Dell Inspiron 3470 vs. Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Inspiron_3470.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_3000_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen9 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen 12 i3/i5/i7/i9; Pentium
ChipsetH370B660
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133/2400DIMM DDR4-3200
RAM slots22
RAM speed2400 MT/s3200 MT/s
RAM max32 GB64 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;(4x) USB-A 2.0; (4x) USB-A 3.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.4; VGA;Display Port 1.4a; HDMI 1.4b;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Card Reader;RJ45; Audio; Line-Out/In;
Optional portsN.A.HDMI 2.0b/Displayport/VGA; Serial
SATA ports33
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280 B-Key (SATA only); M.2 2230/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in;3.5in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU200 W180/240/300 W
Weight4.80 kg (10.58 lb)6.61 kg (14.59 lb)
Released20192022
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 Dell Inspiron 3470 and Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower which was released in 2022. The Dell Inspiron 3470 is older and entered production in 2019.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell Inspiron 3470 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower and will fit more easily under your desk.

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 Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Inspiron 3470 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (2 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 Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3470 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2400 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3470 can do a bit less at max 32 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower has 8 USB ports. The Dell Inspiron 3470 is inferior in this regard and packs 6 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. 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.

Unfortunately, only the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower has a DisplayPort. The Dell Inspiron 3470 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

In case your monitor supports HDMI only, you will be happy to hear that both models come with an HDMI port.

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.

When your goal is to have the fastest SSD transfer speeds, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, it is good that both models have M.2 SSD slots. Today M.2 SSDs are not much more expensive than the average SATA drives, so it really does not make sense to invest in SATA drives anymore.

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 Dell Inspiron 3470 comes with a decent 200 Watt PSU, but the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 300 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

Dell_Inspiron_3470_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_3000_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout