Optiplex 990 Specs - Full Specifications

Publish date: 2024-05-21

Optiplex 990 Specs- The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF was first released in 2011. Although more than a decade now, this model is still a viable option for some home and office use. You can even turn this PC into a gaming machine with a proper low-profile GPU upgrade. Just as said earlier, even though it has been more than a decade, the Optiplex 990 Specs makes it a good option for some people who don’t want to throw a lot of cash on an expensive PC.

The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF is a Small form factor computer. Small Form Factor (SFF) is an in-between model. It has less space for additional hardware than a Desktop, but it is still easily upgradable. Normally it will come with 2x PCIe slots, so fitting a low profile graphics card is possible. SFF are bought as everyday home computers or as business workstations.

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Optiplex 990 Specs

Release Date2011
ProcessorUp to 2-core Intel Core i3-2120, or up to 4-core Intel Core i7-2600
MemoryUp to 16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Storage128 GB SATA SSD, or up to 1 TB SATA 7200 RPM HDD
GraphicsUp to Intel HD Graphics 2000, or 1 GB AMD RADEON HD 6670, or 1 GB AMD RADEON HD 6450, or 512 MB AMD RADEON HD 6350

Optiplex 990 Specs: GENERAL INFORMATION

BrandDell
ModelOptiplex 990
Operating System (OS)Windows 7 Home / Windows 7 Professional / Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows Vista Home Basic SP2 / Windows Vista Business SP2 / Windows Vista Ultimate SP2

Optiplex 990 Specs: Processor

Processor NameIntel Core i3-2120 / Intel Core i7-2600
Number of Cores2 / 4
Cache3 MB / 8 MB
Base Frequency3.30 GHz / 3.40 GHz
Maximum FrequencyNA / 3.80 GHz

Optiplex 990 Specs: MEMORY

Standard Memory Size1 GB
Memory Type1333 MHz DDR3
Number of Slots2 DIMM Slots / 4 DIMM Slots
Max Supported16 GB

GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

Graphics Card NameIntel HD Graphics 2000 / AMD RADEON HD 6670 / AMD RADEON HD 6450 / AMD RADEON HD 6350
GPU InterfaceIntegrated / Dedicated / Dedicated / Dedicated
Dedicated VRAMNone / 1 GB GDDR5 / 1 GB GDDR5 / 512 MB GDDR3
Base GPU Frequency850 MHz / 800 MHz / 625 MHz / 650 MHz
Boost GPU Frequency1350 MHz / NA / 750 MHz / NA

STORAGE

Drive TypeSATA SSD / SATA 7200 RPM HDD
Max Size128 GB / 1 TB
SD Card OptionsDell 19 in 1 Media Card Reader (Only for Mini Tower and Desktop models)

DESIGN

Dimensions (W x D x H)Mini-Tower (175 x 417 x 360 mm) / Desktop (102 x 410 x 360 mm) / Small Form Factor (92.6 x 312 x 290 mm) / Ultra Small Form Factor (65 x 240 x 236.7 mm)
Weight8870 g / 7560 g / 5700 g / 3265 g

PORTS

USB PortsUltra Small Form Factor: 7 USB 2.0 (2 front, 5 rear) / All other models: 10 USB 2.0 (4 front, 5 rear)
HDMI PortsNone
RJ-45 (Ethernet) Ports1
ThunderboltNone

CONNECTIVITY

Bluetooth VersionNone
Wired LAN (RJ-45)Yes
Wireless LANBroadcom NetXtreme 10/100/1000 PCIe Gigabit Networking Card (Optional), Intel 82579LM Gigabit Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000

MULTIMEDIA

Audio/SoundDell AX210 2.0 Desktop Speakers (Optional), Dell AX510/AX510PA Flat Panel Soundbar Speakers (Optional), Internal Dell Business Audio Speaker (Optional), Realtek ALC269Q High Definition Audio Codec
Optical DriveBlu-ray Writer SATA 1.5Gbit/s, DVD-ROM, DVD+/-RW

Processor

The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF supports Gen2 Intel Core technology. Intel introduced its second-generation microarchitecture named Sandy Bridge in 2011. The maximum number of cores is 6 (on an i7 processor). Desktops use the 1155 LGA socket and DDR3-1066 RAM. The second generation of Intel Core is old but still sufficient for office, home tasks, and retro gaming. If you plan to enjoy more recent games, a more recent CPU is required. CPUs often used with this model are Core i3 2100, Core i5 2500, and Core i7 2600.

Memory

A RAM slot (also called a memory socket) is where RAM memory sticks are inserted into the computer. Most desktops will have two to four slots. This model has 4 RAM slots. This should be sufficient for anyone especially for power users who will need significant amounts of RAM.

Faster RAM speeds permit your processor to access the data stored in the RAM memory faster. This is important for the overall speed of your system. The motherboard of the Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF supports RAM speeds of up to 1333 MT/s. In case you want faster RAM speeds, you will need to upgrade your system with a newer generation one.

Considering the Optiplex 990 Specs, the size of the RAM is another important parameter. It is important not to run out of RAM memory during everyday work. If this happens often, you may see a significant drop in performance. For everyday work and light gaming we recommend 8GB of RAM. For everything else, go for 16GB and more. The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF supports a maximum of 16 GB of RAM.

Ports

Ports are something important that people should pay more attention to. For example, if you don’t have enough USB ports, using external devices becomes problematic. Before buying, consider your use case and plan for extension ports in advance.

The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF comes with 10 USB ports in total. Having more USB ports is always better, but also pay attention to the version of those USB ports. Higher versions of USBs support faster transfer speeds. Unfortunately, this model doesn’t come with a USB 3.1 port. If you need a faster connection for your peripherals, like external Solid State Drive, you will need to choose another model.

DisplayPort (DP) is crucial for any desktop machine as it allows you to connect external monitors. It is good to see that the Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF is featuring a DisplayPort. The version of this DisplayPort is also important. Try to always aim for the higher versions of DP as it allows for better resolutions and refreshes rates.

HDMI port is another digital video port that allows you to connect external monitors. It has very similar capabilities to the DisplayPort with few exceptions. However, the Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF doesn’t have one. It is not a problem if there is a DisplayPort is available.

SATA slots are located on the system board and it is where HDD, SSD, and Optical Disk Drives are connected. The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF comes with 240 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might restrict your options for connecting additional memory drives. Think about your use case and decide if the SATA slots provided by this model will be sufficient.

The M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data at higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Sometimes the M.2 interface will be 5 times faster or more. Unfortunately, the Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF doesn’t come with one and you will need to rely on the good old SATA.

Side note: It is good if the available M.2 slots support the PCIe/NVMe interface. Sometimes the M.2 slot will only support the inferior SATA III interface. For comparison, the SATA III has max speeds of 6Gb/s, while the PCIe 3.0 x4 can go as high as 32Gb/s!

Power Supply

Considering the Optiplex 990 Specs, having a PSU (Power Supply Unit) with a high power rating is important, especially if you are going to use components, like dedicated GPU and additional HDD, which require extra power. The Dell OptiPlex 990 SFF comes with a 240 Watt PSU. Deciding if this will be enough depends on your specific requirements and use. Please also pay attention as some models might have more than one PSU option. Whenever possible, get the most powerful one as it might make future upgrades easier.

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