Refurbished mini PC: Lenovo Tiny, HP Mini or Dell Micro?

Lenovo calls its small office PCs "Tiny", HP "Desktop Mini", Dell "Micro". The umbrella term TinyMiniMicro was coined by Patrick Kennedy of ServeTheHome (13 July 2020), and his reasoning was plain: those are simply the tags the three manufacturers use for their small workstation nodes.

At Lenovo the size is even in the spec sheet. The PSREF for the ThinkCentre M920 Tiny (as of 2 March 2022) says "Tiny (1L)", roughly a one-litre chassis, at 179 x 183 x 34.5 mm and 1.32 kg.

These boxes were built for offices. Used ones turn up, among other places, as ex-lease returns, meaning company fleet devices. For the models checked here, Lenovo and HP list two SO-DIMM slots, and a dedicated graphics card is, as a rule, not on offer (HP's 800 G4 spec sheet mentions an optional one only for certain configurations). They differ in the adapter, the SSD slots and Wi-Fi. And above all, in processor generation.

The 8th generation. According to Microsoft's list of supported Intel processors for Windows 11 24H2 (page dated 27 February 2025, last updated 11 February 2026), the numbered Core generations begin there; the 7th-gen i5-7500T doesn't appear on the list. Microsoft says newer generations count as supported even before they're added.

Why now? Windows 10 has had no regular security updates since 14 October 2025. Microsoft's specifications page lists the Windows 11 minimums: TPM 2.0, UEFI with Secure Boot, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. To check a specific machine, Microsoft points to the PC Health Check app.

Careful with "Windows 11 Pro preinstalled": it doesn't mean Microsoft supports that CPU. It only means someone installed it. Checking TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot in the BIOS is covered in our Windows 11 buying check. It's written for laptops, but the steps on a mini PC should look similar.

The generation is in the processor name. Rule of thumb: the first digit after the hyphen, or the first two from the 10th generation on. An i5-8500T is 8th gen, an i5-7500T 7th, an i3-10100T 10th. The trailing T marks the lower-power variant; HP and Dell list their T models as 35 W processors in the spec sheets (sources under the table).

Sources for the table:

• Lenovo (PSREF): M910 Tiny (February 2017), M920 Tiny (2 March 2022), M720 Tiny (27 December 2022), M70q (27 September 2023) and M70q Gen 2 (17 October 2023).

• HP: QuickSpecs for the EliteDesk 800 G4 Desktop Mini (version 36, 18 February 2020).

• Dell: manuals for the OptiPlex 7050 Micro, 7060 Micro, 3070 Micro and 7080 Micro (accessed 10 October 2026); 7060 Micro adapters per ServeTheHome (30 January 2021).

The Windows 11 list column is our reading: vendor generation held up against Microsoft's list.

Honestly, the specific model matters more than the brand. The spec sheets do reveal a few quirks, though.

Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny: M910q, M920q, M720q, M70q

Per Lenovo's PSREF (as of 2 March 2022), the M920q has a Q370 chipset, up to 32 GB of DDR4-2666 in two SO-DIMM slots, a 2.5-inch bay plus an M.2 slot for SSDs, a separate M.2 slot for Wi-Fi and a discrete TPM 2.0.

The M720q is its sibling with the simpler B360 chipset, the same memory and storage layout and the same 8th and 9th-gen CPUs (PSREF, 27 December 2022).

The M910q (Q270 chipset) is 6th and 7th gen, below the Windows 11 line. One PSREF detail: configurations shipped with a Windows 7 downgrade had the TPM set back to version 1.2. Worth a look in the BIOS.

The M70q models are newer (10th and 11th gen, details in the table).

HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini

According to HP's QuickSpecs (version 36, 18 February 2020), the 800 G4 Desktop Mini runs Intel's 8th generation on a Q370 chipset, either with lower-power T-series chips (35 W, for example the i5-8500T) or with 65 W and 95 W variants. Add up to 32 GB of DDR4-2666 in two SO-DIMM slots, two internal M.2 SSD slots, an M.2 Wi-Fi slot, an optional 2.5-inch SATA drive and TPM 2.0.

For its neighbours, the G3, G5 and G6, we couldn't confirm the processor generation from an HP spec sheet. With those, read the exact CPU in the listing and check it against Microsoft's list.

Dell OptiPlex Micro: 7050, 7060, 3070, 7080

Dell draws a clean line by model number. Per Dell, the OptiPlex 7050 Micro has 6th and 7th-gen processors and the 7060 Micro 8th gen only. The 3070 Micro uses 8th and 9th gen, all 35 W parts, and the 7080 Micro 10th gen in 35 W and 65 W versions (sources under the table).

For the 7060 Micro, ServeTheHome (30 January 2021) notes a 90 W adapter for the 35 W processors and a 130 W one for the 65 W chips.

From a business seller you get the statutory warranty (in German, "Gewährleistung"), though for used goods it's often just one year. A seller's guarantee is a voluntary promise on top. Buy privately and you may get neither.

The details: your rights when something's wrong (repair or replacement, withdrawal or a price cut, damages) are set out in § 437 BGB, the German Civil Code. For used goods, the consumer advice centre Verbraucherzentrale (page as of 28 September 2026) says a seller may cut the usual two years down to one. § 476 BGB allows nothing shorter than a year and requires the cut to be agreed expressly and separately.

If a defect shows up within a year, § 477 BGB presumes it was there at handover; how Germany's Federal Court of Justice applies that to used goods is in our piece on the burden of proof. And if you withdraw because of a defect, § 475 BGB puts the return shipping costs on the business. We've explained the difference between a guarantee and the statutory warranty separately.

With marketplaces, the small print matters. Per the listing, the guarantee at refurbed comes from the seller ("Garantie vom Händler"). Who your contract partner is, you'll find in the T&Cs or the order process; the background is in our piece on marketplace or direct purchase. For other marketplaces we couldn't confirm current return and guarantee terms, so check them on the provider's site before buying.

The refurbed listing works as an example of a complete listing: 8th gen, a T-series chip, Windows 11 Professional, a named condition ("Exzellent", by refurbed's own definition), plus guarantor and return terms. A listing missing one of these isn't automatically bad, but it deserves a question to the seller.

Our condition grades guide covers what the grades mean, and how to spot an untrustworthy shop has a post of its own.

A surprising amount, as long as graphics aren't involved.

Office work, home office and the question of a quiet mini PC

Office apps, browsing, video calls, bookkeeping: that's what these machines were built for, and an 8th-gen Core CPU should cope (our estimate, not a test). On noise, we have to pass; we found no independent noise measurement for the three lines. All a listing can tell you is whether a T-series chip (35 W class) is fitted. It seems plausible that such models run cooler than the 65 W versions in the same chassis, but that proves nothing about one particular unit.

Home Assistant, Proxmox, home server and NAS

In the German simon42 community (31 January 2024), one user reports his ThinkCentre M720q with an SSD and 16 GB of RAM has run several virtual machines under Proxmox for over a year, Home Assistant included. The thread's advice: wire it to the network rather than relying on Wi-Fi, and use drives rated for 24/7 operation.

For Linux, the Windows 11 line doesn't matter. Suddenly an M910q or OptiPlex 7050 Micro looks interesting again, especially if it's cheaper.

As a NAS replacement a mini PC only goes so far: the M920q tops out at one 2.5-inch bay and one M.2 slot.

What it's not for

Gaming and 4K video editing. There's no dedicated graphics card, and the M920's single PCIe slot is low-profile and shares its space with the 2.5-inch bay.

At idle, a manufacturer figure, a user report and a test report land between just over 3 W and about 10 W, roughly €10 to €32 of electricity a year running non-stop. We found no independent lab measurement for Lenovo Tiny, HP Mini and Dell Micro (the c't test is paywalled), so these figures come from third parties.

• In its QuickSpecs for the EliteDesk 800 G4 Desktop Mini (18 February 2020), HP states 3.14 W in long idle at 230 V for the ENERGY STAR test. A manufacturer figure for a typical configuration, not for any particular listing.

• In the simon42 community (31 January 2024), one user reports around 4 W at idle for a ThinkCentre M910q, measured with a plug-in power meter over one day.

• ServeTheHome (13 July 2020) gives roughly 10 W at idle and 64 to 68 W maximum for its own used test units with two to six cores. That's a test report from 2020.

The electricity price comes from the BDEW electricity price analysis (August 2026): an average of 37.0 ct/kWh for German households. Watts times 8,760 hours divided by 1,000 gives kilowatt-hours per year.

The table is a worked example for idle draw, not a measurement. Under load it'll be more, though a home server probably rarely pulls the 64 to 68 W from the ServeTheHome test around the clock.

Whether you're buying a used mini PC privately or a refurbished one from a retailer, these points are worth checking in the listing. We cover the difference between refurbished and used separately.

1. Processor: Which generation? From the 8th on, it's on Microsoft's Windows 11 list. A trailing T stands for 35 W models at HP and Dell, per the spec sheets.
2. Celeron or Pentium instead of Core: Per the spec sheets, both exist in Lenovo's and Dell's lines, for example the Celeron G4900T and Pentium G5400T for the OptiPlex 7060 Micro. The G4000 and G5000 series are on Microsoft's list, but they're simpler processors than a Core i5.
3. Windows licence: "Without operating system" means buying a licence yourself.
4. Barebone: Usually that means no RAM, no SSD, no Windows. The price then looks better than it is.
5. TPM 2.0: Enabled in the BIOS? On an M910q with a Windows 7 downgrade it may be set to 1.2.
6. RAM and SSD: How much is installed, and how many slots are free?
7. Wi-Fi: On the M920q and 800 G4 Mini the module sits in its own M.2 slot per the spec sheets, so it isn't necessarily fitted.
8. Power adapter: Included, with the right rating? For the OptiPlex 7060 Micro that's 90 W or 130 W, depending on the CPU.
9. Condition, guarantee, returns: Who's your contract partner, who gives the guarantee, how long can you send it back? On withdrawal when buying from a retailer: withdrawal and return shipping costs for refurbished devices.

What to check once it's unpacked is much the same as for a laptop; see our refurbished laptop buying guide.

One last thing: a refurbished mini PC without its power adapter isn't a bargain. It's a kit.

If you want Windows 11, start by looking for the 8th generation. From the table we'd shortlist the M920q, the EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini and the OptiPlex 7060 Micro first, because for them the spec sheet and Microsoft's list line up clearly (our judgement, not a test). The M720q and OptiPlex 3070 Micro qualify too.