Dell 7040 Tower i7-6700, 16GB, 1TB SSD, Win10 Pro, no GPU $339

[VirtualLarry]

HP ProDesk 600 G3 MT i7-6700 3.40GHZ | 16GB | Wired Mouse and Keyboard | NO HD | NO OS | Grade C $176.69
Limited time offer, ends 02/05 By Sunset Micro

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www.newegg.com

Dell Optiplex 7040 Tower, i7-6700 Quad Core upto4.2 Ghz, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, 4K UHD 3-Monitor Support, 2x Display Port, HDMI, DVDRW, Windows 10 Pro, WiFi, Keyboard and Mouse Included
REFURBISHED

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DELL Refurbished Desktop 7050 Intel Core i5 6th Gen 6600 (3.30GHz) 256 GB SSD Windows 10 Pro $219.99
REFURBISHED

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www.newegg.com

 

[Oyeve]

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

Thats actually pretty decent.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

These old refurb Dells make no sense to me at these prices. The RX 550 4GB is overall slower than a 5600G. When it's not, they both provide identical gaming experiences. That old i5 quad core will have bad frame pacing in games like RDR2, Cyberpunk, Spiderman games, Assassin's Creed games from the last 6yrs, BF5 MP, and the list goes on.

5600G FS/FT $110 with cooler
Seasonic G-650 650W 80+ Gold Semi-modular PSU FS/FT $40
GIGABYTE B550M DS3H AC EBAY $65
Neo Forza 2x8GB 3600MT/s Newegg $43
Thermaltake Versa H17 Black Newegg $52
Team Group MP33 M.2 2280 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 Newegg $51.50
Windows 10 pro VIPSCDKEYS - $10-$15 depending on time you buy it.

You can the get e-waste keyboard and mouse combos anywhere for almost nothing.

Total = $376.50 for a modern system that is fully upgradeable and will easily outperform the Dell in every way. No proprietary parts, or extremely limited hardware choices later.

Deals like those in FS/FT and Ebay are common too.

The only advantage the Dell has, is not having to do any work.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The only advantage the Dell has, is not having to do any work.

Which is a BIG advantage for normie folk, honestly

This deal stands on it's own merits, for games made 2019 or earlier, it should suffice, for "Little Jimmie-joe's first Fortnite PC".

not everyone subscribes to the "GunsMakeAmericaProud" school of PC building, waiting 6 months to buy one part for your PC until it hits a "magic" price-point.

I'm not trying to claim that this is the cheapest or most optimal gaming PC for a True Enthusiast (tm). Just that, for what it is, it's kind of a warm deal for for a Fortnite/GTA V PC for the kids, as a starter PC.

For twice the price of this deal, I could build you a brand-new PC that would blow this one out of the water. But again, that's twice the budget.

 

[blckgrffn]

My biggest issue is that this isn't even a 6500/7500 CPU, but at best a 4th Gen CPU.

I could say you could do worse, but when it's got DDR3 and a too old i5 then it's a pass.

I've bought similar Dells for half the price on ebay, and it came with an i7 and 32GB of DDR4. It's slow ram but at least it can be reused if wanted.

No RGB though

 

[VirtualLarry]

My biggest issue is that this isn't even a 6500/7500 CPU, but at best a 4th Gen CPU.

Are you sure? I thought that the fine print said that it was an i5-6500. I don't normally post deals for anything lower than 6th-gen. If It's actually 4th-gen, and DDR3, I'll ask the mods to delete this deal.

Edit: It seems that I indeed did screw up. I was looking at i5-6500 desktops, and this one came up. But it DOES NOT seem like they specify 6th-gen.

 

[blckgrffn]

Are you sure? I thought that the fine print said that it was an i5-6500. I don't normally post deals for anything lower than 6th-gen. If It's actually 4th-gen, and DDR3, I'll ask the mods to delete this deal.

Edit: It seems that I indeed did screw up. I was looking at i5-6500 desktops, and this one came up. But it DOES NOT seem like they specify 6th-gen.

It does seem kind of arbitrary, but getting at least 6th gen gets a lot of good improvements, so many that it basically didn't change until the 11th gen like 8 years later? Ha!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, I was able recently to get some HP SFF PCs, refurb, off of ebay.

They have i5-6500 Skylake quad-core (Get i7 if not too much more, the HT helps with modern multi-threaded titles), 8GB (single DIMM) of DDR4 (maybe 2400), and surprisingly, a brand-new 256GB NVMe SSD. No SATA SSD / HDD / optical, although one of the units had an optical drive. All for $120 shipped + tax. (Edit: Each!)

So, added some 4GB GDDR3 R7 350(X) LP GPUs, a 1TB SATA SSD (it included the wires, SATA power off of mobo), and another 8GB stick of DDR4.

And a fresh install of Win10 Pro, which activated up right away.

Total cost, $250 or so, no RGB, no mouse / keyboard / wifi. So another $50 for those for the customer. Plus a DP-to-HDMI cable for $10.

For $420 or so total, you could throw in an RX 6400 LP instead.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Updated deal, this time, an i7-6700, but no GPU.

 

[jiffer]

I think it's great to keep old PCs like this in use. Lenovo and Dell have solid, reliable build quality (I'm not so sure about HP). They need to be kept clean, of course, and you don't want one that's been beaten up. It's easy to upgrade the memory and add SATA SSDs. Most of them have embedded Windows 10 product keys.

I recommend looking for a minitower instead of an SFF to make it easier and less expensive to add a decent video card. The included WiFi adapter will probably be a cheap USB adapter with no antenna (rather than M.2 with internal antennae) unless you move up a generation or two.

Honestly, there are a lot of deals like this on Amazon. I don't know which refurbishers you can trust. Most promise a one year warranty. You can get one backed by an Amazon 90 day guarantee and you won't have any issues if you need to return it. The one Larry posted is sold by NewEgg but it looks a lot like the ones sold by other sellers.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-OptiPlex-6700-3-2-Windows-Renewed/dp/B086PNTN3H

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Which is a BIG advantage for normie folk, honestly

This deal stands on it's own merits

Seems it had very little merit, considering you deleted it.

I don't understand focusing on retired Intel biz boxes, which means you HAVE to add a GPU for even most esports to not be a terrible experience. SFF Ryzen 2400GE - 16GB - 500GB SSD. $15 for windows and ultra budget gaming is good to go. Just one example, as these are all over Ebay and other marketplaces, just like the Intel variants. $199

You can find them for slightly more with windows preinstalled.

For a box that doesn't get stuck with LP single or dual slot GPU, I'd still go Ryzen APU for this type of purchase. Much better iGPU gaming, more modern platform, and can still add the dGPU later.

I am all for keeping all of these out of the landfill as long as possible. That said, my considered opinion is the Ryzen alternative is superior bang for buck for ultra budget gaming like this.

TLDR: the Youtube algorithm loving videos every tech tuber churned out for years are outdated. Ryzen biz boxes are where it's at now for the ultra low budget gamer.

But hey, you want one of these old Intels? Larry's links are not bad deals for what you get. And you are preventing e-waste.

One last protip: You can often find the Intel variants much cheaper or free on FB marketplace and CL. If you can wait for one to pop up that is.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Seems it had very little merit, considering you deleted it.

Technically, I was standing up for the deal, BEFORE I realized that I made a mistake, since the first deal was 4th-gen. At which point, I deleted it, and replaced it with the i7-6700 deal. Now you know... the REST of the story... LOL.

And I still personally think that APUs are largely underpowered compared to even older dGPUs, although that could change, should AMD have a change of heart and release a mega-APU, with a high CU count.

As far as ultra-mini-PCs with Ryzen APUs, I'll admit that I haven't really been looking at those. I had some bad results with "Win11 boxes" with Atom CPUs. Underpowered, slow, overheating due to only passive cooling, slow as F doing Windows Updates due to the aforementioned things, alongside eMMC storage.

Any decent little Ryzen boxes that let you upgrade with your own RAM and NVMe drives, are on the whole (once you fill out the barebones), just as expensive as a full-tower APU build, and still, less flexible, because you can't EVER add a dGPU to them. (I have a Ryzen 4C/8T OEM APU Brix unit.)

Pricing on AMD APU (gaming class) APUs is still around $600 for a full build, for a pre-built, and you're stuck with 1080p30, or 720p60, but nothing higher.

On the whole, and I get it @DAPUNISHER , you're a fan (some might say a Patron Saint) of AMD APUs for gaming. After trying that route, and finding it non-competitive, I am not. (Bad experience trying to play Tekken 7 when it came out for PC, competitively, on a 3200G APU setup. 1080p30 is painful for a 60FPS arcade fighting game.)

So the rigs in this deal are starting platforms, you still need to add a dGPU, such as a GTX 1050 ti 4GB (outdated), a GTX 1650 4GB, or an RX 6400 4GB. Even buying those dGPUs "new" gives you a total cost below buying a gaming AMD APU pre-built.

Edit: And yes, you might find better one-off deals on ebay for the same class of goods, I certainly have, but these two deals are both "Sold and Shipped by Newegg", so Newegg stands behind these refurbs, instead of 30 day return policy on ebay.

 

[blckgrffn]

Yeah, my old intel boxes from the last few months are like this (I know I keep saying it, but there are better deals out there for those willing to bid or lowball offer on eBay):

Dell OptiPlex Thin SFF 7040 - 6th gen i5, 8GB of DDR4, brand new 240GB SSD (Kingston it turns out), W10 Pro ready to go: $85 shipped (for running Emby for DVR)

Dell 7040 SFF Tower - i7 6700, 32GB in 4 sticks DDR4, GTX 745 4GB, 256 Sata M2, 1TB 3.5" HD - $156 shipped (Holo ISO machine, work bench support PC), also activated W10 pro like nothin'

Even an old GPU like that got a PC at work up to playing old games for my kiddo, so that actually added a lot utility for me.

I've got a ton of utility out of these guys, but my target price on these are well below $200. Too much higher and I am pinging @DAPUNISHER for some left overs to piece something together

 

[balloonshark]

Or if you wanted to go small form factor and don't need a dGPU.

DeskMini UM350

Minisforum DeskMini UM350 is a mini PC designed for home and office use. Powerful processor and graphics DeskMini UM350 with AMD Ryzen™ 5 3550H, integrated 4 cores/8 threads (2MB total L2 cache, 4MB total L3 cache, base clock 2.1GHz, up to 3.7GHz)

store.minisforum.com

I was impressed with etaprime's review of this little box. The review is posted on the product page.

I have no idea if you can get better apu performance in a sff box for the price though. I'm sure something is out there floating around.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

@VirtualLarry

You can't just plop any old GPU in those OEM systems. PSU wattage, connectors, and the terrible case size and thermals preclude many of them. If we start talking a bunch of adapters and mods to address it, why are we recommending OEM proprietary instead of S.I.? Since that big advantage for normies is now long gone.

Furthermore, the dGPUs you can use, go in the Ryzen variants just as easily. That makes any upgrade argument moot. I don't know where you are getting your prices from but they suck. I can buy and upgrade a Ryzen APU system for similar money to an old I7.

The SFF occupies its own niche. Throwing shade at SFF limitations is silly, they are what they are. Besides, the APU has the advantage of not needing dGPU to game.

LOL at expecting competitive gaming on any iGPU. Tell me how those systems in your OP do with it. Even the one you deleted with the rx550. Yeah man, you ain't moving that goalpost on me. Ryzen APUs are far better than your "hot deals" in the same price range.

@blckgrffn has the way of it. He has found uses for those old Intel systems that make sense. But we are no longer talking about the normies anymore then are we. In which case, the Ryzen APUs boxes, SFF or bigger are newer, have far superior iGPU. Some take up to 8 core Ryzens too. The ones in the OP are stuck with a rapidly aging old i7 *sad trombone*

 

[VirtualLarry]

You can't just plop any old GPU in those OEM systems. PSU wattage, connectors, and the terrible case size and thermals preclude many of them.

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

$135 dollars. Boom. Done. If they can have an x16 slot, then they MUST have 75W available PSU headroom. By spec.

Just one example, as these are all over Ebay and other marketplaces, just like the Intel variants. $199

Furthermore, the dGPUs you can use, go in the Ryzen variants just as easily. That makes any upgrade argument moot.

Where can you fit the above RX 6400 GPU (1080p60 gaming) into the above slim Ryzen box you linked? Doesn't seem big enough to me.

And the native APU gaming just ain't good enough for 1080p60 in most games. Performance-wise, the i7-6700 + RX 6400 combo WILL BE SUPERIOR.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Newegg (ShellShocker) - IPASON 5600G / 16GB / 512GB NVMe ATX desktop gaming PC $509

https://www.newegg.com/p/3D5-001U-000Z3?Item=9SIAZEBGV98270&cm_sp=Homepage_SS-_-P0_9SIAZEBGV98270-_-01242023&quicklink=true Normally on sale for $600, looks like prices are coming down. At this price, with this being a regular custom desktop build, that basically makes some of my points moot in...

forums.anandtech.com

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

$135 dollars. Boom. Done. If they can have an x16 slot, then they MUST have 75W available PSU headroom. By spec.





Where can you fit the above RX 6400 GPU (1080p60 gaming) into the above slim Ryzen box you linked? Doesn't seem big enough to me.

And the native APU gaming just ain't good enough for 1080p60 in most games. Performance-wise, the i7-6700 + RX 6400 combo WILL BE SUPERIOR.

This has jumped the shark. Why do you keep comparing to the $199 SFF system? Here is a $250 3400G build with all the room and extra money in the budget to murk your old tired $340 i7 build in every way. This is too easy

I can throw the same RX 6400 in it as I wrote previously. It's like you aren't even reading my post. I. SEE. THESE. ALL. THE. TIME.

One more time, there is nothing about those old Intel setups that is superior to the plethora of Ryzen APU systems available now. Those old Intel Optiplex systems are an outdated mindset that needs to die. If you can pick them up at the prices @blckgrffn got them, go for it. For what you listed in the OP? Bad price is bad.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Why do you keep comparing to the $199 SFF system?

That was YOUR suggestion for a Ryzen USFF APU system, as a competitor to the Dell i7-6700 + RX 6400.

Here is a $250 3400G build with all the room and extra money in the budget to murk your old tired $340 i7 build in every way. This is too easy

$44.60 shipping... and don't those HP APU rigs use laptop mobos? Without PCI-E slots?

What do you think about that $509 new DIY Custom rig from IPASON, with the 5600G?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

That was YOUR suggestion for a Ryzen USFF APU system, as a competitor to the Dell i7-6700 + RX 6400.

$44.60 shipping...

I'm in FL. where they are at, so $19.19 shipping for me. See how that works? Like I said, look for local deals. It leaves plenty of room to sell the other components, upgrade, and still match your $340 price. All while getting a newer, better, system. And again, you are not reading my posts. I distinctly said ,and I quote -

"For a box that doesn't get stuck with LP single or dual slot GPU, I'd still go Ryzen APU for this type of purchase. Much better iGPU gaming, more modern platform, and can still add the dGPU later."
?

 

[VirtualLarry]

"For a box that doesn't get stuck with LP single or dual slot GPU, I'd still go Ryzen APU for this type of purchase. Much better iGPU gaming, more modern platform, and can still add the dGPU later."
?

Ok, fine, I misunderstood what you were saying, due to lack of a good initial sample. You linked that $199 USFF, I was like, iGPU gaming? Ewww.

I guess the used / refurb market has changed in the last six months, and I haven't kept up. I am sorry. In my mind, 5600g rigs were all $500+, even refurb / used.

Anything 2400G/3200G/3400G is Zen/Zen+ arch., and unsuitable for (Edit: competitive) gaming (6th-gen core is faster).

Edit: And perhaps I was unclear and forgot to add to OP, but it was always a suggestion to use those 6th-gen i7s (4C/8T, remember) as a BASE for adding a dGPU too.

You tried to make this whole thread about iGPU gaming, when was NEVER about iGPU capabilities. And even the lowest dGPUs msatch or smoke an iGPU, even Vega 11.

I do give you points for the more modern platform amenities with Ryzen. (Including flaky USB 3.0 ports, a chronic problem for me.)

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Ok, fine, I misunderstood what you were saying, due to lack of a good initial sample. You linked that $199 USFF, I was like, iGPU gaming? Ewww.

I guess the used / refurb market has changed in the last six months, and I haven't kept up. I am sorry. In my mind, 5600g rigs were all $500+, even refurb / used.

Anything 2400G/3200G/3400G is Zen/Zen+ arch., and unsuitable for gaming (6th-gen core is faster).

You are high if you think Zen is unsuitable for gaming. Particularly compared to a 6th gen i7. Seriously, do you even game bro? You have to use InSpectre to even give those old i7s a chance with modern windows. Since you invoked normies, how many even know about that? This is getting sillier all the time.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You are high if you think Zen is unsuitable for gaming. Particularly compared to a 6th gen i7. Seriously, do you even game bro? You have to use InSpectre to even give those old i7s a chance with modern windows. Since you invoked normies, how many even know about that? This is getting sillier all the time.

The iGPU in Zen/Zen+ APUs WON'T give you 1080p60, which is NECESSARY for competitive fighting games (I did personally test this! This important deficit is why APUs don't interest me in the slightest.), and the IPC and clocks of Zen/Zen+ CPU cores is lower in both accords than a 6th-gen CPU core, especially with HT. Or do I need to bring up the Zen launch slides to remind you?

The Vega iGPU in Zen/Zen+ APUs is great for VP9 YouTube in 4K, however. Great for "browser boxes", not for gaming. (*)

(*) Unless you play Rocket League all day long.

Edit: IPC of Zen/Zen+ was likened to Haswell (4th-gen Core) back in the day. Which, ironically, would have made that deal that I posted for what turned out to be a 4th-gen rig with a 4GB RX 550 (which is itself comparable to Vega), basically equivalent, performance-wise, to what you are suggesting purchasing. Plus, it had RGB.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

The iGPU in Zen/Zen+ APUs WON'T give you 1080p60, which is NECESSARY for competitive fighting games (I did personally test this! This important deficit is why APUs don't interest me in the slightest.), and the IPC and clocks of Zen/Zen+ CPU cores is lower in both accords than a 6th-gen CPU core, especially with HT. Or do I need to bring up the Zen launch slides to remind you?

The Vega iGPU in Zen/Zen+ APUs is great for VP9 YouTube in 4K, however. Great for "browser boxes", not for gaming. (*)

(*) Unless you play Rocket League all day long.

What is this obsession with fighting games? Latency is the biggest obstacle to online play, and the internet is rife with complaints about how the genre suffers due to it. And having played many many games on a 1500x, 1600, 3200g, and 3400g, while also having owned a overclocked 4770K system, your analysis is garbage. Rocket league eh? That is pure hyperbole. I am going to bow out of this now. It has become absurd. Enjoy your horribly aging Intel systems that are barely better than the previous 4 gens.

 

[VirtualLarry]

What is this obsession with fighting games?

It was my attempt to first use an AMD Zen APU to play Tekken 7 on PC, @1080P. It was unplayable (30FPS).

That right then was when I realized the APUs were effectively useless for myself and friends for gaming.

Edit: If you imagine that a GT 730 is a "gaming card"...then you might be a candidate for Zen APU gaming.