Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower vs. Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_3000_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Dell_OptiPlex_SFF_Plus_7020_2024.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mini Tower	Small
CPU options	Intel Gen 12 i3/i5/i7/i9; Pentium	Intel Gen 12&13&14 i3/i5/i7/i9;
Chipset	B660	Q670
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1650 Super	AMD Radeon RX6400 Low Profile
RAM	DIMM DDR4-3200	DIMM DDR5-4400
RAM slots	2	4
RAM speed	3200 MT/s	4400 MT/s
RAM max	64 GB	128 GB
USB ports	(4x) USB-A 2.0; (4x) USB-A 3.0;	(4x) USB-A 2.0; (3x) USB-A 3.0; (2x) USB-A 3.1; USB-C 3.2;
Video ports	Display Port 1.4a; HDMI 1.4b;	(3x) Display Port 1.4a;
Other ports	RJ45; Audio; Line-Out/In;	RJ45; Audio; Line-Out/In;
Optional ports	HDMI 2.0b/Displayport/VGA; Serial	HDMI 2.0b/Displayport/VGA/PS2/serial/USB Type-C; SD-card slot
SATA ports	3	3
PCI slots	PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1;	PCIe 4.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x4;
M.2 slots	M.2 2230/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)	M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); (2x) M.2 2230; M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays	3.5in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);	3.5in
PSU	180/240/300 W	260/300 W
Weight	6.61 kg (14.59 lb)	5.62 kg (12.38 lb)
Released	2022	2024
Manual	link	link
Price**	Check Price	Check Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* 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 3000 Tower and Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024 which was released in 2024. The Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower is older and entered production in 2022.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower and will fit more easily under your desk.

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 SFF Plus 7020 2024 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024 has 4 RAM slots while the Dell OptiPlex 3000 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 Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024 is using the faster 4400 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 3200 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower 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 Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024 has 10 USB ports. The Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower 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. What is nice about the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower 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 SFF Plus 7020 2024 comes with 3 ports, while the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024 is the better choice.

The Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower comes with an HDMI port, while the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024 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 slots are located on the motherboard and it is where SSD, HDD and Optical Disk Drives are connected. Each of the two models being compared have 3 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

An M.2 SSD can be several times faster than a SATA one. Thus, we are happy to see that both models support the M.2 interface. However, the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020 2024 has 1 M.2 slots while the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Tower comes with just 1.

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 300 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.