Dell Inspiron 3668 vs. Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Inspiron_3668.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_3050_MT.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen6&7 i3/i5; Pentium; Celeron;
ChipsetH110B250
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133/2400DIMM DDR4-2133/2400
RAM slots22
RAM speed2400 MT/s2400 MT/s
RAM max16 GB32 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; VGA;Display Port 1.2; HDMI 1.4;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Card Reader;RJ45; Headset; Line-Out;
Optional portsN.A.Serial+PS2; VGA; Media Card Reader;
SATA ports53
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; (3x) PCIe x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)M.2 2280/2242 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe)
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in; 9.5mm3.5in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU240 W240 W
Weight5.90 kg (13.01 lb)7.93 kg (17.49 lb)
Released20162017
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* 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 3668 and Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT which was released in 2017. The Dell Inspiron 3668 is older and entered production in 2016.

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 Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Inspiron 3668 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.

None of the desktops has an advantage when it comes to the speed of the RAM being used. Both models support RAM speeds of up to 2400. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3668 can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT has 8 USB ports. The Dell Inspiron 3668 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 3050 MT has a DisplayPort. The Dell Inspiron 3668 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 ports are placed on the system board and it is where you connect your HDD, SSD and Optical Disk Drives. More SATA slots will allow you to have more drives running at the same time. In this regard the Dell Inspiron 3668 is better equipped as it comes with 5 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT has 3 slot(s).

If you want the fastest transfer speeds for your SSD, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, if the M.2 SSD slot is a mandatory requirement for you, go with the Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT. Sadly, the Dell Inspiron 3668 has no such slot, and you will be forced to use the SATA interface instead.

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

Looking at the Power Supply Unit (PSU) of the two models we don't see any differences. For either of them you get a maximum power of 240 Watts. However be careful, many models have more than one power supply option. When buying your computer, it is a good idea to get a version with the most powerful PSU. This will potentially allow you to upgrade to a more powerful GPU for example.

Motherboard

Dell_Inspiron_3668_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_3050_MT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout