Acer Veriton X4640g vs. Dell OptiPlex 980 SFF

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_X4640g.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_980_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen1 i3/i5/i7; Pentium Dual Core;
ChipsetB150Q57
Dedicated GPU *Radeon RX 6400 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAMUDIMM DDR4-2133DIMM DDR3-1060/1333
RAM slots44
RAM speed2133 MT/s1333 MT/s
RAM max32 GB16 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (6x) USB-A 2.0;(8x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA; DVIDisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 ports; Serial:RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2/COM; Serial; Parallel; eSATA
Optional portsext. VGA; Serial; DVI to VGA adapterN.A.
SATA ports33
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1PCIe 2.0 x16;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)N.A.
Drive bays2.5/3.5in; 5.25 inch(2x)3.5in; (2x)5.25in (slim);
PSU221 W235 W
Weight6.00 kg (14.33 lb)5.90 kg (13.00 lb)
Released20152010
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

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* Dedicated GPU warning: Check if your particular power supply model has enough power. Additionally some PSUs don't come with an auxiliary PCIe power connector and you may need to buy a SATA to PCIe power adapter.

Differences between Acer Veriton X4640g and Dell OptiPlex 980 SFF

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton X4640g which was released in 2015. The Dell OptiPlex 980 SFF is older and entered production in 2010.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

Processor

Usually the newer the generation of the CPU, the better the performance and efficiency is. If your budget allows it, you should go with the Acer Veriton X4640g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 980 SFF is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (4 RAM). Usually two RAM slots are more than enough for most cases. However, the count should be taken into account when planning how much and what combination of RAM you are going to need for your system.

The Acer Veriton X4640g is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 980 SFF is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1333 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Acer Veriton X4640g as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 980 SFF can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 10. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. None of the desktop models has a USB 3.1 port (10Gb/s), so if you need a fast connection to your peripherals, like external Solid State Drive, you will need to look elsewhere.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Acer Veriton X4640g comes with 2 ports, while the Dell OptiPlex 980 SFF has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Acer Veriton X4640g is the better choice.

None of the models has an HDMI port. If your monitor supports only the HDMI interface, you will need to buy an adapter. Such adapters are cheap so nothing to worry about.

SATA slots are located on the motherboard and it is where SSD, HDD and Optical Disk Drives are connected. Each of the two models being compared have 3 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell OptiPlex 980 SFF, nor the Acer Veriton X4640g has one. However, you can still use a SATA SSD drive which should give you satisfactory performance.

Make sure that the available M.2 slot supports the PCIe (also called NVMe) interface. This is important as there are M.2 slots which support only the inferior SATA III interface. For comparison, the SATA III interface has max speeds of 6Gb/s, while the PCIe 3.0 x4 will support speeds up to 32Gb/s!

Power Supply

Having a Power Supply Unit with high power rating is important, if you are going to use components which require extra power. The Acer Veriton X4640g comes with a decent 220 Watt PSU, but the Dell OptiPlex 980 SFF has a more powerful one rated at 235 Watts. Choosing either one depends on your specific requirements and use case. Also don't forget that some models might have more than one PSU option - try to always get the most powerful one, especially if you plan to upgrade to a powerful GPU.

Motherboard

Acer_Veriton_X4640g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_980_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout