Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny NAS

I've been working with the Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny M910Q/M910x in my projects for some time now. These devices are incredibly compact, affordable, and surprisingly powerful. This time, I decided to build a NAS server using one.

By default, they support one NVMe and one SATA 2.5" drive. The M910X model also includes a PCI port for expansion. My modification utilizes the NVMe slot, which is standard across all models, allowing you to still use the SATA port. I designed a case to accommodate six 3.5" HDDs (due to the size of the PC) with the option to expand to more devices.

The NVMe port is essentially a PCIe 3.0 x4 lane, so we can take advantage of that.

You have three options:

1 With an NVMe to 6 SATA Ports Adapter

For this setup, you'll need an NVMe extender, which allows you to place the NVMe-to-6-SATA adapter on the upper part of the case, keeping the bottom clean.You'll need to open the PC, remove the motherboard, and route the cable from the NVME between the case and the motherboardand into the 3d printed case2 With an HBA like the HP P822 in IT Mode

For this setup, you'll need an NVMe-to-PCIe x4 adapter, allowing you to place the PCIe port on the upper part of the case, also keeping the bottom clean.Again, you'll need to open the PC, remove the motherboard, and route the cable between the case and the motherboard.3 With an PCIe card that has ports on the back (only models with PCI port)

For all options you'll power the drives using a power adapter You’ll need a 12V PSU to power all the drives; typically, 2A per drive is recommended. Purchase the model with a USB and two SATA cables. The USB will connect to one of the USB ports on the Tiny, so when you turn off the Tiny, it will also turn off the drives. One of the SATA cables will power the PCIe slot if you choose the P822 option.

The main benefit of using the P822 is the potential for future expansion, as it has 4x SFF-8088 and 2x SFF-8087 connectors, allowing you to connect up to 16 additional drives (I also have a 3D-printed model for that).

It's probably compatible with this models:

ThinkCentre M910q Tiny ThinkCentre M710q Tiny ThinkCentre M920q Tiny ThinkCentre M720q Tiny ThinkCentre M630e Tiny ThinkCentre M910x Tiny ThinkCentre M920x Tiny ThinkCentre M720x Tiny ThinkCentre M715q Tiny ThinkCentre M625q Tiny

Needed Parts: Arctic P14 Slim + 4 screws (come with the fan) 3,5 HDD Screws 6 per hdd, head smaller than 7mm in order to fit https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DdVfmFH M3x8mm 20 pieces (power adapter and all other parts as lid, front, back etc) M3x12mm 8 pieces (Side panels, left and right screws) M3x14mm 4 pieces (Side panels, middle screw) M3x4mm 10 pieces (bottom part, to attach the body to the tiny) Inserts M3x5x4.2 14 https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDHZoRd Inserts M3x3x4.2 8 NVME to 6 sata ports https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DcJiy6B Power Adapter https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDhAAvz Model F-SATA or E-SATA

M4 x4m or M4x6mm 2 1x 12V adapter for PSU

Category: Electronics