Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF vs. Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_3010_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_3040_MT.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen2&3 i3/i5; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen6 i3/i5; Pentium; Celeron;
ChipsetH61H110
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333/1600 DIMM DDR3L-1600
RAM slots22
RAM speed1600 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max8 GB16 GB
USB ports(8x)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; RJ45; Headset; Line-Out;
Optional portsN.A.Serial+PS2; VGA; Media Card Reader;
SATA ports23
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; (3x) PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays3.5in/2.5in; 5.25in(slim);3.5in/5.25in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in slim;
PSU240 W240 W
Weight5.70 kg (12.57 lb)7.93 kg (17.49 lb)
Released20122015
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 OptiPlex 3010 SFF and Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT which was released in 2015. The Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT 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 3040 MT as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 3010 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 (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 1600. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT as it has the ability to run 16 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF can do a bit less at max 8 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 Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT has a DisplayPort. The Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF 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 OptiPlex 3040 MT is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF has 2 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF, nor the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT 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

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_OptiPlex_3010_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_3040_MT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout