Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 1 Tiny
A 2020 ThinkCentre Tiny on the H470 chipset with 1 M.2 NVMe slot, 1 2.5" bay and up to 64 GB of RAM (official). It has no internal expansion slot.
Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decodeSpecs widely confirmed
Used price
Currently from $90 on eBay US (median $250 across 41 used listings, checked 11/9/2026)
Asking prices of active fixed-price listings; configuration (CPU, RAM, SSD) varies.
Used M70q Gen 1 units on eBay US currently start at $90, and the typical asking price is about $250 across 41 fixed-price listings. The spread mostly reflects the CPU fitted (i3-10100T, i5-10500T, i7-10700T), RAM and SSD included, and whether a power adapter is in the box.
Specifications
| CPU generations | 10th gen (Comet Lake) |
|---|---|
| Typical CPUs | Core i3-10100T (4C/8T, 35 W); Core i5-10500T (6C/12T, 35 W); Core i7-10700T (8C/16T, 35 W) |
| Chipset | H470 |
| Memory | 2× DDR4 SO-DIMM, up to 2933 MT/s, 64 GB official maximum |
| M.2 NVMe slots (storage) | 1 |
| 2.5" SATA bays | 1 |
| PCIe expansion | None |
| Onboard Ethernet | Intel I219-V |
| Extra NIC option | None (USB adapter only) |
| Faster networking | No 2.5/10GbE path beyond USB adapters |
| vPro / AMT | No |
| Power adapters | 65 W or 90 W or 135 W |
| Idle power (measured) | Not measured yet |
Checked against: Lenovo PSREF spec sheet. Official limits can be lower than what owners report working.
What owners should know
- 10th gen adds Hyper-Threading to i3/i5 T-series chips (e.g. i5-10500T is 6C/12T).
Power consumption
Not measured yet. We only publish idle figures with a source, the configuration and the method. If you have measured one at the wall, send us your reading (CPU, RAM, drives, OS, meter and date). See how to measure idle power.
What to buy with it
- 64 GB RAM kit2 × 32 GB DDR4 SODIMM, 2933 MT/s or faster (runs at 2933)2 SODIMM slots, 64 GB official maximum. DDR4 laptop-size modules (not desktop DIMMs, not DDR5).
- NVMe SSDM.2 2280 NVMe SSD (PCIe), e.g. 1 TB with DRAM cache or HMB for VM storage1 M.2 2280 storage slot.
- 2.5" SATA SSD + caddy · optional2.5" SATA SSD (7 mm), plus the model's drive caddy/cable if the unit did not ship with one1 × 2.5" bay.
- USB 2.5GbE adapter (optional) · optionalUSB 3 (5 Gbps) 2.5GbE adapterNo internal slot for a second network port; a USB adapter is the only option.
- Power adapter (if missing) · optionalLenovo 65 W or 90 W or 135 W adapter with the correct connectorMany ex-office units are sold without one. Use the wattage the manufacturer lists for the CPU fitted.
We list the spec to look for rather than a price, because part prices change daily and we only show prices from a live source.
Plex and Jellyfin transcoding
Handles 10-bit HEVC (typical 4K HDR) in hardware. No AV1 decode, so AV1 files fall back to the CPU. The table covers every CPU option sold in this chassis. Check which CPU a listing actually has.
| Video engine | H.264 | HEVC 10-bit decode | VP9 | AV1 decode | HEVC encode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Quick Sync (Kaby Lake–Comet Lake) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Plex needs a Plex Pass for hardware transcoding; Jellyfin does not. More detail in our Quick Sync generations guide.
Before you buy one used
- Confirm the exact CPU model in the listing photos or System Information screenshot, not just "Core i5".
- Check that a power adapter of the right wattage is included (65 W or 90 W or 135 W). Many ex-office units ship without one.
- Ask whether the BIOS is unlocked. Ex-corporate machines sometimes keep an admin password.
- A 2.5" drive needs the caddy and cable, which are often missing when a unit shipped with only an M.2 SSD.
Find one
Email me when one is listed under my price
Frequently asked questions
- How much RAM does the M70q Gen 1 support?
- Lenovo's official maximum is 64 GB across 2 DDR4 SODIMM slots at up to 2933 MT/s.
- How many NVMe SSDs can the M70q Gen 1 hold?
- 1 M.2 NVMe slot for storage plus 1 2.5" SATA bay, so up to 2 internal drives.
- Does the M70q Gen 1 have a PCIe slot?
- No. It has no internal PCIe slot.
- Can the M70q Gen 1 use 10GbE or 2.5GbE networking?
- Not internally. It has a 1 GbE Intel I219-V; faster networking needs a USB adapter.
- Is the M70q Gen 1 good for Plex or Jellyfin?
- Handles 10-bit HEVC (typical 4K HDR) in hardware. No AV1 decode, so AV1 files fall back to the CPU. That applies to the best CPU option (Core i7-10700T, UHD 630); check which CPU a listing has.
- How much power does the M70q Gen 1 use at idle?
- We have not published a sourced measurement for this model yet, and we do not estimate one. Idle draw depends on CPU, drives, BIOS power settings and OS.
Good for
Related guides
- Which used mini PCs can transcode 4K for Plex and Jellyfin?
- How to check a used mini PC listing before you buy
- Do Lenovo Tiny, OptiPlex Micro and EliteDesk Mini PCs support 64 GB of RAM?
- Mini PC power consumption for a 24/7 home server: how to measure and reduce it
- Choosing a used mini PC for Proxmox: RAM, drives, NICs and clusters
- Mini PC NVMe SSD upgrade guide: slots, sizes and the 2.5" bay
- Mini PC RAM upgrade guide: DDR4 vs DDR5, speeds and slots
- Can a used mini PC be a NAS? Drive limits and better options
- Used business mini PC vs a new Intel N100 mini PC for a home server
- Lenovo Tiny, OptiPlex Micro and EliteDesk Mini names explained (TinyMiniMicro)
Head-to-head comparisons
Similar models to consider
- Dell OptiPlex 3080 Micro1× NVMe · 64 GB max · no PCIe · Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decode
- Dell OptiPlex 7080 Micro2× NVMe · 64 GB max · PCIe · Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decode
- HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Mini2× NVMe · 64 GB max · no PCIe · Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decode