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    Dell Optiplex 790 Mini tower

    Hardware
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    • W
      Waqar.UK
      last edited by

      Mini tower system, 4GB ram, 250GB hard drive & i3 second generation. Can it handle gigabit?
      specs
      Dell Optiplex 790

      Intel® 82579LM Gigabit 1 Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000 (Remote
      Wake Up, PXE support and Intel Active Management Technology support)
      Integrated on system board
      motherboard has PCI-e 16x connector(SLOT1), PCI-e 1x connector(SLOT2), PCI connector(SLOT3), PCI-e 4x connector(SLOT4)
      So I can fit a spare pci Intel based dual gigabit card that I know works with pfsense.

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      • E
        edwardwong
        last edited by

        Any i3 processor will handle the work nicely, if you only concern about routing/NAT, a Pentium > 2GHz can do the job nicely.

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        • W
          Waqar.UK
          last edited by

          Hello Edward,  ;D

          I currently use a hp dx2400 with 2GB ram, 160GB sata hd & core 2 duo 2.4GHz. It does a fine job, but I want to be as future proof as possible. For that reason I am thinking of a i3 or above. But your build is amazing and I would like to copy it but some of the components are unavailable in the UK.  :'(

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          • E
            edwardwong
            last edited by

            @Waqar.UK:

            Hello Edward,  ;D

            I currently use a hp dx2400 with 2GB ram, 160GB sata hd & core 2 duo 2.4GHz. It does a fine job, but I want to be as future proof as possible. For that reason I am thinking of a i3 or above. But your build is amazing and I would like to copy it but some of the components are unavailable in the UK.  :'(

            Hello,

            I live in HK, it's even more difficult for me to buy those stuff. I just order it on US Amazon and ship directly to HK.
            So everything depends on the nature of application, one thing might be missed by most people will be the hardware durability, those industrial/server grade component will work well in long term (I have one Dell PowerEdge 860, running 24x7 for 9 years already, without any hardware failure), the N2930 board I get is also an industrial grade one, with long term support by manufacturer (they also aim this board at networking product component).

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            • W
              Waqar.UK
              last edited by

              Hello,

              I have logged onto my Amazon account, but US suppliers do not post to the UK. What is your list and whom did you order from?  8)

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              • 2
                2chemlud Banned
                last edited by

                Hello,
                …
                So everything depends on the nature of application, one thing might be missed by most people will be the hardware durability, those industrial/server grade component will work well in long term (I have one Dell PowerEdge 860, running 24x7 for 9 years already, without any hardware failure), the N2930 board I get is also an industrial grade one, with long term support by manufacturer (they also aim this board at networking product component).

                Have here a Dell Precision 670 Xeon running 12 years 24/7 without any hardware problems. 2 years ago one RAM failed, but could get a cheap replacement via ebay.com :-D

                Other Precisions doing fine here 24/7 for more than 5-8 years without any problems. Bought my first Optiplex this year for 24/7 (2 years old leasing return), will see how it work over the years. Dell is absolutely worth the money, especially if you buy them 2-3 years old. Some of the newer Dell Precision M (mobile workstations) have some problems with the graphics cards/power supplies but the older ones are definitely worth a try and I prefer them over new consumer-grade notebooks.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • E
                  edwardwong
                  last edited by

                  @2chemlud:

                  Hello,
                  …
                  So everything depends on the nature of application, one thing might be missed by most people will be the hardware durability, those industrial/server grade component will work well in long term (I have one Dell PowerEdge 860, running 24x7 for 9 years already, without any hardware failure), the N2930 board I get is also an industrial grade one, with long term support by manufacturer (they also aim this board at networking product component).

                  Have here a Dell Precision 670 Xeon running 12 years 24/7 without any hardware problems. 2 years ago one RAM failed, but could get a cheap replacement via ebay.com :-D

                  Other Precisions doing fine here 24/7 for more than 5-8 years without any problems. Bought my first Optiplex this year for 24/7 (2 years old leasing return), will see how it work over the years. Dell is absolutely worth the money, especially if you buy them 2-3 years old. Some of the newer Dell Precision M (mobile workstations) have some problems with the graphics cards/power supplies but the older ones are definitely worth a try and I prefer them over new consumer-grade notebooks.

                  I treat Dell Precision machine somewhat similar to a server, I also have one Precision T3500 at home which is still running fine (can't really remember how long I owned it)  8)  But of course, for my Dell PowerEdge, over the 9years of operation, not even a single piece of hardware failed.

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                  • E
                    edwardwong
                    last edited by

                    @Waqar.UK:

                    Hello,

                    I have logged onto my Amazon account, but US suppliers do not post to the UK. What is your list and whom did you order from?  8)

                    I buy from this: http://www.amazon.com/Jetway-NF9HG-2930-mini-ITX-Network-Motherboard/dp/B00XNR4HE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462478498&sr=8-1&keywords=nf9hg-2930

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                    • 2
                      2chemlud Banned
                      last edited by

                      @edwardwong:

                      … But of course, for my Dell PowerEdge, over the 9years of operation, not even a single piece of hardware failed.

                      yeah, the Precision 670 is now some 14 years ;-)

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                      • W
                        Waqar.UK
                        last edited by

                        @edwardwong:

                        @Waqar.UK:

                        Hello,

                        I have logged onto my Amazon account, but US suppliers do not post to the UK. What is your list and whom did you order from?  8)

                        I buy from this: http://www.amazon.com/Jetway-NF9HG-2930-mini-ITX-Network-Motherboard/dp/B00XNR4HE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462478498&sr=8-1&keywords=nf9hg-2930

                        OK, I want to build a pfsense box with your recommended board, what case, ram, ssd, power supply do I get as well?

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                        • ?
                          Guest
                          last edited by

                          OK, I want to build a pfsense box with your recommended board, what case, ram, ssd, power supply do I get as well?

                          The board shown under the link and the PSU and M350 case too!

                          • M350 (case) ~$45
                          • NF9HG2930 (board) ~$204
                          • Compex wle200nx WiFi card ~$40
                          • PSU (as shown there) ~$10 - ~$15
                          • mSATA Crucial CT128M550SSD3 SSD 128GB ~$80
                          • 2 x 4 GB 204-pin DDR3L-1333 SO-DIMM up to 8GB (1.35V required) ~$40
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                          • W
                            Waqar.UK
                            last edited by

                            Thanks a lot  8)

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                            • E
                              edwardwong
                              last edited by

                              I used M350, pretty good fit. For mSATA you might not need that much space, I am now looking for some 16~32GB (currently running NanoBSD), and I'm interested on this: http://www.amazon.com/Premier-SP310-mSATA-Solid-ASP310S3-32GM-C/dp/B00ELQZD10/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1462789645&sr=1-5&keywords=msata+ssd

                              One good thing for this board: Direct 12V DC power, save you from trouble :)

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                              • W
                                Waqar.UK
                                last edited by

                                Thanks a lot  8)

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                                • W
                                  Waqar.UK
                                  last edited by

                                  Also I got yesterday a Dell OptiPlex 790, core i5 sandybridge, but my Intel based dual Ethernet card : HP NC7170 PCI-X Dual Port 1000T Gigabit Server Adapter is too long as it cannot be seated into the pci slot. Since it touches one of the heat sinks on the motherboard. So what times 1 pci express card or times 16 pci express should I buy?

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