The 4K Dell OptiMac - 9020 MT - Core i7-4790 - Radeon RX 570 - LG 4K IPS Monitor

[trs96]

'm trying to install Mojave on my Dell Optiplex 9020 but I'm stuck.

How are you connecting to the monitor ? VGA or DP or something else ?

 

[cosmin1993]

How are you connecting to the monitor ? VGA or DP or something else ?

Via VGA

 

[fergusgeorge]

I'm not an expert, but you'll want to use DisplayPort instead....

NOTE: You should always connect your monitor to DisplayPort out and not the analog VGA (blue) 15 pin.
VGA is not supported in macOS. Apple dropped that connection in about 2008.

 

[rhhousehold]

Via VGA

Read the first page of this guide very carefully:

NOTE:

You should always connect your monitor to DisplayPort out and not the analog VGA (blue) 15 pin.
VGA is not supported in macOS. Apple dropped that connection in about 2008.

 

[trs96]

Via VGA

If you don't have DP input on your monitor simply by a DP to HDMI adapter. I've seen them as low as 1 dollar on Ebay.

 

[trs96]

16GB DDR3 Ram Kit at Newegg for $45
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This is a really good price for a 16GB new RAM kit. Used/refurb RAM often costs more than this. The exact same spec RAM kit from Crucial costs $72 on Amazon.com right now. Saving $27 on your RAM is enough to buy a SATA SSD.

It's low voltage 1.35v which is supported by the 7020/9020 Haswell motherboard. May not work in the older Ivy Bridge Dells (7010/9010)

https://www.newegg.com/p/0RN-00A3-000M2?Item=9SIA56XA8J2360&Tpk=9SIA56XA8J2360

The brand Timetec may not look familiar but it's simply Hynix RAM from Korea. Similar to the recommended Samsung RAM. I like the look of the black PCB as opposed to green on the Samsung RAM. If you look closely at the 2018 Mac Mini you'll see that Apple uses the same brand except it's SO-DIMM DDR4 RAM.

 

[gurnemanz]

Thank you. I'm looking forward to next year's first quarter when I can put some of this good advice into action.
Meanwhile, my QuietBooth is likely to be usable this weekend.

 

[trs96]

Optiplex 7020 SFF Core i5-4590 for $147.99
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This is available at Newegg and the seller has 60 of these. Comes with a Windows 10 Home License. The performance of this completely destroys the 2014 Mac mini and comes close to that of the base model 2018 Mac mini. Cost is 651 dollars less than a new 2018 base Mac mini ! With a minor UEFI mod and CFG unlock you can get 4K/60 Hz from the onboard DP output. Something the 2014 Mac mini can't even do. You can also upgrade the ram in this to 24 or 32GB total. Add some of the ram linked to in post #953 above.

Do note that the size and weight of this is much greater than either the 2014 or 2018 Mac mini. These weigh in at 14 lbs or 6.4 kg due to the thick steel case and high quality of the build. The 240W PSU is internal as well.

Dell Optiplex 7020 SFF Quad Core i5 4590 3.3Ghz 8GB DDR3 RAM 500GB Hard Drive Windows 10 - Newegg.com

Buy Dell Optiplex 7020 SFF Quad Core i5 4590 3.3Ghz 8GB DDR3 RAM 500GB Hard Drive Windows 10 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service.Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

 

[triplec76]

I'm thinking about buying more of these. Anywhere I need a Mac. For the price, this just can't be beat because everything is fully functional with the exception of FileVault (can that be turned on in any way? I'd love to have it on). I did buy a USB 3.0 splitter from Moddiy and a USB 3 to USB 2 converter from Amazon so that Bluetooth works on the BCM94360CS2.

 

[trs96]

this just can't be beat because everything is fully functional with the exception of FileVault (can that be turned on in any way?

There will be better support for that once we switch to OpenCore bootloader and Catalina. Stay with Mojave for now and wait till we get the OC info posted.