Dell OptiPlex 3040 SFF vs. HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_3040_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G3_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5; Pentium; Celeron; Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH110H110
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileGeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR3L-1600 DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots22
RAM speed1600 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max16 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDisplay Port 1.2; HDMI 1.4;DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsSerial+PS2; VGA; Media Card Reader;SD card reader; Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports22
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays3.5in/2.5in; 5.25in (slim); 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU180 W180 W
Weight6.1 kg (13.45 lb)4.43 kg (9.8 lb)
Released20152016
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 3040 SFF and HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF which was released in 2016. The Dell OptiPlex 3040 SFF is older and entered production in 2015.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

Processor

The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 6 generation of Intel Processors have enough power to execute all of the home and office tasks that most people will care to do.

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 G3 SFF is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3040 SFF 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3040 SFF can do a bit less at max 16 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.

The DisplayPort is usually the more popular video port used with desktops and laptops, while the HDMI is used predominantly in consumer electronics. That's why, it is good to see that both of the models come with a DisplayPort.

The Dell OptiPlex 3040 SFF comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF 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 2 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 3040 SFF, nor the HP ProDesk 400 G3 SFF 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 180 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_3040_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_400_G3_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout