 | |
 Dell Optiplex 3020M | |
| Manufacturer | Dell |
|---|---|
| Product family | Optiplex |
| Type | Desktop computer |
| Release date | Late 2013 |
| Introductory price | $429 |
| Operating system | macOS 11.7.10 Big Sur, English |
| CPU | Intel Core i3-4160T @ 3.1 GHz |
| Memory | 4 GB (DDR3 1600 MHz) |
| Storage | 512 GB TEAMGROUP CX2 SATA SSD |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics |
| Connectivity | 6 USB 2.0, 2 Audio jacks, 1 DisplayPort, 1 VGA |
| Power | 65 W AC adapter |
| Website | https://www.dell.com |
The Dell Optiplex 3020M is a micro desktop computer from 2013. Based on the archives of Dell's website around the time, it seems like this computer only came with an Intel Pentium processor option, though my model has a 4th gen Core i3 with an original sticker. 4 GB of DDR3 memory appears to have been the maximum preinstalled by Dell.
Collection Specifics
I bought this Optiplex 3020M for $45 + $16 shipping off eBay on April 19, 2022. I bought this computer because it's a nice tiny PC that I can fit on my desk in addition to all of the existing stuff on it and use it as a Linux computer.
Operating System
Originally, this computer would've shipped with Windows 8.1. My original intent when buying the system was to use it as a Linux PC, so it was running Linux Mint 21.1 until January 2024. At this time, I decided I wanted a dedicated Visual Studio development PC, so I reinstalled Windows 8.1 and upgraded to Windows 11.
In February 2024, I wanted to experiment with Hackintoshing again so I ended up putting macOS 11.7.10 Big Sur on this computer. Unfortunately, macOS 13 dropped support for this generation of Intel HD Graphics so later versions of macOS won't have graphics acceleration without additional patches. macOS 12 still supports the iGPU, but I encountered constant kernel panics, so I stuck with macOS 11 which seems to be much more stable on this machine.
Hardware
The only upgrade I've done to the system is install a 512 GB SSD since the computer did not come with a hard drive when I bought it.