Dell OptiPlex 990 MT vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_990_MT.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen2 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ67Q170
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650GeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots44
RAM speed1333 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max16 GB64 GB
USB ports(10x)USB-A 2.0; (8x)USB-A 3.0;
Video portsDisplayPort 1.2; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2/COM; Serial; RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional portsParallel2x USB-A 2.0; Media card reader (USB 2.0); (2x) PS2; eSATA;
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x4; PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); M2 to PCI adapter (optional);
M.2 slotsN.A.M.2 (WiFi/BT or PCI extension card)
Drive bays(2x) 3.5in; (2x) 2.5in; (2x) 5.25in;(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU265 WATX 250/400 W
Weight8.87 kg (19.55 lb)12.5 kg (27.5 lb)
Released20112015
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 990 MT and Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower which was released in 2015. The Dell OptiPlex 990 MT 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 990 MT 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 MT 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 MT 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 990 MT has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower 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. 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower comes with 2 ports, while the Dell OptiPlex 990 MT has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower 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 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 990 MT is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower has 3 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell OptiPlex 990 MT, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower 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

Having a Power Supply Unit with high power rating is important, if you are going to use components which require extra power. The Dell OptiPlex 990 MT comes with a decent 265 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 400 Watts. Choosing either one depends on your specific requirements and use case. Also don't forget that some models might have more than one PSU option - try to always get the most powerful one, especially if you plan to upgrade to a powerful GPU.

Motherboard

Dell_OptiPlex_990_MT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout