DELL OPTIPLEX 7040 SFF as BE/FE?

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jimls
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DELL OPTIPLEX 7040 SFF as BE/FE?

Post by jimls »

Needing to update my aged Myth box. Currently an Athlon II X2 255. Considered making it a front end only and probably adding an SSD. But I can pick up a used Dell Optiplex 7040 with i5 6500 and 8G of ram for about $150 (would need to add an SSD for the OS) so thinking it may be good to upgrade the hardware. Some of the used PCs don't have HDMI but this model does. Is Intel HD 530 video good with MythTV? Haven't done much with small form factor cases. Is there enough room to easily add an SSD and maybe a few other things?
Dai_Trying
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Re: DELL OPTIPLEX 7040 SFF as BE/FE?

Post by Dai_Trying »

I'm using a Dell laptop as a be/fe machine and it has similar specs to you (i5-6300hq, IntelHD 530) and have put in 16Gb ram (overkill really for this machine) and a sata ssd which is plenty quick enough for my needs. The only problem I have found so far is transcoding video but I'm pretty sure that's not down to hardware.
As for your question about having enough room for adding an ssd, I would imagine a 2.5" sata hdd would easily fit and the ones I looked at already have them, but if you mean a second drive then I can't say for sure.
jimls
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Re: DELL OPTIPLEX 7040 SFF as BE/FE?

Post by jimls »

Limited drive bays and they are full. Some have removed the thin optical drive and put an SSD there. Others have just put it under the drive bays and let it float. But I discovered it has a M.2 space so I can just install one of those. OS on an SSD should speed things up quite a bit. If anyone else is interested in a PC like that they have several more on ebay. It's the Garten Services store. They are a non-profit that employs disabled people to recycle things including electronics.
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