Dell Vostro 3660 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3660.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M800_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mini Tower	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron;	Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	H110	Q150
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1660 Super	GeForce GTX 1650
RAM	DIMM DDR3-2133	DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots	2	4
RAM speed	2133 MT/s	2133 MT/s
RAM max	16 GB	64 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 1.2; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional ports	N/A	2x USB-A 2.0; Media card reader (USB 2.0); (2x) PS2; eSATA;
SATA ports	4	3
PCI slots	PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1; PCI	PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); M2 to PCI adapter (optional);
M.2 slots	M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);	M.2 (WiFi/BT or PCI extension card)
Drive bays	3.5in; 5.25in; (2x) 2.5in; 9.5 mm	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU	240W	ATX 250
Weight	5.90 kg (13.01 lbs)	12.5 kg (27.5 lb)
Released	2016	2015
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 3660 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 3660 which was released in 2016. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell Vostro 3660 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower and will fit more easily under your desk.

Processor

The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 6 generation of Intel Processors have enough power to execute all of the home and office tasks that most people will care to do.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Vostro 3660 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 2133. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower as it has the ability to run 64 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower 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.

The Dell Vostro 3660 comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 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 Dell Vostro 3660 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower has 3 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 3660, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 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 3660 comes with a decent 240 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 250 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.