Dell Pro Tower PC Business Desktop Computer, 14th Gen Intel 14-Core i5-14500 vPro, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, RJ-45, HDMI, DisplayPort, Type-C, Windows 11 Pro

I bought this PC with the intention of making it a Linux web server. The first thing I did was remove the included 1tb NVMe drive without ever booting Windows. I put in a 2 tb NVMe drive and a 4 tb NVMe drive on a PCIe adapter card from Sabrent. I added an 18 tb 3.5" SATA hard drive for backup use, then installed AlmaLinux 9.5 which was a piece of cake. I have a second 4tb NVMe stick coming which will replace the 2tb drive used for testing. I took out the included 32 gb of RAM and replaced it with two 32 gb boards for 64 gb total. Yummy! I will be shipping this server to a datacenter in Kansas City that accepts desktop computers. It is an excellent product. The BIOS supports automatic power on after a power failure, and it is a very attractive BIOS on a full HD monitor. It boots very fast, is good value for price. I like the fact that it does not have built in WiFi since in a server that would just increase the attack surface. It does not support PCIe bifurcation so I can't use a dual NVMe PCIe card, but 8 tb total will be plenty for an old man.

I can't believe that I actually picked out a good computer that is better than adequate. Electronic decisions usually go to my son. He is super busy right now, and I needed a new computer right now. I wanted a well-known brand, so I might have fewer problems. This computer is small. It sits well on my small desk with my printer, keyboard, speakers, and my 21-inch monitor. The price was right, too. Since I know little about such things, all I can say is that you won't go wrong with this computer for the price you want to pay.

Other than it comes with Windows 11, which seems to come preloaded with pop-up ads it suits my needs. Move the mouse, close an ad. Move the mouse, close another ad.

Something was fundamentally wrong with the machine that I received. I did everything I could to try to salvage it by downloading all the latest drivers and updates. However, the computer continued to randomly freeze without warning. Very frustrating! Dell mentioned to stay away from 3rd party vendors. They said that this machine orginally came with Linux, yet it was sold as a Windows 11 computer. Dell would not touch it and suggesting I return it. So I did. 2025.11.18 Update - I would like to follow up on the above review. I returned the machine and received a full and complete refund plus an additional $100 Amazon gift certificate. I take back what was said above about 3rd party vendors. I have a different outlook based on the stellar Customer Service I received. The machine I received was clearly an outlier and the company showed their integrity and honesty by replying back to me and supporting their product with excellent customer service. Quote from Customer Service: "This is Tammuy, customer service representative following up on your recent Amazon order for the Dell OptiPlex 7020 Desktop. I'm truly sorry to hear about the issues you experienced, especially with the freezing and the difficulty you encountered when seeking support. I completely understand how frustrating and disappointing this must have been. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. While Dell may not support units upgraded or configured outside their original factory settings, please rest assured that all products we sell are covered by a full one-year third-party warranty provided by our certified service partner. If any problem occurs, you are always welcome to reach out to us directly through the Amazon platform, and we can assist with diagnostics, repairs, or replacement of faulty components. We also checked your order status and confirmed that your return has been completed and the full refund has already been issued. To further express our apologies and appreciation for your patience, we would like to offer you an additional $100 compensation as a goodwill gesture. Either way, your satisfaction is very important to us, and we want to ensure your concerns are properly addressed".

Update Dec 1, 2025: I’ve revised this from 4 Stars to 1 Star! Through Dell Service Support and using the computer’s Service Tag, I’ve been informed by Dell that this system was originally bought by the Third Party Vendor/Seller and that the RAM and Hard Drive have been upgraded. It did not originally come with Windows, but a Unix OS version. The Big Problem: Under the one year warranty Dell will only repair/replace the original hardware or software. If there’s a problem with the upgraded items you’re on your own. Not Good! I cannot recommend this product from Amazon. ——————————— I would leave 5 Stars, but there’s a few issues holding it back from a Top-Tier experience. The Bad: 1. The WiFi 5 Nano USB Adapter is junk, super slow. Plan on buying a WiFi 6 or better WiFi antenna. I bought a Netgear Nighthawk AXE3000 WiFi 6/6E…it works great! 2. The provided wired keyboard and mouse are something you’ll probably toss, or give to your 5 year old. 3. Windows Defender was not working properly, after several fix attempts had to reload Windows 11 (repair version). The Good: 1. This system is fast in every aspect!!! What else is there to know. I paid $699.00 and when compared to other available Dell Desktops the hardware and value are there!

I bought this more or less as an easy NAS server, but, while there are extra SATA slots, there's nowhere to mount disks physically nor to add another fan to cool them. I replaced the SSD that came with Windoze 11 on it with a 2Tb M.2 SSD on which I first installed Ubuntu Server, then (since it couldn't serve up disks) Linux Mint. Both set-ups worked beautifully. I also upgraded the power supply (to 500W), again, in anticipation of the big drives. As a secondary Linux workstation (I did add a 4Tb drive anyway), I'm very pleased and I'm converting the box it's replacing to the role of high-volume disk drive storage. I like that it's very small, very quiet, handles several ways to support monitors with empty PCI rails besides.

been a good worker

What I got was what I ordered. The only issue is the PSU info was buried deep and I didn't see it before hand. Small form pc, half size odd PSU that even if I upgraded it there still wouldn't be enough power for a decent GPU. No AUX plug for a gpu on it. Decent work pc but no extra slots to upgrade ram either. I returned it (didn't even plug it in) because I need something I can put a bigger GPU in and received my refund within the estimated time frame. Thanks.