Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF vs. Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_9010_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_990_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen2 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ77Q67
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333/1600 DIMM DDR3-1333
RAM slots44
RAM speed1600 MT/s1333 MT/s
RAM max32 GB16 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (6x) USB-A 2.0; (10x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort 1.1; VGA;DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsSerial; (2x) PS2; RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2/COM; Serial; Parallel;
Optional portsN.A.N.A.
SATA ports33
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4);PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x4; PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays3.5in/(2x)2.5in; 5.25in(slim)3.5in; 2.5in; 5.25in(slim);
PSU240 W240 W
Weight6.0 kg (13.2 lb)5.70 kg (12.57 lb)
Released20122011
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* 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 9010 SFF and Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF which was released in 2012. The Dell OptiPlex 990 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 Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 990 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 (4 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 Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF is using the faster 1600 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 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 Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF can do a bit less at max 16 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 10. 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 9010 SFF comes with 2 ports, while the Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF is the better choice.

None of the models has an HDMI port. If your monitor supports only the HDMI interface, you will need to buy an adapter. Such adapters are cheap so nothing to worry about.

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.

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF, nor the Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF 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_9010_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_990_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout