Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tower

Comparison and Differences

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Small.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M92p_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ170Q77
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots44
RAM speed2133 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB ports(8x)USB-A 3.0;(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional ports2x USB-A 2.0; Media card reader (USB 2.0); (2x) PS2; eSATA;DisplayPort; (2x) PS2; Serial; Parallel; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports34
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); M2 to PCI adapter (optional);PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; (2x) PCI;
M.2 slotsM.2 (WiFi/BT or PCI extension card)N.A.
Drive bays2.5in; 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in (slim);(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSUTFX 210 WATX 280 W
Weight9 kg (19.8 lbs)11 kg (24.25 lb)
Released20152011
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 M900 Small and Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tower

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tower is older and entered production in 2011.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p 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 M900 Small as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (4 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 M900 Small is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tower can do a bit less at max 32 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 8. 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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small comes with 2 ports, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tower has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small is the better choice.

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 M92p Tower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small has 3 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 M92p Tower, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Small 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 M900 Small comes with a decent 210 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tower has a more powerful one rated at 280 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_M900_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M92p_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout