Dell OptiPlex 790 USFF vs. Dell OptiPlex 9010 USFF

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_790_USFF.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_9010_USFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorUltra SmallUltra Small
CPU optionsIntel Gen2 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ65Q77
Dedicated GPU *N.A.N.A.
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333DIMM DDR3-1333/1600
RAM slots22
RAM speed1333 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max8 GB16 GB
USB ports(7x)USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDisplayPort 1.2; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort 1.1; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2/COM; Serial; Parallel;Serial; (2x) PS2; RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsN.A.WiFi antenna
SATA ports22
PCI slotsN.A.mPCIe 2.0;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays2.5in; 5.25in(slim);2.5in; 5.25in(slim)
PSU200 W200 W
Weight3.27 kg (7.20 lb)3.3 kg (7.26 lb)
Released20112012
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 790 USFF and Dell OptiPlex 9010 USFF

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 9010 USFF which was released in 2012. The Dell OptiPlex 790 USFF 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 USFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 790 USFF 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 Dell OptiPlex 9010 USFF is using the faster 1600 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 790 USFF 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 USFF as it has the ability to run 16 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 790 USFF 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 790 USFF has 7 USB ports. The Dell OptiPlex 9010 USFF 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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Dell OptiPlex 9010 USFF comes with 2 ports, while the Dell OptiPlex 790 USFF has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex 9010 USFF 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 2 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 790 USFF, nor the Dell OptiPlex 9010 USFF 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 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_790_USFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_9010_USFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout