Dell Optiplex 7020/9020 SFF Desktops at Amazon

[Eltos]

So is the OptiMac limited to Monterey? Or is there a SMBIOS that would work given the processor restrictions? Not really a big deal since at these prices, even a couple of good years on Monterey would be a steal.

 

[trs96]

So is the OptiMac limited to Monterey?

I'd say that it's best to stop there. It doesn't make sense to try and use a 2017 Kaby Lake iMac SMBIOS with these. Anyone that must have Ventura should probably buy at least a 7th Gen Optiplex 5050/7050 with an i5-7400/7500. HD630 graphics should still be supported in Ventura as they are a slightly slower form of UHD630. The one year older Skylake i5-6500 has HD530 which is not supported.

I have no plans to buy a 7th gen Optiplex so there will be no guide posted from me. Anyone interested will need to take what they've learned and create their own OC EFI folder to make it work. iMac18,1 18,2 or even 18,3 would be the SMBIOS choices. Depends on what graphics are present. The Radeon Pro 570 (RX 570) was used in the 18,3 models so anyone with a 570/580 should use that.

See the Kaby Lake section of this guide: https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Install-Guide/config.plist/kaby-lake.html#starting-point

 

[trs96]

For anyone that owns an Optiplex 7020/9020 running Monterey. Keep using it till at least after WWDC 2023 next year.

By mid-June 2023 we'll know what will still be supported. If you wait, prices for 8th and 9th gen Coffee Lake systems will have dropped lower next year. In a best case scenario, you can easily buy the 8th Gen Coffee lake based Optiplex. Then you get UHD630 with Metal 3 support. You can use iMac 19,1 and get longer macOS support than using a 2017 iMac SMBIOS.

The iMac "Core i5" 3.0 27-Inch Aluminum (Retina 5K, 2019/Coffee Lake) features a 14-nm "Coffee Lake" 3.0 GHz Intel "Core i5" processor (I5-8500) with six independent processor "cores."

The Mac mini 2018 has UHD630 graphics so support is 100%. HD630 (Kabylake) is slightly slower but should work with Ventura as well. Testing must be done once the public beta comes out. HD530 iGPU (Skylake) definitely will need spoofing.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HZ3SR3T/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Here are all of the Desktop Coffee Lake Intel i5 CPUs that also have Windows 11 support. Note that Windows 10 will no longer get security updates after about October of 2025. When buying a PC for longer term use this is important. Especially if you will use this for macOS and gaming in Windows.

This Dell Optiplex 7060 is what I'd opt for if buying another Dell Optiplex. Still a little high priced but a good value. If you try building a 8th/9th gen Core i5 16GB system from components you'll spend a lot more money than what a 7060 costs.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HZ3SR3T/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[trs96]

The Amazon seller Skytech USA LLC now sells the 16GB 512GB SSD, i5-4570 version for $165.
Free delivery helps keep your cost low too, just add your state's sales tax to the selling price.

Has everything you'll need to get started on the way to a fully functional hack. Just supply your own monitor or TV and get going in a few days from now. You'll need to buy a low cost DP to HDMI adapter if you don't have a monitor with DisplayPort input. Find them on Amazon.com as well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017Q8ZVWK/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Still in the top two best sellers for desktops on Amazon.com

 

[trs96]

7020 SFF Certified Refurbished for $117
​

If you want to use your own SSD and upgrade the ram yourself this is a very good option. If you go much below this price and get an Ebay refurb for under $100 the PC is generally scratched dented and dinged up with some sticker residue too. Those are all the ones that the Pro Refurbishers have rejected. So spend a little more and get a good one with a warranty included. You can return these for a refund within 90 days if you're not happy with it. A risk free 90 day trial for your first hackintosh, can't argue with that.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CTT3LK2/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

If you do want 16GB and an SSD pre-installed the price has now dropped to $159 on Amazon. They will keep edging lower as more and more sellers compete. Keep watching for deals.

 

[trs96]

Today, on Amazon.com, the i7-4770 version with 32GB of ram outsells the base model M1 Mac mini. 8GB of ram is not enough in 2022. 32GB works well for most any purpose, gaming, content creation, photo editing etc. Prevents a lot of page filing that wears on your SSD. Yes, the 9020 is a lot bigger but the price is a lot smaller too. Almost $400 smaller. With sales tax figured in the 9020 will be more than $400 less.

You can even install a fast PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive into the 9020. Very easy BIOS mod allows booting directly from an NVMe SSD. Then you're not limited to a paltry 256GB of internal storage. Many 1TB NVMe SSDs sell for under $100.

Install and boot from an NVMe SSD on a Dell OptiPlex 9020, 7020 or 3020

How to modify the BIOS of a Dell Optiplex 9020, 7020 or 3020 so that it can boot from a PCIe NVMe SSD Drive for maxiumum performance.

www.tachytelic.net

If you custom order your Mac mini to get 16GB and 1TB NVMe storage, what does that cost ?

About three times what a 9020 SFF will cost with 32GB of ram and a 1TB NVMe drive. I would be paying nearly $72 just in sales tax to get a new custom configured mini.

The M1 minis are certainly worth the asking price. The disk, CPU and ram speeds can't be matched by hardly any new PC in that price range. If you can't spend that much though, the 9020 SFF is best alternative that I've tried.

 

[Hamburgler-03]

What is better for a hack ?

HP 8300 SFF ?
HP z220 SFF ?
HP 600 G1 SFF ?
HP 600 G2 SFF ?
Dell 9020 SFF ?

The HP’s have 4 Sata ports and support (2) large 3.5” hard drives
The G1 is Haswell and the G2 support DDR4
How is the Bios ?
Which is better for Hackintosh ?
Dell Bios or HP bios ?…

 

[trs96]

What is better for a hack ?

All are equally good. Pick the one that has the best selection of ports and connectors for your needs.
If you want to eventually upgrade to Ventura get the HP 600 G3 with at least a core i5-7500. i7-7700 is better.

 

[Popwell]

Awesome. I still had my old HP Elite 8000 with Yosemite, it worked flawlessly for 5 years, but it won't accept ultrawide screens (only display in 16/9 with black bars on the side) and Yosemite is very old and not supported anymore. So I'm retiring it next week (will put Win10 on it instead), and my next move will be to get one of these Dell Optiplex i7 from Amazon and finally be up to date with Monterey.
I mostly use towers for burning Blu-ray discs and ripping them (to backup my collection), and for main family computer use.
Otherwise I have a Mac Mini 2018 1tb/32gb I got from a professional photographer for 1000 (he bought it 18 months before for 2500 !). Still way higher priced than a Dell Optiplex, but I make sure I always have a working Mac at home (makes life easier), so that I can go back to it for anything needed for work a hack.

 

[trs96]

I have a Mac Mini 2018 1tb/32gb I got from a professional photographer for 1000 (he bought it 18 months before for 2500 !). Still way higher priced than a Dell Optiplex, but I make sure I always have a working Mac at home (makes life easier), so that I can go back to it for anything needed for work a hack.

The mini has always been my favorite Mac. It's what got me to switch to OS X about 17 years ago. I have 3 older ones that all still work so I keep them around and use them often. They were revolutionary when they first came out. Today there are hundreds of mini PCs that run Windows or Linux. None of them can compete with the mini. Even the latest M1 models are a good value and are great performers.