The Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny is a popular ultra-small formfactor computer. With a volume of only about 1 liter, It is one of the tiniest computers that still offers a socketed desktop processor. But did you know it has the possibility to add a dedicated graphics card? Let's see how we can make best use of that!

ThinkCentre Tiny or ThinkStation Tiny?

To start of with, Lenovo has released similar models under different brand names. The ThinkCentre Tiny models (M720, M920 etc.) are pretty much identical to the ThinkStation P300 Tiny line-up. Here is a complete list of how both line-ups compare:

  • ThinkCentre M920q Tiny and ThinkCentre M720q Tiny don't have a comparable ThinkStation version.
  • ThinkStation P330 Tiny = ThinkCentre M920x Tiny
  • ThinkStation P340 Tiny = ThinkCentre M90q Tiny
  • ThinkStation P350 Tiny = ThinkCentre M90q Tiny Gen 2
  • ThinkStation P360 Tiny = ThinkCentre M90q Tiny Gen 3

Any ThinkCentre Tiny version not mentioned above does not come with a PCIe slot and will unfortunately not be able to fit a graphicvs card.

A GPU in the ThinkCentre Tiny

All the previously mentioned Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny and ThinkStation Tiny models come with a PCIe slot, albeit a proprietary one. With the correct riser, you can transform it to a slot that can accommodate a low-profile, single-slot PCIe card, including a graphics card. This gives a lot of possibilities for gaming, video editing, 3D rendering, AI computing etc. The only problem is that the case is only compatible with single-slot low-profile graphics cards. There are not many graphics cards available in this format and their performance is generally not very high.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could use some more powerful graphics cards in your ThinkCentre Tiny or ThinkStation Tiny?

Single slot graphics card inside Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny

Custom single slot GPU coolers

In comes n3rdware with the solution: a custom single-slot cooler for the Nvidia RTX A2000, RTX 2000 Ada generation and the RTX 4000 SFF Ada generation. With this cooler, you will have access to some of the most recent and high performance graphics cards Nvidia offers, transforming your tiny ThinkCentre Tiny or ThinkStation Tiny in a true powerhouse.

Discover the full range of coolers

Common questions and issues

Tiny SeriesRiser part number
M720q, M920q M920x, P33001AJ940
M90q, M90q Gen 2, P340, P3505C50W00877
M90q Gen 3, P3605C50W00910

All models come with a PCIe 3.0 x8 slot. This should give you plenty of bandwidth for the cards you can use in these cases. One exception is the P360 Tiny, which comes with a PCIe 4.0 x8 slot.

Depending on the model you purchased, you may need to upgrade your power supply. The older models came with a 65W or 90W power supply, which will not be enough to supply power to the additional graphics card. I would suggest at least an official Lenovo 135W, 170W or 230W power supply. They can be purches on Lenovo's own website.

Upgrading your power supply should be your first step. Make sure to use an official Lenovo power supply as the motherboard auto-detects those and sets some power limits accordingly.

If you are still experiencing shutdowns, limiting the frequency of the graphics card helps smoothing out transient spikes and often fixes shutdown issues. As a reference, the A2000 can be limited to 1600MHz without impacting performance, but will prevent transient power spikes. Read more about undervolting your graphics card.

Not conviced yet?

Check the below video review by ETA Prime to get a good look at the cooler and why you should buy one!

Do you want the most powerful ThinkCentre Tiny or ThinkStation Tiny?

Browse the n3rdware custom single-slot coolers and build your powerhouse!

Graphics card coolers