I ran across this at an estate sale in the area. I have an opportunity to grab it Monday afternoon. I’d be dealing with Nvidia, which I haven’t since the mid 2000’s. Thoughts? Worth it?
Dell Inspiron 3670 MT
CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i7
Ram: 16GB DDR4
Storage: 256GB SSD
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 (2 GB - 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz)
OS: Windows 11
Manufactured: 2020
Price: $120 (U.S.)
The GeForce GT 1030 isn’t worth to be called a graphics card at all 
That’s right, I had that one briefly in my computer years ago. It’s a waste…
I only installed the card because I needed a display port connection that my old board didn’t have.
I ran across this…
The GT 1030 is one hell of a card for what it is!
…which is why I wanted some input from people I trust here on the forums.
Honestly? Stay away from that thing.
I plan to.
In case you’re looking for advice. I only read that you’re going to switch out your current mini pc, which is a N100 based machine, if I recall it right ?
If you list the current configuration and describe the reason why you’re looking for a different machine, what are the main features which you’ld like to improve on … maybe we can find something suitable for your needs.
@1093i3511, my current miniPC config…
KAMRUI AK2 Plus Mini PC
Not sure exactly what I’m looking for, really. Something a bit more robust, I suppose. I do a bit of video editing via Kdenlive and/or Shotcut for my YouTube channel and elsewhere. Obviously, I do LOTS of image editing via Krita, GIMP, and sometimes Pinta. I’m trying to get back into creating music with Reaper DAW and it’s accompanying VSTs. Gaming? Well, every now and then via Steam. That about sums it up.
I tend to browse Facebook Market, Craigslist, Ebay, etc, for bargains or the possible “unicorn” someone is selling that they have no clue about. 
You could always get an older cheaper AMD card as yes the 1030 is a bit out dated.Ram is pretty cheap and it may have an NVME slot as well.If it has win11 it is new enough to be upgraded and with EOS installed it should be a pretty good desktop.
Okay, video editing on a 4 core non hyper-threaded CPU with a single channel of RAM is the main limitation you’re having currently. I guess you’re only doing basic video editing without involving sophisticated effects via DaVinci Resolve ?
The route to look out for decommissioned business PCs is definitely an option, but I would look out for a retailer that is specialized on this stuff and who will check the hardware and offers a warranty. Just to avoid buying a project to fix.
Especially for video editing / rendering … with the occassional Steam game every once in a while.
In short, instead of a full size desktop, the Dell Optiplex machines in SFF size might be worth a look at. As they usually include an PCIe slot which will accept half-height / low profile graphics cards at least. And I guess the Intel Arc A380 GPUs, which are available in low profile versions, are definitely a budget alternative which will offer a bit of future proofing, at least in terms of modern video encoding. But with the downside that, at least in terms of gaming, that graphics card may result in some issues.
In terms of CPU, I think any Intel Core i5 of at least the 8th gen will do it, but later generations will be more expensive. But there is also the option to look out for a Ryzen based system. The only disadvantage would be that those are not that widely spread in those former office systems.
Another option would be: Look out for a barebones system such as MiniPCs from ASRock.
I’ve got a ASRock Deskmeet x300 (AM4 based system, not the latest) and threw a Ryzen 5 5600 into it, together with a Radeon RX6600. Bought it all new instead of going second hand.
They do also offer a smaller version, the ASRock Deskmini series that are designed for the Ryzen APUs with integrated Radeon graphics, without a PCIe slot within the system. The latest Deskmini x600 does support the latest AM5 APUs. But won’t be a bargain as you have to source the CPU, RAM and SSD yourself. The earlier model Deskmini x300 based on the AM4 platform may be available on the used market, with Zen3 based Ryzen APUs. Which are definitely good enough for the majority of stuff you’re doing.
@1093i3511, excellent info. Thanks so much.
Correct.
Funny you should mention ASRock. I posted in a Facebook Linux group the same question I asked here in my OP. A friend of mine, who’s also in that group, saw that post. He basically said the same thing regarding the Nvidia GeForce GT 1030… “stay far away from that. It’s garbage.”
Long story short… He’s currently building a custom machine to replace his older one. He offered me the one he’s replacing for “a couple hundred bucks” if I want it. He e-mailed me some basic info about it:
RX 6700 XT Graphics Card: https://www.xfxforce.com/shop/xfx-speedster-qick319-amd-radeon-tm-rx-6700xt-core-gaming-graphics-card-with-12gb-gddr6-hdmi-3xdp-amd-rdna-tm-2 SN550 NVMe 1TB SSD: https://documents.westerndigital.com/content/dam/doc-library/en_us/assets/public/western-digital/product/internal-drives/wd-blue-nvme-ssd/data-sheet-wd-blue-sn550-nvme-ssd-idk.pdfHe said other than needing a good interior cleaning for dust removal (it’s been sitting unused for several months) it’s rock solid.
I would go for your friends that doesn’t seem like a bad set up at all.
That was my initial feeling, as well.
I agree - your friend’s PC is a much better setup. I’d go for that.
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