Dell OptiPlex 9020 USFF vs. Dell OptiPlex 990 USFF

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_9020_USFF.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_990_USFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorUltra SmallUltra Small
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Intel Gen2 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ87Q67
Dedicated GPU *N.A.N.A.
RAMDIMM DDR3-1600 DIMM DDR3-1333
RAM slots22
RAM speed1600 MT/s1333 MT/s
RAM max16 GB8 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (2x) USB-A 2.0; (7x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2/COM; Serial; Parallel;
Optional portsN.A.N.A.
SATA ports22
PCI slotsmPCIe (supports mSATA)N.A.
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 mSATA; N.A.
Drive bays2.5in, 5.25in(slim)2.5in; 5.25in(slim);
PSU 200 W200 W
Weight3.30 kg (7.28 lb)3.27 kg (7.20 lb)
Released20132011
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 9020 USFF and Dell OptiPlex 990 USFF

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 9020 USFF which was released in 2013. The Dell OptiPlex 990 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 9020 USFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 990 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 9020 USFF is using the faster 1600 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 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 9020 USFF as it has the ability to run 16 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 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 990 USFF has 7 USB ports. The Dell OptiPlex 9020 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 9020 USFF comes with 2 ports, while the Dell OptiPlex 990 USFF has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex 9020 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.

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 9020 USFF. Sadly, the Dell OptiPlex 990 USFF 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 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_9020_USFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_990_USFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout