Dell OptiPlex 390 MT vs. HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_390_MT.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G1_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen2 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH61H81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots22
RAM speed1333 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max8 GB16 GB
USB ports(8x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; VGA;DVI-D; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2/COM;RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsN.A.Media card reader (USB 2.0); Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports44
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; (3x) PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe x16; (3x) PCIe x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;(3x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in
PSU265 W300 W
Weight8.87 kg (19.55 lb)7.1 kg (15.75 lb)
Released20112013
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 390 MT and HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower which was released in 2013. The Dell OptiPlex 390 MT is older and entered production in 2011.

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 HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 390 MT 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 HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower is using the faster 1600 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 390 MT is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1333 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower as it has the ability to run 16 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 390 MT can do a bit less at max 8 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.

Nowadays, almost every new computer comes equipped with a DisplayPort. However, none of the devices being compared here has one. Don't worry though, DisplayPort adapters are very cheap and you can get virtually any combination of conversion types.

The Dell OptiPlex 390 MT comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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 slots are located on the motherboard and it is where SSD, HDD and Optical Disk Drives are connected. Each of the two models being compared have 4 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell OptiPlex 390 MT, nor the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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 OptiPlex 390 MT comes with a decent 265 Watt PSU, but the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower has a more powerful one rated at 300 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_OptiPlex_390_MT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_400_G1_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout