Dell OptiPlex 7000 Micro vs Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 3
These two are closely matched - the right pick comes down to the specific job below.
The verdict
- Local AI
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 3 has a PCIe slot for a low-profile GPU - the other needs a DIY build for local LLMs.
Which wins for each job
| Job | Dell OptiPlex 7000 Micro | Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Plex / Jellyfin | ~5 streams | ~5 streams |
| Frigate NVR | ~4 cameras | ~4 cameras |
| Proxmox / VMs | 16,359 PassMark | 16,359 PassMark |
| Firewall / router | 1 NICs | 1 NICs |
| Local AI / LLM | no slot | PCIe GPU slot win |
Approximate - capacity estimates from curated specs, the same logic as the recommender. Verify against your exact setup. Prices move; check the retailer.
Full specs
| Spec | Dell OptiPlex 7000 Micro | Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price (list) | $330 | $330 |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-12500T | Intel Core i5-12500T |
| Cores / threads | 6 | 6 |
| PassMark | 16,359 | 16,359 |
| iGPU | Intel UHD 770 | Intel UHD 770 |
| NICs | 1 | 1 |
| NIC model | Intel I219-LM | Intel I219-LM |
| RAM max (GB) | 64 | 64 |
| M.2 free | 0 | 1 |
| PCIe slot | none | x8-lp |
| Idle (W) | 10 | 10 |
| TDP (W) | 35 | 35 |