Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small

Comparison and Differences

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M73_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M82_Small.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mini Tower	Small
CPU options	Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;	Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	H81	Q75
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1660 Super	GeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAM	DIMM DDR3-1600	DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots	2	4
RAM speed	1600 MT/s	1600 MT/s
RAM max	16 GB	32 GB
USB ports	(2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;	(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	DisplayPort; VGA;	DisplayPort; 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);	DisplayPort; PS2; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports	3	4
PCI slots	PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;	PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; (2x) PCI;
M.2 slots	N.A.	N.A.
Drive bays	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;	2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU	ATX 280/450 W	TFX 240 W
Weight	9.4 kg (20.72 lb)	7.5 kg (16.53 Ib)
Released	2013	2012
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 M73 Tower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower which was released in 2013. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 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 M73 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 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.

None of the desktops has an advantage when it comes to the speed of the RAM being used. Both models support RAM speeds of up to 1600. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 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 M82 Small has 8 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 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.

The DisplayPort is usually the more popular video port used with desktops and laptops, while the HDMI is used predominantly in consumer electronics. That's why, it is good to see that both of the models come with a DisplayPort.

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower has 3 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 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 M82 Small comes with a decent 240 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 450 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.