Dell Vostro 3250 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3250.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M93_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Small	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7	Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7;
Chipset	H110	Q87
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GT 1030 Low Profile	GeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAM	DIMM DDR3-1600	DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots	2	4
RAM speed	1600 MT/s	1600 MT/s
RAM max	16 GB	32 GB
USB ports	(4x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0;	(6x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	HDMI 1.4; VGA;	(2x) DisplayPort; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Media Card Reader	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 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;	PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4); PCI;
M.2 slots	M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);	N.A.
Drive bays	3.5in; 5.25in;	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU	180 W	ATX 280 W
Weight	3.17 kg (6.99 lbs)	11.20 kg (24.69 lb)
Released	2016	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 Vostro 3250 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3250 which was released in 2016. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower is older and entered production in 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell Vostro 3250 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 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 Vostro 3250 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Vostro 3250 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 Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower 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 Tower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Vostro 3250 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 Vostro 3250, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower 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 Vostro 3250 comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 Tower 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.