Dell Inspiron 3881 vs. HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Inspiron_3881.jpg case front and back pannelHP_EliteDesk_800_G8_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen10 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen11 i5/i7/i9;
ChipsetH470Q570
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933DIMM DDR4-3200
RAM slots24
RAM speed2933 MT/s3200 MT/s
RAM max64 GB128 GB
USB ports(3x) USB 3.0 Type A; USB 3.1 Type C; (4x) USB-A 2.0;USB-C 3.2; (3x)USB-A 3.1; (3x)USB-A 3.0; (3x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.4; DisplayPort 1.4; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; Headset; Line-Out;
Optional portsN.A.DP1.4/ HDMI2.0b/ VGA/ USB-C(DP1.4)/ (2x)USB-A 3.0/ LAN/ Thunderbolt3; Serial; PS2; SD card reader
SATA ports24
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;PCIe 4.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4); M.2 2280M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays3.25in; 9.5mm2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 9.5mm (slim);
PSU260 W260 W
Weight6.40 kg (14.11 lb)6.13 kg (13.51 lb)
Released20202021
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 Inspiron 3881 and HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF which was released in 2021. The Dell Inspiron 3881 is older and entered production in 2020.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Inspiron 3881 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Inspiron 3881 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Inspiron 3881 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.

The HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3881 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2933 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3881 can do a bit less at max 64 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF has 10 USB ports. The Dell Inspiron 3881 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. 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF as it has 3 USB3.1 ports (the Dell Inspiron 3881 has 1).

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF comes with 2 ports, while the Dell Inspiron 3881 has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF is the better choice.

The Dell Inspiron 3881 comes with an HDMI port, while the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Inspiron 3881 has 2 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 SFF has 1 M.2 slots while the Dell Inspiron 3881 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 260 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_Inspiron_3881_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_EliteDesk_800_G8_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout