Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 vs. Dell XPS 8940
Comparison and Differences
Differences between Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 and Dell XPS 8940
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 which was released in 2024. The Dell XPS 8940 is older and entered production in 2020.
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 OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell XPS 8940 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.
Memory
Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (4 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 Tower Plus 7020 2024 is using the faster 4400 MT/s RAM. The Dell XPS 8940 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2666 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 128 GB of RAM will be enough for most people. However, if you will be needing more RAM, make sure to check other desktop models too.
Ports
Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 10. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. It's great that both of the models have USB 3.1 ports which will allow you to exchange data with your peripherals at up to 10Gb/s. But if you need maximum connectivity, go with the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 as it has 2 USB3.1 ports (the Dell XPS 8940 has 1).
DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 comes with 3 ports, while the Dell XPS 8940 has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 is the better choice.
The Dell XPS 8940 comes with an HDMI port, while the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 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 OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell XPS 8940 has 3 slot(s).
An M.2 SSD can be several times faster than a SATA one. Thus, we are happy to see that both models support the M.2 interface. However, the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020 2024 has 1 M.2 slots while the Dell XPS 8940 comes with just 1.
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 500 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
