Dell Vostro 3070 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3070.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M82_Small.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen8&9 i3/i5/i7/i9;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetB360Q75
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2400/2666DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots24
RAM speed2666 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max32 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.4; VGA;DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional portsN/ADisplayPort; PS2; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports14
PCI slotsN.A.PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; (2x) PCI;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays3.5in;2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU180 WTFX 240 W
Weight5.2kg (11.46 lbs)7.5 kg (16.53 Ib)
Released20192012
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 Vostro 3070 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3070 which was released in 2019. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Vostro 3070 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 Vostro 3070 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Vostro 3070 has only 2 slot(s). This is not something to worry about. Just make sure you take it into consideration when planning how much RAM you are going to use.

The Dell Vostro 3070 is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 32 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small has 8 USB ports. The Dell Vostro 3070 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.

Unfortunately, only the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3070 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Dell Vostro 3070 comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small does not support the interface. Of course missing HDMI port is something that can be easily fixed with a good adapter (e.g. DisplayPort to HDMI).

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Vostro 3070 has 1 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell Vostro 3070, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small 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 Vostro 3070 comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small has a more powerful one rated at 240 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_Vostro_3070_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M82_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout