M720q vs M920q
Is the M920q worth paying more than the M720q? The differences that matter for a home server:
- Onboard Ethernet differs: M720q uses Intel I219-V, M920q uses Intel I219-LM.
Full spec comparison
| Spec | M720q | M920q |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2018 |
| CPU generations | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) / 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) / 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) |
| Most threads | 12 | 12 |
| Chipset | B360 | Q370 |
| Memory type | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 |
| Max RAM (official) | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| M.2 NVMe slots | 1 | 1 |
| 2.5" bays | 1 | 1 |
| PCIe expansion | PCIe x8 via riser | PCIe x8 via riser |
| Onboard NIC | Intel I219-V | Intel I219-LM |
| Second NIC option | PCIe x8 card via Lenovo riser (replaces the 2.5" bay) | PCIe x8 card via Lenovo riser (replaces the 2.5" bay) |
| 2.5/10GbE path | 10GbE (owner-reported) | 10GbE (owner-reported) |
| 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)) | 12–15 W at the wall (ServeTheHome, Quad/six-core 8th-gen T-series CPU) |
| 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).
M920q
- PCIe slot
- 10GbE
- 2.5GbE+ networking
- Plex / Jellyfin 4K
- Proxmox node
- OPNsense / pfSense router
- Budget home server
- vPro / AMT
- 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).
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