Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF: Teardown - Upgrade - Benchmarks

In this video, we'll take a better look at the Dell Optiplex 3020 SFF or Small Form Factor. During the video, I will completely disassemble this machine and then put it back together.
While doing so, I will also upgrade the memory, CPU and replace the current hard drive with an SSD and if everything still works after that, I will install Windows 11 and also perform some benchmarks to check how this machine still performs today.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
01:09 - Connectivity
01:46 - Internal components
02:04 - Teardown
06:21 - Power Supply
06:35 - Motherboard
07:13 - Overview of components
07:40 - Re-assembly
11:35 - First boot and BIOS
12:05 - Windows 11 installation
13:08 - Benchmarks
14:52 - Conclusion

[@psychohoodie]

this was awesome help i learnt alot about my device so tysm . . . im bale to understand it clearly and understand what i can get to upgrade it to a very decent pc now

[@attilabacsmegi7375]

Köszönöm a videót!👍

[@pirateshack9315]

hi, great vid ! could you tell me what dvd writer fits this unit please ? i have a 5050 sff that looks to be the same layout. thank you

[@nadimpallib]

Great video. Can you please provide model and details of the new SDD, RAM and Processor Units that you installed and also with links to buy from if you can. Thanks.

[@AlexM-gq1em]

thanks for video!

[@laurencejohnson4106]

A neat computer.👍

[@educationcentral_]

Recommendations for a sub 100$ USD gpu Also what is the best processor you can use?

[@nidacsccenter]

thak you very much brother

[@dakshinaffyt3686]

Hi I have an dell optiplex 9020 ,Can i just swap the case power supply.I wanna add external Gpu of 450 W is it possible to add it?

[@mr.badluck354]

Great video! This little SFF case is really interesting indeed. I would like to have a second hand one and upgrade it with my surplus parts. Do you know if I cab replace the motherboard with a Asus H97i-plus?

[@jensdbe]

The motherboard and power supply are not using a standard format unfortunately so fitting in a generic motherboard will be difficult.

[@mr.badluck354]

@@jensdbe Thank you for the reply. I am going to get a proper m-itx case then.

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

Are there any small form factor, single slot GPU's that you would recommend for this unit? I wouldn't mind turning mine into an emulation machine and maybe playing some older PC titles like Fallout 3 or maybe Skyrim.

[@jensdbe]

A GTX1650 low profile would be the best choice to my idea. It can be powered from the PCIe slot and has pretty decent performance that matches with the rest of the hardware.

[@CoolToolFool]

That 4570 would bottle neck a 1650 by 25% or more. A 1050 ti would only be about 11%. The aging cpus in these older refurbished units are finally hitting their maxes.

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

@@CoolToolFool i decided to go with an RX 550 sff that I got off ebay for about $50. So far it has exceeded my expectations.

[@litterbocks47]

Rx6400

[@ramosojustinken9894]

hi, is it possible to add an HDD on this unit? would i need to remove the optical drive to do that?

[@amwartwork]

yes. buy a dvd adaptor to replace dvd drive.

[@private8686]

Hello, how much power does this computer consume? I don't mean the power of the power supply, but the actual power consumption

[@jensdbe]

I haven't measured it in detail but depending on the load of the machine it will most likely vary between around 25W in idle and up to roughly 75-100W under stress. Take a look at a video I did earlier on a similar machine, that should give you an idea: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5Dbq2qrp5l7iZo

[@9ineStarShooter]

what if I didn't put the fender back on the fan? would it still function properly?

[@jensdbe]

Honestly I don't think it makea a huge difference

[@amwartwork]

anyone hooked up a monitor via DP and VGA? and can use both screens. one as main and other as extended?

[@jensdbe]

Both is possible

[@ItIsGoltcv_]

Ty its a very good video

[@ColtinCountryman]

Mine came with a pentium g3250. Will the cpu your using in your build work on mine?

[@jensdbe]

Yeas, that should work, the board supports those Pentium CPUs + 4th generation Intel Core (as I used)

[@user-yc5lj4ij7r]

good afternoon buddy your video is great can you help me i want to upgrade i have an optiplex 3010 sff with i3 processor and i need an upgrade immediately because i use photoshop alone and it crashes i have a 256 gb ssd and 12 gb ram geforce gt 1030 2gb while it works quite well and fast when i work photoshop starts and lags very much the whole system i press control alt delete i see permanently the processor at 100% what i suspect there is the problem what would you suggest me to do to buy any of the following processors and i will I solved the problem ? I also can't find anywhere if my machine supports the following processors, not even in the del I searched I didn't find anything so I ask you who know thank you in advance (1) i5-2400 (2) i5 2500K (3) 17 2600k

[@troyporter3825]

How can you tell which upgraded CPUs the mother board will support?

[@jensdbe]

To be very sure, check in the specifications if Dell released the same PC with the CPU you want to upgrade to. In most cases, CPUs of the same generation (with a similar TDP (power consumption)) will work fine. So in this case, most 4th generation Intel Core CPUs should be compatible.

[@troyporter3825]

@@jensdbe thanks for the response!!

[@njtexit8]

I was too lazy to download the owner's manual but I needed to know how to remove DVD drive and hard drive to change the CMOS battery. Thank you for the video.

[@rick7122]

Heyo, you think I can fit in an rx 6600 xt into this thing if I removed the PSU and placed it outside the case?

[@jensdbe]

In theory yea but you'd need an adapter cable from standard ATX to the Dell-specific power connector and as far as I know an RX 6600 XT doesn't come in low profile so it would stick out of the top of the case. I'd say sell this machine and get a tower model :)

[@puneeths4852]

Which graphics card is best for this can you tell us

[@jensdbe]

A GTX1650 low profile is about the best you can do in this machine.

[@dwane17444]

I can’t turn it on I don’t know why

[@massyl2924]

can i use 1866mhz ram in this pc ?

[@jensdbe]

Pretty sure that the memory will work but at 1600Mhz.

[@xak-fa4060]

Can i add a GT 1030 ddr5 in this upgrade???

[@jensdbe]

As long as it is a low profile version, that should work

[@itz.manish_09]

Does this motherboard support 8gb two rams

[@njtexit8]

Yes. I have 16GB in mine.

[@vofffka]

@@njtexit8 16Gbx1 or 8Gb+8Gb kit? Does it works with 1x16Gb RAM?

[@njtexit8]

@@vofffka I have 8GB + 8GB

[@hamiltonturner8244]

how would i install a graphics card

[@Perithehorriblesweat]

you can easily first geta small card like PowerColor AMD Radeon R7 240 2GB 64-bit GDDR5 Graphics Card if youre on a really tight budget then open the case close on the back side you will see a tab open it and then takeout the metal plating installl the card and done

[@ep1cgam3rz13]

​@@Perithehorriblesweatwill the rx 6400 low profile work?

[@Perithehorriblesweat]

@@ep1cgam3rz13 yea it would bet if you have other opsions i insist the GTX 1050 Ti OC Low Profile 4G

[@JUICEFFtekaboigyal]

Mine isnt coming on just a orange flashing light

[@jensdbe]

Depending on how it flashes, this should help you to indicate the issue: www.dell.com/support/manuals/nl-nl/optiplex-3020-desktop/opt3020sffom-v1/power-led-diagnostics?guid=guid-8a21b64a-320f-438f-bcfc-b2cdc6440f63&lang=en-us

[@ollieplays-recroom2637]

My school uses these lol. They aren’t too bad tbh

[@7esibaff583]

guys do u think i should buy it im not so much money to 😂

[@user-oo4vh2fs7l]

No sens up grade, win 11 notsupport this CPU ./ :( ,. old scrap , dell ,.

[@jensdbe]

Works perfectly fine for Windows 11. Just work around the hardware check and everything is running as expected. Did a video on that as well, you can find it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/baa8ZJaMrdd_hpo