Dell OptiPlex 5050 MT vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small

Comparison and Differences

Dell_OptiPlex_5050_MT.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M73_Small.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen6&7 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ270H81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133/2400 DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed2400 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB16 GB
USB ports(6x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) Display Port 1.2; HDMI 1.4;DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsSerial; (2x) PS2; RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsVGA; Media Card Reader;Parallel; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2242 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe) N.A.
Drive bays3.5in/5.25in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);2.5in; 3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU240 WTFX 240 W
Weight7.93 kg (17.49 lb)6.6 kg (14.55 lb)
Released20172013
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 OptiPlex 5050 MT and Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 5050 MT which was released in 2017. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small is older and entered production in 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell OptiPlex 5050 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 5050 MT as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Dell OptiPlex 5050 MT has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small 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 Dell OptiPlex 5050 MT is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small 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 OptiPlex 5050 MT as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small 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 5050 MT has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small 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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Dell OptiPlex 5050 MT comes with 2 ports, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex 5050 MT is the better choice.

The Dell OptiPlex 5050 MT comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small 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 5050 MT is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small 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 5050 MT. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Small 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_5050_MT_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M73_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout