Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_3010_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M93_Small_Pro.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Small	Small
CPU options	Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5; Celeron; Pentium;	Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium;
Chipset	H61	Q87
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile	GeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAM	DIMM DDR3-1333/1600	DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots	2	4
RAM speed	1600 MT/s	1600 MT/s
RAM max	8 GB	32 GB
USB ports	(8x)USB-A 2.0;	(6x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	HDMI 1.2; VGA;	(2x) DisplayPort; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional ports	N.A.	(2x) PS2; Serial; Parallel; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports	2	4
PCI slots	PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1;	PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4); PCI;
M.2 slots	N.A.	N.A.
Drive bays	3.5in/2.5in; 5.25in(slim);	2.5in; 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU	240 W	TFX 240 W
Weight	5.70 kg (12.57 lb)	7.8 kg (17.20 lb)
Released	2012	2013
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 3010 SFF and Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro which was released in 2013. The Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF is older and entered production in 2012.

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro has 4 RAM slots while the Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF can do a bit less at max 8 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 8. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro has a DisplayPort. The Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF 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 3010 SFF comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 3010 SFF has 2 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 3010 SFF, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Small Pro 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.