Dell Vostro 3681 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3681.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M600_Tiny.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMicro
CPU optionsIntel Gen10 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Braswell Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetB460Integrated SoC
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileN.A.
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933SODIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots21
RAM speed2933 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB8 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;(4x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.4b; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Card Reader;RJ45; Headset; Mic;
Optional portsN.A.VGA/HDMI/DP/Serial; 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); Optional M.2 2280/2242 M-key (SATA); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays3.5in; 9.5mm2.5in;
PSU200 W65 W
Weight4.66 Kg (10.28 lbs)1.3 kg (2.9 lb)
Released20202015
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 Vostro 3681 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3681 which was released in 2020. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Dell Vostro 3681 has 2 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny has only 1 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.

The Dell Vostro 3681 is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny 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 Dell Vostro 3681 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny can do a bit less at max 8 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell Vostro 3681 has 8 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny is inferior in this regard and packs 6 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny has 1 slot(s).

If you want the fastest transfer speeds for your SSD, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, if the M.2 SSD slot is a mandatory requirement for you, go with the Dell Vostro 3681. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny has no such slot, and you will be forced to use the SATA interface instead.

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny comes with a decent 65 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 layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M600_Tiny_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout