Dell Vostro 3902 vs. Dell Vostro 5880

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Vostro_3902.jpg case front and back pannelDell_Vostro_5880.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron;Intel Gen10 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH81 H470
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce RTX 2070 Super
RAMDIMM DDR3-1600DIMM DDR4-2666/2933
RAM slots22
RAM speed1600 MT/s2933 MT/s
RAM max16 GB64 GB
USB ports(6x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.0 Type C;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; VGA;HDMI 1.4b; DisplayPort 1.4;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; PS2RJ45; Headset; Mic; Line-Out;
Optional portsN/ASD card reader
SATA ports44
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25in;3.5in; 9.5mm
PSU300 W260/460W
Weight8.50 kg (18.73 lbs)6.03 kg (13.28 lbs)
Released20142020
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 3902 and Dell Vostro 5880

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Vostro 5880 which was released in 2020. The Dell Vostro 3902 is older and entered production in 2014.

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 Dell Vostro 5880 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Vostro 3902 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 Vostro 5880 is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The Dell Vostro 3902 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 Vostro 5880 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Dell Vostro 3902 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 Vostro 5880 has 9 USB ports. The Dell Vostro 3902 is inferior in this regard and packs 8 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 Vostro 5880 has a DisplayPort. The Dell Vostro 3902 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 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 4 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 Vostro 5880. Sadly, the Dell Vostro 3902 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 3902 comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Dell Vostro 5880 has a more powerful one rated at 460 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_3902_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_Vostro_5880_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout