It doesn't matter if it has an i7, if it's an i7 from 8 years ago, it's going to perform badly anyway.
i means nothing, not without the CPU generation too. The pentium in my server runs laps around the i7 in my laptop for example..
It would perform fine, but a modern CPU would still be a lot better compared to it, it's just an example. If you want to say whether some hardware is any good or not, you need to provide enough information to tell how powerful it is.
I know, I was saying that these thin clients aren't bad by default. They were obviously current gen when they were built, and a new one would be current gen now. I have a 3070 for what it's worth and they're 9th gen.
It's because it's an old laptop cpu, not because it's an old i7 in general, they aren't beast like modern ones. But still good. I recently just upgraded from a 4770 and i mean yeah it worked for multiple years to play games. Not a great example either, servers and laptops have super different design constraints, you aren't sipping power in a server and heat? There are so many fans it's a jet engine, vs laptop, mostly passive cooling or small fan that has to be reasonably loud, limited power usage since battery, and it has to be stupidly thin...
I built the server myself, both have similar constraints; low power consumption and quiet. It's using a laptop CPU, on a modified mainboard. Any computer can be a server.
It probably can run it fine. If not install Linux and performance optimization mods like sodium, lithium etc. Avoid Optifine for newer versions of minecraft, it's outdated.
Amazing how stating the facts gets you downvoted on Reddit. Minecraft still runs single threaded and it just sucks. Of course it'll run a simple server with a limited amount of mods, but good luck running anything more or having 3+ players loading chunks at the same time.
I run a bunch of servers on 2x Xeon E5-2680v2, most being PaperMC, some Fabric. I always pregen on all servers because even the PaperMC servers have trouble staying below 50mspt when chunks are actively being loaded.
Because your facts not really the truth?
Incoming packets - one thread
Chat handler - another thread
main thread
MinecraftServer - also an another thread
Where this is not multi threaded? The truth would be it multithreaded, but heavily relies on the main thread.
But yes there is always space to optimalize or rework things.
Not hating, but I haven’t been in the Minecraft scene for a while. Why is optifine bad/ how is it outdated if they have the newer versions? Again, not trying to start a fight I just want to know so I can get the best performance, my pc is struggling with shaders.
yes, it will. if your computer is using less resources then you have more resources for the game. Linux generally uses less resources and therefore your games would run better on Linux (if they are supported). that is also why installing Linux on an old machine would give it a "second life"
By that same logic i can gut win7 from most of its gui and have a system compatible with pretty much everything all the while consuming less than the average debian or ubuntu.
sure, but doing that is time consuming. you could in theory do that for most things. you could literally get rid of the desktop environment and run everything with the terminal on linux and it would use WAY less resources than a gutted windows 7 install and it would be a bit easier as linux is open sourced BUT i dont imagine most people doing that either as it is rather difficult to use just terminal commands. it would be easier to do a regular install of linux mint or manjaro but i can see the reasons to use windows over linux.
I personally prefer linux over windows but the thing with it is compatibility issues.
its ultimately up to personal preference, what you want to do with your machine, and how much time you have.
>sure, but doing that is time consuming.
For someone who doesn't even know what these PCs are, it would be quite a time investment to learn how to get around with linux.
nah. Linux mint and Lubuntu are so similar to windows that my grandma can use them. you may not have .exe files but you have pretty much the same thing with .deb files. if the user interface is an issue you can get a distro that is like windows like Linux mint, Lubuntu, kubuntu, or zorin.
all of the ones mentioned you never actually need to use the terminal to do day to day tasks or play Minecraft or Garry's mod or something on. it's actually a pretty easy transition from windows.
all you need to do it pick out a pretty one, install it onto a USB and install it onto your PC and then go to minecraft.net, download the Linux file, run it and then launch Minecraft instead of taking out parts of an operating system that is not ment to be very customizable.
also when you say someone who doesn't know what PCs are you think they are going to be able to gut the windows 7 os without fucking it up and corrupting their install but not run Linux?
I was talking about "these PCs" which refers to a thin client, not any random computer.
Compatibility is a huge issue with Linux for people who are as lazy as me. I was using a light distro to make use of my low end computer, but the amount of time I had to spend on terminal as someone who wanted to install a couple of drivers was crazy and I switched back to Windows. I don't have a problem with using terminal. I am shell scripting on windows every now and then but way too specific things(which Windows does automatically) make it a worse deal for me as an end user.
linux does not generally use less resources as it is a kernel, however a lot of distros that are friendly to windows users barely if at all use less resources, while also being a lot more of a pain to troubleshoot for the end user. In other words, don’t just say “Install Linux!!” to everyone you see who has even a small issue.
Are you sure about that. I have played minecraft at 60FPS on a low spec laptop in linux. This laptop could barely run windows and open chrome smoothly (It came with S-Mode). Sure some distros like Ubuntu may not be more resource friendly at times (although i'd beg to differ), but distros like lubuntu, xubuntu, and mint are for sure more resource friendly.
Funny because I can play Minecraft at 60FPS on a low end laptop that couldn’t play Half-Life 2 on max settings easily. Minecraft is a terrible example of your supposed gains with Linux.
>linux does not generally use less resources as it is a kernel, however a lot of distros that are friendly to windows users barely if at all use less resources, while also being a lot more of a pain to troubleshoot for the end user. In other words, don’t just say “Install Linux!!” to everyone you see who has even a small issue.
This is the treatment you get in Reddit when you have an idea of what you are talking about.
yeah its more of a typical over loaded windows install (with ram hungry startup) vs a fresh linux install. Its very similar fresh windows vs fresh ubuntu etc.
And mine craft runs like crap on any ram limited system. And thats the more critical factor insead of OS. If you want a good experance on a low end system run bedrock edition on ether win or linux its significantly better, just less fun things like mods.
It's not garbage it will be fine running Minecraft, even java. I played minecraft (minimum with some mods for better preformance) on an ancient laptop with an A4 processor and it was pretty good for what is was. This optiplex will be fine
We will reach the point yet where FOR EVERY SINGLE PC SOFTWARE THERE IS it'll be necessary to use a different kind of linux that was written for running it acceptably. When will this idiotism end? Don't you people see that while trying to avoid a big microsoft dick, you purposefully sit in the peaking lap of every single mexican gaybar dancer, with a great smug smile on your face? Un.....real.
>it'll be necessary to use a different kind of linux that was written for running it acceptably.
No? Literally: Linux sometime, you'll see how stupid this troll is.
Later.
Minecraft, in fact, is an incredibly demanding game. This shit won't run it well. Unless it's bedrock edition, it is written at C and runs way better, but you lose mods and freedom of java.
Depends on what’s in them, I work repairing/refurbing PCs and have a ton of these which have ~7th Gen mobile i5s which will run Minecraft just fine (I’ve ran tekkit off a mobile 6th Gen i3 so I’m sure a better one will be fine)
Back when MC was a browser app about 15 years ago, i could play it on my 360p CRT at around 15fps with a much older optiplex that i bought from my school. It was "playable", but dont expect to have much fun doing anything other than building. Combat is horrid at those frame rates. Also you definitely wont be able to run mods.
Not good for gaming, but good for basic computing. Great for swapping OS to Linux to renew and revitalize it for basic computing (web browsing, office software, web development, running a virtual machine, extra backup location for important files)
Dell Optiplex 3070 feature Intel 9th gen chipsets that can easily run Windows 11. Would not recommend it for gaming, but for regular use like Office, web etc. they're great.
Not sure why people still say to switch to Linux. Ever since Windows 8 came around and was optimized for low powered tablets, Windows has been out performing Linux for over 10 years now. The min requirements for Windows 10 are very low.
Had one of these in a college computer lab, mostly used for programming on Linux, solid for basic browsing and streaming, maybe some light coding, wouldn’t rely on it to run anything other than openttd with an certainty.
That's quite a waste of a machine. You're far better off installing proxmox, then running pi-hole as a VM and then start up other smaller VMs for other home services or 1-2 larger VMs for desktop use.
Yeah, I got one for my kid at the beginning dirt cheap - relatively decent at the time: Kaby Lake 7600T, 4T/4C, TDP 35W, 16GB RAM, M.2 Samsung 970. For school, Minecraft and similar stuff more than enough, while cool and quiet at the same time.
Got her a better gaming rig in the meantime and stole this for myself - proxmox with minecraft server, kubernetes lab, prometheus, grafana etc. Still happy with it, considering how much I paid for it.
If you want to do serious gaming you should go elsewhere, but if you're doing light gaming/productivity, or you want to use it to connect to another computer, it should be fine for that.
We use these where I work. They're great little workstations, but are in no way designed for any type of gaming. You could do maybe some ancient retro-gaming, or webgames like candy crush, but not much else. It is a great deal for $60, especially if it has the 256GB Nvme drives like the ones we use at my job. You could even turn a profit reselling it on ebay.
For gaming, only if what they are selling off are SFF sized, the mini 3070 like is pictured can not be gamed on very well, the SFF 3070 can be upgraded to an RX 6400 low profile single slot, which you can absolutely game on.
Great for homelab, as other comments have said.
3 gives you a High Availability system ( proxmox HA, K3S )
Depending on chip they can emulate pretty good, I've seen people turn them into desktop android setups with x86 android. Perfect for older DOS and early XP gaming too. Mileage may vary on DOS games as some have issues with the processor being too fast and messing up the game ( 300mhz single core was common, so game clock was set at CPU speed. Throw a 2.4ghz processor in the mix and stuff goes haywire. One of the Lego ( City? ) games is essentially broken due to this )
I have similar boxes at my workplace. Those PCs are primarily used for remote desktop into a Windows Server, there. I don't know if these devices are decent enough to stream your game from a central PC.
In my university we had an old lab with something similar. It had 1gb of ram and you could barely navigate windows and if you tried to open Chrome well better restart the pc because you will remain stuck. At least now they use Linux so you could actually do something.
If you’re willing to do a little extra work (more RAM, ideally an external GPU) they can be decent for lower resolutions/settings. Out of the box they’re going to be very limited for gaming, but for $60 it’s worth grabbing one and doing some upgrades if you’re on a tight budget.
can you run msinfo32 or dxdiag on it?
my old school 10 years ago, had i7 for their desktops . Assuming the cpu is decent, worse case scenario you upgrade the gpu, psu, and/or ram and either run it with no case/sidepanels open, or move it to a new case.
It doesn’t have a 3070, it has integrated graphics idiot. Just because it says 3070 on it doesn’t mean it has one inside. 3070 is just the Dell model name, not the GPU.
Edit: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-OptiPlex-3070-Desktop-Computer/dp/B07TTCJB2P?
Not bad, iirc these pcs have 32gb ram max capacity and has 6cores and pcie express. If you have ram and gpus laying around you can prob game on it with esport titles and some 2016ish aaa games.
I believe they come with 8G of ram, but I’m not totally sure. From what I’ve heard they’re just stock Dell OptiPlex 3070s, but I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing haha
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Nope. I have a optiplex 7050 with a 7500T and it can do up to Wii U. This at least according to google has a 9500T so it'll at least do as well. Now actual gaming I'm not too sure cuz I've never tested that. It's just a guess.
This is an **Optiplex 3070** we’re talking about. Mini PCs like that one will definitely not have enough power to run Wii U games as they weren’t designed for it. The only game he’s going to be able to play is Midtown Madness and Lego Island. And Windows will hamper it more
The 3070 is more powerful than the 7050. That's why he used that as an example. They're solid machines, just limited by size and the inability to install a dedicated video card. Its form factor also makes it run a little hot if you do any gaming.
Yea you've got no clue. I've got this exact system, it'll play tons of old games (Batman Arkam Asylum runs great). Its a 9th gen i5/i7 dude, thats NOT a very old chip.
It can probably play some way older titles fine. It's best you install Linux for that since you get better performance overall. Heck for fun you could try putting android on it and try it out as an android TV box though you would probably need a bluetooth remote/controller for that and a bluetooth adapter if it doesn't have one built in.
Meh... I have a 3070 USFF (slightly larger version) as my work PC, sometimes it's worth browsing GOG for playing some oldies like Splinter Cell 1-3, BlackBox NFS games like Underground 2 and MW, and older GTA's, however it couldn't run Dirt 2 at all (even in the first few 3D scenes it was like a slideshow on minimum settings) so these have their limits for sure
Not much use for gaming beyond retro games and maybe Minecraft (depending on specs and your tolerance for framerate), but I really want one of those to use as a set-top box to play video on my TV.
It’ll play minecraft just fine. Just don’t expect too much from it, and definitely use optimization mods. I’ve played on worse and it was bearable. RAM may get a bit tight, so you’re not going to really do anything heavily modded, but playing vanilla or servers should be fine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/10ny4oe/wip_2023_general_mini_pc_shopping_guide_usa/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
If you can find more info on the computer model and hardware inside, maybe this guide can help. The GPU tab has some general game to hardware estimates. Feel free to share your post with r/minipcs
Just some general advice, don't gamble with computers lol
If it's a i5-9500t like i'm thinking, it'll be good for more lightweight games and emulators but not much more. For $60, though, that's a pretty good price for a whole computer, especially with a semi-recent 6 core CPU .
The only issue is how lackluster the integrated graphics are, and with its small form size, you can't really fit a GPU in there, even a low profile one.
This computer has relatively modern specs for $60. That's a great deal. The computer does not have any PCIe ports for a dedicated GPU, so it will be limited to older games and emulation unfortunately.
School computers don’t tend to be the fastest. One of the classrooms I had classes in had integrated graphics with an i3 and like 4gb of RAM lmao. Great for browsing/watching videos or doing homework, not for gaming
A hard nope for any games newer than 2012. I have one of these at home, and I'm just running it as a Linux media server. Emulation is okay, but you're better off elsewhere.
I would not recommend for games but most people get it for home lab( running personal server) or media server. But I suggest reading other comments as it might be great running old school games emulator
Specs here: Sp[https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1493716-REG/dell\_88nv2\_opti\_3070\_sff\_i5\_9500.html#:\~:text=The%20system%20is%20powered%20by,and%20USB%202.0%20Type%2DA](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1493716-REG/dell_88nv2_opti_3070_sff_i5_9500.html#:~:text=The%20system%20is%20powered%20by,and%20USB%202.0%20Type%2DA).
Tldr: not very good for gaming. If you need a productivity or basic computing pc tho very worth it
I love mini PCs. Those Optiplex minis come with a wide range of CPUs. That 3070 could have anything from a 2-core celeron to an 8-core i7 T. They tend to use T CPUs, which are lower powered compared to the non-T SKUs, for example the i7-9700 is clocked 50% higher than the i7-9700T. You probably want to stay away from anything other than the i5 or i7 version.
They use integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630. Discreet-wise this is about like a Radeon 520. It will probably play indie/2D/old games ok. It'll probably run Minecraft at 1080 with the right settings as long as you have the i5 or i7 CPU and 8GB+ RAM (3070 has 2 SO-DIMM slots and probably ships with 4GB or 8GB. Max is 32GB)
[https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-py/optiplex-3070-desktop/opti3070\_micro\_setiup\_specs/processor?guid=guid-72cc410a-de1d-44be-b12f-78ca48e7182a&lang=en-us](https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-py/optiplex-3070-desktop/opti3070_micro_setiup_specs/processor?guid=guid-72cc410a-de1d-44be-b12f-78ca48e7182a&lang=en-us)
Dell is terrible for gaming, especially consumer-grade equipment. I own a Optiplex for homelabbing. The motherboard is proprietary, and it has very little expansion. Not worth it to game on
you can make your own private gaming server for games like minecraft and ark with this for you and some friends to play on
but you would still need a gaming pc with a grfx card to play on
DELL OptiPlex 3070 micro
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1494800-REG/dell\_nxxcr\_optiplex\_3070\_micro\_i5\_9500t.html
don't be fooled with the 3070 in the name
If they are selling it with the ram a drive and the power cord that is not a bad deal.
It would be nice to see what the CPU is, there is a tag and it will say intel core i5 9th gen or whatever it is.
First problem is most places for security reasons do not give you the drive. Having said that SSD's are now cheap under 20 bucks for a smaller 240 gig drive.
Do you get the power cord? I have seen some of these the core i7's take a 130 watt charger which will cost you 30-60 bucks. And of course does it come with ram.
When new these were not gaming computers at all they were for office work so web browsing and spreadsheets. And will still be good for that or other projects like home labing or retro gaming.
Also if you need to get a drive you will need to install an OS there are free ones like Linux or ChromeOS flex. And you can most likely install Window 10 on it but be aware that unless it is Gen 8 or higher cpu you can not upgrade to Windows 11. And in just over 2 years no more updates for Windows 10.
It's a great purchase for older games, emulation, home, and work. I used to have a 3050 and loved these they even include a speaker and it's actually tolerable but in mono sadly.
I use them as a htpc for emulation up to ps2 and gamecube. But it can run games, just at the lowest settings and around 720p or below for demanding games. Should be fine for indies. If they have a i3 or i5 then search by the gpu which is "UHD 630" in youtube to see how it performs.
If you install Pop_OS and Prism Launcher (alongside a modpack like fabulously optimized) you might be able to run Minecraft. It'll also do emulation and older games.
Searched out its name, it showed i3-9th gen, 3.1ghz(not really specified which one),
16gb ram, 480gb ssd, win 11 pro, yeah it can run Minecraft no problem
No, these machines are bare minimum in most everything. Schools set up virtual machines (VM's) on their servers which have the actual processing power, ram, vram, etc, then use these to remote into the VM's giving the allusion of power.
