Dell Inspiron 3880 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Inspiron_3880.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M83_Small_Pro.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen10 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium;
ChipsetB460Q85
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots24
RAM speed2933 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.4b; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Mic; Line-Out; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional portsN.A.Parallel; Serial; (2x) PS2; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports24
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); N.A.
Drive bays3.25in; 9.5mm(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU260 WATX 280/450 W
Weight6.02 kg (13.27 lb)11.20 kg (24.69 lb)
Released20202013
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 3880 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Inspiron 3880 which was released in 2020. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro is older and entered production in 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Inspiron 3880 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 Inspiron 3880 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Inspiron 3880 has only 2 slot(s). This is not something to worry about. Just make sure you take it into consideration when planning how much RAM you are going to use.

The Dell Inspiron 3880 is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell Inspiron 3880 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro can do a bit less at max 32 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 8. 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.

Unfortunately, only the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro has a DisplayPort. The Dell Inspiron 3880 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Dell Inspiron 3880 comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro does not support the interface. Of course missing HDMI port is something that can be easily fixed with a good adapter (e.g. DisplayPort to HDMI).

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Inspiron 3880 has 2 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 Inspiron 3880. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro 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

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 3880 comes with a decent 260 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro has a more powerful one rated at 450 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_3880_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M83_Small_Pro_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout