Dell OptiPlex 9020 Small Form Factor desktop computer review – how to do graphic cards upgrade?

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How to do Dell OptiPlex 9020 Small Form Factor desktop computer graphic cards upgrade? Should you invest on it? With a small form factor design, the Dell Desktop Computer provides the workstation performance you need without taking up too much desk space. It comes with 4th Generation Intel Core i7-4770 upto 3.9 Ghz processor 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD. Get details in Dell OptiPlex 9020 Small Form Factor desktop computer review.

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Pros & Cons – Dell OptiPlex 9020 Small Form Factor desktop computer

PROS

  • Mini yet multifunctional
  • Compact chassis.
  • 8GB of memory.
  • Speedy SSD storage.
  • Six USB 3.0 ports.
  • Comes with Micro VESA mount.
  • 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

CONS

  • Runs hot
  • Little bit expensive
  • Not easily repairable
  • Pricey.
  • No internal expansion.

Dell OptiPlex 9020 Small Form Factor desktop computer Specs

  • Brand: Dell
  • Processor: Intel Core i5
  • Processor Speed: 3.2 GHz
  • Hard Drive: 2 TB HDD
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Processor Brand: Intel
  • Product Dimensions: 3.7 x 11.4 x 12.3 inches
  • Weight: 13.2 lbs
  • Hard Drive Type: Solid State
  • RAM Type: DDR3 SDRAM
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4600
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

Good for

Similarly Dell OptiPlex 9020 desktop PC is ideal for any kind of organization. It is just because of fast & advanced processor, rich graphical power, unique vPro extensions, upgradability, decent connectivity features and more others.

Dell OptiPlex 9020 Small Form Factor desktop computer review

VESA

The system comes with a Micro VESA mount to help you hide it under a user’s desk or mount it to a wall behind an HDTV. This is notable, because other competing desktops like the Lenovo M93p Tiny, don’t pack in a VESA mount. Other options include a monitor stand ($42) that effectively turns the system into an all-in-one desktop by mounting the PC between the display and an articulated arm that can be bolted to your desk, and an all-in-one mount ($25) that locks the PC to the back of a standard LCD.

Design

It is a fairly compact desktop computer with a space saving design- weighs 13.8 pounds and measures 11.4 x 12.3 x 3.7 inches. But it still offers plenty of power and a variety of ports for your peripherals you intend to connect. 

Ports

Connectivity options include a DVDRW Optical Drive, an RJ-45 Ethernet connector, 4 x USB 3.0 ports (2 front and 2 rear), 6 x USB 2.0 ports (2 

front and 4 rear), a VGA port, 2 x display ports, 2 x PS/2 ports, 2 Line-out (headphone/speaker) and 2 Line-in (stereo/microphone). There is no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on the desktop itself but a simple wireless adapter is included and you can put it into one of the USB ports. A WiFi/Bluetooth dongle costs about 15 dollars at the moment. If you need an HDMI output you can use a display port to HDMI adapter.

Storage

The system comes equipped with 16GB DDR3 SDRAM to deliver you fluid multi-tasking convenience at times you work on the device. The Optiplex 9020 SFF has enough capacity to support up to 32GB of RAM if required in future.

Another striking feature of the desktop is its massive storage space. The system packs 2TB hard disk drive (HDD) to offer you ample space for storing innumerable documents, media files, videos, music, movies & necessary software.

Graphic card

You can also connect three displays at once through the 2 display ports and a VGA port. Intel HD 4600 is the built-in graphics card on this machine with a performance level similar to the dedicated NVIDIA GT 620M/630M graphics cards, and the built-in GPUs like the Radeon HD 8650G. 

Processor

The best aspect of the OptiPlex 9020 is the processor, which is an Intel Core i7-4790. This processor has an 8-MB cache and a base speed of 3.6GHz. The PassMark score is 10,017. This is among the highest scores in our review. The highest is 11,000. This score indicates that the processor is easily capable of handling significant multitasking and data-intensive tasks.

We determined that 6,000 was the minimum PassMark score for a processor to have a sufficient multitasking abilities. 

Dell OptiPlex 9020 Small Form Factor desktop computer Performance review

The Optiplex 9020 Micro has an Intel Core i7-4785T, which is a high-end quad-core processor with Intel HD Graphics 4600 built in. This CPU helped the system achieve a good score of 3,062 points on the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test, which is competitive with the Maingear Spark, but significantly ahead of competing mini PCs like the Polywell i2304-i5 and the Zotac Zbox Sphere OI520 Plus($410.99 at Office Depot® & OfficeMax®).

The Optiplex 9020 was, however, beaten by the Xeon-equipped Lenovo ThinkStation P300 SFF( at Amazon) in the same test. (We included the P300 in our testing comparison because it’s one of small number of business systems we’ve tested so far with our updated benchmark tests.) The Optiplex 9020 Micro’s 3D test scores are on par for a mini PC with integrated graphics, so you won’t be doing much gaming on this business PC.  

On multimedia tests like Handbrake (1 minute 27 seconds) and Adobe Photoshop CS6 (4:25), the Optiplex 9020 Micro beat the Acer Aspire AXC-605-UR11($488.19 at Staples) (4:37 on Handbrake; 4:41 on CS6), the Lenovo M93p Tiny (4:53 on CS6), and the admittedly less expensive Apple Mac mini (3:13 on Handbrake; 5:27 on CS6), showing the benefits of the Core i7 processor when you need to deal with heavier workloads. The Lenovo P300 is again the top dog, but not by as large a margin as on the productivity tests. If you don’t need workstation-grade ISV certification for number crunching and graphics arts work, the Optiplex will do nicely.

The Dell Optiplex 9020 Micro is a very good choice for the business that needs to equip a large number of users with lots of computing power without taking up a lot of space. It trumps our previous top pick, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tiny, with a faster Core i7 processor, double the system memory, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and an included VESA mount.

The smallish 128GB SSD could be an issue for some businesses that handle many large files, but it won’t be a problem if you have file servers or a cloud storage setup. Besides, the SSD lets you boot up and load programs faster. All of these features and performance help the Dell Optiplex 9020 Micro earn our Editors’ Choice for midrange business desktops.

Downside

A downside to the OptiPlex 9020 is the 290-watt power supply unit. The best business computers have a power supply unit rated between 460 and 490 watts. This is important for adding components like extra hard drives and optical drives. A weak power supply unit limits the computer’s ability to expand with the needs of your business.

Editor’s recommendations

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