Dell OptiPlex 5090 M vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny

Differences between Dell OptiPlex 5090 M and Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 5090 M which was released in 2021. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny is older and entered production in 2013.

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 OptiPlex 5090 M as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (2 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 OptiPlex 5090 M is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny 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 Dell OptiPlex 5090 M as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell OptiPlex 5090 M has 6 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny is inferior in this regard and packs 5 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the Dell OptiPlex 5090 M, is that it has 1 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny 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 Dell OptiPlex 5090 M comes with 2 ports, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex 5090 M 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 Dell OptiPlex 5090 M is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny has 1 slot(s).

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 OptiPlex 5090 M. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny 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 M73 Tiny comes with a decent 65 Watt PSU, but the Dell OptiPlex 5090 M has a more powerful one rated at 130 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