Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 vs. Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower
Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 and Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower 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
No Wireless LAN Card
Qualcomm QCA9377 (DW1810)
Up to 433 MbpsDual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHzWiFi-5 (802.11ac)Bluetooth 5.0
Qualcomm QCA61x4a
Up to 867 MbpsDual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHzWiFi-5 (802.11ac)Bluetooth 5.0
Intel AX201
Up to 2400 MbpsDual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHzWiFi-6 (802.11ax)Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.1Bluetooth 5.2
Optional.
Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.1
Optional
Ethernet
Intel I219-LM Gigabit Ethernet controller
10/100/1000 Mbps, support Wake-on-LAN.
Gigabit Ethernet controller
Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.
Software
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2
Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower
OS
Windows 10 Home | Pro | IoT Enterprise
Ubuntu Linux
No operating system
Windows 10 HomeWindows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Ubuntu Linux 20.04 LTS
NeoKylin 7.0 (China only)
Built-in Apps
Microsoft Office 30 Day Trial
Camera & Audio
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2
Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower
Camera
Optional Front-facing camera.
5.0-megapixel, with ThinkShutter (physical switch on/off).
Optional Windows Hello IR support.
Audio
High Definition (HD) Audio, Realtek® ALC233 codec
2 x 3W stereo speakers.
Dolby® Atmos® Speaker System.
Dual array microphone.
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).
Misc
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2
Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower
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
1-year limited onsite service
3-year limited onsite service
No base warranty
3-Year Basic Onsite Service
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 vs. Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower
The Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 and the Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower were released in the same year, 2021. 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. 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.
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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2, you have options to configure it 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.
While Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower has configurations 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.
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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 has two RAM slots that support up to 64GB of 3200MHz dual-channel DDR4 memory. On the other hand, the Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower has four RAM slots that you can upgrade up to 64GB of 3200MHz or 128GB of 2933 MHz 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 7 USB ports available on the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2, three less than the Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower that has 10 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a Gen 2 has six USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port. It has four ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) and three ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps).
For Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower, it has nine USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port. The PC 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).