Acer Veriton L4630g vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_L4630g.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Small.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorUltra SmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ87Q170
Dedicated GPU *N.A.GeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMSODIMM DDR3-1600DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots24
RAM speed1600 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max16 GB64 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (6x) USB-A 2.0(8x)USB-A 3.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA; DVI(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line outRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional portsParallel; Serial2x USB-A 2.0; Media card reader (USB 2.0); (2x) PS2; eSATA;
SATA ports13
PCI slotsMini PCIe 2.0; Mini PCIe 2.0/mSATAPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); M2 to PCI adapter (optional);
M.2 slotsN.A.M.2 (WiFi/BT or PCI extension card)
Drive bays2.5/3.5in; 5.25 inch slim2.5in; 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU135 WTFX 210 W
Weight1.50 kg (3.31 lb)9 kg (19.8 lbs)
Released20142015
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 Acer Veriton L4630g and Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small which was released in 2015. The Acer Veriton L4630g is older and entered production in 2014.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Acer Veriton L4630g is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small 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 M900 Small as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Acer Veriton L4630g is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small has 4 RAM slots while the Acer Veriton L4630g 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Acer Veriton L4630g 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 M900 Small as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Acer Veriton L4630g 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 Acer Veriton L4630g has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small is inferior in this regard and packs 8 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. 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.

The DisplayPort is usually the more popular video port used with desktops and laptops, while the HDMI is used predominantly in consumer electronics. That's why, it is good to see that both of the models come with a DisplayPort.

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 M900 Small is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the Acer Veriton L4630g has 1 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small, nor the Acer Veriton L4630g 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 Acer Veriton L4630g comes with a decent 135 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small has a more powerful one rated at 210 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

Acer_Veriton_L4630g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout