Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny vs HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini
| Field | Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny | HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel 8th-gen T-series (STH tested Pentium Gold G5400T; i5-8500T SKUs exist) | Intel Core i5-8500T (8th-gen T-series SKUs) |
| Cores | 2C/4T tested (up to 6C SKUs) | 6C / 6T |
| Form factor | 1 L Tiny | 1 L Mini |
| Measured idle power | ~11–14 W idle (dual-core G5400T config, 120 V wall); an i5-8500T config draws somewhat more wall-measured · Wall meter (120 V) · source · 2020-09-05 | ~11–12 W idle (six-core config, 120 V wall) wall-measured · Wall meter (120 V) · source · 2020-10-18 |
| ECC memory | No cited source — left blank. | No cited source — left blank. |
| NIC chipset | Intel i219 1GbE source · 2020-09-05 | Intel i219LM 1GbE (vPro/AMT) source · 2020-10-18 |
| RAM ceiling | 32 GB (2× DDR4 SODIMM) source · 2020-09-05 | 32 GB official, 64 GB working (2× DDR4 SODIMM) source · 2020-10-18 |
| IOMMU / passthrough | No sourced passthrough report yet. | No sourced passthrough report yet. |
| AMD reset bug | — | — |
| Price band | $120–200 (used) | $130–220 (used) |
| Proxmox fit (editorial) | good — Low 11–14 W idle (on the tested dual-core SKU), a solid Intel i219 1GbE NIC and 32 GB DDR4 ceiling make a clean low-power 1 L Proxmox node; an i5-8500T config idles a bit higher. | good — Six-core 8th-gen Intel idling at a wall-measured 11–12 W with a solid Intel i219LM NIC and dual M.2 slots makes a tidy, low-power Proxmox node. |
| Where to buy | Amazon Newegg eBay | Amazon Newegg eBay |
Frequently asked questions
Does the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny or the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini use less idle power?
The Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny idles at ~11–14 W idle (dual-core G5400T config, 120 V wall); an i5-8500T config draws somewhat more (wall-measured); the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini idles at ~11–12 W idle (six-core config, 120 V wall) (wall-measured). On the cited lower-bound figures, they are roughly tied. Idle varies with OS, 120 V vs 240 V mains and power tuning, so treat these as the third-party measured numbers, not a guarantee for your exact unit.
Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny vs HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini: which has the better NIC for Proxmox?
Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny NIC: Intel i219 1GbE (rated solid). HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini NIC: Intel i219LM 1GbE (vPro/AMT) (rated solid). Intel i226 is the chipset to want; i225 has a documented dropout history and Realtek RTL8125 works on Linux/Proxmox but not VMware ESXi. Confirm the silicon on the unit you receive with lspci -nn.
Which is the better homelab / Proxmox box, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny or the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini?
Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny: Low 11–14 W idle (on the tested dual-core SKU), a solid Intel i219 1GbE NIC and 32 GB DDR4 ceiling make a clean low-power 1 L Proxmox node; an i5-8500T config idles a bit higher. HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini: Six-core 8th-gen Intel idling at a wall-measured 11–12 W with a solid Intel i219LM NIC and dual M.2 slots makes a tidy, low-power Proxmox node. These are our editorial verdicts derived from the cited fields above — not a spec.
Cited public information, not purchasing advice. Idle draw depends on OS, mains voltage (120 V vs 240 V) and power tuning (powertop); onboard NIC silicon can differ between production batches of the same model — confirm with
lspci -nn before relying on a NIC or passthrough claim. Full per-model detail and every source on the model pages.