Hello there, i'm just wondering what the best model of Optiplex i should get it 3000/9000 ect...
I don't game and i don't need a graphics card but if i did i'd just get a 1030 or something, i'm looking at the SFF size also, the reason i ask is because some seem to have better options/bios ect. i'd prefer an i7 but most ads state what cpu anyways.
-Cheers
You left off the 7000 series. My brother-in-law bought a used Dell Optiplex 7010 DT from Walmart a few years ago. It is the sff DT model. I put Ubuntu 16.04 on it and after a year he forgot the password. He let me take it as he thought it wasn't possible to fix. I let it sit in my garage for about a year as I didn't need it.
In April I bought a RPi4-B and realized that I wanted a better box to run a 64-bit version of Linux. So, I decided to check it out the system in the garage and found that it had 8 GB DDR3-1600 Ram, Core i5-3570 3.4/3.8, 4-core cpu and a 2 TB HDD. I wiped it and installed Ubuntu 20.04 and was very pleased with it! Well, I add added a $20 AMD Radeon HD 7570 GPU and the system died after about 2 days. I figured it was the 250 watt PS, but it didn't smell like anything blew. Anyway, a used PS was around $20, but would be a PITA to install in that case.
This weekend I found that the Mini-tower version of the same 7010, will take a standard ATX12V PS, plus the MB is an ITX model; thus it would be more repairable. It is the same height and depth as the SFF model, except a few inches wider. I will use the SFF system for spare parts. I plan to use the 2 TB HDD that is already loaded with Linux. I'll also use some of the RAM and I'll also have a spare CPU. I'm telling you this because it is only $134.00 with free shipping from Walmart.
I have a spare Thermaltake PS that I can install if I want to add a GPU. I've found that a number of Low Profile cards will fit such as 1050 Ti and the new 1650 G6. You already know about the GT 1030. The card just needs to be no more than about 7 inches long.
Good luck with it!
John
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