Boost Performance of Any Mini PC

Boost Performance of Any Mini PC
Today we will Upgrade Dell 3050 Mini PC For Better Performance
So you got yourself a Dell OptiPlex 3050 and are looking to upgrade it for better performance and you want to know what your options are for these mini computers. You can ick these up on eBay for around £80 to £150 which is around $150.
Time Stamps:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Upgrade Options
02:59 RAM Install
04:00 GPU
04:05 CPU Options
04:31 NVMe Install
07:04 WiFi Options
08:55 Dell Additional Port Upgrades
10:08 Dell 3050 Use Options
11:24 Closing Thoughts
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#minipc #bestminipc #windows11 #upgrade #dell

[@Britec09]

What would you like to see me use it for? Drop us a LIKE 👍

[@forty2retro]

Maybe a full service home network server with pi-hole and open VPN with nas support also.

[@ethimself5064]

Gaming to it's limits. Love to see how this Dell performs with gaming👍👍

[@PrinceofPwnage]

Emulation!

[@roo3434]

Hosting several Discord bots

[@DD8842]

Host a foundry server

[@StonyRC]

I got one, changed the old HDD to an SSD, installed Linux Mint 21 and it's incredibly quick. And secure!

[@zeroturn7091]

Unrelated, but do you have a video on how to locate your product key in Windows 11? Command line no longer works, and registry editor gives the same key across all of my devices. I purchased a lot of licenses, and after building multiple systems I am having trouble keeping up with which one has been previously used.

[@sludgefactory241]

Hey Brian could you do a video on upgrading a Dell wyse thin client sometime? I got one and tried to do the ole upgrade to it and slap a Linux distro onto it but I failed miserably at it. I know they aren't made for that task, but people on here have claimed they can be upgraded. I squeezed a 120gb netac ssd into it but never could get Linux booted from my thumb drive, but anyhow, thnx 4 the vid!

[@AndrewGlasgow2020]

I bought an M.2 WiFi card, which has two cables but no aerial socket. Where do I get an aerial socket, and where does the other cable go?

[@fadedflop]

Is it possible to ade a gpu to the 3050 micro? Maybe a 1050 low profile?

[@teneithangkilong2730]

Can we like upgrade the gpu with another gpu or add a gpu externally

[@Jeremyx96x]

How would use it with PNSense, wouldn't you need an additional ethernet port?

[@eibo9886]

Great video! Thank You

[@Britec09]

Glad you liked it!

[@RuiNunesDev]

I'm looking for an unconnected nostalgia SFF unit, do you think this could run Windows XP?

[@osiel5568]

I have one of these little guys with a 256 GB 2.5 inch SSD. I have been looking at getting a 1TB SSD just to rid myself of storage worries and thought of these NVMe drives. Might as well get those extra read/write speeds along with the increased storage.

[@eibo9886]

Great video. Thank you

[@Britec09]

Thank you too!

[@keesverhagen9227]

Looking for one of these to use as a mediaplayer. But i am a bit lost in the modelnumbers. Is a 3050 faster then a 5080 mff ? My own logic is that the 3000 is older then the 5000 and that one older then the 7000 mff series. Can buy a 5080 with an i5 10500. When i search i come out at a intel 630 gpu ? But it has no hdmi. Can you use an dp to hdmi adapter ? And must that be a 4k 60 hz adapter ? So you can connect that to the tv ?

[@abcdaddid4540]

Good job and my question is how to remove Windows 10 infected malware or rootkits from os or bios uefi

[@welshtony1]

Still looking at these. Great little systems. Good video guide to

[@Britec09]

Glad you like them!

[@Red-Revolution708]

@@Britec09yes they look good .

[@SyreshamPBS]

I bought a few of these recently and about half of them came with non Dell power supplies These caused performance to throttle to about 25 percent of max Have you seen this or got any suggestion?

[@jjj5225]

Anyone have tips on the aerial kit for wifi cards for these? The cards are cheap but the aerial kits are $20 not including the card :/

[@dominus6695]

Would an optiplex 3020 micro be able to run a Xeon? (it worked on my oold gaming MB) Would it be able to run 32GB instead of the 'max' 16GB? (this worked on my old MB too) The M.2 slot 1 is only for wifi, right? xD

[@GR8TM4N]

Will a USB wifi antenna work too ?

[@AndySomething]

I'm just about to upgrade my 3050 micro. Thanks for mentioning about not putting a heatsink on the nvme. I actually bought a really slim heatsink (2mm depth) thinking it would fit. I'll give it a try without actually applying it and see if there is enough space...

[@ItsThicc]

The 3040 version has the m.2 slot but need to solder the connector on

[@ntn888]

Love these refurb minis. Great alternative to the overpriced NUCs. It's the best form factor for workstation I think. Best for Linux workstations...

[@madarauchiha4298]

So the 7050 micro won't work with 2600MHz RAM?

[@LB-yx4yw]

Can anyone tell me if my 3070 micro has a usb c expansion option at the back? I know the 3090 micro has one, but I don't know if the 3070 version has one

[@TheHarpreet360]

Hi, thanks so much for this great video! I was upgrading a 3060 with the AX210, and heard you say that you only use the one antenna? Can you not hook two antennas to the card, one to the aux and one to the main? Thanks for the info.

[@madarauchiha4298]

Yes you can but its not necessary since one antenna is used at a time.

[@JamesBond-kx3kl]

I have one as a Plex server and one as a Batocera retro gaming rig. These little guys are great

[@kentdemi9452]

great job!

[@donatocapobianco898]

good morning, I have the same PC but I don't understand why it gives me the error "Alert TPM device is not detected! how can I resolve this? the PC has been refurbished. Thank you

[@PyrosFireworks]

Anyone got the link for the extra 8gb ram? Cant find it where to buy

[@bertramlefarge69]

The M.2 retaining screw splits to give you the gap needed from the main board. Got a couple of these, great little piece of kit, nuc can nuc off !

[@miaso130]

Yes, the piece that he used to fix the m2 SSD is not actually for that. This piece is a stand to give clearance between the motherboard and m2 card. And it has a threaded hole at the top for the actual screw that will hold the card. This piece is made with X for Philips screwdriver because you can relocate it closer to the m2 connector to accommodate shorter m2 cards.

[@riffdex]

@@miaso130yeah I did the Same thing when I tried to put a SATA based m.2 SSD in my Dell Wyse 5070, I used the entire screw. However on his unit it seems to have worked out ok but on my unit the slot that receives the m.2 lanes was elevated. So when I used the screw it actually caused the screw end of the m.2 to bend much lower than the other end, and the m.2 got bent and ruined. Long story short, it was a mistake I made and I paid the price

[@Patrick2480]

ALOT of mini PCs ive looked at on Amazon at around the under $200 price range are always under powered using celeron processor and some with 8 gigs to 4 gig RAM and less than 200GB storage

[@mohsinpathan8972]

Very informative

[@Britec09]

Glad you think so!

[@andcentral2965]

I'm a fan of these mini PCs. I just bought the 3090 version today.

[@ramanand106]

Price kay hai iska

[@ezero1309]

And i bought the 3050micro today

[@madarauchiha4298]

@עינ הרע Does that CPU swap work?

[@miaso130]

@@madarauchiha4298 you can swap for a compatible cpu. By default those micro PC’s accept 35w CPU’s (with the T at the end of model number, like i7-7700T) some of the models are compatible with “regular” 65w CPU’s (without T, like i7-7700) but you need to double check it before buying. For example Dell 3050 micro will only accept 35w, but 7050 micro can accept 65w but it will need different heatsink than 35w version. In general I think it’s not worth it, 65w versions are maybe 20% faster than same 35w CPU, but the noise from the cooling is much louder.

[@collectorguy3919]

Have you tried installing a little NVME drive into the Wi-Fi card slot? I think it could work

[@LostOnTheLine]

It's a different Key... M.2 A/E key used for WiFi (Usually E-Key but many cards have 2 key holes for either) - - Has only 2 SEPERATE PCIe ×1 (1 lane each). Some boards only have 1 of them populated - - Has USB 2.0 - - Has I²C - - Has a few other protocols not important here - CAN be used for SSD ONLY with an adapter but will be ¼ the speed M.2 M key (NVMe SDDs use this) - - Has 1 PCIe ×4 (4 lanes) - - Has SATA - - Has SMBus - - Has no other protocols M.2 B Key (SATA SSDs use this) These Drives usually have 2 notches for B & M - - Has 1 PCIe ×2 - - Has SATA - - Has USB 2.0 - - Has USB 3.0 - - Has I²C - - Has a few other protocols Think of it like putting your Graphics card in one of the small PCIe ×1 slots. It'd work, but it'd be a lot slower

[@masteraniken3877]

Would this work for running servers for like arc and modded minecraft or rust with the ram upgrade and a ssd

[@Britec09]

It can take up to 32GB RAM

[@gino3286]

good morning and first of all thank you for the excellent video I have a question I am testing different USB wifi adapters Can the CPU affect the final wireless speed ? i have a 2.5 Gbps contract and a powerful router xa6000 i cannot get the max speed the adapters ar capable of I am quite frustrated I have the feeling that the bottleneck is in the cpu a AMD A12-8870E now

[@mihaibarbu2006]

CPU can be but also the storage, RAM and wifi adapter. For that speed you should have good quality SATA SSD or NVME SSD, at least 8GB of RAM, usb 3.1 gen 1 (usb 3.1) for external adapter, 5Ghz adapter at least and a good cooling inside...But before you check RAM, SSD, CPU check the others and the drivers... Keep in mind that usually 2,5 Gbps is usually a theoretical speed, in reality should be around ~2Gbps (~250 MB/s) if the server (source) supports. The CPU in my opinion can also be a bottleneck but the others are more important...

[@gino3286]

@@mihaibarbu2006 hi thank you very much for your kind and valuable advice In the meantime i have bought a little faster pc and a better usb wifi adapter and now i get up to 1.2 Gbit/s and i am more satisfied The pc is just a i5 of 6th generation I am sure that newer and more expensive pc would be even better but for my needs i am quite happy for now Kind regards gino

[@msd5808]

Did you have any issues with booting that NVMe drive? I have a 7050 Micro but it doesn’t seem to like Intel 760p and 660p so i thought it might only accept SATA m.2.

[@benjamenYTDeadTheGamer]

Hey, it's you again! Anyways, did you ever get that NVMe working? Also, did you ever find out if a sata m.2 works in a 7050M?

[@msd5808]

@@benjamenYTDeadTheGamer No, I haven't tried to upgrade the hard drive again and am sticking with a SATA SSD with this old machine. Might get a new Optiplex Micro in the future that will come with NVMe.

[@benjamenYTDeadTheGamer]

@@msd5808 So a SATA M.2 doesn't work in a 7050 Micro then, just the 2.5/3.5in SATA bay? It's weird, because I thought the 7050M was supposed to come with a NVMe drive by default, so it not supporting one is odd to say the least.

[@msd5808]

@@benjamenYTDeadTheGamer I honestly don't know. Maybe it's because the CPU I have is Skylake (i5-6500t). The seller on eBay didn't have the latest one installed that normally came with the 7050 (7th gen Kaby Lake). But that was an Intel Optane Storage storage issue and I think the SSDs I tried didn't have anything to do with that. Probably user error on my part. Maybe he had configured the BIOS in a way that I don't understand? Also I got the name of the drive wrong, it was the Intel 670p I tried last, not 760p. But when I switched to Crucial MX500 it worked perfectly fine, no difficulties switching over. What I found was that only the NVMe controller (SM2265?) was recognized by Windows, so it would show up as like a 1GB drive, but I couldn't get it to recognize more to format it normally.

[@Enlightmentism]

Can I add a graphics card?

[@chriscahill4435]

dont know why but my dell 3080 has a 10500t 6c 12t everyone seems to have much lower cpu modles and i only paid around 250 usd or a bit lower

[@rafaelcastro3300]

Hola . . . muy buen video . . .gracias

[@PrinceofPwnage]

I bought one to use as en emulator miniPC so it didn't take too much room in my living room. I like that it came with 16GB of RAM, but it came with the Intel i5 6500T. I wonder if i can change the processor on it

[@miaso130]

You can, for a compatible 35w cpu (T in the model number is for 35w, no T is a regular 65w cpu). But CPU’s of that generation is still pretty expensive, so it may be better to sell your unit and buy a different one with i7-6700t for 30$ more, then to upgrade cpu for 100$

[@PrinceofPwnage]

@@miaso130 i found an i7 7700T for auction, won it at $100, threw it into my mini PC and she works great.

[@ethimself5064]

Curious as to why Dell and others don't comply sell 2-3 complete units - no messing around thing? Thanks

[@Britec09]

Money

[@ethimself5064]

@@Britec09 Thanks👍

[@The_Last_Post]

Hi Bri, I have one of these and I've tried to upgrade the RAM to 32Gb (two 16GB sticks) but all I get is an amber LED blinking and no post? It boots up fine with 16Gb & 4Gb together and in single but not the two 16GB in 32Gb config. Any idea why this might be? Thank you in advance

[@The_Last_Post]

Could it be that my ram is running 2666mhz that's making it not post?

[@madarauchiha4298]

@@The_Last_Post If the 2 ram sticks don't have a common speed that they can clock down to then they wont work. Your best bet is to get a pair of RAM sticks that are completely identical in size and speed. Maybe one of the sticks could be damaged, its a possibility. What are the ram speeds?

[@livinthreat3100]

PLEASE WHERE DO I PUT A GPU? WHERE TO LOCATE IT AND WHAT IS IT CALLED TO BUY my real question is can I replace it with a new gpu? how do i do that where is it supposed to be located

[@miaso130]

Most of those micro pc’s use integrated gpu and don’t support separate GPU cards. The only model I know of is Lenovo m720q/m920q/p330 - those have a pci-e slot that can be used for gpu too (but it must fit in a small space and not require additional power connections, so no GeForce 4090)

[@sludgefactory241]

Some instances dell engineers their product amazingly well towards the user being able to service equipment. Most of the time they are very anti-servicing towards the consumer.

[@ThatBritishGuy]

Techincally this is the easiest way to boost performance on ANY device that uses a mechanical hard drive, 2.5 SSD to nvme there isn't much difference in terms of day to day use people wouldn't even notice unless they was actively looking for it but the jump from a mechanical to an SSD is the huge difference that can be noticed not to mention thermal paste change to something higher quality than factory can help with those temps in such a cramped space of a case that extra 2-3c can be a difference.

[@Britec09]

That is correct

[@jackkraken3888]

Oh yes don't forget thermal paste? And check the temperatures!

[@tgsparkyoriginal]

I’m looking at getting a 7060 and up grading the small SSD that comes with it to an M.2 as they almost the same price for a SSD to a M.2 in brand in Australia. It’s stupid that an SSD isn’t a lot cheaper here.

[@dakotahinson4064]

I've purchased 3 refurbished PCs personally, every single one had a life span less than a week. I will drive 400 miles before I buy another PC online lol

[@dakotahinson4064]

The thermal paste statement made me think of this, who ever put the parts in while the PC was being refurbishing didn't know what they were doing changing the cpu

[@djklink20009]

Seen a good one on there the other day would have got it if I wasn't already paying off my Ryzen 5 3060 😎✌️

[@Britec09]

Get one after

[@eberwolf24]

I have a Lenovo Thinkcentre m900, which is a similar mini pc, and in the specs it also says that it supports up to 32gb ddr4 at 2133mhz but I upgrade it from 8gb at 2133 to 16gb at 3200 and they work and run in dual channel at 3200mhz. So they do handle more than what they say. Also remember that the spec sheet is released with the pc but they get bios updates and maybe that's why at least mine supports memory faster than rated. I did check mine with cpuz and it does confirm running at 3200 mhz not underclocking to 2133

[@Britec09]

Nice

[@zeroturn7091]

3200 MHz JEDEC timings, you’re probably running it at CL22 when it’s CL16 or 18 XMP.

[@madarauchiha4298]

Thanks for this comment Luis. I have an Optiplex 7050 micro and I was considering a 2600MHz crucial pair so that I can have 32gb of ram but I was wondering whether it can use ram running at higher than 2133 MHz.

[@miaso130]

Those units will actually take 2*32 gb sodimms for a total of 64 gb despite manual saying 32 gb max. Lots of success stories on Reddit. I myself run Dell 7070 micro with 64 gb, and also tried it on 7050. As Dell/Lenovo/HP micro PC are very similar internally, I assume this will work for any model of ddr4 generation.

[@yourpcmd]

Loved the video Brian, but you mounted the NVMe incorrectly. That screw you used holds the motherboard to the chassis and you need a separate screw that goes INTO the mounting screw. I have over 90 of these MFF Dells out in the field and they are perfect for workstations. If you can get the Dell OptiPlex 3060, you can install Windows 11 with no trickery.

[@Britec09]

I have it on order

[@Britec09]

postimg.cc/McvS0RXk all done

[@yourpcmd]

@@Britec09 that makes me feel better :)

[@daverayman8865]

Can do a video on how to use DLC boot thanks 👍

[@Britec09]

Sure thing

[@tac73]

I appreciate the effort you put into your videos! I would like to see you use an ESD strap when handling components. And, STOP touching the edge connectors with your bare (oily) hands. :-( Don't mean to rant. It's just my electronic technician training kicking in. I can't help myself!

[@gheffz]

Nice clean hands!!! ;)

[@jsparlin1]

just got one, fan is noisy, and 8 gb. nice though

[@WillPlaysGames1993]

this pc reminds me of the alienware alpha (i still have my i3-4130t and 860m version)

[@Britec09]

Nice

[@eliasaviles4704]

will a 3200mh card be too much?

[@madarauchiha4298]

There is someone who mentioned that he/she was able to get it to run with 3200MHz ram

[@LostOnTheLine]

👿You used the standoff to secure the NVMe drive... Didn't it feel weird & like you were bending the card?👿 Also you can put a Heatsink on the NVMe with plenty of room so long as it isn't a very big one

[@kennglee]

Why is a VGA port a bonus?

[@e1woqf]

Because it's an add on. It's an additional and optional video output and comes with an extra cost.

[@surpriseblueviana3803]

Dell OptiPlex 3070 have a problem with the power-transformer, because the cpu i3-9300T 3.8Ghz but only works at 800Mhz, buy this on second hand and power-transformer is not the real, but with the same wattages.Dell use some cheat on bios to see if the power is the original and make this problem.

[@mhtechuk1769]

Yeah they throttle down to 0.79Ghz if power adapter is non original or incompatible.. You can use Throttlestop to prevent that.

[@surpriseblueviana3803]

@@mhtechuk1769 But how i use the Throttlestop to stop this?

[@beandrive]

This sounds great. What about Windows 11? No future here, what then?

[@GeoSam]

Some decent upgrades for this little pc, but can it run Crysis I wonder?🤔

[@Britec09]

Yes Geo, you can get 300FPS on the Intel 630 GPU 😁

[@GeoSam]

@@Britec09 lol 😅

[@eddielegs344]

Nice love mini pc's I just bought a Hp mini g3 was already 6500T processor in it with 16 gig of ram. Only no hdd/ssd ,100 Euro nice price anyway. I put in a wd black sn750 nvme ssd 1tb with a hdd WD 500 scorpio (cheap hdd 10 euros) I know it's generation 4 ssd and system is gen 3 but that's not bad he some slower then. Well I did not have a screw to secure ssd was not in there and do not have soon small screw. Fan is stuck with 3 can miss one hahaha you have to do something. Further satisfied pc works well I put Win 10 pro on it. Now only some software to add dots on the i. Gtz

[@Britec09]

Very nice

[@eddielegs344]

Should have better kept my mouth shut, system does not boot with restart Windows. Dism does not help me either what is wrong ? The weird thing is can't get into my bios at that time either.

[@eddielegs344]

@@Britec09 Problem fixed it was de bios .. reset to factury default ....

[@neverever7629]

please mention that you should be grounded to do this

[@Britec09]

I am standing on an anti static mat which is grounded

[@2009numan]

under that big heat sink and you pointed to the ram

[@Britec09]

Mr Kevin splitting hairs, some things never change

[@helifynoe9930]

Lots of computers that have a less than 8th generation CPU, are pretty cheap since they do not support Win 11.

[@e1woqf]

I've got a 9020m last week and it has an i3-4130T CPU. It came with a SSHD 500GB and Win10 installed. Since I don't use Win at all, I replaced it with an SSD and installed Ubuntu Mate. Works fine! I only paid 69.90 € for the PC.

[@mhtechuk1769]

05:20 come on 😅😅

[@robertkubrick3738]

A year plus on, 10 series processor mini PC are scarcely more costly than 7 series and 10 series was where things Popped for Intel, a real generational leap forward. I got a 3090 with 6 core/6thread 10500T cheap. Today I would recommend you not upgrade a 7 series, sell it on if you can and buy a 10 series. Not putting down the 7 series, I had a i7 7700 gaming laptop with a GTX 1060 that I bought new back then and it was my pride and joy, it's just that all 7 series have been replaced with better and the 10 series is much better and about the same price.

[@edgerteed7070]

PLEASE MAKE THIS AN AUDIOPHILE CD RIPPER AND PLAYER, I AM IOOKING TO BUILD ONE, THANK-YOU.....

[@elcolin_]

Can you put an i9 in there baby or nah?

[@daverayman8865]

I'll leave it to you mate but can you mention my name in the video if you make the video thanks mate 👍

[@Britec09]

Dave, I would love to mention everyone, but it would take forever, so I mention KZbin members Tier 3 only kzbin.info/door/_M-iWYpQbgo4rK1YfewI5wjoin

[@girigiri9112]

Gta 5 playable ?

[@brugges]

Ouch ! A nvme drive in such a small space, not the best idea imo.