Dell OptiPlex 790 DT vs. Dell Vostro 3800

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_790_DT.jpg case front and back pannelDell_Vostro_3800.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorDesktopSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen2 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron;
ChipsetQ65H81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots22
RAM speed1333 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max16 GB16 GB
USB ports(10x)USB-A 2.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0;
Video portsDisplayPort 1.2; VGA;HDMI 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2/COM; Serial; Parallel;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2
Optional portsN.A.N/A
SATA ports34
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x4; PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1; PCI
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays3.5in; 2.5in; 5.25in;3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU250 W250 W
Weight7.56 kg (16.67 lb)7.20 kg (15.87 lbs)
Released20112014
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 OptiPlex 790 DT and Dell Vostro 3800

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3800 which was released in 2014. The Dell OptiPlex 790 DT is older and entered production in 2011.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell Vostro 3800 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell OptiPlex 790 DT 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 3800 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 790 DT 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 3800 is using the faster 1600 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 790 DT is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1333 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 16 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 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 Dell OptiPlex 790 DT has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3800 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 3800 comes with an HDMI port, while the Dell OptiPlex 790 DT 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 3800 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 790 DT has 3 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell OptiPlex 790 DT, nor the Dell Vostro 3800 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

Looking at the Power Supply Unit (PSU) of the two models we don't see any differences. For either of them you get a maximum power of 250 Watts. However be careful, many models have more than one power supply option. When buying your computer, it is a good idea to get a version with the most powerful PSU. This will potentially allow you to upgrade to a more powerful GPU for example.

Motherboard

Dell_OptiPlex_790_DT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_Vostro_3800_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout