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

[gurnemanz]

Thank you, trs96.

 

[MoritzRD02]

Just a quick heads-up that I had success with my (so far) barebones 9020 MT with i5-4670. Installing Mojave with the Fenvi T919 Wifi/BT Combo-Card (bcm94360cd) inserted did not work, pluggin' it in afterwards works like a charm though. Only Bluetooth is still choppy at times which annoys me as I would love to use the original Magic Mouse from Apple.

Now if only my RX580 from Sapphire and the new Power Supply would ship I could finish my build...

Thanks again @trs96 for those fantastic guides of yours!

 

[trs96]

Maxed out OptiMac is #19 Best Seller on Amazon Desktops

Amazon.com: Dell Optiplex 9020 Mini Tower Desktop PC, Intel Core i7-4770-3.4 GHz, 32GB Ram, 1TB (1000GB) SSD Drive, WiFi, DVD-RW, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed): Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: Dell Optiplex 9020 Mini Tower Desktop PC, Intel Core i7-4770-3.4 GHz, 32GB Ram, 1TB (1000GB) SSD Drive, WiFi, DVD-RW, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed): Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.com

These are selling well on Amazon. Includes a 1TB SSD installed plus 32 GB of RAM. Win 10 Pro is pre-installed. $460
I doubt that the USB Wifi will work but you can install the Fenvi HB-1200 for about $35. Quad core 2018 Mac Mini costs $300 more and you can't install an RX 580 internally. You pay a lot more and lose performance with an eGPU via TH3. You also pay a lot more to upgrade the Mini to 32GB of RAM. Mac Mini SSD capacity is smaller too. 744 GB less. Both have a 1 year warranty. The Optiplex is much easier to replace or upgrade components. They also cost much less. Advantages of the Mini: Small size, slightly quieter, lower power draw, 4 TH3 ports. Big disadvantage: Stuck with the same CPU and same SSD for the lifetime of the computer, no upgrades allowed.

This Dell 9020 SFF has mostly the same specs as the $759 Core i3 Mini (- Thunderbolt ports) and sells for only $201 on Amazon. Savings of $558. Plenty of room for easy upgrades with the 9020 SFF. Yes, the CPU, RAM and SSD are slightly slower but if saving $558 is worth it to you it's still a good choice.

Amazon.com: Fast Dell Optiplex 9020 Small Form Business Desktop Mini Tower Computer PC (Intel Core i5-4570, 8GB Ram, 256GB SSD, WIFI, DVD-RW) Win 10 Professional (Renewed): Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: Fast Dell Optiplex 9020 Small Form Business Desktop Mini Tower Computer PC (Intel Core i5-4570, 8GB Ram, 256GB SSD, WIFI, DVD-RW) Win 10 Professional (Renewed): Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.com

 

[MrTree]

I’m going forward in my upgrading journey... The FENVI-HB1200 arrived.

I put it in the 4x PCi and WiFi works!

No Bluetooth... does it need internal USB port? And if yes, how I connect it? I see only 2 ports linked to front USB. But the plug on the cable provided by FENVi is not suitable. Neither would fit.

Any advice?

 

[trs96]

Any advice?

For BT you'd need to use an external USB 2.0 port on the back of your case. 9 pin to USB type A adapter is required. Search this thread as others have done this before. If I recall they used a cable something like this:

CRJ 9-Pin USB IDC Dupont Male Header to Single USB 2.0 Type A Male Cable | eBay

Only The Bottom 5 Pins Are Wired To The USB Connector Intended For Single USB Connection Header Device (Note: Properly Designed Single USB Header Devices Always Use This Bottom Row First). All 9 Pins Are Included In This Cable To Provide A Solid Connection To Your USB Header Connector.

www.ebay.com

 

[MrTree]

For BT you'd need to use an external USB 2.0 port on the back of your case. 9 pin to USB type A adapter is required. Search this thread as others have done this before. If I recall they used a cable something like this:

CRJ 9-Pin USB IDC Dupont Male Header to Single USB 2.0 Type A Male Cable | eBay

Only The Bottom 5 Pins Are Wired To The USB Connector Intended For Single USB Connection Header Device (Note: Properly Designed Single USB Header Devices Always Use This Bottom Row First). All 9 Pins Are Included In This Cable To Provide A Solid Connection To Your USB Header Connector.

www.ebay.com

As ever... Great hint! Thanks!

 

[emirv]

No Bluetooth... does it need internal USB port? And if yes, how I connect it? I see only 2 ports linked to front USB. But the plug on the cable provided by FENVi is not suitable. Neither would fit.

Any advice?

Was there anything plugged into that Front Panel port? That is a 9 pin male, since the 3.0 should be plugged into the blue spot (USB3_Front). See the photo attached.

 

[trs96]

Was there anything plugged into that Front Panel port? That is a 9 pin male, since the 3.0 should be plugged into the blue spot (USB3_Front). See the photo attached.

You can't use that like you would a regular USB 2.0 header on the larger MT boards. Wired differently. As MrTree said, the BT cable on the Fenvi doesn't fit that 9 pin front panel connector anyway.

 

[MrTree]

Was there anything plugged into that Front Panel port? That is a 9 pin male, since the 3.0 should be plugged into the blue spot (USB3_Front). See the photo attached.

Yeah, there was a black 9 pin connector linking to front 2.0 USB ports, but it was different from what I guess is the "standard" for mainboards. Just like as @trs96 explained.

 

[lofidub]

I just cut off the end of a USB cable and joined it up, works fine, make sure you know what your doing tho.