Dell OptiPlex 7040 MT vs. Dell Vostro 3668

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_7040_MT.jpg case front and back pannelDell_Vostro_3668.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7Intel Gen7 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron;
ChipsetQ170H110
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133 DIMM DDR3-2133/2400
RAM slots42
RAM speed2133 MT/s2400 MT/s
RAM max64 GB16 GB
USB ports(6x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0;
Video ports(2x) Display Port 1.2; HDMI 1.4;HDMI 1.4; VGA;
Other portsSerial; (2x) PS2; RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsVGA; Media Card Reader;N/A
SATA ports44
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); PCIe 3.0 x1; PCI; PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe) M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays3.5in/5.25in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);3.5in; 5.25in; (2x) 2.5in; 9.5 mm
PSU240 W240W
Weight8.00 kg (17.64 lb)5.90 kg (13.01 lbs)
Released20152016
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 7040 MT and Dell Vostro 3668

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3668 which was released in 2016. The Dell OptiPlex 7040 MT is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell Vostro 3668 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell OptiPlex 7040 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 Vostro 3668 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 7040 MT is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Dell OptiPlex 7040 MT has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Vostro 3668 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 Vostro 3668 is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 7040 MT is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex 7040 MT as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Dell Vostro 3668 can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell OptiPlex 7040 MT has 10 USB ports. The Dell Vostro 3668 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 Dell OptiPlex 7040 MT has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3668 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 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 4 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

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 OptiPlex 7040 MT. Sadly, the Dell Vostro 3668 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

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_7040_MT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_Vostro_3668_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout