Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 vs. Dell Vostro 3681

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Tower_Plus_EBT2250.jpg case front and back pannelDell_Vostro_3681.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsCore Ultra 5/7/9/7K/9K (Series 2)Intel Gen10 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetZ890B460
Dedicated GPU *RTX 4090GeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMSODIMM DDR5-5200DIMM DDR4-2666/2933
RAM slots22
RAM speed5200 MT/s2933 MT/s
RAM max64 GB64 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 2.0; (5x) USB-A 3.2 Gen 1; (1x) USB-C 3.2 Gen 2; (1x) Thunderbolt 4/USB4 (USB-C)(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(3x) DisplayPort 1.4; HDMI 2.1HDMI 1.4b; VGA;
Other portsRJ45 (2.5 Gbps); Audio (Headset, Line-in, Line-out, S/PDIF);RJ45; Headset; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Card Reader;
Optional portsSD-card slotN.A.
SATA ports32
PCI slotsPCIe Gen5 x16; (2x) PCIe Gen3 x4PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slots(2x) M.2 2230/2280 (PCIe Gen4 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive baysN.A.3.5in; 9.5mm
PSU460/750/1000 W200 W
Weight12.94 kg (28.53 lb)4.66 Kg (10.28 lbs)
Released20252020
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 Tower Plus EBT2250 and Dell Vostro 3681

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 which was released in 2025. The Dell Vostro 3681 is older and entered production in 2020.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell Vostro 3681 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 and will fit more easily under your desk.

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 Tower Plus EBT2250 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Vostro 3681 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 Tower Plus EBT2250 is using the faster 5200 MT/s RAM. The Dell Vostro 3681 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2933 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 64 GB of RAM will be enough for most people. However, if you will be needing more RAM, make sure to check other desktop models too.

Ports

In total the Dell Vostro 3681 has 8 USB ports. The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 is inferior in this regard and packs 4 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250, is that it has 1 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.

Nowadays, almost every new computer comes equipped with a DisplayPort. However, none of the devices being compared here has one. Don't worry though, DisplayPort adapters are very cheap and you can get virtually any combination of conversion types.

In case your monitor supports HDMI only, you will be happy to hear that both models come with an HDMI port.

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 Tower Plus EBT2250 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 Tower Plus EBT2250 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

Having a Power Supply Unit with high power rating is important, if you are going to use components which require extra power. The Dell Vostro 3681 comes with a decent 200 Watt PSU, but the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 has a more powerful one rated at 1000 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_Tower_Plus_EBT2250_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_Vostro_3681_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout