Dell Vostro 3250 vs. Fujitsu Esprimo D538

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3250.jpg case front and back pannelFujitsu_Esprimo_D538.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7Intel Gen8&9 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron
ChipsetH110H310
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileRadeon RX 6400 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR3-1600UDIMM DDR4-2666
RAM slots22
RAM speed1600 MT/s2666 MT/s
RAM max16 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0
Video portsHDMI 1.4; VGA;DisplayPort 1.2; DVI
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Media Card ReaderRJ45; Headphones; Mic; Line in; Line out; PS/2
Optional portsN/AVGA; eSATA
SATA ports23
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4)
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 2.0 x2, NVMe)
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25in;3.5in; 2.5in; 5.25 inch
PSU180 W210/280 W
Weight3.17 kg (6.99 lbs)5.00 kg (11.03 lb)
Released20162018
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

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* 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 Vostro 3250 and Fujitsu Esprimo D538

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Fujitsu Esprimo D538 which was released in 2018. The Dell Vostro 3250 is older and entered production in 2016.

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 Fujitsu Esprimo D538 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Vostro 3250 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (2 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 Fujitsu Esprimo D538 is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Dell Vostro 3250 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 Fujitsu Esprimo D538 as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell Vostro 3250 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 Fujitsu Esprimo D538 has 8 USB ports. The Dell Vostro 3250 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. 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 Fujitsu Esprimo D538 has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3250 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 Vostro 3250 comes with an HDMI port, while the Fujitsu Esprimo D538 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 Fujitsu Esprimo D538 is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Vostro 3250 has 2 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 Fujitsu Esprimo D538. Sadly, the Dell Vostro 3250 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 Vostro 3250 comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Fujitsu Esprimo D538 has a more powerful one rated at 280 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_Vostro_3250_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutFujitsu_Esprimo_D538_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout