M720q vs OptiPlex 3080 Micro
PCIe riser or newer 10th-gen CPU? The differences that matter for a home server:
- M720q can take a PCIe card (PCIe x8 via riser); OptiPlex 3080 Micro cannot. Choose M720q for a router, 10GbE or an HBA.
- M720q has a built-in path to a second network port (PCIe x8 card via Lenovo riser (replaces the 2.5" bay)); on OptiPlex 3080 Micro you would need a USB adapter.
- OptiPlex 3080 Micro officially supports 64 GB of RAM versus 32 GB, useful if you plan several VMs.
- M720q has a path to 10GbE networking; OptiPlex 3080 Micro is limited to 1 GbE plus USB adapters.
- Onboard Ethernet differs: M720q uses Intel I219-V, OptiPlex 3080 Micro uses Realtek RTL8111HSD.
Full spec comparison
| Spec | M720q | OptiPlex 3080 Micro |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2020 |
| CPU generations | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) / 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | 10th gen (Comet Lake) |
| Most threads | 12 | 12 |
| Chipset | B360 | B460 |
| Memory type | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 |
| Max RAM (official) | 32 GB | 64 GB |
| M.2 NVMe slots | 1 | 1 |
| 2.5" bays | 1 | 1 |
| PCIe expansion | PCIe x8 via riser | None |
| Onboard NIC | Intel I219-V | Realtek RTL8111HSD |
| Second NIC option | PCIe x8 card via Lenovo riser (replaces the 2.5" bay) | USB only |
| 2.5/10GbE path | 10GbE (owner-reported) | USB only |
| AV1 decode | No | No |
| Transcoding | Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decode | Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decode |
| Idle power (measured) | 11–14 W at the wall (ServeTheHome, Dual-core Pentium Gold G5400T (an i5-8500T config draws somewhat more)) | Not measured yet |
| Spec confidence | Widely confirmed | Widely confirmed |
Which one for which job
M720q
- PCIe slot
- 10GbE
- 2.5GbE+ networking
- Plex / Jellyfin 4K
- Proxmox node
- OPNsense / pfSense router
- Budget home server
- Low idle power (measured)
Upgrades: 2× DDR4-2666 SODIMM (max 32 GB official), 1× M.2 2280 NVMe + 1× 2.5" SATA, PCIe x8 card via Lenovo riser (replaces the 2.5" bay).
OptiPlex 3080 Micro
Upgrades: 2× DDR4-2666 SODIMM (max 64 GB official), 1× M.2 2280 NVMe + 1× 2.5" SATA.
M720q detailsOptiPlex 3080 Micro details
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