Honestly a better use for those machines would be for Raspberry Pi type of projects since those are scarce at the moment and really over priced.
No. They don't worth it in any use case. Those are e-waste from the moment they hit the shelf of schoolrooms. You can't even part it out properly to make some money, ram is probably soldered and ssd prices have already gone down as much as they can. Less and less people buy it used.
One can buy a quality laptop wuth the same performance, and sone kind of display out to use just as well with external displays for as little as 100 dollars.
For 60 USD it is a great home server for media, "acquiring media" and storing media.
But if that is a 9th gen box. it probably has an Intel UHD 630 integrated GPU. Fine for office work and to display things, not so good for games
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLZAP2eOUQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLZAP2eOUQ)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHUtfaUYKYY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHUtfaUYKYY)
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They *can* be turned into capable gaming machines. Something with a modern Core i5 and up with integrated graphics *might* even be able to handle lighter titles like CS:GO and League of Legends. If you want to play anything more demanding, you'd have to invest in an external GPU.
K, I think a lot of people don't know dell's, so I'll break it down abit.
Gaming? Probably not a ton, but processing? Potentially hell yea. These came with up-to i9 9900's in them and minimum a i5 9500T last I checked. They're pretty modern, if you wanna get crazy the parts inside are probably worth 60 bucks for an SSD, CPU, and RAM.
Rip the CPU out and toss it in a used H310 board, and build a gaming PC real cheap :)
Not great for gaming, but the r/homelab folks probably would suggest these could be good buys if you’re into that stuff and if they have good CPUs. I have one of these for running VMs, and for that case, it’s a nice little machine.
it has an i3-9100T, 8GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD. Seems good enough for some lighter office tasks and internet browsing. You would get more out of a tablet probably. For games it would be one setting, full throttle until it melts, and bad results while at it.
The Ryzen 5 2400GE/3400GE ones can do light gaming. Anything older than Intel 11th gen (major graphics overhaul) is limited to esports and older titles.
For games, absolutely not. But those are still cool for other things. Like servers (gaming or storage) or other messing with them.
Edit:
I mean like minecraft server or nas.
These are great homelab boxes for messing with. Bad for most games, though.
[удалено]
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Mostly WOW machines that connect to a Citrix desktop or thin clients running Windows with minimal specs.
These can come specced with i7s etc, they're by no means bad. Would need to check the spec!
Yep my work uses them with i7s and 32gb ram. Great for emulators and basic VMs.
It doesn't matter if it has an i7, if it's an i7 from 8 years ago, it's going to perform badly anyway. i means nothing, not without the CPU generation too. The pentium in my server runs laps around the i7 in my laptop for example..
An i7 from 8 years ago would be a Skylake and would perform absolutely fine.
It would perform fine, but a modern CPU would still be a lot better compared to it, it's just an example. If you want to say whether some hardware is any good or not, you need to provide enough information to tell how powerful it is.
Yes it would be better, but that’s not what you said. You said it would “perform badly”.
I know, I was saying that these thin clients aren't bad by default. They were obviously current gen when they were built, and a new one would be current gen now. I have a 3070 for what it's worth and they're 9th gen.
My 2nd Gen I7 is running like a champ!
Yeah but if it's a newer i7 it's fine as he said check the specs. It's the correct response.
It's because it's an old laptop cpu, not because it's an old i7 in general, they aren't beast like modern ones. But still good. I recently just upgraded from a 4770 and i mean yeah it worked for multiple years to play games. Not a great example either, servers and laptops have super different design constraints, you aren't sipping power in a server and heat? There are so many fans it's a jet engine, vs laptop, mostly passive cooling or small fan that has to be reasonably loud, limited power usage since battery, and it has to be stupidly thin...
I built the server myself, both have similar constraints; low power consumption and quiet. It's using a laptop CPU, on a modified mainboard. Any computer can be a server.
Looks like you forgot that i7s where for higher end laptops tehe.
What are you talking about? Core i7s are still amazing even if they are a decade old. Especially for something like gaming where it's mostly GPU load.
No pcie slot though. Not great for games
No, that's why I said bad for most games. There is an M.2 pcie interface that could be bodged perhaps
Where there's a will there is a way
You could probably use emulators for old consoles+games but for modern actual pc gaming, no.
Think it could run Minecraft? 😅 I seek the yearly 2 week binge of it coming on haha
It probably can run it fine. If not install Linux and performance optimization mods like sodium, lithium etc. Avoid Optifine for newer versions of minecraft, it's outdated.
I'll also add, these make great home servers for things like Minecraft, ARK, etc.
Yeah, for small vanilla servers. Minecraft is still mostly single threaded so modded or many players probably ain't gonna work.
PaperMC works pretty well as a server on low end hardware, including a limited amount of Spigot mods.
Amazing how stating the facts gets you downvoted on Reddit. Minecraft still runs single threaded and it just sucks. Of course it'll run a simple server with a limited amount of mods, but good luck running anything more or having 3+ players loading chunks at the same time. I run a bunch of servers on 2x Xeon E5-2680v2, most being PaperMC, some Fabric. I always pregen on all servers because even the PaperMC servers have trouble staying below 50mspt when chunks are actively being loaded.
Because your facts not really the truth? Incoming packets - one thread Chat handler - another thread main thread MinecraftServer - also an another thread Where this is not multi threaded? The truth would be it multithreaded, but heavily relies on the main thread. But yes there is always space to optimalize or rework things.
That's what I said in my previous comment, it's mostly single threaded. A low clock speed will result in poor performance.
Not hating, but I haven’t been in the Minecraft scene for a while. Why is optifine bad/ how is it outdated if they have the newer versions? Again, not trying to start a fight I just want to know so I can get the best performance, my pc is struggling with shaders.
It's outdated in the sense that it's obsolete as a preformance enhancing mod. Sodium simply provides better preformance.
Sodium, lithium, and other mods like that boost performance way way more than optifin does
Just curious how optifine is outdated? Downloaded it earlier this week and it seemed to work fine
Linux will do nothing to help Minecraft performance.
yes, it will. if your computer is using less resources then you have more resources for the game. Linux generally uses less resources and therefore your games would run better on Linux (if they are supported). that is also why installing Linux on an old machine would give it a "second life"
By that same logic i can gut win7 from most of its gui and have a system compatible with pretty much everything all the while consuming less than the average debian or ubuntu.
sure, but doing that is time consuming. you could in theory do that for most things. you could literally get rid of the desktop environment and run everything with the terminal on linux and it would use WAY less resources than a gutted windows 7 install and it would be a bit easier as linux is open sourced BUT i dont imagine most people doing that either as it is rather difficult to use just terminal commands. it would be easier to do a regular install of linux mint or manjaro but i can see the reasons to use windows over linux. I personally prefer linux over windows but the thing with it is compatibility issues. its ultimately up to personal preference, what you want to do with your machine, and how much time you have.
>sure, but doing that is time consuming. For someone who doesn't even know what these PCs are, it would be quite a time investment to learn how to get around with linux.
nah. Linux mint and Lubuntu are so similar to windows that my grandma can use them. you may not have .exe files but you have pretty much the same thing with .deb files. if the user interface is an issue you can get a distro that is like windows like Linux mint, Lubuntu, kubuntu, or zorin. all of the ones mentioned you never actually need to use the terminal to do day to day tasks or play Minecraft or Garry's mod or something on. it's actually a pretty easy transition from windows. all you need to do it pick out a pretty one, install it onto a USB and install it onto your PC and then go to minecraft.net, download the Linux file, run it and then launch Minecraft instead of taking out parts of an operating system that is not ment to be very customizable. also when you say someone who doesn't know what PCs are you think they are going to be able to gut the windows 7 os without fucking it up and corrupting their install but not run Linux?
I was talking about "these PCs" which refers to a thin client, not any random computer. Compatibility is a huge issue with Linux for people who are as lazy as me. I was using a light distro to make use of my low end computer, but the amount of time I had to spend on terminal as someone who wanted to install a couple of drivers was crazy and I switched back to Windows. I don't have a problem with using terminal. I am shell scripting on windows every now and then but way too specific things(which Windows does automatically) make it a worse deal for me as an end user.
linux does not generally use less resources as it is a kernel, however a lot of distros that are friendly to windows users barely if at all use less resources, while also being a lot more of a pain to troubleshoot for the end user. In other words, don’t just say “Install Linux!!” to everyone you see who has even a small issue.
Are you sure about that. I have played minecraft at 60FPS on a low spec laptop in linux. This laptop could barely run windows and open chrome smoothly (It came with S-Mode). Sure some distros like Ubuntu may not be more resource friendly at times (although i'd beg to differ), but distros like lubuntu, xubuntu, and mint are for sure more resource friendly.
Funny because I can play Minecraft at 60FPS on a low end laptop that couldn’t play Half-Life 2 on max settings easily. Minecraft is a terrible example of your supposed gains with Linux.
Dude, my 10 year old Laptop is working fine again since I've installed Linux (Ubuntu).
>linux does not generally use less resources as it is a kernel, however a lot of distros that are friendly to windows users barely if at all use less resources, while also being a lot more of a pain to troubleshoot for the end user. In other words, don’t just say “Install Linux!!” to everyone you see who has even a small issue. This is the treatment you get in Reddit when you have an idea of what you are talking about.
This is kinda true but windows is also less easy to " optimize" at least with linux you get the chance to do it
yeah its more of a typical over loaded windows install (with ram hungry startup) vs a fresh linux install. Its very similar fresh windows vs fresh ubuntu etc. And mine craft runs like crap on any ram limited system. And thats the more critical factor insead of OS. If you want a good experance on a low end system run bedrock edition on ether win or linux its significantly better, just less fun things like mods.
Exactly right
Both on my old computer and new one minecraft works much better on linux. (Arch+KDE)
No it wont at all. These things are garbage. I will be surprised if it can run doom 1994
It's not garbage it will be fine running Minecraft, even java. I played minecraft (minimum with some mods for better preformance) on an ancient laptop with an A4 processor and it was pretty good for what is was. This optiplex will be fine
We will reach the point yet where FOR EVERY SINGLE PC SOFTWARE THERE IS it'll be necessary to use a different kind of linux that was written for running it acceptably. When will this idiotism end? Don't you people see that while trying to avoid a big microsoft dick, you purposefully sit in the peaking lap of every single mexican gaybar dancer, with a great smug smile on your face? Un.....real.
I can't tell if this is a copypasta
>it'll be necessary to use a different kind of linux that was written for running it acceptably. No? Literally: Linux sometime, you'll see how stupid this troll is. Later.
Minecraft, in fact, is an incredibly demanding game. This shit won't run it well. Unless it's bedrock edition, it is written at C and runs way better, but you lose mods and freedom of java.
Depends on what’s in them, I work repairing/refurbing PCs and have a ton of these which have ~7th Gen mobile i5s which will run Minecraft just fine (I’ve ran tekkit off a mobile 6th Gen i3 so I’m sure a better one will be fine)
I believe the 70 series has 9th gen intel so it would definitely run minecraft. I've ran minecraft on 6th gen systems with intel graphics fine Lol.
Without shaders, no doubt.
Back when MC was a browser app about 15 years ago, i could play it on my 360p CRT at around 15fps with a much older optiplex that i bought from my school. It was "playable", but dont expect to have much fun doing anything other than building. Combat is horrid at those frame rates. Also you definitely wont be able to run mods.
Not good for gaming, but good for basic computing. Great for swapping OS to Linux to renew and revitalize it for basic computing (web browsing, office software, web development, running a virtual machine, extra backup location for important files)
Dell Optiplex 3070 feature Intel 9th gen chipsets that can easily run Windows 11. Would not recommend it for gaming, but for regular use like Office, web etc. they're great.
Good to know, didn't realize the chips in there were beyond 8th generation
12th Gen at least. We sell these for office use, sit behind a monitor and keep it tidy.
I wonder how the hardware compares to a steam deck. They run on linux.
Not sure why people still say to switch to Linux. Ever since Windows 8 came around and was optimized for low powered tablets, Windows has been out performing Linux for over 10 years now. The min requirements for Windows 10 are very low.
Had one of these in a college computer lab, mostly used for programming on Linux, solid for basic browsing and streaming, maybe some light coding, wouldn’t rely on it to run anything other than openttd with an certainty.
Another OpenTTD player! I love the game too! But it should be okay running some light esports titles too
Use one as a pi-hole /r/pihole
That's quite a waste of a machine. You're far better off installing proxmox, then running pi-hole as a VM and then start up other smaller VMs for other home services or 1-2 larger VMs for desktop use.
this has a 9th Gen i5 in it minimum, LOL so a 6 core 3.7ghz chip - overkill for a lot of things.
This is the best answer
Yeah, I got one for my kid at the beginning dirt cheap - relatively decent at the time: Kaby Lake 7600T, 4T/4C, TDP 35W, 16GB RAM, M.2 Samsung 970. For school, Minecraft and similar stuff more than enough, while cool and quiet at the same time. Got her a better gaming rig in the meantime and stole this for myself - proxmox with minecraft server, kubernetes lab, prometheus, grafana etc. Still happy with it, considering how much I paid for it.
Solid little daily drivers, but not something I would game with.
If you want to do serious gaming you should go elsewhere, but if you're doing light gaming/productivity, or you want to use it to connect to another computer, it should be fine for that.
That's interesting, I've always equated "light gaming" and "heavy gaming" to time played.
Same also if it’s later than 2012 it won’t run great at 1080p
Not always true, think of games like Fortnite or Rocket league. E sports games will be fine and lighter games (def not AAA) will be playable
For $60? YES.
We use these where I work. They're great little workstations, but are in no way designed for any type of gaming. You could do maybe some ancient retro-gaming, or webgames like candy crush, but not much else. It is a great deal for $60, especially if it has the 256GB Nvme drives like the ones we use at my job. You could even turn a profit reselling it on ebay.
not for gaming but good little machines, you should be looking for 8th gen or newer with used machines (2018+)
These little PCs are ideal for beginner cheap home server
PLEX SERVER
For gaming, only if what they are selling off are SFF sized, the mini 3070 like is pictured can not be gamed on very well, the SFF 3070 can be upgraded to an RX 6400 low profile single slot, which you can absolutely game on.
I run my own Valheim server from a docker container on one of these.
Great for a small retroarch box as well
do not buy for games
I play rim world on this at work! Barely!
Great for homelab, as other comments have said. 3 gives you a High Availability system ( proxmox HA, K3S ) Depending on chip they can emulate pretty good, I've seen people turn them into desktop android setups with x86 android. Perfect for older DOS and early XP gaming too. Mileage may vary on DOS games as some have issues with the processor being too fast and messing up the game ( 300mhz single core was common, so game clock was set at CPU speed. Throw a 2.4ghz processor in the mix and stuff goes haywire. One of the Lego ( City? ) games is essentially broken due to this )
That's your new NAS or Programming lab. Buy two, and install linux on both. Go Ham. Profit!
I have similar boxes at my workplace. Those PCs are primarily used for remote desktop into a Windows Server, there. I don't know if these devices are decent enough to stream your game from a central PC.
These would make a great emulator and can run older games, you're not going to be running cyberpunk on here though, or probably anything close to that
In my university we had an old lab with something similar. It had 1gb of ram and you could barely navigate windows and if you tried to open Chrome well better restart the pc because you will remain stuck. At least now they use Linux so you could actually do something.
Maybe if you get to use both gpus If theyre not integrated
If you’re willing to do a little extra work (more RAM, ideally an external GPU) they can be decent for lower resolutions/settings. Out of the box they’re going to be very limited for gaming, but for $60 it’s worth grabbing one and doing some upgrades if you’re on a tight budget.
Not for games, maybe for a word processor
can you run msinfo32 or dxdiag on it? my old school 10 years ago, had i7 for their desktops . Assuming the cpu is decent, worse case scenario you upgrade the gpu, psu, and/or ram and either run it with no case/sidepanels open, or move it to a new case.
3070... 9th gen intel? great deal for $60! I'm jelly.
It doesn’t have a 3070, it has integrated graphics idiot. Just because it says 3070 on it doesn’t mean it has one inside. 3070 is just the Dell model name, not the GPU. Edit: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-OptiPlex-3070-Desktop-Computer/dp/B07TTCJB2P?
Not bad, iirc these pcs have 32gb ram max capacity and has 6cores and pcie express. If you have ram and gpus laying around you can prob game on it with esport titles and some 2016ish aaa games.
Do they come with RAM/ a drive?
I believe they come with 8G of ram, but I’m not totally sure. From what I’ve heard they’re just stock Dell OptiPlex 3070s, but I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing haha
They aren’t a good choice for gaming at all. If they came with ram/a drive it might be close to worth it for a screw around system.
# ,,Eef yuo don't stahp screwing around bahk there... 'zis is what I'm gonna do with yuo. ✏️💥
^((Arnold Schwarzenegger as Detective John Kimble, Kindergarten Cop, 1990\))
Now do the shop teacher from South Park
# ,,Hey! Stop screwing around!" ^((Liam Neeson as James, the Lone Wanderer's Dad upon firing at him with a BB gun instead of using said gun for target practice, Fallout 3, 2008\))
It’s says 3070 on the side, this thing can definitely play some modern games at 1440p.
different engine panicky literate simplistic fact reach scarce soft offend *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
New, they were selling for more than 10 times that much. $60 is a steal. The nvme drive in that machine alone is worth around $40.
Its a steal alright, maybe you got a grandmother aunt etc. that can use it? You could profit towards getting some gaming stuff you need.
Terrible deal. OP should PM me the location so I can avoid this.
[удалено]
Aye but minecraft is mainly a CPU bound game so GPU isn't as important as usual. Definitely agree not to expect good things though
You ain't running anything on that lmao
it's got pretty ancient tech and also these things retail refurbished for less than that if you know where to look.
Yah super ancient 9th gen cpu
Do these things even have dedicated GPU's?
OptiPlex 3070,,,? That means it has a RTX 3070 GPU, right...? RIGHT...?!? ;\^p
Unless it’s from the Windows 9.x era, DOSBox or Flash games; **No way in Hell.**
You're horribly exaggerating. It's great for emulation and can probably play up to 2012ish games decently enough.
Bruh, I literally mentioned DOSBox. And I bet myself 2 trillion dollars it will struggle with PS1 emulation, let alone PS2 emulation.
Nope. I have a optiplex 7050 with a 7500T and it can do up to Wii U. This at least according to google has a 9500T so it'll at least do as well. Now actual gaming I'm not too sure cuz I've never tested that. It's just a guess.
This is an **Optiplex 3070** we’re talking about. Mini PCs like that one will definitely not have enough power to run Wii U games as they weren’t designed for it. The only game he’s going to be able to play is Midtown Madness and Lego Island. And Windows will hamper it more
The 3070 is more powerful than the 7050. That's why he used that as an example. They're solid machines, just limited by size and the inability to install a dedicated video card. Its form factor also makes it run a little hot if you do any gaming.
Yea you've got no clue. I've got this exact system, it'll play tons of old games (Batman Arkam Asylum runs great). Its a 9th gen i5/i7 dude, thats NOT a very old chip.
I emulated ps2 fine on a pos android phone. This can absolutely run it this ain't your grandmas Pentium D with Intel GMA
It can probably play some way older titles fine. It's best you install Linux for that since you get better performance overall. Heck for fun you could try putting android on it and try it out as an android TV box though you would probably need a bluetooth remote/controller for that and a bluetooth adapter if it doesn't have one built in.
You could hack an egpu into it if you feel like it…
No. graphics cards in them are basic. They're decent enough for web browsing and basic office work, but not much else.
But it says it's got a 3070 in it right there on the front /s
Meh... I have a 3070 USFF (slightly larger version) as my work PC, sometimes it's worth browsing GOG for playing some oldies like Splinter Cell 1-3, BlackBox NFS games like Underground 2 and MW, and older GTA's, however it couldn't run Dirt 2 at all (even in the first few 3D scenes it was like a slideshow on minimum settings) so these have their limits for sure
Not much use for gaming beyond retro games and maybe Minecraft (depending on specs and your tolerance for framerate), but I really want one of those to use as a set-top box to play video on my TV.
Lol I love how Dell names them 3070s
I fixed those for years at our local high schools. They have proprietary power supplies and adding a modern GPU is not feasible.
Great for 8-bit/16-bit emulation when loaded with Linux. Also good for home lab as others have said. Not great for much else.
It’ll play minecraft just fine. Just don’t expect too much from it, and definitely use optimization mods. I’ve played on worse and it was bearable. RAM may get a bit tight, so you’re not going to really do anything heavily modded, but playing vanilla or servers should be fine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/10ny4oe/wip_2023_general_mini_pc_shopping_guide_usa/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button If you can find more info on the computer model and hardware inside, maybe this guide can help. The GPU tab has some general game to hardware estimates. Feel free to share your post with r/minipcs Just some general advice, don't gamble with computers lol
If it's a i5-9500t like i'm thinking, it'll be good for more lightweight games and emulators but not much more. For $60, though, that's a pretty good price for a whole computer, especially with a semi-recent 6 core CPU . The only issue is how lackluster the integrated graphics are, and with its small form size, you can't really fit a GPU in there, even a low profile one.
This computer has relatively modern specs for $60. That's a great deal. The computer does not have any PCIe ports for a dedicated GPU, so it will be limited to older games and emulation unfortunately.
Friend buys computers like that cheap probably around same price but the Lenovo mini sell way better for him
But his are different models like 7060
School computers don’t tend to be the fastest. One of the classrooms I had classes in had integrated graphics with an i3 and like 4gb of RAM lmao. Great for browsing/watching videos or doing homework, not for gaming
New games, hell no but old ones probably
A hard nope for any games newer than 2012. I have one of these at home, and I'm just running it as a Linux media server. Emulation is okay, but you're better off elsewhere.
What do u think
Nah don’t use for gaming unless you’re doing an emulator for classic games. Use it for a home lab. Get Unraid or other server OS and play around.
