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

[buffo]

Do we know if Ventura will run on these?

 

[trs96]

Do we know if Ventura will run on these?

Still under NDA. Ventura is only in Developer beta so no discussion.
I would wait till at least September to ask for a definitive answer to that question.
In the mean time, Monterey still works perfectly on this hardware when using Haswell Mac mini 7,1.

Dell Optiplex 7020/9020 using OpenCore + Intel HD4600 or AMD graphics

Dell Optiplex 7020/9020 OpenCore Guide The original Dell OptiMac Golden Build guide was posted 3 years ago in May 2019. Mojave was the latest macOS version then. I didn't think we would have Monterey support in 2022 but we've found that these models are still fully supported, hence this updated...

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[Toyo72]

Still under NDA. Ventura is only in Developer beta so no discussion.
I would wait till at least September to ask for a definitive answer to that question.
In the mean time, Monterey still works perfectly on this hardware when using Haswell Mac mini 7,1.

Dell Optiplex 7020/9020 using OpenCore + Intel HD4600 or AMD graphics

Dell Optiplex 7020/9020 OpenCore Guide The original Dell OptiMac Golden Build guide was posted 3 years ago in May 2019. Mojave was the latest macOS version then. I didn't think we would have Monterey support in 2022 but we've found that these models are still fully supported, hence this updated...

www.tonymacx86.com

I finally updated my 9020 G5 casemod from Catalina to Big Sur. Did an in-place direct upgrade, all went well. Guess I need to look at changing to 17,1 or Macmini 7,1 and update to Monterey. Always seem to be a couple macos gens behind..

 

[trs96]

Guess I need to look at changing to 17,1 or Macmini 7,1 and update to Monterey. Always seem to be a couple macos gens behind..

Big Sur is getting all security updates and software you want to run should all work. Don't be in a hurry to upgrade.

 

[Toyo72]

Big Sur is getting all security updates and software you want to run should all work. Don't be in a hurry to upgrade.

That's been my mantra for at least a decade with these builds.

 

[trs96]

EVGA SuperNova PSU upgrade for your 7020/9020 MT
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See:

EVGA SuperNOVA 80 Plus Gold 550W, Fully Modular, 10 Year Warranty $54.99

EVGA couldn't offer warranties this long and stay in business if these failed frequently. So you know these are well built. If it lasts for 10 years and fails at 10 years and a day, your cost is still only $5.50 per year. You really can't lose with one of these. There are many cheap 30 to 40...

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[trs96]

Some of the best prices we've seen yet for the 7020 SFF and the 9020 USFF desktops at Amazon.
Seller is SJ computers. Both have Core i5-4570(s) CPUs, 8GB of ram and cost just over 100 USD !
They also sell Core i7 versions of both of these if you need 4 cores and 8 threads.

 

[trs96]

The Core i7-4770 version of the 9020 SFF is the best selling mini-computer on Amazon. Even sells better than the M1 mini with 16GB of ram. Probably due to the steep price difference. The M1 mini costs over $869 and the OptiMac costs around $255. Over $600 less. You get double the ram and 4x the ssd storage in the 9020 SFF.

Don't forget, you can also install Monterey to a faster NVMe drive in the x16 slot of the 9020 SFF. The mini wins in CPU single core performance and overall speed, but the 9020 SFF offers a lot for a lot less money.

Amazon Best Sellers: Best Mini Computers

Discover the best Mini Computers in Best Sellers. Find the top 100 most popular items in Amazon Computers & Accessories Best Sellers.

www.amazon.com

 

[trs96]

The Core i5 16GB 7020 MT model is now at $132 on Amazon. Add in a Sapphire RX 6600 GPU for $250 and you've got an amazingly low cost and capable system for Windows or macOS. $382 total and it's as good or better than any gaming console that goes for $499 or more. Will also run Monterey 12.6 perfectly. If you get the dGPU, it's best to upgrade the 7020's stock Dell PSU with a 500 GB ATX version. Very easy to swap that out. The RX 6600 needs 8 pin power connected for it to work. The GTX 1650 card in the video below, draws only up to 75W from the PCIe x 16 slot.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JHRQY4Y/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZDKM1YC/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

This YT reviewer tests this in video games with a lowly Nvidia GTX 1650. You can see the results in games at 1080p. The FPS will be much better with the RX 6600. You can upgrade to a 4790 for about $40 these days too. The 9020 he shows is in poor condtion and doesn't come with a 512GB SSD. Not even an HDD. He only has 8GB of ram too. Buy the one from the link above at Amazon to get a properly refurbished model.

 

[trs96]

This looks like a good option for those using a dGPU in the desktop MT models. Two slot cards like the RX 570/80 will cover up the x1 slot. This is an easy way to access that PCIe x1 when it's blocked by a 2 slot card. PCIe x1 can be used for a Wifi/BT card adapter. You can add in more SATA ports if you need them with another adapter. Many possibilities. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M942LN9/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MV4WNGK/?tag=tonymacx86com-20