Lenovo M720q/M920q/M920X/P330 Intake mod, 10" Rack

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Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny — Custom Intake Lid Kit for 10" Rack

I run Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny nodes in my homelab 10" rack, and my M920X kept crashing during nightly backups. The culprit was most likely thermals — the original lid has only 3–4mm clearance between the fan flange and the lid surface, barely enough to breathe. Combined with warm rack air and the fan already working hard, temps would spike to 100°C immediately under any real load.

So I designed this replacement lid specifically for rack-mounted Lenovo Tiny machines. The custom lid features a 9mm intake scoop that channels fresh ambient air directly into the fan instead of whatever warm air happens to be sitting in that minimal gap.

What the testing showed

I ran four paired rounds of controlled benchmarks — each tool tested back-to-back with both lids under identical conditions:

• mprime Small FFTs (full load): fan −220 RPM, original lid hunting 3680–4095 RPM vs custom lid stable
• s-tui (full load): fan −275 RPM, largest delta of all rounds
• y-cruncher (full load): fan −247 RPM average, peak spikes −562 RPM (6091 vs 5529 RPM)

• stress-ng 30% load: fan −193 RPM, custom lid pinned stable vs original still hunting

   

Same CPU temperatures, same power consumption in every round. The fan controller just doesn't need to work as hard when it has proper airflow.

For anyone who wants to dig into the results and raw data, the full thermal report is included in the files.

Should I print this?

The numbers aren't dramatic — but they're consistent across every test tool and every load level, and the fan running lower and more stable every single time isn't a coincidence. The lid does what it's supposed to do.

Worth noting that my test unit had a delidded i7-8700 with Conductonaut — the liquid metal between die and IHS is probably doing a lot of the heavy lifting, so the airflow improvement has less room to show. A CPU with original dried thermal paste might see more noticeable results since the fan controller would be fighting harder to begin with.

Testing was also done in a basically empty rack — three Tiny PCs stacked vertically with plenty of free airflow around them. That's about the best possible conditions for the original lid. A fully loaded rack with warm trapped air is where the restriction would really start to hurt, and that's where I'd expect to see much more significant differences.

I'll do more testing when my rack project is finished. This is a good start but not the final word.

Compatibility

• M720Q ✓
• M920Q ✓
• M920X ✓
• P330 ✓
• M75q ✓ (chassis is identical to Intel Tiny models)

Variants

Two lid versions are available:

• Simple — clean design with accent around the power button and Lenovo logo area, single color or two-tone

• Detailed — includes Lenovo text and translucent PETG deflectors that diffuse the LED indicators through the lid

   

  Rack mount comes in two variations (with and without intake vent accent) and two front panel thickness options — 3mm and 4mm.

Printing & Assembly

Lid One part with an integrated intake funnel. The funnel section requires supports — remove them carefully after printing to make sure the funnel fits cleanly. The power button is captive in the lid — just push it and it releases. It has worked perfectly in around a dozen prints I have done, although if you have issues let me know. 😊

Rack mount Simple print. I've used M3x5x4.5 heatset inserts.

Reflector White PETG recommended for best results.

Gasket TPU recommended. Doesn't lock into the tabs but stays in place when the lid is installed upside down. Glue is optional.

Print settings

• Material: PETG recommended (or higher) to avoid heat deformation — PETG HF may have adhesion issues on small text details
• Layer height: 0.2mm
• Infill: 10% gyroid
• Wall generator: Arachne
• Supports: Tree (auto) — required for the lid funnel, remove carefully after printing
• Gasket: TPU 95A recommended
• PETG on smooth PEI: use a release agent like hairspray or glue stick to protect your plate
• 3mf file with preconfigured settings included.

Notes

PETG HF may have adhesion issues on the small text details — I had no issues with regular PETG (tested with Anycubic). If your text is coming out poorly, try regular PETG instead.

The translucent deflectors work well and LEDs are clearly visible through them as you can see in the photos, but it's not quite the same as the original lid — just worth setting the right expectations.

Note on CMOS battery: The CMOS battery sits directly under the cooler. If the battery cover has come unglued it can rub against the cooler and cause a hissing noise. Worth checking and regluing before reassembly if needed.

Changelog

5/3/2026

• Reduced amount of mounting holes 6→4
• Made holes smaller 7.5mm→6.5mm since 7.5mm is quite big for M5 screws, so 6.5mm suits well for both. (Tested with KWS and LabRax)

If you print it, I'd love to see it in the makes. 😊