cited lower-bound figures, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny draws less. Idle varies with OS, 120 V vs 240 V mains and power tuning, so treat these as the third-party measured numbers, not a guarantee for your exact unit.
Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny vs Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q Tiny: which has the better NIC for Proxmox?
Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny NIC: Intel i219 1GbE (rated solid). Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q Tiny NIC: 1× 1GbE Intel I219 (rated solid). Intel i226 is the chipset to want; i225 has a documented dropout history and Realtek RTL8125 works on Linux/Proxmox but not VMware ESXi. Confirm the silicon on the unit you receive with lspci -nn.
Which is the better homelab / Proxmox box, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny or the Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q Tiny?
Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny: Low 11–14 W idle (on the tested dual-core SKU), a solid Intel i219 1GbE NIC and 32 GB DDR4 ceiling make a clean low-power 1 L Proxmox node; an i5-8500T config idles a bit higher. Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q Tiny: 6-core, 64 GB ceiling, riser slot, UHD 630 for transcode — the most capable used 1L Intel box. Slightly higher idle. These are our editorial verdicts derived from the cited fields above — not a spec.
Cited public information, not purchasing advice. Idle draw depends on OS, mains voltage (120 V vs 240 V) and power tuning (powertop); onboard NIC silicon can differ between production batches of the same model — confirm with
lspci -nn before relying on a NIC or passthrough claim. Full per-model detail and every source on the model pages.