I’ve recently been going through the same thing and here are my suggestions:
First, check
Dell Work Outlet and
Dell Refurbished. Both sites have their own sets of coupons that seem to change every Tuesday/Wednesday, and you can sometimes find additional coupons on dealnews when checking the
Desktop Computers category and/or the
All computer coupons category. Dealnews seems to publish a 50% coupon for Dellrefurbished.com every two weeks, and they just posted one this week.
Second, when looking at the Dells, always get one of the work/business models from the Optiplex or Precision lines. They’re easier to take apart as well as find replacement parts for.
Third, consider form factor. Do NOT get a micro form factor Optiplex. You can consider the Small Form Factor Optiplex or the Compact Form Factor Precisions, but they generally have 2 slots for ram, 1 spot for a 3.5” drive (or two spots for 2.5” drives), 1 spot for m.2 drive, and weak power supplies (200-300w) which limits what type of graphics card you can add. The mini towers and towers will give you a lot more room, options, and power to play with.
Fourth, if you’re curious about the technical specs of a specific Dell model, google “Dell model specs pdf.” For example, let’s say you spot a nice Optiplex 3080. You’d google “Dell optiplex 3080 specs pdf” and the top result should be a pdf that gives all the technical info about the Optiplex 3080 and the various form factors it comes in.
Fifth, try to find a desktop that has 6-core processor. Dell refurbished has 8th gen i7’s that have 6 cores. Dell work outlet typically has i5-10500’s with 6 cores. They’re on there, you just have to search. Also, the inventory changes constantly, day and night, so if you find a device that fits your needs and budget and you have an awesome coupon, use it.
Sixth, I swear I’m not a shill for Dell or dealnews. (I realize this is my first post and they’re all I talk about in it) . I’ve been going through the same search you have and I found these resources to be the most useful. In addition, the Dell prices are pretty decent (generally better than what you’d find on Amazon or eBay) and, working in IT, I’m used to working on those devices. I’ve been in places that used HPs and had issues with drivers, but that’s just my personal experience. Enterprise class models are much easier to support and easier to find parts for.
What did I wind up doing? After much searching and waiting, I picked up a Dell Optiplex 3080 SFF w/ i5-10505, 8gb RAM, 128gb ssd, Win 10 Pro from the Dell Work Outlet for $415 after taxes (coupon covered shipping and had given me a 15% discount, if I remember correctly). I missed some much better deals due to not acting quickly and also learning that Dell will not accept payment if your billing address does not match your shipping address (so make sure those match). Oh, and if you order from Dell work outlet, it will say you have to enter a company name. You can just use your first and last name.
Hope that helps!
* A quick edit to say that I’ll be upgrading the RAM in the 3080 I bought, as well as using the existing SSD for OS and adding a WD Purple drive in the sole 3.5” slot for
Blue Iris storage.
