Dell Vostro 3668 vs. HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3668.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G3_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen7 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron;Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH110H110
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR3-2133/2400DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots22
RAM speed2400 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max16 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; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsN/ASD card reader; Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports42
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);N.A.
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25in; (2x) 2.5in; 9.5 mm3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU240W180 W
Weight5.90 kg (13.01 lbs)4.43 kg (9.8 lb)
Released20162016
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 3668 and HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF

Both computers, the Dell Vostro 3668 and the HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF, were released during the same year - 2016.

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 Vostro 3668 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF 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 3668 is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell Vostro 3668 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF has 8 USB ports. The Dell Vostro 3668 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3668 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 3668 comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF 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 3668 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF has 2 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 3668, nor the HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Dell Vostro 3668 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_3668_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_400_G3_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout