Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7010 2023 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_SFF_Plus_7010_2023.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_E73_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Small	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen 12&13 i3/i5/i7/i9;	Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium;
Chipset	Q670	H81
Dedicated GPU *	AMD Radeon RX6400 Low Profile	Radeon RX 550
RAM	DIMM DDR5-4400	DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots	4	2
RAM speed	4400 MT/s	1600 MT/s
RAM max	128 GB	16 GB
USB ports	(4x) USB-A 2.0; (3x) USB-A 3.0; (2x) USB-A 3.1; USB-C 3.2;	(2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	(3x) Display Port 1.4a;	DisplayPort; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Audio; Line-Out/In;	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional ports	HDMI 2.0b/Displayport/VGA/PS2/serial/USB Type-C; SD-card slot	Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports	3	3
PCI slots	PCIe 4.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x4;	PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slots	M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); (2x) M.2 2230; M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)	N.A.
Drive bays	3.5in; (2x) 2.5in;	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU	260/300 W	ATX 180 W
Weight	5.087 kg (11.21 lb)	7.5 kg (16.53 Ib)
Released	2023	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 SFF Plus 7010 2023 and Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7010 2023 which was released in 2023. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower is older and entered production in 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7010 2023 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 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 7010 2023 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7010 2023 has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 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 7010 2023 is using the faster 4400 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7010 2023 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower 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 SFF Plus 7010 2023 has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower is inferior in this regard and packs 6 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 7010 2023, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 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 7010 2023 comes with 3 ports, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7010 2023 is the better choice.

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.

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 OptiPlex SFF Plus 7010 2023. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7010 2023 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.