Dell Inspiron 660 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro

Comparison and Differences

Dell_Inspiron_660.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M83_Small_Pro.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mini Tower	Small
CPU options	Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium	Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium;
Chipset	B75	Q85
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1650 Super	GeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAM	DIMM DDR3-1333/1600	DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots	2	4
RAM speed	1600 MT/s	1600 MT/s
RAM max	8 GB	32 GB
USB ports	(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0;	(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	HDMI 1.2; VGA;	(2x) DisplayPort; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; (3x) 5.1 audio; Card Reader;	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional ports	N.A.	Parallel; Serial; (2x) PS2; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports	4	4
PCI slots	PCIe 2.0 x16; (3x) PCIe 2.0 x1; mPCIe;	PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slots	N.A.	N.A.
Drive bays	(2x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU	300 W	ATX 280/450 W
Weight	7.9 kg (17.41 lb)	11.20 kg (24.69 lb)
Released	2012	2013
Manual	link	link
Price**	Check Price	Check 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 660 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro which was released in 2013. The Dell Inspiron 660 is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Inspiron 660 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Inspiron 660 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Inspiron 660 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 1600. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell Inspiron 660 can do a bit less at max 8 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 8. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. 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 M83 Small Pro has a DisplayPort. The Dell Inspiron 660 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 Inspiron 660 comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro 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 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.

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell Inspiron 660, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro 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 Inspiron 660 comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro has a more powerful one rated at 450 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.