Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Tiny Gen 2 vs Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny
| Field | Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Tiny Gen 2 | Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650GE / Ryzen 7 PRO 4750GE | Intel 8th-gen T-series (STH tested Pentium Gold G5400T; i5-8500T SKUs exist) |
| Cores | up to 8C / 16T (4750GE) | 2C/4T tested (up to 6C SKUs) |
| Form factor | 1L Tiny | 1 L Tiny |
| Measured idle power | ~12 W idle (120 V). Standby: 0.8 W (WoL) / 2.1 W (DASH on) wall-measured · Wall meter (ServeTheHome 120 V) · source · 2021 | ~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 |
| ECC memory | Claimed supported by ServeTheHome ('stick to ECC — it is supported'), but NOT confirmed by community hands-on testing — multiple readers asked for a specific working ECC SODIMM and it was never validated. Treat ECC as unverified. source · 2021 | No cited source — left blank. |
| NIC chipset | 1× 1GbE Realtek RTL8111 (Proxmox/Linux fine; not supported on VMware ESXi) source · 2021 | Intel i219 1GbE source · 2020-09-05 |
| RAM ceiling | 64 GB (2× DDR4 SODIMM). Single M.2 slot (Gen2). source · 2021 | 32 GB (2× DDR4 SODIMM) source · 2020-09-05 |
| IOMMU / passthrough | No sourced passthrough report yet. | No sourced passthrough report yet. |
| AMD reset bug | Vega iGPU subject to the AMD reset bug for VFIO passthrough; vendor-reset workaround required and not guaranteed on every APU. source · 2020-11 | — |
| Price band | $200–320 used | $120–200 (used) |
| Proxmox fit (editorial) | good — Best perf/W in the used-1L AMD class (up to 8C/16T at ~12 W idle). Caveats: Realtek NIC, single M.2, PSB CPU-lock, ECC unverified. | 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. |
| Where to buy | Amazon Newegg eBay | Amazon Newegg eBay |
Frequently asked questions
Does the Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Tiny Gen 2 or the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny use less idle power?
The Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Tiny Gen 2 idles at ~12 W idle (120 V). Standby: 0.8 W (WoL) / 2.1 W (DASH on) (wall-measured); 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). On the cited lower-bound figures, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny draws less. 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 M75q Tiny Gen 2 vs Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny: which has the better NIC for Proxmox?
Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Tiny Gen 2 NIC: 1× 1GbE Realtek RTL8111 (Proxmox/Linux fine; not supported on VMware ESXi) (rated caution). Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny NIC: Intel i219 1GbE (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 M75q Tiny Gen 2 or the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny?
Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Tiny Gen 2: Best perf/W in the used-1L AMD class (up to 8C/16T at ~12 W idle). Caveats: Realtek NIC, single M.2, PSB CPU-lock, ECC unverified. 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. 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.