Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT vs. Dell Vostro 3660

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_3050_MT.jpg case front and back pannelDell_Vostro_3660.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6&7 i3/i5; Pentium; Celeron; Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron;
ChipsetB250H110
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133/2400 DIMM DDR3-2133
RAM slots22
RAM speed2400 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max32 GB16 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0;
Video portsDisplay Port 1.2; HDMI 1.4;HDMI 1.4; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsSerial+PS2; VGA; Media Card Reader;N/A
SATA ports34
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (3x) PCIe x1;PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1; PCI
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2242 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe) M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays3.5in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);3.5in; 5.25in; (2x) 2.5in; 9.5 mm
PSU240 W240W
Weight7.93 kg (17.49 lb)5.90 kg (13.01 lbs)
Released20172016
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 OptiPlex 3050 MT and Dell Vostro 3660

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT which was released in 2017. The Dell Vostro 3660 is older and entered production in 2016.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell Vostro 3660 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT 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 3050 MT as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Vostro 3660 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 Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Dell Vostro 3660 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell Vostro 3660 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 3050 MT has 8 USB ports. The Dell Vostro 3660 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 Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3660 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

In case your monitor supports HDMI only, you will be happy to hear that both models come with an HDMI port.

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 Vostro 3660 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 3050 MT 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 OptiPlex 3050 MT. Sadly, the Dell Vostro 3660 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

Looking at the Power Supply Unit (PSU) of the two models we don't see any differences. For either of them you get a maximum power of 240 Watts. However be careful, many models have more than one power supply option. When buying your computer, it is a good idea to get a version with the most powerful PSU. This will potentially allow you to upgrade to a more powerful GPU for example.

Motherboard

Dell_OptiPlex_3050_MT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_Vostro_3660_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout