Unexpectedly great hardware updates to my ThinkCentre 710q

If you read my article Yes you can install Windows 11 on an unsupported processor chip you'll know I bought this total bargain Lenovo ThinkCentre 710q chiefly because it consumes low power, has all Lenovo's attention to detail for maintenance and spare part replacement, has a nice tiny form factor, and a reasonably modern architecture. The Think Centre supports secure boot, and has a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0. This one came with a DVD rw drive and now sports USB-C with DP video support, 16 GB of memory and a 1 TB SSD. The 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7700T 'Skylake' processor and the Intel HD 530 graphics are end of life. 

TL:DR —  There are loads of potential upgrades for these ThinkCentre 710q tiny workstations including WiFi which I didn't need and they are as cheap as chips. Plenty of parts are available, all very easily user replacable with ease by following Lenovo's documentation or just common sense. This is pretty much maxed out now and very very useful.

Incredible upgrade to USB-C and DP Alternate support video

This was advertised on ebay as a Lenovo compatible USB Type C port with display capability for £14.99. It 'just works'. 

Processor upgrade to Intel Core i7 (7700T LGA115)

This was a really easy job. The socket is designed to be easy for end user upgrades with a simple clip. It 'just worked' and performance is improved. It needs some new thermal paste.

Original ThinkCentre 710q Tiny workstation for £99

My ThinkCentre 710q is a grade A refurbished unit from Morgan Computers (sadly missed from just off Tottenham Court Road in London but now online), and it has the rare DVD rw drive and housing and an internal VGA and serial option card all for just £99. The DVD player looks to be unused. The machine itself is tidy with one missing one housing screw. Windows 10 was pre-installed and runs quite well. When launched the 710 range was positioned as having heavyweight performance and supporting up to three independent displays. Lenovo claimed that "Intensive tasks like multimedia creation, graphic design, and number-crunching are a walk in the park".  In reality, although everything can be easily upgraded, this was a basic model with quite a low memory footprint for these days with 8GB and a fairly slow 500GB Hard disk.

ThinkCentre 710q Ports, slots, indicators and buttons

Where to buy a Lenovo ThinkCentre 710q and expansion parts

Although I chose the Morgan Computers model because of the DVD drive, you can find Lenovo ThinkCentre M710q on Amazon from about £70 and up. Expect to pay more if you want the optional DVD Drive and its housing. These ThinkCentres are cheap and easy to upgrade so I wanted an A grade machine and wasn't bothered about the 8GB memory which can be easily upgraded for £59 on Amazon UK for 2x 16GB of PC19200 DDR4 2400MHz 260 Pin Memory) and the drive which could easily be swapped out when needed for £82 for a Samsung 1TB SSD again from Amazon UK. The processor can be swapped for LGA1151 compatible beefier i7-6700T, or even 7th generation i5-7500T, or an  i7-7700T (£75 from CeX), but lets see if we can make progress with the current chip.

Without the VGA/Serial option card or an HDMI option card this model only has DisplayPort and I don't have a DisplayPort Monitor handy. The only monitor I have with a port that works is an old Lenovo VGA/DVI monitor I had lying about. I can also see that original Lenovo monitors with DisplayPort are available extremely cheaply (£39 for a Lenovo ThinkVision LT2013p 19.5-Inch LCD Monitor, from Amazon UK so I've bought one just for completeness, I've found a lovely Lenovo wired mouse and keyboard for £16 at Computer Exchange too. We're all in on Lenovo Raven Black and Think Red highlights here.

Cost 

• £99.99 – Lenovo ThinkCentre M710q Tiny Intel Core i5 (6400T)  8GB 500GB Windows 10 Pro, DVD drive and expansion case (Morgan Computers) (plus £5 delivery)

Upgrade checklist

Original product purchase was £99.95! – Lenovo ThinkCentre M710q Tiny PC Intel Core i5-6400T 8GB RAM 500GB HDD DVD-RW Windows 10 Professional (Morgan Computers). 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 'Skylake' processor – Product Specifications – Intel® Core™ i5-6400T Processor

•   £0 – Ubuntu Linux 24.04 Much better choice for my needs. Can keep Windows around in a VMware Workstation virtual machine in case its needed for something. Can't imagine what.
•   £32 – 2 x 16 GB PC19200 DDR4 2400MHz 260 Pin Memory (CeX) These took 30 seconds to fit. Immediate transformation of this sluggish PC into a powerful workstation.
•   £0 – Samsung 870 QVO 1 TB SATA 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Amazon UK). I had a spare. Would cost about £90. Fitted it in 30 seconds. Rebooted, installed Ubuntu 24.04 from a bootable USB.
•   £39 – Lenovo ThinkVision LT2013p 19.5-Inch LCD Monitor (VGA/HDMI/DisplayPort/USB) think I got the last one. If searching remember you need DisplayPort! (Amazon Renewed)
•   £10 –  Lenovo SK-8823 Wired Keyboard + Mouse (CeX) This has arrived and was brand new in box. Really nice keyboard and mouse. 
•   £75 – 1 x Intel Core i7 (7700T LGA115) (CeX) This was easy to install as the LGA socket makes it easy. This is a supported processor but would not have been available for the machine I bought, it was for a later revision.
•   £14.99 - M900 M700 M710q M715q M625q TYPE-C Display Port Expansion 4K HD Video - (eBay) This is unexpectedly great. Now this old computer is state of the art again. You have to sacrifice the VGA port but who cares.

Original Specifications – M710 Tiny Platform

Processor

Intel® Celeron®, Intel Pentium®, or 6/7th Generation Intel Core™ i3 / i5 / i7 Processor

Processor	Cores / Threads	Frequency Base/Max(GHz)	Cache	Memory Support (Up to)	Integrated Graphics
Pentium G4400T	2 / 2	2.9GHz	3 MB	DDR4-2133	HD 510
Pentium G4560T	2 / 4	2.9GHz	3 MB	DDR4-2400	HD 610
Pentium G4600T	2 / 4	3.0GHz	3 MB	DDR4-2400	HD 630
Core i3-6100T	2 / 4	3.2GHz	3 MB	DDR4-2133	HD 530
Core i5-6500T	4 / 4	2.5GHz / 3.1GHz	6 MB	DDR4-2133	HD 530
Core i7-6700T	4 / 8	2.8GHz / 3.6GHz	8 MB	DDR4-2133	HD 530
Core i3-7100T	2 / 4	3.4GHz	3 MB	DDR4-2400	HD 630
Core i5-7400T	4 / 4	2.4GHz / 3.0GHz	6 MB	DDR4-2400	HD 630
Core i5-7500T	4 / 4	2.7GHz / 3.3GHz	6 MB	DDR4-2400	HD 630
Core i5-7600T	4 / 4	2.8GHz / 3.7GHz	6 MB	DDR4-2400	HD 630
Core i7-7700T	4 / 8	2.9GHz / 3.8GHz	8 MB	DDR4-2400	HD 630

Memory

32GB max, DDR4-2400*, two 260-pin SO-DIMM sockets, non-ECC, dual-channel capable * System automatically clocks down for the processors with lower memory controller

Storage

Hard Drive / SATA 6.0Gb/s, 2.5", 5400 rpm or 7200 rpm, Solid State Drive (SSD) / SATA 6.0Gb/s, 2.5", M.2 Solid State Drive (SSD) / PCIe NVMe, PCIe 3.0 x 4, 32Gb/s, Intel Optane™ Memory (models with 7th gen Core processor), M.2

Optical

DVD-ROM, slim (9.0mm), via USB external ODD box Some: DVD Burner (DVD±RW), slim (9.0mm), via USB external ODD box

Onboard SATA

One onboard SATA 6.0Gb/s connector

Media reader

None

Graphics

Intel HD Graphics 510/530/610/630 in processor, uses main memory, DirectX®12, two DisplayPort, one optional video port (HDMI, VGA, 3rd DP, or USB 3.1 Type-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode), up to 3 independent displays; Max resolution: 4096x2304 (DP)@60Hz; 4096x2304 (Type-C)@60Hz; 4096x2160 (HDMI)@24Hz; 1920x1200 (VGA)@60Hz

Monitor Cable

Optional DP to VGA, DP to DVI-D (single link), DP to dual DP, or DP to HDMI 1.4

Chipset

Intel B250 Chipset

Front ports

Two USB 3.1 Gen1 (one is Always On and fast charge), one microphone (3.5mm), one headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm)

Rear ports

Four USB 3.1 Gen1 (optional external optical box or external I/O box occupies one or two specific USB 3.1 Gen1 on some models), ethernet (RJ-45), two DisplayPort, two optional ports (Port 1 for VGA / 3rd DP / HDMI / serial / USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 (with DisplayPort Alternate Mode), Port 2 for serial) 

I/O box

Optional external I/O box, extends two USB 2.0, two USB 3.1 Gen1, and one serial on rear, two USB 2.0 on front, via USB cable (occupy two specific USB 3.1 Gen1 of Tiny) 

Audio support

High Definition (HD) Audio, Realtek ALC294 / optional internal speaker (1w or 2w)

WLAN

Optional 11ac wireless, M.2 Card, Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377A (dual band), Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.1 combo adapter, 1x1, or, 11ac wireless, M.2 Card, Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174A (dual band), Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.1 combo adapter, 2x2,or, 11ac wireless, M.2 Card, Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.1 combo adapter, 1x1, or,11ac wireless, M.2 Card, Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.1 combo adapter, 2x2

Bluetooth

Optional Bluetooth 4.1 wireless, integrated in Wi-Fi + BT combo adapter

Ethernet

Gigabit ethernet, Intel Ethernet Connection I219-V (Jacksonville), Wake on LAN

Modem

None

Manageability

None

Security Chip

TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 2.0*, TCG Certified

Security features

Security slot (in rear for optional Kensington® MicroSaver® cable). Smart USB protection, allows keyboard/ mouse only, blocks all storage devices. Power-on password. Administrator password. Hard disk password. Boot sequence control. Boot without keyboard and mouse. Individual USB port disablement. Chassis intrusion switch.

Keyboard

Lenovo Calliope Keyboard (USB connector), black Some: Lenovo Traditional Keyboard (USB connector), black Some: Lenovo Calliope Wireless Keyboard (2.4GHz via USB receiver), black Some: Lenovo Calliope Mouse (USB connector), black Some: Lenovo Calliope Wireless Mouse (2.4GHz via USB receiver), black

Mechanical

Tiny (1L), black color; metal case ● Toolless chassis open ● Toolless HDD, SSD, memory removal ● Optional toolless chassis screw ● Optional dust filter

	Dimensions (WxDxH)	Weight (Approx.)
M710 Tiny only	7.05" X 7.20" X 1.36" 179mm X 182.9mm X 34.5mm	2.91 lb (1.32 kg), vary by config
With VESA mount & ODD box	7.42" X 7.30" X 2.48" 188.4mm X 185.38mm X 63mm	3.66 lb (1.66 kg), vary by config
With VESA mount & I/O box	7.42" X 7.30" X 2.62" 188.4mm X 185.38mm X 66.6mm	3.66 lb (1.66 kg), vary by config
6	6

VESA mount

Optional VESA mount bracket kit, supports VESA 75mm and 100mm

Floor Stand

Optional system floor stand for vertical orientation

Power supply

65 watts AC/DC adapter, autosensing, 88% PSU (not included for TIO models) 90 watts AC/DC adapter, autosensing, 88% PSU (only for models with I/O box)

Limited warranty

1-year or 3-year, depot service / limited onsite service / service upgrades available

Preload

Windows® 7 Professional 32/64 preinstalled through downgrade rights in Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (not available with 7th Gen Intel processor), or, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, or, Windows 10 Home 64-bit Preloaded applications (only some listed) Microsoft Office preloaded; purchase a product key to activate - Only for Window 10, Lenovo Companion - Only for Window 7, Lenovo Solution Center, Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools, Create Recovery Media, Adobe® Reader®, Cyberlink PowerDVD Create (DVD±RW) 

Environment

ENERGY STAR® 6.1, EPEAT Gold rating (North America), ErP Lot 3, GREENGUARD®, RoHS-compliant, TUV low noise verified (on some models)

MIL-SPEC test

MIL-STD-810G military certification (Low Pressure [Altitude], High Temperature, Low Temperature, Temperature Shock, Humidity, Sand and Dust, Vibration, Shock, Fungus, Solar Radiation)