Acer Veriton M2630g vs. Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT
Comparison and Differences
Differences between Acer Veriton M2630g and Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT which was released in 2015. The Acer Veriton M2630g is older and entered production in 2013.
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 Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Acer Veriton M2630g is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.
Memory
The Acer Veriton M2630g has 4 RAM slots while the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT 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.
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. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Acer Veriton M2630g as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.
Ports
In total the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT has 8 USB ports. The Acer Veriton M2630g 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 Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT has a DisplayPort. The Acer Veriton M2630g 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 OptiPlex 3040 MT comes with an HDMI port, while the Acer Veriton M2630g 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 Acer Veriton M2630g is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT 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 3040 MT, nor the Acer Veriton M2630g 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 3040 MT comes with a decent 240 Watt PSU, but the Acer Veriton M2630g 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
