Dell G5 5000 vs. Dell OptiPlex 990 MT

Comparison and Differences

Dell_G5_5000.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_990_MT.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen10 i3/i5/i7/i9;Intel Gen2 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH470Q67
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 2080GeForce GTX 1650
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933DIMM DDR3-1333
RAM slots44
RAM speed2933 MT/s1333 MT/s
RAM max128 GB16 GB
USB ports(5x) USB 3.0 Type A; (4x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.0 Type C;(10x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/ADisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Mic; Line-Out; Front, side, center, rare outputs;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2/COM; Serial;
Optional portsN.A.Parallel
SATA ports34
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x4; PCIe 3.0 x1;PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x4; PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2230/2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe);N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in;(2x) 3.5in; (2x) 2.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU360/500 W265 W
Weight8.20 kg (18.07 lbs)8.87 kg (19.55 lb)
Released20202011
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck 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 G5 5000 and Dell OptiPlex 990 MT

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell G5 5000 which was released in 2020. The Dell OptiPlex 990 MT is older and entered production in 2011.

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 G5 5000 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 990 MT 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 Dell G5 5000 is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 MT is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1333 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell G5 5000 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 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 990 MT has 10 USB ports. The Dell G5 5000 is inferior in this regard and packs 9 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the Dell G5 5000, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Dell OptiPlex 990 MT 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.

Unfortunately, only the Dell OptiPlex 990 MT has a DisplayPort. The Dell G5 5000 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

None of the models has an HDMI port. If your monitor supports only the HDMI interface, you will need to buy an adapter. Such adapters are cheap so nothing to worry about.

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 Dell OptiPlex 990 MT is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell G5 5000 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 Dell G5 5000. Sadly, the Dell OptiPlex 990 MT 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 990 MT comes with a decent 265 Watt PSU, but the Dell G5 5000 has a more powerful one rated at 500 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

Dell_G5_5000_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_990_MT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout