Right Choice? Purchasing a Dell Optiplex 790 Core i3 2120 USFF

By sloanb
in Hardware Hangout

 Share

Recommended Posts

Apprentice

sloanb

Posted
Posted

Hi Team,

 

A few questions

 

Interested in purchasing a Dell Optiplex 790 Core i3 2120 USFF particularly for its size. I don't need a powerful machine however I do need this little thing to pack a punch... Would anyone know if I could upgrade the CPU to an i5... a 64-bit at that?? I believe the socket is 1155 but my other concern is could the motherboard handle it? ...of course the Ram is an easy upgrade... I'd like to be able to do some LIGHT home video editing using Sony Vegas Pro 12 (kids sports)...

 

Thoughts?

Grand Master

sc302 Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

Look at an asus vivo pc. They start at around 500 but are tiny. Decently powered. If you want a bit more power and something thin look to a asus gr8. We were looking for small and quiet which we bought one of each for testing. The smaller vivo worked fine for our needs, but we did install more memory and update the drive to an ssd, which put both in the same price range.

Proficient

_BeanZ_

Posted
Posted

To answer your actual question, no, the CPU and sometimes even the RAM in laptops are soldered on and not replaceable, best option is to get a decent laptop with in i5 from the get go 

 

OP is talking about a small form desktop rather than a laptop though.

 

The CPU in the Optiplex 790 will be replaceable. The 790 was available with an i5, so there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to swap it - that said; I believe the chipset only supports Sandy Bridge CPUs.

 

Unless you're working to a very limited budget that means you're stuck looking at discounted, refurbished kit, I would recommend looking for something newer; the 790 was released in 2011.

  • xendrome and MorganX
  • Like 2
Grand Master

Intersect

Posted
Posted

To answer your actual question, no, the CPU and sometimes even the RAM in laptops are soldered on and not replaceable, best option is to get a decent laptop with in i5 from the get go 

That only seems to be the case with those "ultra books"

Contributor

iogbrideau

Posted
Posted

OP is talking about a small form desktop rather than a laptop though.

 

The CPU in the Optiplex 790 will be replaceable. The 790 was available with an i5, so there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to swap it - that said; I believe the chipset only supports Sandy Bridge CPUs.

 

Unless you're working to a very limited budget that means you're stuck looking at discounted, refurbished kit, I would recommend looking for something newer; the 790 was released in 2011.

 

Dell computers are very sensitive to changes, I would take this with a grain of salt. I would look into other brands with small form factor such as the Asus gr8 that was already suggested in this topic.

Collaborator

ThePhoenix

Posted
Posted

Might be worth looking at a Intel NUC, we've sold a couple recently to clients and they are pretty powerful, at least the model we sold, and only rougly the size of a apple tv and about twice the thickness, roughly anyway  :rofl:

Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

The best pack you can punch in a small form factor is an Brix Pro i7-4770r

 

https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1240720-my-christmas-present-to-myself-gigabyte-brix-pro-i7-4770r/

Grand Master

xendrome

Posted
Posted

Dell computers are very sensitive to changes, I would take this with a grain of salt. I would look into other brands with small form factor such as the Asus gr8 that was already suggested in this topic.

 

False.

 

Sensitive to change? How so? If you are speaking of the Windows activation then what does that have to do with Dell? Secondly, 100% of the time I've done only a CPU upgrade, it has never broken activation.

Contributor

iogbrideau

Posted
Posted

False.

 

Sensitive to change? How so? If you are speaking of the Windows activation then what does that have to do with Dell? Secondly, 100% of the time I've done only a CPU upgrade, it has never broken activation.

I'm not talking about activation. The computer will stop working or tell you a part is failing (often another part). Such is the case mainly with some workstation models such as the T3600 and the T3610. This has happened mostly when upgrading the RAM (that we made absolutely sure that it was compatible but still caused some errors about other parts failing), and videocard upgrades.

 

I do agree though that a CPU upgrade shouldn't change anything.

Grand Master

Jose_49

Posted
Posted

Hw about this one?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K0HMRH2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

If you're going t purchase a PC, be it as future proof as possible. That processor is heading for its 5th year release.

You should look at least at a core i3 4xxx series

Grand Master

xendrome

Posted
Posted

Hw about this one?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K0HMRH2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

If you're going t purchase a PC, be it as future proof as possible. That processor is heading for its 5th year release.

You should look at least at a core i3 4xxx series

 

That's pretty large compared to the USFF Dell or Intel NUC

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • AI is indeed eliminating jobs, and Oracle just proved it

      By leonsk29 · Posted

      Exactly, this is just the beginning. I hope that by that time, our inept politicians devise something like a Universal Basic Income, because unemployment and poverty rates will skyrocket otherwise. And believe me, robots that perform physical work aren't a matter of IF, but WHEN. No career is truly safe from AI/robots, it's just a matter of time.
    • Politically funny images of the World

      By +primortal · Posted

    • Subtitle Edit 5.0.0

      By Copernic · Posted

      Subtitle Edit 5.0.0 by Razvan Serea Subtitle Edit is a powerful, free, and user-friendly subtitle editing tool designed for creating, editing, and converting subtitles for videos. It supports a wide range of subtitle formats, including SRT, ****, and SUB, allowing users to easily modify and adjust subtitles for accurate timing and formatting. With its intuitive interface, Subtitle Edit provides a variety of features such as waveform audio display, spell-check, subtitle synchronization, and real-time video preview, making it an ideal choice for both beginners and professionals. The software also includes powerful tools for batch processing, translating subtitles, and converting between different subtitle formats. Subtitle Edit features: Create/adjust/sync/translate subtitle lines Convert between SubRib, MicroDVD, Advanced Sub Station Alpha, Sub Station Alpha, D-Cinema, SAMI, youtube sbv, and many more (300+ different formats!) Cool audio visualizer control - can display wave form and/or spectrogram Video player uses mpv, DirectShow, or VLC media player Visually sync/adjust a subtitle (start/end position and speed) Audio to text (speech recognition) via Whisper or Vosk/Kaldi Auto Translation via Google translate Rip subtitles from a (decrypted) dvd Import and OCR VobSub sub/idx binary subtitles Import and OCR Blu-ray .sup files - bd sup reading is based on Java code from BDSup2Sub Can open subtitles embedded inside Matroska files Can open subtitles (text, closed captions, VobSub) embedded inside mp4/mv4 files Can open/OCR XSub subtitles embedded inside divx/avi files Can open/OCR DVB and teletext subtitles embedded inside .ts/.m2ts (Transport Stream) files Can open/OCR Blu-ray subtitles embedded inside .m2ts (Transport Stream) files Merge/split subtitles Adjust display time Fix common errors wizard....and more. Subtitle Edit 5.0.0 changelog: Subtitle Edit 5 is a major new release and a big step for the project. For the first time, Subtitle Edit runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux from a single, modern, cross-platform codebase. The builds are self-contained, so no separate .NET installation is required, and on macOS and Linux the needed media components (mpv/ffmpeg) are bundled in. Please read before upgrading: Subtitle Edit 5 is a new application, not just an update of Subtitle Edit 4. It has been rebuilt from the ground up to be cross-platform, so: It is not 100% the same app. The look, layout, and some workflows have changed. Some things are in different places, and a few behave differently than in SE4. Not every SE4 feature exists in SE5 yet. SE5 covers all the core editing, conversion, sync, video playback, OCR, and online services, but some of the more specialized SE4 tools are not available yet. Features will continue to be added. If you rely on a specific SE4 feature that is missing, please keep SE4 installed alongside SE5. The easiest way to run both side by side is to use the Portable versions of SE4 and SE5, which keep their settings separate and do not interfere with each other. Which version should I use? Subtitle Edit 5: recommended for most users on Windows 10 (22H2) or newer, macOS 12+, and Linux. Subtitle Edit 4: please continue to use SE4 if you are on an older Windows version (Windows 7/8), or on older / slower computers where SE5 may not run well. SE4 remains available and is the right choice in those cases. To run SE4 and SE5 at the same time, use the Portable versions - you can try SE5 while keeping SE4 as a fallback. Download: Subtitle Edit 5.0.0 | ARM64 | ~60.0 MB (Open Source) Download: Subtitle Edit Portable | 103.0 MB View: Subtitle Edit Homepage | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Google Pixel 11 series: Here's what to expect

      By Hamid Ganji · Posted

      Google Pixel 11 series: Here's what to expect by Hamid Ganji Google Pixel 10 series In recent years, Google has successfully turned its Pixel devices into worthy contenders in the smartphone market. The search giant is now preparing to launch the Pixel 11 series in just a few months, and many Pixel fans are likely wondering what Google has in store for them this year. The next lineup of Google smartphones includes four devices: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. This year, we don’t expect Google to bring revolutionary upgrades to its handsets, and the Pixel 11 series is likely to receive modest hardware improvements alongside a slew of AI-powered features. Here are the rumored specifications of the Google Pixel 11 series ahead of its official debut: When will the new Pixel phones be unveiled? The last two generations of Google Pixel phones (Pixel 9 series and Pixel 10 series) were launched in August, unlike the previous three generations that debuted in October. With that in mind, we expect Google to unveil the Pixel 11 series sometime in August 2026. The exact launch date has yet to be confirmed. Google Pixel 11 CAD renders - Image via AndroidHeadlines How much will the Pixel 11 series cost? Predicting the final price of upcoming smartphones has become increasingly difficult. As you may know, RAM and memory prices are rising sharply, leading to significant increases in the cost of consumer electronics. Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that price increases for some future Apple products are unavoidable, suggesting that the iPhone 18 series could become more expensive. Google has remained tight-lipped about any potential price increases for the Pixel 11 series. If the company manages to maintain last year’s pricing structure, here’s what the lineup could cost: Pixel 11: $799 Pixel 11 Pro: $999 Pixel 11 Pro XL: $1,199 Pixel 11 Pro Fold: $1,799 Given current market conditions, it may be difficult for Google to avoid raising prices unless it adopts cost-saving measures, such as equipping the base model with 8GB of RAM. Google Pixel 11 series anticipated specs: We expect the Google Pixel 11 series to debut with a new Tensor G6 processor as well as an upgraded camera system. The overall design, however, is expected to remain largely unchanged across the lineup. Specifications Pixel 11 Pixel 11 Pro Pixel 11 Pro XL Pixel 11 Pro Fold Display 6.3-inch LTPO AMOLED / 120Hz refresh rate / up to 3100 nits of brightness 6.3-inch Super Actua LTPO OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3600 nits of brightness 6.8-inch Super Actua LTPO OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3600 nits of brightness 8-inch inner screen and 6.4-inch outer display, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3600 nits of brightness RAM & Processor Tensor G6 / 8-12GB of RAM Tensor G6 / 12-16GB of RAM Tensor G6 / 12-16GB of RAM Tensor G6 / 16GB of RAM Storage options 128GB or 256GB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Camera 50MP main sensor, 13MP ultra-wide, 10.8MP 5x telephoto, 10.5MP front camera 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, 42MP selfie camera 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, 42MP selfie camera 50MP main camera, 10.5MP ultra-wide camera, 10.8MP telephoto camera, 10MP front camera, 10MP inner camera Battery 4,840 mAh 4,707 mAh 5,000 mAh 4,658 mAh Software Android 17 Android 17 Android 17 Android 17 The Pixel 11 series won’t be a major departure from its predecessor, with Google instead focusing on subtle improvements and AI additions such as Gemini Intelligence. However, a patent filed by Google suggests the company is working on a removable battery for its smartphones, and we could see this feature make its way to the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Given that nearly all smartphones today lack removable batteries, such a feature would be a welcome addition to future Pixel devices. That said, it may not arrive with this year’s lineup after all, and the final decision is yet to be made by Google. The Pixel 11 series could also face an uphill battle in the market. In the Android segment, Samsung is performing well with the Galaxy S26 series, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 lineup is also expected to launch next month. On the other hand, Apple is preparing to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in September alongside its first foldable iPhone.
    • AMD confirms 26.6.2 FSR driver breaks on many Windows PCs

      By +Eternal Tempest · Posted

      At least AMD is still taking Windows 10 seriously (after the oops) before it consumer extended support ends. @WaltC - Memories, 2x Voodoo in SLI with a Riva TNT with an Aureal A3D soundcard.

  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      timbobit earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      nates earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      dorf went up a rank
      Rookie
    • First Post
      mike_rumble earned a badge
      First Post

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      475
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      172
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      105
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      88
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      70
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!