Dell Vostro 3690 vs. Fujitsu Esprimo E520

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3690.jpg case front and back pannelFujitsu_Esprimo_E520.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen10&11 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; PentiumIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron
ChipsetB560B85
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileRadeon RX 6400 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933UDIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots24
RAM speed2933 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x) USB 3.0 Type A; (4x) USB-A 2.0;(2x) USB-A 3.0; (6x) USB-A 2.0
Video portsHDMI 1.4b; VGA;DVI; VGA
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out;RJ45; Headphones; (2x) Mic; Line in; Line out; PS/2; Serial
Optional portsN.A.Parallel; eSATA; DisplayPort
SATA ports24
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4)
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); N.A.
Drive bays3.5in; (2x) 2.5in; 9.5mm(2x) 3.5in; 5.25 inch
PSU260 W280 W
Weight6.40 kg (14.11 lbs)10.00 kg (24.00 lb)
Released20212014
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 3690 and Fujitsu Esprimo E520

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3690 which was released in 2021. The Fujitsu Esprimo E520 is older and entered production in 2014.

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 3690 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Fujitsu Esprimo E520 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Fujitsu Esprimo E520 has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Vostro 3690 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 3690 is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The Fujitsu Esprimo E520 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell Vostro 3690 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Fujitsu Esprimo E520 can do a bit less at max 32 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 8. 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 Fujitsu Esprimo E520 has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3690 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 3690 comes with an HDMI port, while the Fujitsu Esprimo E520 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 Fujitsu Esprimo E520 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Vostro 3690 has 2 slot(s).

If you want the fastest transfer speeds for your SSD, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, if the M.2 SSD slot is a mandatory requirement for you, go with the Dell Vostro 3690. Sadly, the Fujitsu Esprimo E520 has no such slot, and you will be forced to use the SATA interface instead.

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 3690 comes with a decent 260 Watt PSU, but the Fujitsu Esprimo E520 has a more powerful one rated at 280 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_3690_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutFujitsu_Esprimo_E520_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout