Acer Veriton X4680g vs. Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF
Comparison and Differences
Differences between Acer Veriton X4680g and Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton X4680g which was released in 2021. The Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF 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 Acer Veriton X4680g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.
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.
The Acer Veriton X4680g is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 9020 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 Acer Veriton X4680g as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF can do a bit less at max 32 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 10. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. What is nice about the Acer Veriton X4680g, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF has no such port, thus restricting your transfer speeds significantly. For people who want to use external drives on regular basis, this might be an issue.
DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF comes with 2 ports, while the Acer Veriton X4680g has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF is the better choice.
The Acer Veriton X4680g comes with an HDMI port, while the Dell OptiPlex 9020 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 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 X4680g is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF has 3 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 Acer Veriton X4680g. Sadly, the Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF 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 Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF comes with a decent 255 Watt PSU, but the Acer Veriton X4680g 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
