Dell Inspiron 3881 vs. HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower
Comparison and Differences
Differences between Dell Inspiron 3881 and HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Inspiron 3881 which was released in 2020. The HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower is older and entered production in 2018.
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 Inspiron 3881 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.
Memory
The HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Inspiron 3881 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 Dell Inspiron 3881 is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2666 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3881 can do a bit less at max 64 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.
Ports
In total the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower has 11 USB ports. The Dell Inspiron 3881 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. It's great that both of the models have USB 3.1 ports which will allow you to exchange data with your peripherals at up to 10Gb/s. But if you need maximum connectivity, go with the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower as it has 5 USB3.1 ports (the Dell Inspiron 3881 has 1).
DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower comes with 2 ports, while the Dell Inspiron 3881 has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower is the better choice.
The Dell Inspiron 3881 comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Inspiron 3881 has 2 slot(s).
When your goal is to have the fastest SSD transfer speeds, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, it is good that both models have M.2 SSD slots. Today M.2 SSDs are not much more expensive than the average SATA drives, so it really does not make sense to invest in SATA drives anymore.
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 Inspiron 3881 comes with a decent 260 Watt PSU, but the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Microtower has a more powerful one rated at 400 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
