First off, let me warn you, the reader, before you get too far into this post: NERD ALERT! We are going to do a deep dive into purchasing a circa-2013 Dell Optiplex 9020 business-class mini tower PC, with the ultimate goal of turning it into a VERY respectable gaming PC.
Before we get started, we need to answer the question, WHY? Why would we want to do this? The answer to that question is: for very little money, you can purchase a complete PC that, with a few upgrades, can be transformed into a highly functioning gaming rig with the capability of playing nearly any game being sold today. More and more family and friends have been asking me to build them gaming PCs. A recent request from a friend was, "What's the least amount of money we will need to spend and still be able
The Dell Optiplex 9020 comes with an i5, or i7 processor, 8 or 16 GB of RAM, and a 290 watt power supply in a mini tower case. It can support up to 32 gigs of DDR3 RAM at 1600 mhz, and is able to integrate and power many video cards such as a GTX 1050, GTX 1060, Radeon RX 470, and GTX 1650. Additionally, with a simple power supply upgrade, even more capable video cards can be installed. If you decide to go with a higher-end video card, you'll need this adapter to convert an ATX power supply 24 pin connector