Dell OptiPlex 390 SFF vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_390_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_E73_Small.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen2 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium;
ChipsetH61H81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 Low ProfileGeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots22
RAM speed1333 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max8 GB16 GB
USB ports(8x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; VGA;DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Line-Out; Line-In and Mic; Mic; PS2/COM;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsN.A.Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports23
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25in(slim);2.5in; 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU240 WATX 180 W
Weight5.70 kg (12.57 lb)6.0 kg (13.2 lb)
Released20112013
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 390 SFF and Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small which was released in 2013. The Dell OptiPlex 390 SFF is older and entered production in 2011.

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 390 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.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small is using the faster 1600 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 390 SFF is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1333 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small as it has the ability to run 16 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 390 SFF can do a bit less at max 8 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell OptiPlex 390 SFF has 8 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small has a DisplayPort. The Dell OptiPlex 390 SFF 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 OptiPlex 390 SFF comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small 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 E73 Small is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 390 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 390 SFF, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small 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

Having a Power Supply Unit with high power rating is important, if you are going to use components which require extra power. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Dell OptiPlex 390 SFF has a more powerful one rated at 240 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_OptiPlex_390_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_E73_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout