Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF Desktop Review

Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF Desktop Review

If you’re into Mini and small form factor desktops, the Dell Optiplex 9020 Desktop will be something to take a look at. With its small footprint, it only takes up around 6 inches of space on your desktop.

The Dell OptiPlex 9020 is equipped with the latest Intel Core i7 processor and has an option for Integrated graphics or dedicated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4600 & AMD Radeon R7 240). It’s a great business desktop fit for small office and home settings that don’t have a lot desk space.

Pros

  • Compact chassis.
  • 32GB of memory.
  • Speedy 1TB SSD storage.
  • Six USB 3.0 ports.
  • Multi-monitor support.
  • Comes with Micro VESA mount.
  • 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

Cons

  • Pricey.
  • No internal expansion.
  • 255 watts

The Dell Optiplex 9020 small form factor desktop is a great business desktop thanks to its feature-packed interior. We also recommend it for users struggling with limited office desk space or users who need multiple monitor setups. We also loved the fact that the system comes with a micro VESA mount which is great if you plan on mounting the system to the back of your monitor.

Design

The Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF desktop has a simple design typical for a business PC. It’s a small rectangular box with a matte black finish and silver Dell logo on the front panel. Mostly I would like to call it a no-frill desktop built for business. It’s not as aesthetically pleasing as some of the modern desktops, but it fits most home and office settings.

Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF Desktop Review

The Dell Optiplex 9020 has an all-plastic exterior save for the trim that is made of silver-painted metal with a matte finish. The chassis feels strong thanks to its thick plastic panels, but do take note that you should lift up from the sides when moving this desktop around since lifting from the top will put a lot of stress on its small opening side panel area. Taking care of your PC wherever you go is a good practice anyway.

Once we take off the top lid cover, we can see why Dell decided to stick with those thick panels. Because it’s packed inside For a mid-size business system, there are a bunch of components packed in a small chassis.

The left side panel has a 200mm exhaust fan to help with system cooling when running heavy apps and games, while the right panel only has a 120mm fan for intake. It’s actually good enough since most business desktops won’t need the airflow from the right panel anyway. Since this is an SFF desktop, all your internals can be accessed from the top lid cover with two screens attached to each side of its front vents. The black screen panels are removable which makes it easier to access components inside without having to take off the entire top lid cover.

At ‎12.3 x 3.7 x 11.4 inches and 14.15 pounds, the Dell OptiPlex 9020 is built for business with its small footprint, but it still packs powerful components inside. If can easily fit on most home or office settings without taking up too much space at all. Just keep in mind that this desktop requires two separate power cords because it has an external 220W power brick and an internal 330W PSU to power its internals.

It features a spacious interior layout with room for one 3.5-inch HDD bays and four 2.5-inch SSD bays which you won’t be able to fill due to the price of storage these days unless if your pockets are very deep! Another thing we like about this PC case is how easy it is to upgrade components thanks to its top panel cover design. If you’re familiar with replacing PC components, then this will be an easy job for you if you ever choose to upgrade your components in the future.

Ports

The Dell Optiplex 9020 doesn’t have a monitor included since it’s targeted towards business users who would want to use their existing monitor setup. It has two HDMI ports on its back I/O panel so that’s quite enough for most users out there.

Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF Desktop Review

On our test unit, we are using a Lenovo P27q 27-inch monitor with 2560 x 1440 resolution which is connected via HDMI cable plugged into its rear I/O IO panel. This Dell desktop can support up to four external monitors thanks to its dual DVI and another two HDMI connectors (one on the rear panel and another one on the right-side panel).

This is an SFF desktop so, unlike mainstream desktops where they have an optical drive, this Dell PC has a tray-loading DVD±RW/CD-RW combo which you can use to install drivers or read your data discs. If you want to play games on this computer, then it’s better that you just install them via USB or no optical at all since it would be pretty much useless when playing video games because most modern games are downloaded from Steam nowadays.

The front section has a few ports such as USB ports (one port for type-C and two other standard USB 3.0 ports), headphone and microphone jacks, a power LED indicator, and an HDD activity LED.

The rear panel has all the I/O ports you would need: two 802.11ac WiFi antenna connectors, four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (two of which are always powered to deliver extra juice), one DB9 COM port, four HDMI connectors, a DisplayPort connector, a VGA port for your old monitor setup, Gigabit RJ45 LAN port and finally it also has two more USB 2.0 ports along with its front audio jack at the bottom side of the I/O panel area so you won’t need any extension if you plan to connect your mouse and keyboard on the rear I/O panel.

Performance

Under the hood, the Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF features a 4th Generation Intel Core i7-4770 up to a 3.9 GHz processor, 32GB DDR3 RAM, HD 4600 graphics card, Seagate 1TB 7200 RPM hard drive, and Microsoft Windows 10 Pro operating system. The Intel Core i7-4770 processor clocks at 3.9GHz thanks to its Intel Turbo Boost Technology which automatically overclocks the processor when your PC’s power consumption is low and thermal headroom is available for overclocking.

Since this desktop isn’t super powerful, it doesn’t have any graphics card but instead, it has integrated HD 4600 graphics inside its i7-4770 CPU which you can only use to play older games or simple video editing in 1080p resolution. This desktop is capable of running Rise Of the Tomb Raider in 1080p resolution on Low settings @52 FPS while playing Hitman 2016 in 720p resolution on Ultra settings with an average framerate of 60 FPS without breaking a sweat!

RAM

As far as memory goes, 32GB RAM is quite a bit for this small-sized PC. When it comes to RAM, the more you have the faster your computer becomes because Windows has less stuff loaded into its memory so it can allocate more DRAM for your apps which you’re currently running.

With 32GB of DDR3 RAM soldered on the mainboard, you won’t need to upgrade your memory anytime soon! Nowadays any PC game is using up way too many system resources than they ever did before but instead of buying expensive high-end hardware, just get yourself some cheap DDR4 2400MHz RAM stick and install it in one of the free DIMM slots available on this desktop’s motherboard.

Ideally, 32GB will help you to run any game on this tiny computer without breaking a sweat! It should also handle simple tasks like web browsing, opening YouTube, browsing through your photo albums, and other simple tasks much easier.

Storage

The Optiplex 9020 SFF comes with a Seagate 1TB 7200 RPM hard drive which you can use to store anything from movies, music, apps, games, and whatever you think is important! I personally would only put the programs that I use on a daily basis in my main storage drive because it will make Windows boot faster and launch applications quicker.

I know what you’re thinking already: “Why doesn’t he just get an SSD?” Well, not everyone needs an expensive solid-state drive unless you’re doing some serious work from day-to-day or if you want to play video games then it’s probably better that you install your OS

Storage

The Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF comes with one 1TB SSD storage so it’s fast enough for most of the tasks. Plus, there is also an option to install another drive in the other free 2.5″ bay so you can upgrade it to either HDD or 2.5-inch SATA HDD/SSD if you want more storage space.

Another great thing about upgrading your own PC instead of buying a pre-built system is that you’re not stuck with single hard drive setup like most OEMs out there which usually use cheap slow HDDs inside their PCs to save costs and they sell separate hard

Gaming capacity

Considering the Intel HD Graphics 4600 this Dell Optiplex 9020 comes with, I would recommend this PC for casual gamers who are mainly looking to play older games or new titles on Low settings. For example, you can still play Rise Of the Tomb Raider on 1080p resolution on Low settings at ~40 FPS while Hitman 2016 can be played in 720p on an Ultra setting with an average framerate of 60FPS!

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF is a great choice for those who need a small desktops PC for everyday use. It can handle most of the tasks from writing documents, browsing through the web, sending emails, and watching videos to playing games at Low-Medium settings in 1080p resolutions. If you’re okay with building your own desktop instead of buying pre-built computer then this Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF should be a perfect fit for you!

Is there another alternative?

For slightly above $120, you can get the Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92 Desktop. The Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92 Desktop is almost the same as Dell OptiPlex 9020 SFF but it comes with an AMD Radeon RX460 graphics card which should be slightly better for gaming purposes.

Thus, if you’re looking for a cheap PC that can handle most of your daily tasks from browsing through the web to watching videos and playing games then opt for the Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF!

Should You Buy It?

Yes. I would definitely advise you to get this PC if you’re looking for a cheap PC that doesn’t cost too much but still has the ability to handle most of your daily tasks. Plus, it can be easily transformed into a high-end gaming machine with very little effort! So give it a try if you need a computer that’s affordable and powerful enough to do all the stuff!

Ratings:  Design – 8/10 Features – 7/10 Performance – 7/10 Value – 10/10 Overall – 8.5/10

Please kindly leave your comment or share any thoughts or opinions that you think are relevant in the comment section below! Thank you so much for reading my review article & I’ll see you on my next post! 🙂

Author

  • Victor is a tech writer and blogger for GetThatPC. A writer and SEO consultant of popular tech sites such as Computer Shopper. He loves sharing his thoughts with the world through his blogs and it has always been his dream to write in print, too. When he is not busy blogging, he takes time out to enjoy the company of friends or play video games on PC. As a hardware analyst, Victor tests and reviews laptops, peripherals, and much more at GetThatPC. He previously covered the consumer tech beat at Examiner.com and has done consulting work for some of the biggest names in the industry. Victor R was recognized by TopSEOs as one of the Top 30 People in Digital Marketing, 2017.

Victor R

Victor R

Victor is a tech writer and blogger for GetThatPC. A writer and SEO consultant of popular tech sites such as Computer Shopper. He loves sharing his thoughts with the world through his blogs and it has always been his dream to write in print, too. When he is not busy blogging, he takes time out to enjoy the company of friends or play video games on PC. As a hardware analyst, Victor tests and reviews laptops, peripherals, and much more at GetThatPC. He previously covered the consumer tech beat at Examiner.com and has done consulting work for some of the biggest names in the industry. Victor R was recognized by TopSEOs as one of the Top 30 People in Digital Marketing, 2017.

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  1. […] the Optiplex 9010, the Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF Desktop is also built like a tank making it extremely sturdy and reliable for years to come. However the […]

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