Dell OptiPlex 7070 Micro vs Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 1
Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 1 is the more capable pick; Dell OptiPlex 7070 Micro is the cheaper one - which wins comes down to the job below.
The verdict
- CPU
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 1 has 1.3x the CPU throughput (10,221 vs 8,038 PassMark).
- Idle power
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 1 idles lower (10W vs 12W) - cheaper to run 24/7.
- Local AI
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 1 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 7070 Micro | Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Plex / Jellyfin | ~3 streams | ~3 streams |
| Frigate NVR | ~4 cameras | ~4 cameras |
| Proxmox / VMs | 8,038 PassMark | 10,221 PassMark win |
| 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 7070 Micro | Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Price (list) | $160 | $175 |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-9500T | Intel Core i5-10500T |
| Cores / threads | 6 | 6 |
| PassMark | 8,038 | 10,221 |
| iGPU | UHD 630 | UHD 630 |
| NICs | 1 | 1 |
| NIC model | Intel I219-V | Intel I219-V |
| RAM max (GB) | 64 | 64 |
| M.2 free | 1 | 1 |
| PCIe slot | none | x8-lp |
| Idle (W) | 12 | 10 |
| TDP (W) | 35 | 35 |