Dell OptiPlex 3050 Micro Form Factor Desktop Computer, Intel Core i5-7500T, 8GB DDR4, 256GB Solid State Drive, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed)

Well, I have a decent experience building desktops and repairing laptops. And while my primary domain is larger and more expensive gaming systems, recently I needed a couple of small mini PC's for small office tasks - rugged, power effective and reliableAnd while OptiPlex 3050 at $600 price tag (new) might be appealing to corporate customers for retail end-points, it's a little too expensive for small home office use - so these refurbished units at sub-$100 price tag fit the bill perfectlyHardware upgradability (5/5):Tools needed: a household grade Philips head screwdriver. The whole case assembly is being held by a single Philips screw (that you can undo with your bare hands if you have a strong grip). A single push to protruding metal extension will push the outer cover away.HDD/SSD case can be removed with bare hands by pressing on two plastic latches inwards, then shifting the whole assembly. NVME card is supported as well (you'll need to use your trusty Philips head screwdriver again)The main fan assembly can be removed in the similar manner, giving access to two SODIMM DDR4 memory slots (one 8GB 2400 MHz stick will be on-board). This can be upgraded to faster 3200 MHz 2x16 GB DDR4 if one so desires (potentially more, but could be counter intuitive). While 8 GB of RAM is enough for most office tasks, your little system will feel itself better with 16 GB (a $30 upgrade)If you ever need to replace the thermal paste, radiator is once again accessible by removing 4x Philips screws to the North of the SODIMM portsPower supply (1/5):This one is bad. Refurbisher supplied 90W Dell power supply is not enough and will send the system into a throttle mode, limiting CPU power to 0.79 GHz (800 MHz). Plan to upgrade power supply to 130WLook for "130W AC Charger for Dell OptiPlex 3050" - there are options for $30. Read the comments to ensure that this resolves CPU throttling issue on OptiPlex'esNote: You can use Throttlestop to disable throttling and it _seems_ to work normally, but it depends on whether or not you have upgraded your RAM, NVME/SSD etc. I would just recommend upgrading back to nominal 130W power supplySoftware upgradability (Windows 10) (4/5):System comes with Windows 10 OEM license - however, it's activated with refurbisher bulk key. I would recommend re-activating it with original Dell key that is stored on the intact MSR partition of your laptop. Open terminal and run the following command (Win+R, cmd, Enter):# wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKeyCopy-paste original product key, go into System Settings, Activation and re-activate your copy using original Dell product keyThis shall resolve all potential problems, should in future your hard drive fail and you'll want to reinstall your systemSoftware upgradability (Windows 11) (4/5):Dell doesn't support Windows 11 on OptiPlex 3050, yet you can do it - Microsoft takes care of the drivers support. Upgrading RAM to 16 GB is strongly recommendedSoftware upgradability (Linux) (5/5):It just works. I would not recommend building source-based distributions (Gentoo, Arch) directly on OptiPlex, but anything can be done. All other modern Linux distributions shall work without any problemsThat's should be it. Giving 5 stars because even accounting for $30 power supply and additional upgrades, having such robust little machine for $130 with taxes is VERY good. Good enough so I got myself two units even though I don't actually have a use for a second one right now)

A solid, functional refurbished desktop pc for under $100. I love it. Works well, installed with latest Windows update as promised. Originally, the wrong PC was shipped, but when I reached out to the company (rather than Amazon, as requested per the packing instructions), the responded incredibly promptly and courteously, both over the phone and online. They shipped me the correct item, sent a free shipping label to return the wrong one, and I had a computer up and running in no time. We just needed a desktop for homeschool projects, nothing fancy, and this fit the bill. Really, the customer service was the shining star here. They could have been rude, especially since this was such a low cost item, but they were fantastic. Would recommended purchasing from this seller again, and the product has been really great, too.

I needed a computer to run a CNC machine so I thought I'd give this one a shot. This computer was very clean, inside and out, came with a power supply, a mouse, a keyboard (wired USB) and had Windows 10 Pro. The WiFi is both A and G with good speed. It had both an HDMI and Display Port video out so no adapter needed. It's power supply is about the size and weight of a Laptop's AC power pack. The computer had two memory slots and I upgraded it from 8gb (two 4gb modules) to 16gb (two 8gb Modules). Getting to everything inside the computer was very easy and tool-less. The upgrade took about 5 minutes to complete. I'll definitely be buying another one. With the price of Raspberry Pi's these complete computers are a great bargain and more capable then SBC like the Pi's for your projects.

UPDATE: For those having issues with the unit being sick at .79Ghz, the problem is the power adapter. These units are being shipped with 90w adapters, which are simply NOT SUFFICIENT. This unit needs at least a 180W adapter to function properly.Unit was not booting when it arrived. Rather than deal with trying to troubleshoot it, I tried returning it for a replacement. It already took a week to arrive and then I would have to wait until the sellers receives the defective unit before they would even send it the replacement. So I opted to troubleshoot and fix it myself.

Works like advertised

Excellent computer by Dell! And great price on Amazon

Purchased from STG Global (renewed units are lumped together so reviews are seller specific). Packaging was better than expected. Included was cheap mouse, cheap keyboard, tiny usb 2.0 802.11n wifi dongle and a brand new Dell 65w adapter.Not going to complain about the mouse or keyboard, never planned to use them.Easy to replace the sata SSD, m.2 NVME SSD and two DDR4 RAM. Only one knob screw to remove the cover by hand. One disappointment is there is no screw mount to hold the end of the NVME SSD. It ends right where the mainboard is affixed to the case with a screw. There is an extra M.2 connection for wifi/BT module (no built-in antennae). USB 3 ports transfer speed meets specs.The unit is great for office work, browsing, watching media. It can even run PS2 emulator at 30-50 fps on most games with default settings but it gets hot quick. If you're going to do light gaming in a warm area, be sure to use a desktop fan to force air circulation. I'm in Philippines where we mostly use fans not air conditioning, ambient temps about 80f.Was going to install Linux, but it works so well with a debloated Windows 10. Why fix it if it aint broke?