Dell XPS 8940 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_XPS_8940.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen10 & 11 i3/i5/i7;Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH470Q170
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 3080GeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots44
RAM speed2666 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max128 GB64 GB
USB portsUSB 3.0 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A; (2x) USB-A 2.0; (7x) USB-A 3.0;(8x)USB-A 3.0;
Video portsHDMI 2.0; DisplayPort 1.4;(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Mic; Headset; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional portsN.A.2x USB-A 2.0; Media card reader (USB 2.0); (2x) PS2; eSATA;
SATA ports33
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe x4; PCIe x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); M2 to PCI adapter (optional);
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 (WiFi/BT or PCI extension card)
Drive bays(3x) 3.5in;(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU500 WATX 250/400 W
Weight6.3 kg (13.89 lb)12.5 kg (27.5 lb)
Released20202015
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 Dell XPS 8940 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell XPS 8940 which was released in 2020. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower is older and entered production in 2015.

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 XPS 8940 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 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 Dell XPS 8940 is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell XPS 8940 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower can do a bit less at max 64 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell XPS 8940 has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower 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. What is nice about the Dell XPS 8940, is that it has 1 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower comes with 2 ports, while the Dell XPS 8940 has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower is the better choice.

The Dell XPS 8940 comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower does not support the interface. Of course missing HDMI port is something that can be easily fixed with a good adapter (e.g. DisplayPort to HDMI).

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.

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 XPS 8940. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 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 M900 Tower comes with a decent 400 Watt PSU, but the Dell XPS 8940 has a more powerful one rated at 500 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

Dell_XPS_8940_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout