Dell Vostro 3471 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3471.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Tiny.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMicro
CPU optionsIntel Gen8&9 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron;Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH365Q170
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileN.A.
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666SODIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots22
RAM speed2666 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max32 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (6x)USB-A 3.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.4b; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; SD card readerRJ45; Headset; Mic;
Optional portsN/AVGA/HDMI/DP/Serial; WiFi antenna;
SATA ports21
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;N.A.
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280 (SATA only); M.2 2280/2242 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays3.5in; (2x) 2.5; 9.5 mm;2.5in;
PSU200 W65 W
Weight4.80 kg (10.51 lbs)1.3 kg (2.9 lbs)
Released20162015
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 3471 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3471 which was released in 2016. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Vostro 3471 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 3471 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny 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 Vostro 3471 is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 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

Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 6. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. 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 M900 Tiny has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3471 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 3471 comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny 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 Dell Vostro 3471 is better equipped as it comes with 2 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny has 1 slot(s).

When your goal is to have the fastest SSD transfer speeds, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, it is good that both models have M.2 SSD slots. Today M.2 SSDs are not much more expensive than the average SATA drives, so it really does not make sense to invest in SATA drives anymore.

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny comes with a decent 65 Watt PSU, but the Dell Vostro 3471 has a more powerful one rated at 200 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_3471_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Tiny_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout