Acer Veriton N4640g vs. Dell OptiPlex 3020M

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_N4640g.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_3020M.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMicroMicro
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen4 i3/i5; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH110H81
Dedicated GPU *N.A.N.A.
RAMSODIMM DDR4-2400SODIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots22
RAM speed2400 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max32 GB16 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (2x) USB-A 2.0(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; DVIDisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; (3x) Audio;RJ45; Headset; Mic/Hdph;
Optional portsN.AWiFi antenna; Serial+PS2;
SATA ports01
PCI slotsN.A. N.A.
M.2 slotsM.2 2280 B-Key (SATA only)M.2 2230 (WiFi)
Drive bays2.5in2.5in;
PSU60/90/135 W65 W
Weight4.00 kg (8.81 lb)1.28 kg (2.82 lb)
Released20172013
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 Acer Veriton N4640g and Dell OptiPlex 3020M

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton N4640g which was released in 2017. The Dell OptiPlex 3020M is older and entered production in 2013.

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 N4640g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 3020M 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 Acer Veriton N4640g is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3020M 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 Acer Veriton N4640g as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3020M 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 6. 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 Dell OptiPlex 3020M has a DisplayPort. The Acer Veriton N4640g does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Acer Veriton N4640g comes with an HDMI port, while the Dell OptiPlex 3020M 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 Dell OptiPlex 3020M is better equipped as it comes with 1 SATA slot(s), while the Acer Veriton N4640g has 0 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 Acer Veriton N4640g. Sadly, the Dell OptiPlex 3020M 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 OptiPlex 3020M comes with a decent 65 Watt PSU, but the Acer Veriton N4640g has a more powerful one rated at 90 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_N4640g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_3020M_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout