Lenovo ThinkCentre as a Home Server

Quick Recommendation

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny or M920q Tiny with an i5-8500T is the best used Lenovo for self-hosting. Expect to pay $90-150 on eBay. It’s comparable to a Dell OptiPlex Micro — same generation CPUs, similar size, same use case. Buy whichever is cheaper on the day you order.

Best Models for Self-Hosting

Model	Gen	CPU Options	Max RAM	Storage	Price (eBay)
M720q Tiny	8th	i3-8100T, i5-8400T, i5-8500T	64 GB DDR4	M.2 NVMe + 2.5” SATA	$90-140
M920q Tiny	8th/9th	i5-8500T, i5-9500T, i7-9700T	64 GB DDR4	M.2 NVMe + 2.5” SATA	$110-170
M910q Tiny	7th	i5-7500T, i7-7700T	32 GB DDR4	M.2 NVMe + 2.5” SATA	$80-120
M920x Tiny	8th/9th	i5-8500T, i5-9500T	64 GB DDR4	M.2 NVMe + 2.5” SATA + PCIe x16	$150-200
M70q Gen 2	11th	i5-11500T	64 GB DDR4	M.2 NVMe + 2.5” SATA	$170-250

Recommended: M720q Tiny with i5-8500T (6C/6T). Best value. Same CPU as the Dell OptiPlex 5060 Micro.

Notable: The M920x Tiny has a PCIe x16 slot — unique among Tiny form factor PCs. You can install a low-profile GPU, 10 GbE NIC, or HBA card. This makes it the only used mini PC that supports PCIe expansion.

ThinkCentre vs OptiPlex

Both are enterprise mini desktops with the same CPUs, similar specs, and comparable pricing. The differences are minor:

Feature	ThinkCentre Tiny	OptiPlex Micro
Build quality	Excellent	Excellent
Form factor	1L (179 x 182 x 34.5mm)	1.2L (182 x 178 x 36mm)
RAM slots	2x SO-DIMM	2x SO-DIMM
Max RAM	64 GB (M720q/M920q)	32-64 GB (varies by model)
M.2 NVMe	Yes	Yes
2.5” bay	Yes	Yes
Intel vPro/AMT	Select models	Select models
PCIe slot	M920x only (x16)	None on Micro
USB ports	5-6 (varies)	5-6 (varies)
Dual display	2x DisplayPort (some have HDMI)	DisplayPort + HDMI
VESA mount	Optional bracket	Optional bracket
Used market availability	Good	Excellent (more units)
Price range	$90-170	$80-180

Buy whichever is cheaper. If prices are equal, the ThinkCentre M720q/M920q supports 64 GB RAM (vs 32 GB on many OptiPlex models), which is useful for Proxmox or heavy workloads.

Setup Guide

Setup is identical to the Dell OptiPlex server setup — they use the same Intel CPUs and standard components.

BIOS Configuration

Press F1 during boot (Lenovo uses F1, not F2 like Dell):

• Power → After Power Loss: Set to “Power On” for automatic restart after outages
• Security → Intel VT-x: Enable
• Security → Intel VT-d: Enable
• Devices → Intel AMT: Enable (if available)

Install Linux + Docker

# Flash Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS or Debian 12 to USB
# Boot from USB (press F12 for boot menu)
# Install to internal NVMe SSD

# After installation, install Docker:
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Quick Sync for Media Transcoding

Same as any Intel system — pass through /dev/dri:

services:
  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin:10.10.6
    devices:
      - /dev/dri:/dev/dri

8th gen Intel (Coffee Lake) supports H.264, HEVC, and VP9 hardware transcoding. Handles 2-3 simultaneous 1080p transcodes.

Power Consumption

Measured on M720q Tiny with i5-8500T, 16 GB RAM, NVMe SSD:

State	Power Draw
Off (standby)	1W
Idle (headless)	12-16W
Light Docker containers	18-22W
Moderate load	25-32W
Full CPU load	48-55W

Essentially identical to the Dell OptiPlex Micro with the same CPU. Annual cost at typical server load (~20W): ~$21/year at $0.12/kWh.

What You Can Run

Same as the Dell OptiPlex — the hardware is equivalent. With i5-8500T and 16 GB RAM:

• Pi-hole, Nextcloud, Jellyfin, Vaultwarden
• Home Assistant, Uptime Kuma, Nginx Proxy Manager
• Immich, Paperless-ngx, Syncthing
• 20+ Docker containers simultaneously

With 32-64 GB RAM (M720q/M920q support this):

• Proxmox with 3-5 VMs
• Heavy applications like GitLab CE or Matrix

The M920x: The PCIe Exception

The ThinkCentre M920x Tiny is unique — it has a PCIe x16 slot in a 1L form factor. This opens up possibilities no other used mini PC offers:

• Low-profile GPU: For hardware transcoding beyond Quick Sync (NVIDIA T400/T600 for Plex with tone mapping)
• 10 GbE NIC: Mellanox ConnectX-3 for high-speed NAS access
• HBA card: For direct-attach SATA/SAS connectivity (niche use)

The M920x is $40-60 more than the M920q but worth it if you need PCIe expansion.

FAQ

ThinkCentre or OptiPlex — which should I buy?

Whichever is cheaper with the specs you want. They’re functionally interchangeable for self-hosting. If you need 64 GB RAM, the ThinkCentre M720q/M920q is the better choice. If you want the most models to choose from, Dell OptiPlex has more units on the used market.

Is the M710q (7th gen) worth buying?

Only if it’s under $80. The i5-7500T (4C/4T) is noticeably less capable than the i5-8500T (6C/6T). The generational jump from 7th to 8th gen Intel added 50% more cores — it’s a significant difference for containerized workloads.

Can I cluster multiple ThinkCentres?

Yes. Some homelab users run 2-3 ThinkCentre/OptiPlex Micros as a Proxmox cluster. At $100-120 each, 3 nodes cost less than a single used rack server and draw far less power. Stack them with a small switch for a compact HA cluster.

Related

• Dell OptiPlex as a Home Server
• Best Mini PCs for Home Servers
• Intel N100: The Self-Hoster’s Best Friend
• Home Server Power Consumption Guide
• Best UPS for Home Servers
• Docker Compose Basics