Dell Vostro 3900 vs. Dell XPS 8700

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3900.jpg case front and back pannelDell_XPS_8700.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7;
ChipsetH81 Z87
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GTX 1080 Ti
RAMDIMM DDR3-1600DIMM DDR3-1333/1600
RAM slots24
RAM speed1600 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max16 GB32 GB
USB ports(6x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (5x) USB 3.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; VGA;HDMI 1.2; DisplayPort 1.2;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2RJ45; Mic; Headset; Card Reader;
Optional portsN/AN.A.
SATA ports45
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIPCIe 3.0 x16; (x3) PCIe x1; (2x) mPCI;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25in;(3x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in; mSATA;
PSU300 W460 W
Weight8.50 kg (18.73 lbs)13.8 kg (30.42 lb)
Released20142013
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* 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 3900 and Dell XPS 8700

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3900 which was released in 2014. The Dell XPS 8700 is older and entered production in 2013.

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 XPS 8700 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Vostro 3900 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Dell XPS 8700 has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Vostro 3900 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.

None of the desktops has an advantage when it comes to the speed of the RAM being used. Both models support RAM speeds of up to 1600. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell XPS 8700 as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell Vostro 3900 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 Dell XPS 8700 has 9 USB ports. The Dell Vostro 3900 is inferior in this regard and packs 8 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 Dell XPS 8700 has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3900 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

In case your monitor supports HDMI only, you will be happy to hear that both models come with an HDMI port.

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 XPS 8700 is better equipped as it comes with 5 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Vostro 3900 has 4 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell XPS 8700, nor the Dell Vostro 3900 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 3900 comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Dell XPS 8700 has a more powerful one rated at 460 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_3900_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_XPS_8700_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout