Power Consumption
Idle power consumption on 120V power we saw 14-17W idle for the quad-core unit. We generally assume these nodes will use 9-12W idle so this was a bit higher. Again, these are used units so it may vary a bit.
The power supply we received with this unit is a 90W Lenovo power adapters from the company’s notebook line. Normally we get 65W power bricks with these machines. The 90W adapter was usually included if there was an additional I/O module with the workstation, but we did not get that I/O module. We hit 62W on our unit putting as much stress as we could on it. This is still a relatively low power consumption. Most nodes used for labs, or even as desktops, will sit idle most of the time.
At idle, the noise is not significant. Under CPU and/or GPU loads, the fan spins up and the system is audible. An advantage is that one can move this system to avoid direct noise by mounting it on the back of a TV or monitor, under a desk, or elsewhere. These are designed to be quiet so many of them can fill rooms of small cubicles or co-working desk space so Lenovo, HP, and Dell had to design them to be relatively quiet.
Next, we are going to discuss key lessons learned before getting to our final thoughts.
Key Lesson Learned for TMM
In this series, we wanted to also focus on some key lessons learned. Since we have already tested well over a dozen different models, we are taking away key pieces of advice from each that we wanted to share.
The first lesson is that we received a large accessory set with this machine, perhaps the largest we have received from over two dozen machines. That included a vertical mount, keyboard, and mouse. The keyboard and mouse showed obvious signs of use so we will probably not be using them as they cost more to clean than to donate and buy new ones. The vertical mount was a nice touch. These TMM nodes have many mounting options including under desk options and back of display mounts due to their corporate clients.
A second lesson was just how big the gap was between the AMD A-series APUs and the AMD Ryzen CPUs. We take for granted these days that AMD CPUs are faster on the desktop and server form factors with more cores and using a newer 7nm process. That was not the case and these are systems from 2018 that clearly show the transition. Indeed the 2nd gen M715q Tiny that is the subject of this piece could use both generations. For our readers, unless you need extreme value, from a performance perspective, the Ryzen parts are a huge leap forward.
Final Words
At some point, we almost ended up with a bunch of the Lenovo M715q Tiny machines. We are glad we did not. There are actually many out there with the older A-series APUs that are now less costly than that Project TinyMiniMicro HP EliteDesk 705 G3 Mini we looked at. Since we were reviewing a Ryzen-powered 2nd generation system, that is what we focused on. This was the generation that AMD became competitive with Intel and kicked off acceleration in the core counts for these devices. Just after this, Intel moved the Core i5 from a 4-core to a 6-core offering to combat the AMD threat. This was the first version, but it is what started the competition.
Hi,
Nice review, as always. I really like the series/reviews on these mini boxes.
I noted a few possible errors though.
Right below the Hardware Overview header on page 1, you state “The chassis itself is a fairly standard design for the earlier HP Minis.”
At the bottom of the Power Consumption Section on page 3, you state “These are designed to be quiet so many of them can fill rooms of small cubicles or co-working desk space so Lenovo, HP, and Dell had to design them to be relatively quiet.”
Should “HP” be replaced with “Lenovo” in these cases, or are you directly comparing these devices with the HP units you recently reviewed?
Thanks for all your hard work on these projects/reviews – it is appreciated.
I have three m75q-1 as my proxmox cluster. They have the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3400GE (4c/8t) and Vega 11 and are Win 10 pro licenced.
The memory / nvme slots are under a cover on the bottom with the main case housing the 2.5″ 6G SATA drive.
Couldn’t be happier with them, especially as I got them for $200 each! I just had to add more memory (32Gb) and they run beautifully. Usually just hum along at around 10-12W.
Wish I can find one for $200 in Indonesia. Best lenovo tiny that goes for ~200USD is the M72/M92/M93P…
I can’t find those prices anywhere and that’s for any devise in the series so far. Can you use averages or ranges, for the day of presentation, from either eBay or Amazon? That’s a potential credibility issue especially for new readers.
Also for the videos, please spend more time on the devices and more close ups, it might work better than the descriptions (good they might be).
Patrick: nice review. I have the same M715q tiny but with a A6 CPU. You mention Ryzen with 8 thread will also work, what is the exact model number?
@Greg Chang AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 2400GE