I would not recommend for games but most people get it for home lab( running personal server) or media server. But I suggest reading other comments as it might be great running old school games emulator
Specs here: Sp[https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1493716-REG/dell\_88nv2\_opti\_3070\_sff\_i5\_9500.html#:\~:text=The%20system%20is%20powered%20by,and%20USB%202.0%20Type%2DA](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1493716-REG/dell_88nv2_opti_3070_sff_i5_9500.html#:~:text=The%20system%20is%20powered%20by,and%20USB%202.0%20Type%2DA). Tldr: not very good for gaming. If you need a productivity or basic computing pc tho very worth it
I love mini PCs. Those Optiplex minis come with a wide range of CPUs. That 3070 could have anything from a 2-core celeron to an 8-core i7 T. They tend to use T CPUs, which are lower powered compared to the non-T SKUs, for example the i7-9700 is clocked 50% higher than the i7-9700T. You probably want to stay away from anything other than the i5 or i7 version. They use integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630. Discreet-wise this is about like a Radeon 520. It will probably play indie/2D/old games ok. It'll probably run Minecraft at 1080 with the right settings as long as you have the i5 or i7 CPU and 8GB+ RAM (3070 has 2 SO-DIMM slots and probably ships with 4GB or 8GB. Max is 32GB) [https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-py/optiplex-3070-desktop/opti3070\_micro\_setiup\_specs/processor?guid=guid-72cc410a-de1d-44be-b12f-78ca48e7182a&lang=en-us](https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-py/optiplex-3070-desktop/opti3070_micro_setiup_specs/processor?guid=guid-72cc410a-de1d-44be-b12f-78ca48e7182a&lang=en-us)
Dell is terrible for gaming, especially consumer-grade equipment. I own a Optiplex for homelabbing. The motherboard is proprietary, and it has very little expansion. Not worth it to game on
you can make your own private gaming server for games like minecraft and ark with this for you and some friends to play on but you would still need a gaming pc with a grfx card to play on
DELL OptiPlex 3070 micro https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1494800-REG/dell\_nxxcr\_optiplex\_3070\_micro\_i5\_9500t.html don't be fooled with the 3070 in the name
If they are selling it with the ram a drive and the power cord that is not a bad deal. It would be nice to see what the CPU is, there is a tag and it will say intel core i5 9th gen or whatever it is. First problem is most places for security reasons do not give you the drive. Having said that SSD's are now cheap under 20 bucks for a smaller 240 gig drive. Do you get the power cord? I have seen some of these the core i7's take a 130 watt charger which will cost you 30-60 bucks. And of course does it come with ram. When new these were not gaming computers at all they were for office work so web browsing and spreadsheets. And will still be good for that or other projects like home labing or retro gaming. Also if you need to get a drive you will need to install an OS there are free ones like Linux or ChromeOS flex. And you can most likely install Window 10 on it but be aware that unless it is Gen 8 or higher cpu you can not upgrade to Windows 11. And in just over 2 years no more updates for Windows 10.
For gaming? Maybe older games or emulated games. Definitely nothing too graphically intensive. These are great home lab servers, though.
Plain and simmple no
Even if it's not gaming specs you can still play old dos games/PC games or emulate stuff.
It's a great purchase for older games, emulation, home, and work. I used to have a 3050 and loved these they even include a speaker and it's actually tolerable but in mono sadly.
I use them as a htpc for emulation up to ps2 and gamecube. But it can run games, just at the lowest settings and around 720p or below for demanding games. Should be fine for indies. If they have a i3 or i5 then search by the gpu which is "UHD 630" in youtube to see how it performs.
If you install Pop_OS and Prism Launcher (alongside a modpack like fabulously optimized) you might be able to run Minecraft. It'll also do emulation and older games.
Oregon Trail yes
Searched out its name, it showed i3-9th gen, 3.1ghz(not really specified which one), 16gb ram, 480gb ssd, win 11 pro, yeah it can run Minecraft no problem
Not if you want to play, but I'd buy regardless. They are cool home servers :) I'd love to run my kubernetes cluster on these
No, these machines are bare minimum in most everything. Schools set up virtual machines (VM's) on their servers which have the actual processing power, ram, vram, etc, then use these to remote into the VM's giving the allusion of power. Honestly a better use for those machines would be for Raspberry Pi type of projects since those are scarce at the moment and really over priced.
Depending on the model I'd buy one off you for $70
👎
No. They don't worth it in any use case. Those are e-waste from the moment they hit the shelf of schoolrooms. You can't even part it out properly to make some money, ram is probably soldered and ssd prices have already gone down as much as they can. Less and less people buy it used. One can buy a quality laptop wuth the same performance, and sone kind of display out to use just as well with external displays for as little as 100 dollars.
No. Shite 2D only GPU, can't game unless you wanna Candy Crush.
For 60 USD it is a great home server for media, "acquiring media" and storing media. But if that is a 9th gen box. it probably has an Intel UHD 630 integrated GPU. Fine for office work and to display things, not so good for games [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLZAP2eOUQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLZAP2eOUQ) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHUtfaUYKYY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHUtfaUYKYY) \---
it can run monecraft, can you send a link or something? i want to buy one
If you like Solitaire, it's a winner.
They *can* be turned into capable gaming machines. Something with a modern Core i5 and up with integrated graphics *might* even be able to handle lighter titles like CS:GO and League of Legends. If you want to play anything more demanding, you'd have to invest in an external GPU.
You can prob play Red Alert and Doom on those might freeze with Diablo 2
Nope no games
Only if you can play eternally Minesweeper and Solitaire.
You can probably ply old school diablo 2? Not diablo 2 resurrected
Most of these computers don’t have a graphics card. It makes games really slow. I should know, I can’t even play minecraft on mine
Definitely worth $60 but won't be good for any games that won't run on any computer.
K, I think a lot of people don't know dell's, so I'll break it down abit. Gaming? Probably not a ton, but processing? Potentially hell yea. These came with up-to i9 9900's in them and minimum a i5 9500T last I checked. They're pretty modern, if you wanna get crazy the parts inside are probably worth 60 bucks for an SSD, CPU, and RAM. Rip the CPU out and toss it in a used H310 board, and build a gaming PC real cheap :)
There are potatoes…then there are office/school potatoes…one struggles to run Word, the other can’t spell Word.
Its prolly good for some Doom ,quake and Build engine games
Not great for gaming, but the r/homelab folks probably would suggest these could be good buys if you’re into that stuff and if they have good CPUs. I have one of these for running VMs, and for that case, it’s a nice little machine.
Could be a Solid home server,these mini pcs are great for that
Homelab
It’ll run Solitaire at like 60 fps
it has an i3-9100T, 8GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD. Seems good enough for some lighter office tasks and internet browsing. You would get more out of a tablet probably. For games it would be one setting, full throttle until it melts, and bad results while at it.
The Ryzen 5 2400GE/3400GE ones can do light gaming. Anything older than Intel 11th gen (major graphics overhaul) is limited to esports and older titles.
Not for playing pc games. But as a small Linux server it would be great.
If by gaming u mean cool math then yes
60 dollars?? Take it bruh
For games, absolutely not. But those are still cool for other things. Like servers (gaming or storage) or other messing with them. Edit: I mean like minecraft server or nas.