Dell OptiPlex 3080 MT vs. Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_3080_MT.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_3090_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen10 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron;Intel Gen 10 i3/i5/i7/i9; Pentium
ChipsetB460Q470
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1650
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666DIMM DDR4-2666
RAM slots22
RAM speed2666 MT/s2666 MT/s
RAM max64 GB64 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;(4x) USB-A 2.0; (4x) USB-A 3.0;
Video portsDisplay Port 1.4; HDMI 1.4b;Display Port 1.4a; HDMI 1.4b;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out;RJ45; Audio; Line-Out/In;
Optional portsSerial/PS2; DP1.4/HDMI2.0b/VGA; (2x)WiFi antenna; HDMI 2.0b/Displayport/VGA;
SATA ports33
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT) M.2 2230/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays3.5in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);3.5in; 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU260 W260 W
Weight5.35 kg (11.79 lb)6.50 kg (14.33 lb)
Released20202021
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 3080 MT and Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower which was released in 2021. The Dell OptiPlex 3080 MT is older and entered production in 2020.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

Processor

The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 10 generation of Intel Processors have enough power to execute all of the home and office tasks that most people will care to do.

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 2666. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 64 GB of RAM will be enough for most people. However, if you will be needing more RAM, make sure to check other desktop models too.

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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower comes with 2 ports, while the Dell OptiPlex 3080 MT has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower is the better choice.

The Dell OptiPlex 3080 MT comes with an HDMI port, while the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Tower 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 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

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 260 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_3080_MT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_3090_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout