Interestingly corporate, but old Dells did it better.
| Specs | |
|---|---|
| Mobo | Optiplex 755 MT (LGA775, BTX) |
| Chipset | Intel Q35 Express Chipset |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (4x2.4GHz) or Q6700 (4x2.6GHz), not sure |
| RAM | 4GB DDR2 800MHz (4x1GB) |
| GPU | Integrated Intel GMA 3100 Up to 256MB of system memory |
| Sound | Integrated ADI 1984 HD Audio IC |
| Storage | 320GB (HDD1) + 240GB (HDD 2) |
| Extras | None |
| Operating System | Windows 7 (HDD 1) Debian (HDD2) |
What's up with it?: The budget build hero of yesteryear, the darling of frugal servers, the love of many users worldwide, and decidedly the least cool computer I own - it's the Dell Optiplex 755! Known for its high build quality and durability, it's been around for quite a few years, but its duty up until 3-4 years ago was to help my family with general computing, running Win7. The OS was left over (the only thing it had on an otherwise fresh installation was Opera) and a Debian install was added on another hard drive. This config is how it originally arrived, and while I have no way of confirming if it was built to that spec from the factory, it must've been pretty expensive for 2007, which in no way impacts my opinion of it.
Fifth wheel: It's not used much, because I have no real use for it right now. And not just that; some of its characteristics make me not want to use it at this moment.
Some of the capacitors are bloated, and one in particular shows signs of leaking. The computer boots and is stable, but it's a matter of time before it magic smokes itself. The lack of a discrete graphics card can be felt, and if I want to use the Optiplex to test games and software it would most definitely benefit from a proper GPU. Here's the catch, though: this PC has a BTX motherboard - an oddity that never got a foothold in the market. It is characterized by the user feeling second thoughts the moment they open the case, as it's mounted on the opposite side of what would be a regular ATX PC. It was supposed to be an improvement over the ATX standard's thermal and structural design and be both more suitable for small-form-factor applications, as well as be more spacious... except for the PCIe slot. I don't have a single graphics card that would fit in the thing; the huge fan shroud obstructs mounting big (nowadays standard-sized) GPUs. And, speaking of the fan, it's starting to show signs of wear - or rather, signs of wear are starting to be audible. I dunno if the fan, with its shroud and all, is replaceable or user-serviceable. When the music stops, i might be screwed.
However, when I did use this Optiplex, it was remarkably stable and comfortable to use when paired with win7 and a up-to-date Debian install. For a little while I would plug harddrives I'd get for file recovery/virus rescue/cleanups into it. Back then, it got its Internet over a WiFi tethering from a crappy Android phone, which is something that ...works, but not something that one should be particularly proud of. Right now it's resting in storage and patiently waiting for my attention. And I'll tell you what - it deserves another in-depth look and some TLC done to it.
Future plans: Hmmm...
Give it a clean and de-dust, replace the capacitors, maaaaaybe replace the fan if I can, add a nice capable and compatible GPU (GeForce 8800 or 9600, or a Radeon 2900XT), and then we'll talk. Probably gonna fill it up with drives (after all, what is 1 occupied 5,25" slot in 2007?), a floppy drive, and a 3,5" card reader for convenience. Also, a Wi-Fi network card would be great if I were to use it regularly. This Optiplex in itself is a fine, durable machine, and it's a nice candidate for a "workshop" type of PC to make working with retro PCs easier. Alternatively, given that the hardware was pretty rad for 2007 it could make for a powerful ~2007-era rig (with Crysis, GTA IV and Borderlands being the upper benchmarks) until I do a real 2007 build. You know, with clear plastics, kilograms of copper and LEDs.
