Dell OptiPlex 7080 SFF vs. Dell Vostro 3681

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_7080_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelDell_Vostro_3681.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen10 i3/i5/i7/i9; Intel Gen10 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ470B460
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 Low ProfileGeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933DIMM DDR4-2666/2933
RAM slots42
RAM speed2933 MT/s2933 MT/s
RAM max128 GB64 GB
USB portsUSB 3.1 Type C; (2x) USB-A 3.1; (3x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) Display Port 1.4;HDMI 1.4b; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out/In; Serial; (2x) PS2; RJ45; Headset; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Card Reader;
Optional portsHDMI2.0b/DP1.4/VGA/USB Type-C (DP Alt Mode); SD4.0; 2xWiFi antenna; N.A.
SATA ports32
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x4 (open ended);PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT) M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays3.5in/(2x)2.5in; 5.25in (slim); 3.5in; 9.5mm
PSU200 W200 W
Weight5.28 Kg (11.63 lb)4.66 Kg (10.28 lbs)
Released20202020
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 7080 SFF and Dell Vostro 3681

Both computers, the Dell OptiPlex 7080 SFF and the Dell Vostro 3681, were released during the same year - 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

The Dell OptiPlex 7080 SFF has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Vostro 3681 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.

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 2933. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex 7080 SFF as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Dell Vostro 3681 can do a bit less at max 64 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell OptiPlex 7080 SFF has 10 USB ports. The Dell Vostro 3681 is inferior in this regard and packs 8 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the Dell OptiPlex 7080 SFF, is that it has 3 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Dell Vostro 3681 has no such port, thus restricting your transfer speeds significantly. For people who want to use external drives on regular basis, this might be an issue.

Unfortunately, only the Dell OptiPlex 7080 SFF has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3681 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 Vostro 3681 comes with an HDMI port, while the Dell OptiPlex 7080 SFF 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 7080 SFF is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Vostro 3681 has 2 slot(s).

An M.2 SSD can be several times faster than a SATA one. Thus, we are happy to see that both models support the M.2 interface. However, the Dell OptiPlex 7080 SFF has 1 M.2 slots while the Dell Vostro 3681 comes with just 1.

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 200 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_7080_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_Vostro_3681_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout