Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2
Here is a side by side comparison between Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 specs including price, processors, memory, graphics, storage, ports, and more.
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201, 802.11ax 2x2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 5.2, M.2 Card
No WLAN and Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.1
Optional
Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.1Bluetooth 5.2
Optional.
Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet controller
Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.
Intel I219-LM Gigabit Ethernet controller
10/100/1000 Mbps, support Wake-on-LAN.
Software
Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2
OS
Windows 10 HomeWindows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Ubuntu Linux 20.04 LTS
NeoKylin 7.0 (China only)
Windows 10 Home | Pro | IoT Enterprise
Ubuntu Linux
No operating system
Built-in Apps
Microsoft Office 30 Day Trial
Camera & Audio
Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2
Camera
Optional Front-facing camera.
5.0-megapixel, with ThinkShutter (physical switch on/off).
Optional Windows Hello IR support.
Audio
One 2W Speaker (optional)
Audio controller
Realtek ALC3246
4 Channel High Definition Audio
24-bit DAC (Digital-to-Analog) and ADC (Analog-to-Digital)
External Ports
1 x Universal Audio Jack
Front
1 x Audio port
Line-out audio port with re-tasking to Line-in (Rear).
High Definition (HD) Audio, Realtek® ALC233 codec
2 x 3W stereo speakers.
Dolby® Atmos® Speaker System.
Dual array microphone.
Misc
Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2
Sensors
IR Camera
Security
Security Chip
Discrete TPM 2.0, TCG certified
Physical Locks
Kensington® Security Slot
Chassis Intrusion Switch
Chassis intrusion switch
No chassis intrusion switch
Fingerprint Reader
Touch style fingerprint reader on mouse
No fingerprint reader
Other Security
Optional ThinkShutter camera cover
BIOS Security
Administrator password
Power-on password
Hard disk password
Boot sequence control
Boot without keyboard and mouse
Self-healing BIOS
Smart USB protection (allows keyboard/mouse only, blocks all storage devices)
Individual USB port disablement
Warranty
3-Year Basic Onsite Service
1-year limited onsite service
3-year limited onsite service
No base warranty
Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2
The Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower and the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 were released in the same year, 2021. The Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower has a mini tower form factor that can fit a micro ATX and Mini ITX motherboard, a few hard disk drives, and a single full-height graphics card. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 has an all-in-one form factor that combines all components and a built-in monitor into one package.
Processor
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is like the brains of your desktop computer. Its performance determines how fast and responsive your PC is. Generally, a processor with newer architecture, more CPU cores, higher TDP (measured in W), and faster clock speed (measured in GHz) tends to be more expensive and run faster than others with older architecture, fewer CPU cores, lower TDP, and lower clock speed.
For Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower, you have options to configure it with a 58W 10th Generation Intel Comet Lake dual-core Intel Pentium Gold G6405 up to a 65W 8-core Intel Core i7-11700 with a boost speed up to 4.90 GHz.
While Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 has configurations with a 58W 10th Generation Intel Comet Lake dual-core Intel Celeron G5905 up to a 65W 8-core Intel Core i9-11900 with a boost speed up to 5.20 GHz.
Memory
The Random Access Memory or RAM is the super-fast and temporary storage used to handle all active tasks, apps, and games that will go away when your PC turns off. The more memory your PC has, the better multitasking your PC can handle without having to reload data from slower permanent storage that includes the hard disk drive or solid-state drive.
Fortunately, both PC allows you to upgrade later if you are unsatisfied with the amount of memory on your PC. The Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower has four RAM slots that support up to 64GB of 3200MHz or 128GB of 2933 MHz dual-channel DDR4 memory. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 has two RAM slots that you can upgrade up to 64GB of 3200MHz dual-channel DDR4 memory.
Ports
Computer ports are the interface for connecting your PC to its peripheral devices or other PCs. The most common peripherals are keyboard, mouse, monitor, flash drive, speaker, and printer. Most of them use Universal Serial Bus (USB) as their connection to your computer. So the PC with more USB ports can connect to more peripherals at the same time.
There is a total number of 10 USB ports available on the Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower, three more than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 that has only 7 USB ports. On top of the number of USB ports, the type and version of each USB port are also necessary for determining how fast it is.
The Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower has nine USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port. It has four ports that support USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), five ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), and one port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps).
For Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2, it has six USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port. The PC has four ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) and three ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps).