Why is the Optiplex 3010 not included in this Guide ?
There are a few reasons why you shouldn't use the 3010 (any form factor) with this guide. I've stated in the guide that the 7010 and 9010 are more alike than different. Pretty much the same other than the numbers 7 and 9. When looking at the 3010 model from the same generation there is a night and day difference in what you get, even though the cases the 3010s come in look almost exactly the same as the related 7010/9010 models.
I had one briefly for testing so I tried a Mojave install with a customized Unibeast installer described in post #1. I flashed the BIOS to a newer version and was able to install Mojave UEFI and it did work. The 3010 had an i3-3245 with HD4000. Surprisingly even the audio and HDMI audio worked when I reached the desktop. After that not much else worked. It had frequent freeze ups. Here are the seven reasons this guide is not a good fit.
- The 3010 uses the older Intel H61 chipset. (used for Sandy Bridge systems - makes CPUPM more difficult)
- It doesn't have the Realtek ALC269 audio chip (uses Conexant)
- Gigabit Ethernet LAN is Realtek and not Intel. Intel is preferred.
- All 8 USB ports are USB 2.0 not 3.0. (only 2 ports in front)
- Only has the slower Sata 2 connectors on the motherboard.
- Maximum ram of 8GB according to Dell. 2 x 8GB would probably work.
- No DP output onboard (DP is preferred to HDMI for a CustoMac)
Here is a comparison of the
Z77, Q77 (7010/9010) and
H61 (3010) chipsets - Q77 offers everything the Z77 does
So to sum this up, what you are getting with the 3010 is much more like a Sandy Bridge based Optiplex 390. The main difference is that you can install an Ivy Bridge i3 or i5 CPU into the 3010 and it will work with the BIOS/UEFI that was added.
Dell cut a lot of corners to hit a lower price point. When you look at the prices of these refurbished they are not much lower than the 7010 or 9010 Optiplex machines. You'll be more likely to get an i3 or Pentium CPU instead of an i5 CPU and miss out on most of the nicer features that the 7010 or 9010 will give you. If you can find a 3010 at an extremely low price it may be worth trying it. Just don't use all the customized SSDTs that are included in this guide. They are specific for patching the DSDTs of only a 7010 or 9010. The USB Ports are also totally different on the 3010. Don't use the custom USB-SSDT. On the postive side for the 3010, the CPU fan was the quietest I've ever heard on a Dell. The case build quality and condition was also excellent. Would be perfect to use as a Windows 10 desktop if you need to use Windows.
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