Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF vs. HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower

Differences between Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF and HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower which was released in 2015. The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF is older and entered production in 2011.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF 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 HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF 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 SFF has 10 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower 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. 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 Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF has a DisplayPort. The HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower 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 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.

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF, nor the HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower 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

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 SFF comes with a decent 240 Watt PSU, but the HP ProDesk 480 G3 Microtower 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