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'Plexy'

Dell Optiplex 7050 Micro

Current Status: Workin' fine

made this a gif coz otherwise it's just a black box.

CPU: i5-7500T

GPU: Intel HD Graphics 630 (integrated)

RAM: 16GB DDR4

Storage: 256 GB M.2 Nvme SSD + 250GB SATA SSD

Current OS: MX Linux KDE (M.2) + Commodore OS Vision 3.0 (SATA SSD)

I got this second hand in August 2024, it was very cheap and came with Windows 11. I picked it up for a few reasons; I wanted to try Windows 11 without paying for a license (this whole PC was less than 1/3 the price of one), I wanted to try out installing a Linux distro without messing with my main PC, and I wanted to try using it for simple server stuff in the future. The results are as follows:

• I tried Windows 11 for maybe a day or two and knew it wasn't for me.
• I never actually bothered testing a Linux install, and ended up getting a second hand SSD to dual boot Linux Mint and Windows 10 on my main PC (for a few months before fully switching over).
• I dove in and made this optiplex a server PC instead, just hosting my friend's Minecraft realm after a month or two of testing.

I like these old office PCs for a few reasons. They are cheap because they don't (or didn't) have official Windows 11 support, despite most of them being able to run it. They are reliable and energy efficient; designed to be left on 24/7 in an office. They are easily modifiable; common parts, easy to open and replace stuff like storage and RAM, they are so ubiquitous that parts will be available for a long time, they also usually have clear and easily accessible repair documentation. Also these micro form factor ones are very small and light, but can manage just about any computing task that doesn't require a dedicated graphics card (although I have seen a vid online of a guy modding a GPU into one of these)

Usage

• Hosting a Minecraft Bedrock Server (Aug 2024-Sep 2025... Thankyou for your service), used Mint Xfce during testing, then settled on Bodhi Linux for the remainder of it's uptime. Since moved server duties to another even cheaper second hand office PC; HP Prodesk G3 600 SFF.
• Now I am just using it as a very light and portable test/daily use PC around the house. Can attach it to the TV to watch stuff, or to any desk monitor easily, and it has wifi.
• MX Linux KDE: Trying this out to see what it's like, pretty nice so far. I try to use this for general crap that doesn't need a GPU, but would strain my laptop, in the hopes I can extend the life of my main PC. I have had some annoying permission issues that I think are KDE related (can't write on external drives without sudo, also flatpak required sudo to update after I dual booted, until I set MX to be the primary boot drive in BIOS again), but these have eased.
• Commodore OS Vision 3.0: This is a MX Linux 'respin' (like a reskin with extra stuff added) that is designed to be like an AU 'what if Commodore continued to exist and make an OS'. Super cool retro-futuristic style with tonnnneeeessss of animated desktop and window manager effects going on, also comes with heaps of retro and open source games. Fun to use for retro gaming, and it does come with many essential apps/tools installed, but it might be a bit overwhelming for daily use. Huge 90GB minimum install required, this is why I put it on an actual hard drive instead of a virtual machine. It also struggled on 8GB RAM with all the effects it uses, froze up on me a few times (so I added another cheap stick of 8GB). Overall very fun and exciting to use, like how I felt about computers as a kid in the 90s, but I wouldn't recommend if you get over/tired of stuff quickly as it requires A LOT of space whether on a physical or virtual drive. - EDIT: Barely ended up using this, gonna wipe it and just use the drive for extra storage.

Troubleshooting

• When I first got it, it would occasionally do this thing when turning it off where the fan stayed on at full speed, requiring power to be switched off at the plug. Looking online someone said to just pull it apart and re-seat the fan plug on the motherboard. That fixed it for me.

Resources

• OptiPlex 7050 Micro Owner's Manual - Super clear manual with repair/parts replacement guides.