• out of stock

[Refurb] Lenovo ThinkCentre M720S SFF i3-9100 8GB RAM 256GB SSD $139 Delivered @ MetroCom

550
[Refurb] Lenovo ThinkCentre M720S SFF i3-9100 8GB RAM 256GB SSD $139 Delivered @ MetroCom
Go to Deal
jasonxc on 05/10/2024 - 13:09 metrocom.com.au (1993 clicks)

Just came across this while browsing for SFF computers.

Very good deal, and an excellent option for an entry-level media server. 9th generation i3 should be more than capable of HEVC 10-bit transcoding and 8GB is more than enough ram. Small-Form Factor is also nicer than Mini/Micro because it has a PCIE expansion slot. You can connect an Intel quad-NIC and pass it through to a pfSense VM, allowing you to use it as a firewall router with enterprise-grade security ON TOP OF functioning as a media server in the host OS.

As an added bonus, because it's an 8th/9th gen i3 processor, it has support for ECC.

Computing Computer Desktop Computer Lenovo Small Form Factor Computer

Related Stores

metrocom
metrocom

closed Comments

  • wittyidea3460 on 05/10/2024 - 14:11
    +1

    Have one of these. Hard to beat for the price.

  • afaik on 05/10/2024 - 14:36
    +1

    Bought one this week from metrocom, slapped a i7 8700, installed a 2.5gbe network card and pumped 32gb rams into it - Absolute beast. Good price. Only downside is, it can't fit 2x 3.5" drives unless you use a HBA external card and plug it into a hard drive caddy of some sort.

    • MarkWAau on 05/10/2024 - 16:54

      what 2.5gbe network card did you install?

      • afaik on 05/10/2024 - 17:31

        Yes. Had to install it.

      • qwijibo on 05/10/2024 - 17:56
        +2

        Buy an i226-v card off aliexpress (I think the ones I bought were "fenvi", but any brand should do) - they come with both low profile and regular brackets. Avoid the cheaper realtek or i225 cards (the i226 fixes bugs in the i225, and I've had i225 cards just completely stop working under windows).

        About $20 or so.

        • afaik on 05/10/2024 - 19:05

          Do you mind sharing a link? Have you tested on debian/proxmox

          • qwijibo on 07/10/2024 - 09:12

            @afaik: This is the i226 one I bought: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005957421035.html

            Anything with i226 is probably ok, but that one has been faultless for me in my ubuntu server NAS and windows 10 gaming machines hooked into a cheap aliexpress 2.5gbe switch.

            It will work fine under debian/proxmox.

    • hankbiggums on 05/10/2024 - 18:39

      Should you be able to swap the optical drive for 3.5" caddy? I know people do that on the equivalent Dell Optiplex machines.

    • IceCreamCookies on 06/10/2024 - 08:57

      What’s preventing 2 x 3.5” disks? Physical mounting space?

      How many SATA and power plugs has it got?

      Was thinking of picking one up to build a cheap and nasty NAS and would be happy to forego the optical drive for an additional 3.5” disk.

      • afaik on 06/10/2024 - 09:21
        +1

        Yes, physical mounting space. There’s absolutely no way to jam two 3.5” hard drives without using an external HBA card. If you’re planning to use this for a NAS, it’s not the right hardware.

  • srhardy on 05/10/2024 - 14:48
    -8

    this is a tinkers toy and as such is overpriced for an old intel 4/4 cpu… the 8gb/256gbSSD is nice but you can score this for $60ish most days on fleebay

    • lordezekiel on 05/10/2024 - 14:58
      +2

      Really, cause when i look, the cheapest Lenovo ThinkCentre M720S on eBay is this exact one from Metrocom, next cheapest one is $219…

      • vid_ghost on 05/10/2024 - 16:50
        +1

        They now have this listed on their ebay store - AU $164.00 with coupon code ($5 off) Same seller.. (Its their ebay store)

        So saving $25 buying from their website direct.

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 05/10/2024 - 15:18

      Is it? I think it's priced about right.

      I5 7500t & i3 8100t all around this price point, so it's market rate. The 3 CPUs are about comparable, only officially the 8th and 9th gens support windows 11.

      These systems work great as Plex/jellyfin servers, with a bit more tinkering it would be a very powerful NAS.

  • Proliferation on 05/10/2024 - 14:50
    +4

    This seems like a good deal for the asking price but it would be worth double-checking this model has all the features you need before buying, as without context some things mentioned in the OP might be interpreted as misleading.
    tl;dr - caveat emptor, but for example: Lenovo has been known to restrict PCIe device compatibility via a BIOS whitelist in some of their prebuilt PC SKUs which might impact your ability to install a NIC card; also on the point about ECC memory, yes the i3 9100 can support ECC UDIMMs but only in conjunction with a compatible motherboard chipset (which usually have a codename prefixed with a 'C' or 'W') and a quick google search indicates this model has an Intel B360, thus even if the machine posts with ECC memory installed you wont be getting any actual benefit.

  • vince088 on 05/10/2024 - 15:10

    Anyone know if I can use the front USB-C to connect to my Dell D6000 dock station?
    When I WFH I want to dock my work laptop, then finish work to plug into this desktop so I don't need to re-plug all the monitors and peripherals etc.

