The Dell OptiMac Big Sur/OpenCore Thread - For 7020/9020 Optiplex Desktops

[atun]

I can try tonight now I have to go to work
Thanks

 

[atun]

Two things you have to do for it to work. Put your SmUUID into the config.plist Platform Info -> Generic section and have CFG unlocked. Have you done both of those ?

I was able to get dual monitors work by buying active dp to hdmi adapter.
I unlock CFG.
The current issue that I have is the following
After I updated the EFI partition of the hard drive by ( iMac 15,1) updating system uuid and serial number using GEM SMBIOS, when I reboot it, it gave me critical error at OC level. can you advise?

 

[trs96]

it gave me critical error at OC level

what exactly is the error you see ?

 

[trs96]

We just found out today that macOS 13 Ventura does not support Mac mini 7,1 or iMac 17,1 so that's it for support of these Dell Optiplex models. I won't be providing any EFI folders for Ventura but you can experiment on your own if you'd like to. Here's all (9) macOS versions you can run on this hardware. Should be enough options.

In my opinion it makes more sense to run fully supported Big Sur or Monterey rather than try to make Ventura, a round peg, fit into a square hole, the Dell Optiplex 7020/9020. If you must have Ventura for some reason, buy either a Dell or HP 7th/8th gen Intel Kaby or Coffee Lake system and try to hackintosh that. Prices are very reasonable at this time. UHD630 graphics are still supported natively in Ventura. 8th gen PCs have full support in Windows 11 if you need that too.

Something like this 7th gen 5050 Dell Optiplex model would be a prime candidate. Some 5050s come with 6th gen Intel CPUs so make sure you get the i5-7400 or 7500 etc. The i7 CPU would be the i7-7700.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MR1YJWD/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R1NZRQ7/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[mattrix]

Interesting, I literally was going to ask that very question from your post in the other thread. What to keep an eye open for!? 7040/7050 are starting to get common here in oz… might get one but hold out for an 8

 

[trs96]

What to keep an eye open for!? 7040/7050 are starting to get common here in oz… might get one but hold out for an 8

I've seen some Intel tenth gen 3080s with an i5-10500 CPU here in the USA for a little over 340 dollars refurbished professionally. 10th gen will offer the most years of support, depending on how long Apple still supports Intel.

In terms of lowest cost, the 7050 SFF with i5-7500 is the most available in the $150 range used/refurb. These are now mostly all off lease and prices should go even lower this year or next.

Here's the most common config that I see:

Dell OptiPlex 7050 SFF (i5-7500 | 3.4GHz | 8GB RAM)​

The other bonus is that you get an onboard NVMe slot so no adapters are needed. UHD630 graphics are used in Intel 8th and 9th gen so macOS support should continue another year or two. Maybe more.

 

[trs96]

Good deal for a 2K (2560 x 1440p) monitor. If you're on a tight budget but still need a sharp 27" IPS display...

Budget 27" Monitor that looks great with macOS HP M27FQ

HP M27fq QHD (2K) Monitor This can be bought refurbished on Amazon.com for $199. HP has them brand new for $229. Has one full size DP input so you don't need to adapt DP to HDMI. I bought a 1080p version of this over 5 years ago and it still looks good today. Not as sharp for text but I don't...

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[trs96]

Good news for Dell Optiplex owners. Chrome OS flex is now fully supported on the 7020 and 9020 Optiplex models, all form factors. It will get all security updates through 2026. It can be run from a flash drive or any external drive via a USB adapter. Even if your macOS version gets out of support before 2026 you can still run flex on these machines with the latest up to date security. Use it for things like online banking and shopping.

Chrome OS is much more immune to malware and hacking than Windows 10 is. 10 will lose all security updates after mid October of 2025. You won't want to be using it after that point. macOS Monterey will keep getting security patches from Apple in 2023 and 2024 and is still perfectly safe to use. After that you can keep using it and do things online that require utmost security with Chrome OS Flex from Google.

Prepare for installation - ChromeOS Flex Help

As an admin, you can install ChromeOS Flex on Windows, Mac, or Linux devices so your users can get many of the features that are available on ChromeOS devices. Before you begin Check to see if

support.google.com

 

[trs96]

EVGA SuperNova PSU upgrade for your 7020/9020 MT
​

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]

I've owned and built in one of these a few years ago and it's very spacious for a mATX case. It's not high airflow so if you game a lot in Windows it may not be right for you.

In contrast, this thermal take case does have front mesh for more airflow. Sells for $77 at Amazon. Nice budget case if you heat up your CPU and GPU with longer gaming sessions.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q4KTNF4/?tag=tonymacx86com-20