Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Pro_Tower_Plus_QBT1250.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_Edge_72_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mini Tower	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Core Ultra 5/7/9	Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	Q870	H61
Dedicated GPU *	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060	Radeon RX 550
RAM	UDIMM DDR5-5600	DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots	4	2
RAM speed	5600 MT/s	1600 MT/s
RAM max	128 GB	16 GB
USB ports	(4x) USB-A 2.0; (3x) USB-A 3.0; (1x) USB-A 3.1; (1x) USB-C 3.1; (1x) USB-C 3.2;	(6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	(3x) DisplayPort 1.4a;	DVI-D; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45 (1Gbps); Audio; SD-Card 4.0 (optional);	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional ports	RJ45 (5Gbps) / Fiber Optic / 2x USB-A 3.2 / USB-C 3.2 DP / Thunderbolt 4 / HDMI 2.1 / VGA / DisplayPort 2.1	Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports	2	3
PCI slots	PCIe 4.0 x16; PCIe 4.0 x1; PCIe 4.0 x4 open-end; PCIe 4.0 x4 (optional);	PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slots	(1x) M.2 2230 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); (2x) M.2 2230/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)	N.A.
Drive bays	3.5in; 5.25in (slim);	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU	260/360 W	ATX 180 W
Weight	7.17 kg (15.81 lb)	7.5 kg (16.53 Ib)
Released	2025	2012
Manual	link	link
Price**	Check Price	Check Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* 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 Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 and Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 which was released in 2025. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower is older and entered production in 2012.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

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 Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower has only 2 slot(s). This is not something to worry about. Just make sure you take it into consideration when planning how much RAM you are going to use.

The Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 is using the faster 5600 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower 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 Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower is inferior in this regard and packs 6 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower has no such port, thus restricting your transfer speeds significantly. For people who want to use external drives on regular basis, this might be an issue.

Unfortunately, only the Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 has a DisplayPort. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower 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 ports are placed on the system board and it is where you connect your HDD, SSD and Optical Disk Drives. More SATA slots will allow you to have more drives running at the same time. In this regard the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 has 2 slot(s).

If you want the fastest transfer speeds for your SSD, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, if the M.2 SSD slot is a mandatory requirement for you, go with the Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower has no such slot, and you will be forced to use the SATA interface instead.

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 Tower comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Dell Pro Tower Plus QBT1250 has a more powerful one rated at 360 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.