    • Orrelljet on 05/10/2024 - 17:47
      +1

      It should work, I believe, as it’s DisplayLink that does the heavy lifting as far as drivers etc. are concerned. With the right cable, you could even use one of the rear USB-A ports. Just make sure the D6000 doesn’t require a thunderbolt (usb-c) connection and you should be good to go.

      https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000126484/how-to-co….

  • J1990T on 05/10/2024 - 15:50
    +1

    Looks like a fun project if you have a 3d printer or know someone and turn it into a nas

    https://makerworld.com/models/604132

    • wittyidea3460 on 05/10/2024 - 16:22

      Note that this model is SFF, not tiny. Looks like an interesting mod for the tiny though, for sure!

      • J1990T on 05/10/2024 - 16:23

        Oh didn’t notice, seemed like a good idea.

  • melbstheburn on 05/10/2024 - 18:03

    Any chance I could get some help. I'm looking for a unit for just browsing the web and simple word/excel use. I have a monitor at home with a HDMI connection. Could I just plug this device into the monitor and it run? Any help would be greatly appreciated

    • Levelgrinder on 05/10/2024 - 18:45
      +5

      Ports: 2x Display Ports (back); 1x VGA port

      Unfortunately no HDMI port so you can't just plug this in to your monitor. You could get an adapter (VGA to HDMI for example), and worth checking what other input ports your monitor has too, as it might have a VGA or Display input.

      Otherwise this would be fine for just browsing the web and simple word/excel use. Might struggle if you have a ton of Chrome tabs open with only 8gb RAM, but otherwise it would be fine. This is a corporate PC refurbished, so "office use" like just browsing the web and simple word/excel use it can handle.

      • melbstheburn on 05/10/2024 - 18:50
        +1

        Thank you for taking the time to respond to me. I read that it has windows 11 which sounds good to me.

        • Levelgrinder on 05/10/2024 - 19:01
          +1

          No worries, and yes its an advantage it has Win11, as some of these refurbs only come with Win10 which won't be supported next year. Just the license for Win11 costs anywhere from $30 to $150 anyway (approx! don't flame me for not being accurate), depending on where you buy it from.

      • vid_ghost on 05/10/2024 - 21:18
        +2

        hdmi to display port dongle

      • moe s on 06/10/2024 - 13:46

        I use a display port to HDMI cable, like this: https://www.ijk.com.au/branch/ijk/product/157439m63/DP-HDMI-…
        to plug my Lenovo to a tv.

        An alternative may be to use a standard HDMI cable, and a display port to HDMI adapter.

    • Lonewolf1983 on 05/10/2024 - 18:51
      +2

      you will need a displayport to HDMI adapter/cable
      but yes the PC will suit that use perfectly well

    • Richardc on 05/10/2024 - 19:01
      +2

      Double check your monitor, likely have other port besides HDMI.

  • escusemay on 05/10/2024 - 19:03

    Was thinking of getting an Optiplex 9010 with a 4th gen i7 processor for similar price. Would this be better for overall general use? Using it for monitoring cameras with a Reolink NVR and some cameras using Blue Iris

    • clearancetrolley on 05/10/2024 - 19:52

      Just my 2 cents. I wouldn’t be buying anything older than an 8th / 9th gen intel chip at this point as anything older won’t officially support Windows 11. Windows 10 is meant to be end of life around October 2025, so no further security patches will be released. Not so bad on machines that will be kept offline, but if it needs to be internet facing I wouldn’t buy anything that can’t run Windows 11.

    • J1990T on 06/10/2024 - 09:07

      For blue iris you will want quick sync so 7th gen and up I believe

      • escusemay on 06/10/2024 - 12:45

        Good to know. Thanks guys!

  • zihengg on 05/10/2024 - 19:30

    good price but I just have too many computers now…

    • CodeXD on 05/10/2024 - 21:19

      I would gladly take one off your hands haha

      Edit: nvm, saw you're in Darwin lol

      • DarwinBoy on 06/10/2024 - 20:47

        Im in darwin. But we just had our hard rubbish clean up the last few weeks so im in the same boat, to many PCs as well. Going through the 2 dell 9020s and 4 other assorted PCs i picked up to see what ive got.

  • stevtom27 on 06/10/2024 - 01:01

    What form factor motherboard has this got? I would use as a media centre but would need to connect many 3.5 hard drives so would need new case

  • FujinShu on 06/10/2024 - 06:12

    If you can change the power supply with a standard ATX and use a Lenovo 10 pin adapter, could you add a standard GPU and have a decent gaming system?

  • Smoque on 06/10/2024 - 12:25

    Hi there,

    I'm a total PC novice - can anyone suggest what RAM to buy to upgrade this to 16GB? Is it even worth it for internet and word processing?

    Thanks

  • jab14 on 06/10/2024 - 16:01

    Smoque, If your going to use it just for internet and word processing its plenty 16 would come into play if do a lot of multitasking but 8 still enough this is a good buy enjoy

  • Hello22 on 20/10/2024 - 15:30

    Received mine. Great condition, seems hardly used.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join