Apple Mac Studio M3 Ultra vs Dell OptiPlex 7040 SFF
Apple Mac Studio M3 Ultra 2025, 96GB, 1TB SSD, Silver
Dell OptiPlex 7040 SFF 2016, Core i5-6500, 32GB, 1TB SSD, Black
What Buyers Say
Apple Mac Studio M3 Ultra 2025, 96GB, 1TB SSD, Silver
Users are overwhelmingly positive about this Mac, calling it a powerhouse and the best value for power users. They praise its multicore performance, GPU capabilities, and ability to handle demanding tasks like video editing and development without issues. The M3 Ultra is seen as a better value than the M4 Max, especially when configured with more memory.
Pros
- Powerful multicore performance
- Great GPU value
- Handles demanding tasks
- Fast exports
- Reliable and stable
Cons
- Single-core performance not noticeably fast
- Potential competition from M4 Max
Dell OptiPlex 7040 SFF 2016, Core i5-6500, 32GB, 1TB SSD, Black
The Dell Optiplex 7040 is a refurbished desktop that runs Windows 11 despite lacking official TPM 2.0 support, though updates may require workarounds. It lacks an optical drive and has limited CPU upgrade options, but RAM can be expanded up to 64GB via four DIMM slots. Users appreciate its SATA and M.2 expansion capabilities, but note that it ships with Windows 10 Pro only.
Pros
- Runs Windows 11 on TPM 1.2
- Expandable RAM up to 64GB
- Multiple SATA and M.2 slots
- Refurbished like-new condition
Cons
- No optical drive
- CPU not upgradeable
- Ships only with Windows 10 Pro
- Windows 11 updates may need workarounds
- Watermark on unsupported Windows 11
Scores
Specifications
| Apple Mac Studio M3 Ultra | Dell OptiPlex 7040 SFF | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | ||
| CPU* | Apple M3 Ultra★ | Intel Core i5 |
| CPU Multi-Core Score | ||
| Cores | 28★ | 4 |
| Frequency | 3.5 GHz★ | 3.2 GHz |
| L3 Cache | — | 6 MB★ |
| Graphics | ||
| GPU* | Apple M3 Ultra 60-core★ | Intel HD Graphics 530 |
| GPU Benchmark Score | ||
| Type | integrated | integrated |
| VRAM | — | 48 GB★ |
| VRAM Type | System Shared | GDDR6★ |
| Memory & Storage | ||
| RAM | 96 GB★ | 32 GB |
| RAM Generation | — | DDR4★ |
| Storage 1 | 1 TB | 1 TB |
| Storage 1 Type | SSD | SSD |
| Build | ||
| Form Factor | sff | sff |
| Weight | 3.64 kg | — |
| Connectivity | ||
| USB-C Ports | 6★ | — |
| USB Ports | 2 | 6★ |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 5 x 6 | — |
| HDMI | 1x HDMI | 1x HDMI |
| DisplayPort | 0 | 2x DisplayPort |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6★ | — |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
| Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet |
| System | ||
| OS | macOS | Windows 10 Pro |
Pros & Cons
Apple Mac Studio M3 Ultra 2025, 96GB, 1TB SSD, Silver
- Strong cpu (100th percentile)100th %ile
- Strong reliability (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong ram (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (95th percentile)95th %ile
Dell OptiPlex 7040 SFF 2016, Core i5-6500, 32GB, 1TB SSD, Black
- Strong reliability (70th percentile)
- Below average social proof (12th percentile)12th %ile
- Below average cpu (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average user sentiment (20th percentile)20th %ile
- Below average gpu (21st percentile)
Verdict
Scores 100 overall, wins 8 of 8 usage categories and 9 of 25 specs.