Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_Edge_72_Small.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M700_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH61 H110
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650
RAMDIMM DDR3-1600 DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots22
RAM speed1600 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max16 GB32 GB
USB ports(6x)USB-A 2.0;(4x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDVI-D; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsSerial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);2x USB-A 2.0; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports33
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays2.5in; 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSUTFX 180 WATX 250 W
Weight6.0 kg (13.2 lb)12.5 kg (27.5 lb)
Released20122015
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

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* Dedicated GPU warning: Check if your particular power supply model has enough power. Additionally some PSUs don't come with an auxiliary PCIe power connector and you may need to buy a SATA to PCIe power adapter.

Differences between Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small and Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower which was released in 2015. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower and will fit more easily under your desk.

Processor

Usually the newer the generation of the CPU, the better the performance and efficiency is. If your budget allows it, you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (2 RAM). Usually two RAM slots are more than enough for most cases. However, the count should be taken into account when planning how much and what combination of RAM you are going to need for your system.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 6. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. None of the desktop models has a USB 3.1 port (10Gb/s), so if you need a fast connection to your peripherals, like external Solid State Drive, you will need to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, only the Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower has a DisplayPort. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

None of the models has an HDMI port. If your monitor supports only the HDMI interface, you will need to buy an adapter. Such adapters are cheap so nothing to worry about.

SATA slots are located on the motherboard and it is where SSD, HDD and Optical Disk Drives are connected. Each of the two models being compared have 3 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower has one. However, you can still use a SATA SSD drive which should give you satisfactory performance.

Make sure that the available M.2 slot supports the PCIe (also called NVMe) interface. This is important as there are M.2 slots which support only the inferior SATA III interface. For comparison, the SATA III interface has max speeds of 6Gb/s, while the PCIe 3.0 x4 will support speeds up to 32Gb/s!

Power Supply

Having a Power Supply Unit with high power rating is important, if you are going to use components which require extra power. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 250 Watts. Choosing either one depends on your specific requirements and use case. Also don't forget that some models might have more than one PSU option - try to always get the most powerful one, especially if you plan to upgrade to a powerful GPU.

Motherboard

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_Edge_72_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M700_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout