Dell Vostro 460 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_460.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M72e_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen2 i3/i5/i7;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH67H61
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed1333 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max16 GB16 GB
USB ports(3x)USB-A 2.0;(6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; VGA;DVI-D; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; eSATA; S/PDIF out portRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsN/AParallel; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; (3x) PCIe 2.0 x1;PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays(3x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU350 WATX 280/320 W
Weight9.66 kg (21.29 lbs)9.4 kg (20.72 lb)
Released20112012
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 460 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower which was released in 2012. The Dell Vostro 460 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Vostro 460 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Dell Vostro 460 has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower 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.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower is using the faster 1600 MT/s RAM. The Dell Vostro 460 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1333 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 16 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

Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 6. 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 Vostro 460 comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower 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 460 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower has 3 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell Vostro 460, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower comes with a decent 320 Watt PSU, but the Dell Vostro 460 has a more powerful one rated at 350 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_460_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M72e_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout