Dell Vostro 3681 vs. HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3681.jpg case front and back pannelHP_EliteDesk_800_G5_Mini.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMicro
CPU optionsIntel Gen10 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen8&9 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetB460Q370
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileN.A.
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933SODIMM DDR4-2666
RAM slots22
RAM speed2933 MT/s2666 MT/s
RAM max64 GB64 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;USB-C 3.1; (3x)USB-A 3.1; (3x)USB-A 3.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.4b; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; Headset;
Optional portsN.A.DP/HDMI/VGA/USB-C(DP)/Serial/Thunderbolt 3.0/Fiber NIC; WiFi antenna;
SATA ports21
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;N.A.
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); (2x) M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays3.5in; 9.5mm2.5in;
PSU200 W65/90/150 W
Weight4.66 Kg (10.28 lbs)1.05 kg (2.31 lb)
Released20202019
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 3681 and HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3681 which was released in 2020. The HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini is older and entered production in 2019.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Vostro 3681 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 3681 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini 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 3681 is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2666 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 64 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

In total the Dell Vostro 3681 has 8 USB ports. The HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini is inferior in this regard and packs 7 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini, is that it has 4 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Dell Vostro 3681 has no such port, thus restricting your transfer speeds significantly. For people who want to use external drives on regular basis, this might be an issue.

Unfortunately, only the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3681 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 3681 comes with an HDMI port, while the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini 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 3681 is better equipped as it comes with 2 SATA slot(s), while the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini has 1 slot(s).

An M.2 SSD can be several times faster than a SATA one. Thus, we are happy to see that both models support the M.2 interface. However, the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini has 1 M.2 slots while the Dell Vostro 3681 comes with just 1.

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 EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini comes with a decent 150 Watt PSU, but the Dell Vostro 3681 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_3681_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_EliteDesk_800_G5_Mini_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout