** Very often some of the SATA slots used for the ODD (Optical Disc Drive) will be version 2.0. Additionally some PSUs don’t have an auxiliary PCIe power connector and you may need to use a SATA to PCIe power adapter. * Dedicated GPU warning: Check if your model’s power supply has enough power. PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe x1 PCIe x16(wired x4) PCI
RJ45 Hdph Mic Line-Out Line-In Serial (2x) PS2
This is of course not nice as you won’t be able to upgrade to a more powerful one. Moreover, later generations are using a non-standard ATX power supply form factor.
OptiPlex 7050 MT at 240W), so if you plan to install a more powerful dedicated GPU, this should be taken into account. Note, that later generations are rated at around 250 Watts (e.g. While, the 70 support up to 4x SATA 3.0* drives.įor all three models, the power supply is a standard ATX and is rated at 290 Watts. In the Dell OptiPlex 3020 MT, you will be able to plug up to 3x SATA 3.0* drives. The Dell 3020 has a PCIe x16 slot, but it is version 2.0. The most important one being that a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot is available only with the OptiPlex 70. There is a major difference between the PCIe arrangements.
The 3020 model can have Serial and PS2 ports but they are optional. If you plan to use Serial or PS2 ports, best is to go for the 7020 or 9020. OptiPlex 70 have 2x DisplayPorts and a VGA port, while the 3020 has a VGA and only one DisplayPort. This means, that if you plan to install a dedicated GPU, and care for optimal performance, best is to go for the OptiPlex 9020 or 7020.Ĭoncerning USB connectivity, the three models are very similar with the only difference being OptiPlex 3020 having 2 USB3.0 ports less. The Dell OptiPlex 9020 MT and 7020 MT are using the Intel Q87 chipset, while the 3020 is using Intel H81 which does not support PCIe 3.0. Although, according to the specification you can only slot 16 GB of ram in OptiPlex 7020, but later BIOS updates made possible for 32 GB. Additionally, OptiPlex 90 will run 32 GB of RAM. However, installing one yourself is not a problem.Īnother important difference between the OptiPlex 3020 and the 7020/9020 is the ability to install 4xDIMM modules in the later. Weight wise the OptiPlex 3020 is a bit lighter than the other two models.ĬPU options for the OptiPlex 3020 did not include an Intel Core i7 processor. The three mini tower models have the same physical size and dimensions.
This article will review the differences between the tree most popular form factors – Mini Tower, Small form factor, and Micro – of Dell’s OptiPlex 3020, 7020, and 9020 models.