Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small

Comparison and Differences

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M72e_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M800_Small.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mini Tower	Small
CPU options	Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;	Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	H61	Q150
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1660 Super	GeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAM	DIMM DDR3-1600	DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots	2	4
RAM speed	1600 MT/s	2133 MT/s
RAM max	16 GB	64 GB
USB ports	(6x)USB-A 2.0;	(6x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	DVI-D; VGA;	(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional ports	Parallel; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);	2x USB-A 2.0; Media card reader (USB 2.0); (2x) PS2; eSATA;
SATA ports	3	3
PCI slots	PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;	PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); M2 to PCI adapter (optional);
M.2 slots	N.A.	M.2 (WiFi/BT or PCI extension card)
Drive bays	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;	2.5in; 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU	ATX 280/320 W	TFX 210 W
Weight	9.4 kg (20.72 lb)	9 kg (19.8 lb)
Released	2012	2015
Manual	link	link
Price**	Check Price	Check Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small which was released in 2015. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower and will fit more easily under your desk.

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower has only 2 slot(s). This is not something to worry about. Just make sure you take it into consideration when planning how much RAM you are going to use.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small has 8 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower is inferior in this regard and packs 6 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. None of the desktop models has a USB 3.1 port (10Gb/s), so if you need a fast connection to your peripherals, like external Solid State Drive, you will need to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, only the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small has a DisplayPort. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

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 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.

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small has one. However, you can still use a SATA SSD drive which should give you satisfactory performance.

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 M800 Small comes with a decent 210 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower has a more powerful one rated at 320 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.