Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_9010_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M82_Small.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ77Q75
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333/1600 DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots44
RAM speed1600 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max32 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (6x) USB-A 2.0; (4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort 1.1; VGA;DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsSerial; (2x) PS2; RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional portsN.A.DisplayPort; PS2; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports34
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4);PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; (2x) PCI;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays3.5in/(2x)2.5in; 5.25in(slim)2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU240 WTFX 240 W
Weight6.0 kg (13.2 lb)7.5 kg (16.53 Ib)
Released20122012
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 9010 SFF and Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small

Both computers, the Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF and the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small, were released during the same year - 2012.

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 3 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 (4 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.

None of the desktops has an advantage when it comes to the speed of the RAM being used. Both models support RAM speeds of up to 1600. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 32 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 OptiPlex 9010 SFF has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is inferior in this regard and packs 8 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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF comes with 2 ports, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF is the better choice.

None of the models has an HDMI port. If your monitor supports only the HDMI interface, you will need to buy an adapter. Such adapters are cheap so nothing to worry about.

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 9010 SFF 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 OptiPlex 9010 SFF, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Small 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 240 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_9010_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M82_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout