Dude, I'm Going Back to Dell

[raymac46]

I have sadly concluded that there is no further point of running Windows 10 Pro on 10 year old techology.

My Acer Veriton desktop is stuck on Win 10 version 1909 and will not upgrade. Since 1909 is nearing its EOL and I still want to run Windows 10 I decided that now was the time to bite the bullet and upgrade everything. I think the problem lies with Intel second gen Sandy Bridge Core, which is no longer supported by Windows 10.

I went with a Dell XPS 8940 desktop - i7-11700 and Nvidia GTX 2060. It isn't an overclocker and the graphics card is a bit trailing edge, but I don't run high end games and I want to be good but not great when it comes to performance. The XPS is pretty understated but I don't want a bunch of LED fans and other bling you get with "gaming computers." Dell let me customize my storage and go with Windows 10 Pro.

I'll get all the nice to haves - NVME, USB 3, wifi.

It is not the end of the line for my Veriton, as it'll be a great Linux box to replace the 13 year old AMD system I use in my workroom. That one likely doesn't have any salvageable parts except the case and power supply.

I know it's a copout to run Windows and buy a pre-built, but I just want to get on with the job. So sue me. Besides it is very hard to get the parts you need to roll your own machine these days.

I have always had good luck with Dell desktops so I thought I would give them another try.

[raymac46]

Once I have the new desktop in service, I plan to do some IT on the old one. I'll install Linux, configure everything and then swap out my grandaughter's C2D machine. The old desktop I have here is much newer, more reliable, and faster than something from 2008. More and faster memory, better SSD, better SATA, newer PSU and way better graphics. I'll keep the very old C2D as a backup.

[raymac46]

Lots of IT work ahead. The new desktop is due to arrive today. I have data transfer, software installation and config to do on the new one, plus get rid of McAfee and install Malware Bytes and Eset. Then I'll set up Linux on the old desktop for my granddaughter. Finally when the COVID lockdown is over I'll install the old desktop for her in Ottawa. Then a 2008 C2D desktop can be retired to backup duty.

This will be the 7th Dell I have owned, the first new one since 2010, and the first new desktop since a Dimension 4100 I got in 2000. Most of the time I got Optiplex desktops off lease and installed Linux on them.

The only time I have been disappointed was with their laptops. My daughter got a Mini-12 netbook that sucked even thoough it came with Linux pre-installed. I also had an Inspiron M5010 15.6 inch laptop that died after nearly 5 years when the graphics chip desoldered itself from the motherboard.

Edited May 11, 2021 by raymac46

[raymac46]

Well after about 6 hours of work I have things pretty well configured. My wife tried it out and did not complain so that is a good sign. I still have to reinstall my games but that is a major job so I'll wait until tomorrow.

Got rid of McAfee and installed my own security apps, reinstalled a bunch of FOSS programs, copied back my email config and all my data.

The new desktop is about the same cross sectional area but much shorter. It seems very cool and quiet. The HDD is a Seagate and the NVME is Kioxia (used to be Toshiba.)

[raymac46]

Lots of installing copying, pasting yesterday as I got my train sims and other games working on the new desktop.

I had to reinstall everything from Steam and then restore my local files and configs. This was time consuming and in one case frustrating. One of my train sims has a lot of local files and the original location changed due to the new desktop. I had to restore to the data drive and then copy and paste about 35 GB of files to the right location in my C:\Users\ray directory. 

The desktop was hammering away on 8 cores and still didn't get too hot so that is a good thing.

On to Linux now. At least that should be easier.

[raymac46]

My old Acer with Linux now installed and working has gone to the grandkids' home. With the pandemic I am not supposed to travel, so I can't set it up for them. I did give detailed instructions and I trust my son-in-law is savvy enough to connect a few peripherals.

[raymac46]

My son-in-law reports that he got the Acer desktop installed, it's running great and the kids are using it for school. I'm happy that such a good old machine has life left in it, thanks to Linux.

As for the new Dell it has met my expectations. It runs a modern train sim well, my wife is happy with it. I have had no problems with overheating or thermal throttling, and the graphics card has been fine even though it is a previous generation.

[raymac46]

After nearly a month of running the new desktop, I am happy with its performance. I did not get the latest, fastest, flashiest hardware but it does the job and everything works well together. With the current shortages in GPUs and even some CPUs I am glad I was able to upgrade when I needed to.

[raymac46]

One thing I don't like about Dell is their proprietary design. The power supply is not standard in size or in connection. However it tests out at close to Titanium levels and is pretty well built according to what I have seen. I don't anticipate any upgrades on this desktop so if the power supply lasts I'll be happy.

[raymac46]

Well affter another 8 months I am still quite happy with this Dell 8940 desktop. It doesn't have any bling but it runs well and does anything I need. I have upgraded to Windows 11 without any issues. Hopefully it'll comtinue to give good service for a few years. Given that there was a severe parts shortage when I got it, it looks like it was value for money.