Key Specs
Since many of our users are going to want to run different OSes on this, we wanted to give some of the key hardware specs. There is a lot on these machines that are customizable, but this at least gives you some sense of what hardware is available. If you want to know if your hardware is compatible with your OS, this list should help do that tie-out.
CPU Support
Here are the officially supported CPUs for the unit:
| Processor | Cores / Threads | Frequency Base/Max(GHz) | Cache | Memory Support (Up to) | Integrated Graphics |
| Core i3-8100 | 4/4 | 3.6G | 6 MB | DDR4-2400 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3-8300 | 4/4 | 3.7G | 8 MB | DDR4-2400 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-8400 | 6/6 | 2.8G / 4.0G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-8500 | 6/6 | 3.0G / 4.1G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-8600 | 6/6 | 3.1G / 4.3G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i7-8700 | 6/12 | 3.2G / 4.6G | 12 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3-9100 | 4/4 | 3.6G / 4.2G | 6 MB | DDR4-2400 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3-9300 | 4/4 | 3.7G / 4.3G | 8 MB | DDR4-2400 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3-9320 | 4/4 | 3.7G / 4.4G | 8 MB | DDR4-2400 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-9400 | 6/6 | 2.9G / 4.1G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-9500 | 6/6 | 3.0G / 4.4G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-9600 | 6/6 | 3.1G / 4.6G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i7-9700 | 8/8 | 3.0G / 4.7G | 12 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3-8100T | 4/4 | 3.1G | 6 MB | DDR4-2400 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3-8300T | 4/4 | 3.2G | 8 MB | DDR4-2400 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-8400T | 6/6 | 1.7G / 3.3G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-8500T | 6/6 | 2.1G / 3.5G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-8600T | 6/6 | 2.3G / 3.7G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i7-8700T | 6/12 | 2.4G / 4.0G | 12 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3-9100T | 4/4 | 3.1G / 3.7G | 6 MB | DDR4-2400 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3-9300T | 4/4 | 3.2G / 3.8G | 8 MB | DDR4-2400 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-9400T | 6/6 | 1.8G / 3.4G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-9500T | 6/6 | 2.2G / 3.7G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i5-9600T | 6/6 | 2.3G / 3.9G | 9 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i7-9700T | 8/8 | 2.0G / 4.3G | 12 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i9-9900T | 8/16 | 2.1G / 4.4G | 16 MB | DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 |
RAM Support
- Up to 64GB in 2x DDR4-2400/ DDR4-2666 SODIMMs
Note: STH tested 2x 32GB Samsung SODIMMs and found the system can operate with 64GB of memory. This is one of the few systems that Lenovo has validated in this generation with 64GB of memory.
Storage Support
- 2.5″ SATA with Bracket (if not configured with NIC or GPU)
- 2x M.2 PCIe for NVMe SSDs
Networking (Wired)
- Intel i219LM 1GbE
- Optional Intel i350-T4 quad port 1GbE
WiFi Support (Optional)
- Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.2 combo adapter, 2×2
- Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (dual band), Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 5.0 combo adapter, Intel vPro technology support, 2×2
Chipset
- Intel Q370 PCH
USB Ports
- 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Front (1x Type-A, 1x Type-C)
- 4x USB 3.1 Rear (2x Gen1, 2x Gen2)
OSes From Factory
- Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
- Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
The OS section can be a big deal. Sometimes the units are advertised as supporting Windows 10, but one gets a Windows 10 Home license. If you want to, or may want to, run Windows 10 Pro, knowing exactly which OS is on the device is ultra important. Although it did not come with Linux, we had our system running Proxmox VE as a Linux virtualization node.
Also, since the chipset supports vPro, one also needs to have a compatible CPU and WiFi adapter if one wants vPro over WiFi. A key tip is to look for a “vPro” sticker as an indication the unit is set up to support vPro.
Note: These systems sometimes change specs mid-generation. If you find another spec sheet with items you think we should add, please let us know in the comments.
Next, we are going to look at the performance and power consumption before getting to our final words.
Thanks for the review.
I was very interested into buying one of these as a Plex server given the capability of the entry level Quadro for the 2-3 family members on my server, but as it would sit in my living room, it sounds like the noise would be an issue…
Any recommendation for a similarly spec’ed system, but quiet? (doesn’t necessarily have to be that small)
Maybe better to assemble one myself?
STH wrotte: “ M.2 retention mechanism is a blue tool-less design as we saw in the M920x Tiny. After servicing a few dozen of these nodes, having everything tool-less is a major design win for us. ”
I have bad experience with these m.2 tool-less blue nightmarish mechanism on several P320 proxmox nodes…after three years in use, there was need to remove nvme and these blue knobs was so tight, that imposible remove them with bare hands and i have nails on long side..so i everytime there is need to use tools to do that.
Thanks for the review and video, really informative. If one was willing to sacrifice the GPU, could the PCI slot be used for a 10-gig Ethernet adapter?
Good review of the system. Any chance providing a pointer to a website where these are sold for the mentioned price?
Amazing! Had been looking at buying some NUC 9s to set up a lab, but one of these popped up on Ebay with the i7-8700t CPU relatively cheap (at least for the UK) and just popped in a Dual 10 Gb card and VMware seems very happy with it all! Am now keeping an eye out for any bargains and should have a 3 host lab with 10Gb connectivity for less than the cost of one loaded NUC9!
2 fringe downers vs the NUC are no support for 110mm drives and no 2nd slot for something like an Nvidia T4 or similar – That said, if I had the money for T4s and licensing lying around I’d also have bought the NUC 9 or something like one of the embedded Xeon Supermicro boxes.
STH wins again :D
I have had one of these for four and a half years now. I have periodically upgraded it as parts got cheaper. It started as an i7-8700T with 16GB of RAM, 250GB M.2 drive and a P630 2GB video card. It now has an i9-9900T with 32GB of RAM, both the 250GB and a 1TB M.2 disk as well as a T1000 8GB video card. I picked up the DVD cage as well as the special cable for a song and then removed and upgraded the drive to one capable of UHD Bluray. Capable of easily playing a UHD Bluray disk and being quiet while doing it makes this the perfect portable theater rig. Paired with an LG PF1500 LED projector, an FXAudio 802C Pro amp, and a pair of Zilch modded RS Optimus Pro 7 speakers I consider this the ultimate setup. For desktop use I can’t see where you could go wrong again. It boots in about 10 seconds, is stunningly fast and very compact, has ports galore, and is capable of running multiple monitors. Of course there is the down side and that is the WiFi card and interface. It is CNVio, the winmodem of WiFi, and essentially removes any option for upgrading the WiFi. I can’t say what I think of this interface for fear of having the post cut. Other than that, pick up one for a song and do a bit of upgrading and you have a decade computer.