
Lenovo ThinkCentre M920x Tiny
A 2018 ThinkCentre Tiny on the Q370 chipset with 2 M.2 NVMe slots, 1 2.5" bay and up to 32 GB of RAM (official). It can take a PCIe card, which is rare in this size.
Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decodeSpecs widely confirmed
Used price
Currently from $165 on eBay US (median $259 across 36 used listings, checked 11/9/2026)
Asking prices of active fixed-price listings; configuration (CPU, RAM, SSD) varies.
Used M920x units on eBay US currently start at $165, and the typical asking price is about $259 across 36 fixed-price listings. The spread mostly reflects the CPU fitted (i5-8500T, i5-9500T, i7-8700T, i7-9700T), RAM and SSD included, and whether a power adapter is in the box.
Specifications
| CPU generations | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) / 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) |
|---|---|
| Typical CPUs | Core i5-8500T (6C/6T, 35 W); Core i5-9500T (6C/6T, 35 W); Core i7-8700T (6C/12T, 35 W); Core i7-9700T (8C/8T, 35 W) |
| Chipset | Q370 |
| Memory | 2× DDR4 SO-DIMM, up to 2666 MT/s, 32 GB official maximum |
| M.2 NVMe slots (storage) | 2 |
| 2.5" SATA bays | 1 |
| PCIe expansion | PCIe (dGPU option) |
| Onboard Ethernet | Intel I219-LM |
| Extra NIC option | PCIe 3.0 x8 low-profile slot (Lenovo lists an Intel I350-T4 NIC option; uses the 2.5" bay space) |
| Faster networking | 10GbE via Low-profile PCIe network card in the riser slot (riser and bracket bought separately) (owner-reported, not a vendor option) |
| vPro / AMT | On vPro CPU configurations |
| Power adapters | 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
- Two M.2 NVMe slots, which makes it a good pick for ZFS mirrors or a boot + data split.
- Usually costs more than the M920q on the used market because it is rarer.
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
- 32 GB RAM kit2 × 16 GB DDR4 SODIMM, 2666 MT/s or faster (runs at 2666)2 SODIMM slots, 32 GB official maximum. DDR4 laptop-size modules (not desktop DIMMs, not DDR5).
- 2 × NVMe SSDM.2 2280 NVMe SSD (PCIe), e.g. 1 TB with DRAM cache or HMB for VM storage2 M.2 2280 storage slots. Two drives allow a ZFS mirror or separate boot and VM storage.
- 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. Not usable at the same time as a PCIe riser card in this chassis.
- 10GbE network card + riser · optionalLow-profile PCIe 10GbE NIC (Intel X520/X710 or Mellanox ConnectX-3/4 are common picks) and the model-specific riser + bracketLow-profile PCIe network card in the riser slot (riser and bracket bought separately). Owner-reported, not a vendor-listed option: check card height and cooling.
- Power adapter (if missing) · optionalLenovo 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 (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.
- The PCIe riser is usually not included. Budget for it separately.
Find one
Email me when one is listed under my price
Frequently asked questions
- How much RAM does the M920x support?
- Lenovo's official maximum is 32 GB across 2 DDR4 SODIMM slots at up to 2666 MT/s.
- How many NVMe SSDs can the M920x hold?
- 2 M.2 NVMe slots for storage plus 1 2.5" SATA bay, so up to 3 internal drives.
- Does the M920x have a PCIe slot?
- Yes: PCIe (dGPU option). PCIe 3.0 x8 low-profile slot (Lenovo lists an Intel I350-T4 NIC option; uses the 2.5" bay space)
- Can the M920x use 10GbE or 2.5GbE networking?
- 10GbE via Low-profile PCIe network card in the riser slot (riser and bracket bought separately) (reported by owners, not a vendor option).
- Is the M920x 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 i7-9700T, UHD 630); check which CPU a listing has.
- How much power does the M920x 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
- Two NVMe slots
- PCIe slot
- 10GbE
- 2.5GbE+ networking
- Plex / Jellyfin 4K
- Proxmox node
- OPNsense / pfSense router
- Budget home server
- vPro / AMT
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?
- Which used mini PCs can take a 10GbE network card?
- 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
- Using a used mini PC as an OPNsense or pfSense router
- 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
- M920q vs M920x
- M920x vs M90q Gen 1
- M720q vs M920x
- OptiPlex 7070 Micro vs M920x
- EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini vs M920x
Similar models to consider
- Dell OptiPlex 3070 Micro1× NVMe · 32 GB max · no PCIe · Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decode
- Dell OptiPlex 7070 Micro1× NVMe · 32 GB max · no PCIe · Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decode
- HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini2× NVMe · 32 GB max · no PCIe · Good for 4K HEVC; no AV1 decode