Lenovo M83 Ram Slots
| Model | Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT | Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tower |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Mini Tower | Mini Tower |
| CPU options | Intel Gen6 i3/i5; Pentium; Celeron; | Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; |
| Chipset | H110 | Q85 |
| Dedicated GPU * | GeForce GTX 1650 Super | GeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile |
| RAM | DIMM DDR3L-1600 | DIMM DDR3-1600 |
| RAM slots | 2 | 4 |
| RAM speed | 1600 MT/s | 1600 MT/s |
| RAM max | 16 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 | Display Port 1.2; HDMI 1.4; | (2x) DisplayPort; VGA; |
| Other ports | RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; | RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; |
| Optional ports | Serial+PS2; VGA; Media Card Reader; | Parallel; Serial; (2x) PS2; Media card reader (USB 2.0); |
| SATA ports | 3 | 4 |
| PCI slots | PCIe 3.0 x16; (3x) PCIe 3.0 x1; | PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4); |
| M.2 slots | N.A. | N.A. |
| Drive bays | 3.5-inch/5.25-inch; (2x) 2.5-inch; 5.25-inch slim; | 2.5-inch; 2.5/3.5-inch; 5.25-inch; |
| PSU | 240 W | TFX 240 W |
| Weight | 7.93 kg (17.49 lb) | 7.8 kg (17.20 lb) |
| Released | 2015 | 2013 |
| Manual | link | link |
| Price** |
* 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.
Your computer has four memory slots for installing or replacing DDR3 UDIMMs that provide up to a maximum of 32 GB system memory. When installing or replacing a memory module, use 2 GB, 4 GB, or 8 GB DDR3 UDIMMs in any combination up to a maximum of 32 GB. Slot 1: Low Profile, PCI Express 3.0 x16 (40w max) Slot 2: Low Profile, PCIe 2.0 x1 Slot 3: Low Profile, PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 elec, 40w max) Optional system floor stand for vertical orientation Power supply Some: 240 watts, autosensing Some: 240 watts, autosensing, 85% PSU Limited warranty3 Some: 3-years, limited onsite service / service upgrades. What Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small memory speed is supported? Why may there be various speeds of Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small memory? Some servers often have various configurations and versions. If you are unsure what you need, please refer to your M83 Small manual or data sheet. If you need tech support, please contact us.
Differences between Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT and Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tower
If a more modern desktop is what you are looking for, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT which was released in 2015. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tower is older and entered production in 2013.
Form factor wise the models are the same - both desktops are of similar 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 3040 MT as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.
Memory
The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tower has 4 RAM slots while the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT has only 2 slot(s). Of course this is not something to worry about. Just make sure you take it into consideration when planning how much RAM will your system be using.
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 Tower as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for most users.
Ports
Total count of USB ports for both computers is 8. None of the desktop models has a USB 3.1 port (10Gb/s), so if you need a fast connection to your peripherals you will need to look at other models.
DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tower comes with 2 ports, while the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT has only 1.
The Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT comes with an HDMI port, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tower 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 port 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s).
M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA. Unfortunately, neither the Dell OptiPlex 3040 MT, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tower has one. However, you can still use a SATA SSD drive which should give you satisfactory performance.
Remark: Make sure that the M.2 slot supports the PCIe (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 6 Gb/s, while the PCIe 3.0 x4 will support speeds up to 32 Gb/s!Power Supply
Lenovo M83 Sff Ram Upgrade
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. Howver 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 option.