OptiPlex XE3 Tower

Setup and Specifications

Regulatory Model: D18M

Regulatory Type: D18M005
August 2021
Rev. A01
 Contents

Chapter 1: Set up your computer................................................................................................... 4

Chapter 2: Chassis overview..........................................................................................................7

System front view............................................................................................................................................................... 7
System back view................................................................................................................................................................8
Tower motherboard layout................................................................................................................................................9

Chapter 3: System specifications................................................................................................ 10

Physical system dimensions............................................................................................................................................ 10
Chipset.................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Processor.............................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Operating system............................................................................................................................................................... 12
Memory.................................................................................................................................................................................12
Storage................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Storage combinations....................................................................................................................................................... 13
Audio..................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Video..................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Communications................................................................................................................................................................. 15
Ports and connectors........................................................................................................................................................15
System board drive connectors......................................................................................................................................16
Power supply.......................................................................................................................................................................16
Security................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
Environmental..................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Chapter 4: Software.................................................................................................................... 18
Drivers and downloads......................................................................................................................................................18
Downloading drivers.......................................................................................................................................................... 18
Downloading the chipset driver...................................................................................................................................... 18
Intel chipset drivers..................................................................................................................................................... 19
Downloading graphic drivers........................................................................................................................................... 19
Intel HD Graphics drivers........................................................................................................................................... 19
Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers...................................................................................................................................20
Downloading the Wi-Fi driver................................................................................................................................... 20
Realtek HD audio drivers.................................................................................................................................................. 21
Downloading the audio driver....................................................................................................................................21

Chapter 5: Getting help and contacting Dell................................................................................ 22

2 Contents
Notes, cautions, and warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid
the problem.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

© 2017-2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.
 1
Set up your computer
1. Connect the keyboard and mouse.

2. Connect to your network using a cable, or connect to a wireless network.

3. Connect the display.

4 Set up your computer

 NOTE: If you ordered your computer with a discrete graphics card, the HDMI and the display ports on the back panel of
your computer are covered. Connect the display to the discrete graphics card.

4. Connect the power cable.

5. Press the power button.

6. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish Windows setup:

a. Connect to a network.

Set up your computer 5

 b. Sign-in to your Microsoft account or create a new account.

7. Locate Dell apps.

Table 1. Locate Dell apps

Register your computer

Dell Help & Support

SupportAssist — Check and update your computer

6 Set up your computer

 2
Chassis overview
Topics:
• System front view
• System back view
• Tower motherboard layout

System front view

1. Power button and power light 2. Optical drive (optional)

3. Hard drive activity light 4. Memory card reader (optional)
5. Headset port / Universal Audio Jack 6. USB 2.0 port with PowerShare
7. USB 2.0 port 8. USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port with PowerShare
9. USB 3.1 Gen 1 port

Chassis overview 7
System back view

1. Line-out port 2. PS/2 Keyboard port

3. Serial port 4. PS/2 Mouse port
5. DisplayPort 6. DisplayPort/HDMI 2.0b/VGA/USB Type-C Alt-Mode
(optional)
7. USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports 8. Service tag label
9. USB 2.0 ports (supports Smart Power On) 10. Network port
11. Expansion card slots 12. Power connector port
13. External antenna connectors (optional) 14. Power supply diagnostic light
15. Release latch 16. Kensington security cable slot
17. Padlock ring

8 Chassis overview
Tower motherboard layout

1. PCIe-X16 slot wired as x4 (Slot4) 2. PCI Connector (Slot3)

3. PCI-eX16 Connector (Slot2) 4. PCI-eX1 Connector (Slot1)
5. USB type-C Alt-mode connector 6. Video connector(VGA/DP1.2/HDMI2.0)
7. System fan connector(FAN_SYS) 8. Intruder switch connector
9. Processor Socket 10. CPU Power Connector(ATX_CPU)
11. CPU fan connector(FAN_CPU) 12. Memory Connector (DIMM1~DIMM4)
13. Memory card reader connector 14. Power button and power light connector
15. M.2 Socket 3 Connector (M.2 SSD) 16. SATA0 connector(Blue color)
17. SATA2 connector (White color) 18. Internal Speaker Connector (INT_SPKR)
19. SATA3 connector(Black color) 20. SATA1 connector(Black color)
21. ATX Power Connector(ATX_SYS) 22. HDD_ODD_Power Cable Connector(SATA_PWR)
23. M.2 Socket 1 connector(M.2 Wifi) 24. Coin cell battery(RTC)
25. CMOS_CLR/Password/Service_Mode Jumper(JMP1)

Chassis overview 9
 3
System specifications
NOTE: Offerings may vary by region. The following specifications are only those required by law to ship with your
computer. For more information about the configuration of your computer, go to Help and Support in your Windows
operating system and select the option to view information about your computer.

Topics:
• Physical system dimensions
• Chipset
• Processor
• Operating system
• Memory
• Storage
• Storage combinations
• Audio
• Video
• Communications
• Ports and connectors
• System board drive connectors
• Power supply
• Security
• Environmental

Physical system dimensions

Table 2. Physical system dimensions

Chassis volume (liters) 14.77

Chassis weight (pounds / kilograms) 17.49/7.93

Table 3. Chassis dimensions

Height (inches / centimeters) 13.8/35

Width (inches / centimeters) 6.10/15.40

Depth (inches / centimeters) 10.80/27.40

Shipping weight (pounds / kilograms – includes packaging 20.96/9.43

materials)

Table 4. Packaging parameters

Height (inches / centimeters) 13.19/33.50

Width (inches / centimeters) 19.40/49.40

Depth (inches / centimeters) 15.50/39.40

10 System specifications
Chipset
Table 5. Chipset specifications

Type Intel Q370

Non-volatile memory on chipset Yes

BIOS configuration SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) 256Mbit (32MB) located at SPI_FLASH on chipset

Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled) 24KB located at TPM 2.0 on chipset
Firmware TPM (Discrete TPM Disabled) Available in select countries

NIC EEPROM LOM configuration contained within LOM e-fuse – no

dedicated LOM EEPROM

Processor
Global Standard Products (GSP) are a subset of Dell’s relationship products that are managed for availability and synchronized
transitions on a worldwide basis. They ensure the same platform is available for purchase globally. This allows customers to
reduce the number of configurations managed on a worldwide basis, thereby reducing their costs. They also enable companies
to implement global IT standards by locking in specific product configurations worldwide. The following GSP processors
identified below will be made available to Dell customers.
NOTE: Processor numbers are not a measure of performance. Processor availability is subject to change and may vary by
region/country.

Table 6. Processor specifications

Type UMA Graphics

Intel Core i3-8100 (4 Cores/6MB/4T/3.6GHz/65W) Intel UHD 630 Graphics integrated in the CPU

Intel Core i3-8300 (4 Cores/8MB/4T/3.7GHz/65W) Intel UHD 630 Graphics integrated in the CPU

Intel Core i5-8400 (6 Cores/9MB/6T/up to 4.0GHz/65W) Intel UHD 630 Graphics integrated in the CPU

Intel Core i5-8500 (6 Cores/9MB/6T/up to 4.1GHz/65W) Intel UHD 630 Graphics integrated in the CPU

Intel Core i5-8600 (6 Cores/9MB/6T/up to 4.3GHz/65W) Intel UHD 630 Graphics integrated in the CPU

Intel Core i7-8700 (6 Cores/12MB/12T/up to 4.6GHz/65W) Intel UHD 630 Graphics integrated in the CPU

Intel Celeron-G4900 (2 Cores/2MB/up to 3.1GHz/54W) Intel UHD 610 Graphics integrated in the CPU

Intel Celeron-G4920 (2 Cores/2MB/up to 3.2GHz/54W) Intel UHD 610 Graphics integrated in the CPU

Intel Pentium Gold-G5400 (2 Cores/4MB/up to 3.7GHz/ Intel UHD 610 Graphics integrated in the CPU
54W)

Intel Pentium Gold-G5500 (2 Cores/4MB/up to 3.8GHz/ Intel UHD 610 Graphics integrated in the CPU
54W)

Intel Pentium Gold-G5600 (2 Cores/4MB/up to 3.9GHz/ Intel UHD 610 Graphics integrated in the CPU
54W)

System specifications 11
Operating system
Your OptiPlex XE3 supports the following operating systems:
● Windows 11 Home, 64-bit
● Windows 11 Home National Academic, 64-bit
● Windows 11 Pro, 64-bit
● Windows 11 Pro National Academic, 64-bit
● Windows 10 Home, 64-bit
● Windows 10 Home National Academic, 64-bit
● Windows 10 Pro, 64-bit
● Windows 10 Pro National Academic, 64-bit
● Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, 64-bit
● Neokylin 6.0 (China only)

Memory
Table 7. Memory specifications

Minimum memory configuration 4 GB

Maximum memory configuration 64 GB

Number of slots 4 DIMM slots

Maximum memory supported per slot 32 GB

Memory options ● 4 GB - 1 x 4 GB
● 8 GB - 1 x 8 GB
● 8 GB - 2 x 4 GB
● 16 GB - 2 x 8 GB
● 16 GB - 1 x 16 GB
● 32 GB - 2 x 16 GB
● 64 GB - 2 x 32 GB

Type DDR4 DRAM Non-ECC memory

Speed 2666 MHz (performs at 2400 MHz on i3, Pentium, Celeron

processors)

Storage
Table 8. Storage specifications
Type Form factor Interface Capacity

Solid-State Drive (SSD) M.2 2280/2230 ● SATA AHCI, Up to 6 Gbps Up to 512 GB

● PCIe 3 x4 NVME, Up to 32
Gbps

Hard drive (HDD) 2.5 and 3.5 inch SATA AHCI, Up to 6 Gbps Up to 2 TB at 5400/7200
RPM
Solid State Hybrid Drive One 2.5 inch SATA AHCI, Up to 6 Gbps 2.5 inch 1 TB at 5400 RPM
Optical drive 1 Slim SATA AHCI, Up to 6 Gbps

12 System specifications
Table 8. Storage specifications (continued)
Type Form factor Interface Capacity

Intel Optane Memory 2.5 and 3.5 inch Up to 2 TB at 5400/7200

RPM

Storage combinations
Table 9. Storage combinations
Primary/Boot drive Secondary drive

M.2 Drive None

M.2 Drive 2.5 inch HDD/ SSD
M.2 Drive 3.5 inch HDD
2.5 inch HDD/ SSD None
2.5 inch HDD/ SSD 2.5 inch HDD/ SSD
3.5 inch HDD 2.5 inch HDD/ SSD
3.5 inch HDD None
2.5 inch HDD with Intel Optane None
2.5 inch HDD with Intel Optane 2.5 inch HDD/ SSD
3.5 inch HDD with Intel Optane 2.5 inch HDD/ SSD

Audio
Table 10. Audio specifications

Controller Realtek ALC3234

Type Integrated

Speakers Internal Business speaker (mono)

Interface ● AC511 Sound Bar (optional)

● Microsoft PlayReady3 Ready
● Multi-streaming audio support
● Stereo headset/mic combo

Internal speaker amplifier 2W (RMS) per channel

Video
Table 11. Video
Controller Type CPU Dependency Graphics Capacity External Maximum
memory display resolution
type support

Intel HD 630 UMA 8th Generation Intel Core Integrated Shared DisplayPort VGA:
Graphics Processors on CPU system 1.2 2048x1536@60
● Intel Core i3-8100 memory Hz

System specifications 13
Table 11. Video (continued)
Controller Type CPU Dependency Graphics Capacity External Maximum
memory display resolution
type support

● Intel Core i3-8300 Multiple DisplayPort:

● Intel Core i5-8400 Video option 4096x2304@60
● Intel Core i5-8500 (VGA, DP1.2, Hz
● Intel Core i5-8600 HDMI 2.0
HDMI :
● Intel Core i7-8700 and USB
1920x1080@60 Hz
Type-C Alt-
mode)

gfx controller UMA 8th Generation Intel Core Integrated Shared DisplayPort VGA:
Processors on CPU system 1.2 2048x1536@60
● Intel Celeron-G4900 memory Hz
Multiple
● Intel Celeron-G4920
Video option DisplayPort:
● Intel Pentium Gold- (VGA, DP1.2, 4096x2304@60
G5400 HDMI 2.0 Hz
● Intel Pentium Gold- and USB
G5500 HDMI :
Type-C Alt-
1920x1080@60 Hz
● Intel Pentium Gold- mode)
G5600

AMD Radeon R5 Discrete N/A GDDR5 2GB DisplayPort VGA:

430 1.2 2048x1536@60
Hz
Multiple
Video option DisplayPort:
(VGA, DP1.2, 4096x2304@60
HDMI 2.0 Hz
and USB
HDMI :
Type-C Alt-
1920x1080@60 Hz
mode)

NVIDIA GeForce Discrete N/A GDDR5 2GB DisplayPort VGA:

GT 730 1.2 2048x1536@60
Hz
Multiple
Video option DisplayPort:
(VGA, DP1.2, 4096x2304@60
HDMI 2.0 Hz
and USB
HDMI :
Type-C Alt-
1920x1080@60 Hz
mode)

AMD Radeon RX Discrete N/A GDDR5 4GB DisplayPort VGA:

550 1.2 2048x1536@60
Hz
Multiple
Video option DisplayPort:
(VGA, DP1.2, 4096x2304@60
HDMI 2.0 Hz
and USB
HDMI :
Type-C Alt-
1920x1080@60 Hz
mode)

Dual AMD Discrete N/A GDDR5 2GB DisplayPort VGA:

Radeon R5 430 1.2 2048x1536@60
Hz
Multiple
Video option DisplayPort:
(VGA, DP1.2, 4096x2304@60
HDMI 2.0 Hz

14 System specifications
Table 11. Video (continued)
Controller Type CPU Dependency Graphics Capacity External Maximum
memory display resolution
type support

and USB HDMI :

Type-C Alt- 1920x1080@60 Hz
mode)

NVIDIA GeForce Discrete N/A GDDR5 4GB DisplayPort VGA:

GTX 1050 1.2 2048x1536@60
Hz
Multiple
Video option DisplayPort:
(VGA, DP1.2, 4096x2304@60
HDMI 2.0 Hz
and USB
HDMI :
Type-C Alt-
1920x1080@60 Hz
mode)

Dual AMD Discrete N/A GDDR5 2GB DisplayPort VGA:

Radeon RX 550 1.2 2048x1536@60
Hz
Multiple
Video option DisplayPort:
(VGA, DP1.2, 4096x2304@60
HDMI 2.0 Hz
and USB
HDMI :
Type-C Alt-
1920x1080@60 Hz
mode)

Communications
Table 12. Communications

Network adapter Intel i219-LM Gigabit1 Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000 (Remote

Wake Up, PXE and support)
Intel 10/100/1000 PCIe Gigabit Network Card (optional)

Wireless ● Qualcomm QCA61x4A Dual-band 2x2 802.11ac Wireless

with MU-MIMO + Bluetooth 4.2
● Intel Wireless-AC 9560, Dual-band 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi with
MU-MIMO + Bluetooth 5
● Internal Wireless Antennas
● External wireless connectors and antenna
● Support for 802.11n and 802.11ac wireless NIC

Ports and connectors

Table 13. Ports and connectors

Memory card reader SD 4.0 memory card reader—optional

USB ● USB 2.0 ports supports Smart Power On (Rear)

● Four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (Rear)
● One USB 2.0 port (Front)
● USB 2.0 port with PowerShare (Front)

System specifications 15
Table 13. Ports and connectors (continued)

● USB 3.1 Gen 1 port (Front)

● USB 3.1 Gen 2 port with PowerShare (Front)

Security Kensington lock slot

Audio ● Universal audio jack

● One line-out port

Video ● Two DisplayPorts

● HDMI 2.0, DP, VGA, USB Type C (with DP Alt Mode)—
optional

Network adapter One RJ-45 (10/100/1000) connector

Serial port One serial port—optional

System board drive connectors

Table 14. System board drive connectors

M.2 Connectors ● 1 - 2230/2280

● 1 - 2230 (keyed to support Integrated or Discrete WiFi,
Support Intel CNVi or USB2.0/PCIe)

Serial ATA (SATA) connector 4 (one Gen2 port for ODD and the rest of the ports support
Gen3)

PCIe X16 slot 1

PCIe X1 slot 1

PCI slot 1

PCIe X16 slot (wired x4) slot 1

Power supply
Table 15. Power supply

Input Voltage 90 - 264 VAC, 47 Hz - 63 Hz

Input current (maximum) 5.0A/2.5A

Security
Table 16. Security
Specifications Optiplex XE3 Tower
● Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)
Integrated on system board
● Discrete TPM Disabled
Cable Cover Optional
Chassis Intrusion Switch Standard

16 System specifications
Table 16. Security (continued)
Specifications Optiplex XE3 Tower
Dell Smartcard Keyboard Optional
Chassis lock slot and loop support Standard

1 TPM is not available in all countries.

Environmental
NOTE: For more details on Dell environmental features, please go to the environmental attributes section. See your specific
region for availability.

Table 17. Environmental

Energy efficient power supply Standard

BFR/PVC-free chassis No

Vertical orientation packaging support Yes

Recyclable packaging Yes

MultiPack packaging Optional, US only

System specifications 17
 4
Software
This chapter details the supported operating systems along with instructions on how to install the drivers.
Topics:
• Drivers and downloads
• Downloading drivers
• Downloading the chipset driver
• Downloading graphic drivers
• Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers
• Realtek HD audio drivers

Drivers and downloads

When troubleshooting, downloading or installing drivers it is recommended that you read the Dell Knowledge Based article,
Drivers and Downloads FAQ 000123347.

Downloading drivers
1. Turn on the computer.
2. Go to Dell.com/support.
3. Click Product Support, enter the Service Tag of your computer, and then click Submit.
NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, use the auto detect feature or manually browse for your computer model.

4. Click Drivers and Downloads.

5. Select the operating system installed on your computer.
6. Scroll down the page and select the driver to install.
7. Click Download File to download the driver for your computer.
8. Navigate to the folder where you saved the driver file, after the download is complete.
9. Double-click the driver file icon and follow the instructions on the screen.

Downloading the chipset driver

1. Turn on the computer.
2. Go to Dell.com/support.
3. Click Product Support, enter the Service Tag of your computer, and then click Submit.
NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, use the autodetect feature or manually browse for your computer model.

4. Click Drivers and Downloads.

5. Select the operating system installed in your computer.
6. Scroll down the page, expand Chipset, and select your chipset driver.
7. Click Download File to download the latest version of the chipset driver for your computer.
8. After the download is complete, navigate to the folder where you saved the driver file.
9. Double-click the chipset driver file icon and follow the instructions on the screen.

18 Software
Intel chipset drivers
Verify if the Intel chipset drivers are already installed in the computer.

NOTE: Click Start > Control Panel > Device Manager

or
In Search the web and Windows, type Device Manager

Table 18. Intel chipset drivers

Before installation After installation

Downloading graphic drivers

1. Turn on the computer.
2. Go to Dell.com/support.
3. Click Product Support, enter the Service Tag of your computer, and then click Submit.
NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, use the auto detect feature or manually browse for your computer model.

4. Click Drivers and Downloads.

5. Click Find it myself tab.
6. Select the operating system installed on your computer.
7. Scroll down the page and select the graphic driver to install.
8. Click Download File to download the graphic driver for your computer.
9. After the download is complete, navigate to the folder where you saved the graphic driver file.
10. Double-click the graphic driver file icon and follow the instructions on the screen.

Intel HD Graphics drivers

Verify if the Intel HD Graphics drivers are already installed in the computer.

NOTE: Click Start > Control Panel > Device Manager.

Software 19
or
Tap Search the web and Windows and type Device Manager

Table 19. Intel HD Graphics drivers

Before installation After installation

Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers

In the Device Manager, check if the network card driver is installed. Install the driver updates from dell.com/

support. In the Device Manager, check if the Bluetooth driver is installed. Install the
driver updates from dell.com/support.

Downloading the Wi-Fi driver

1. Turn on your computer.
2. Go to dell.com/support.
3. Click Product Support, enter the Service Tag of your computer and click Submit.
NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, use the auto-detect feature or manually browse for your computer model.

4. Click Drivers & downloads > Find it myself.

5. Scroll down the page and expand Network.
6. Click Download to download the Wi-Fi driver for your computer.
7. After the download is complete, navigate to the folder where you saved the Wi-Fi driver file.
8. Double-click the driver file icon and follow the instructions on the screen.

20 Software
Realtek HD audio drivers
Verify if the Realtek audio drivers are already installed in the computer.

Table 20. Realtek HD audio drivers

Downloading the audio driver

1. Turn on your computer.
2. Go to dell.com/support.
3. Click Product support, enter the Service Tag of your computer, and then click Submit.
NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, use the auto-detect feature or manually browse for your computer model.

4. Click Drivers & downloads > Find it myself.

5. Scroll down the page and expand Audio.
6. Click Download to download the audio driver.
7. Save the file, and after the download is complete, navigate to the folder where you saved the audio driver file.
8. Double-click the audio driver file icon and follow the instructions on the screen to install the driver.

Software 21
 5
Getting help and contacting Dell
Self-help resources
You can get information and help on Dell products and services using these self-help resources:

Table 21. Self-help resources

Self-help resources Resource location
Information about Dell products and services www.dell.com
My Dell app

Tips

Contact Support In Windows search, type Contact Support, and press

Enter.
Online help for operating system www.dell.com/support/windows
Access top solutions, diagnostics, drivers and downloads, and Your Dell computer is uniquely identified by a Service Tag or
learn more about your computer through videos, manuals and Express Service Code. To view relevant support resources for
documents. your Dell computer, enter the Service Tag or Express Service
Code at www.dell.com/support.
For more information on how to find the Service Tag for your
computer, see Locate the Service Tag on your computer.

Dell knowledge base articles for a variety of computer 1. Go to www.dell.com/support.

concerns 2. On the menu bar at the top of the Support page, select
Support > Knowledge Base.
3. In the Search field on the Knowledge Base page, type the
keyword, topic, or model number, and then click or tap the
search icon to view the related articles.

Contacting Dell
To contact Dell for sales, technical support, or customer service issues, see www.dell.com/contactdell.
NOTE: Availability varies by country/region and product, and some services may not be available in your country/region.

NOTE: If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can find contact information about your purchase invoice,
packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog.

22 Getting help and contacting Dell