I really hate eBay

[Travis798]

So I haven't shopped on eBay for years, but decided maybe I wanted to run a blue Iris server or at least see what it's really about and if I didn't like it I could just use the desktop as I'm currently using my surface pro that doesn't have an Ethernet port......

I shop around for a while, miss a few good deals along the way, then find a Dell Optiplex 5040 with I-7 6700 processor, 8GB Ram and 256gb SSD drive that I can live with and pull the trigger. Okay, 8GB probably isn't going to cut it so I go to Dell specs and see what kind of ram it takes and where it maxes out.... Jump on Amazon and other 32 GB ram for it and grab a 8TB Seagate Skyhawk for video storage while I'm at it. Hard drive and RAM come in yesterday so I set that aside until computer arrives. Computer arrives today so first thing I do is go to install the ram and hard drive. Crap, there's only one hard drive Bay. My fault but it's no big deal I'll get a hard drive enclosure and run it from the USB 3.0. Crap, the ram has a huge heat sink on it and it's too tall to fit. Guess I'll return that. Let's get this baby set up....

I spend quite a bit of time going through, performing updates and what not, and just getting used to the computer. Seems a little more sluggish than I thought it would be... After hours of updating and setting things up I finally check the hardware specs.....I have a computer with an I-5 6500 ‍. eBay issued a return label no problem, and I sent a screenshot of the hardware specs next to the listing so I don't foresee and issues with the return, other than now I have to wipe the dang thing to defaults and get my stuff off, print a return label, pack it up and get it to the post office.

All in all not a huge ordeal, found another OPTIPLEX 5500 with I-7 and 16 GB of RAM, but a 1 TB hard drive and no SSD. Think I'll wait on buying the SSD until I get this one to make sure it is what it's supposed to be. Maybe by the end of next week I'll finally be able to start setting things up like I want ‍

 

[IAmATeaf]

Hard drive in an external enclosure via USB even 3.0 would be a big no-no from me, USB 3 may have good read/write specs but throw multiple writes at it and it will start to crawl and vomit.

 

[Arjun]

You're probably better off going with DIY build and opting for an ITX-build. May cost a couple of hundred dollars more, but at least hard drive prices are still at their lowest point.

 

[IAmATeaf]

Have a look at the HP range of desktops, I have a 600 G2, I think and that has space for 2 3.5” hard drives and somewhere where a 2.5” SSD can be “stuffed”

 

[Travis798]

I've already ordered a different Optiplex off Ebay. I wasn't sure about the enclosure as I've never ran one, so I was going to ask here first. This is probably more of "playing" than anything, as since I'll need long term unattended reliability for several months at a time after I get back to work, whenever that may be, I may stick with my NVR. I currently have one 8TB drive in it, and it supports 2x10TB, so I can always use the other drive there.

I thought about doing my own build, but I've read so much about no need, waste of money, etc, that I decided against it. Optiplex seems to be a popular choice, so that's what I went with. I've been out of the computer/electronics game for way too long. Windows 98 was still pretty popular back when I was really into computers!

 

[fenderman]

You're probably better off going with DIY build and opting for an ITX-build. May cost a couple of hundred dollars more, but at least hard drive prices are still at their lowest point.

You are never better off building yourself. Why toss a few hundred bux down the toilet?

 

[fenderman]

I've already ordered a different Optiplex off Ebay. I wasn't sure about the enclosure as I've never ran one, so I was going to ask here first. This is probably more of "playing" than anything, as since I'll need long term unattended reliability for several months at a time after I get back to work, whenever that may be, I may stick with my NVR. I currently have one 8TB drive in it, and it supports 2x10TB, so I can always use the other drive there.

I thought about doing my own build, but I've read so much about no need, waste of money, etc, that I decided against it. Optiplex seems to be a popular choice, so that's what I went with. I've been out of the computer/electronics game for way too long. Windows 98 was still pretty popular back when I was really into computers!

The elitedesk sff (not USDT) has room for 2x3.5 drives and an ssd.

 

[Frankenscript]

The elitedesk sff (not USDT) has room for 2x3.5 drives and an ssd.

I have one of these exactly as @fenderman says with two 3.5s and the SSD. I think I had to stickytape the SSD somewhere to make it all fit but it's been running two years just fine.

@Travis798 FWIW I have 11 cameras running, and the i5-6500 with 8 GB RAM works fine. Depending on your camera and processing needs, YMMV. I write direct to disc as recommended here, and BI has been super stable. I had more problems with a Hik NVR in six months before I idled it, than I've had with the Windows PC with BI in the two years since then.

 

[fenderman]

I have one of these exactly as @fenderman says with two 3.5s and the SSD. I think I had to stickytape the SSD somewhere to make it all fit but it's been running two years just fine.

@Travis798 FWIW I have 11 cameras running, and the i5-6500 with 8 GB RAM works fine. Depending on your camera and processing needs, YMMV. I write direct to disc as recommended here, and BI has been super stable. I had more problems with a Hik NVR in six months before I idled it, than I've had with the Windows PC with BI in the two years since then.

There should be a 2.5 bay under the 3.5 bay.

 

[Frankenscript]

There should be a 2.5 bay under the 3.5 bay.

YES. Now I remember. But my SSD screw holes didn't line up or have the right carrier or something, so I sticky taped it!

 

[fenderman]

YES. Now I remember. But my SSD screw holes didn't line up or have the right carrier or something, so I sticky taped it!

yes, you need the hp hard drive mount screws

 

[Oceanslider]

I've had good luck with eBay and got the PC in my signature for just under $350 and really like it. It came with an 256gb M.2 SSD for Windows 10. All I had to do was add a 2nd NIC(to isolate cameras) and a HDD to store video. It is all I need, a toned down version of an Elitedesk. I think that the only feature the Elitedesk has over the Prodesk is the ability to have two M.2 SSD's.

 

[Arjun]

Ok, you have a valid point there, Learning that myself with the new Z490 build. Things didn't go as planned and and shelled out an additional $200 for a new ATX motherboard My credit card flipped at me.

You are never better off building yourself. Why toss a few hundred bux down the toilet?

 

[Travis798]

The computer is on it's way back to the Ebay seller. I have another one coming, this time from a place a couple of hours away, so I guess if I had to I could just drive this one back. No ethernet on the computer really sucks. I have a usb c hub that has ethernet but it's not very dependable. The new computer still won't have room for an additional full hard drive, but apparently it has a M2 slot. I'm not familiar with those but I'm taking it to mean I can still add a SSD into the machine using that.

 

[Arjun]

Do you have a PCIE slot available? Should be able to squeeze an additional NIC in there

The computer is on it's way back to the Ebay seller. I have another one coming, this time from a place a couple of hours away, so I guess if I had to I could just drive this one back. No ethernet on the computer really sucks. I have a usb c hub that has ethernet but it's not very dependable. The new computer still won't have room for an additional full hard drive, but apparently it has a M2 slot. I'm not familiar with those but I'm taking it to mean I can still add a SSD into the machine using that.

 

[Frankenscript]

The computer is on it's way back to the Ebay seller. I have another one coming, this time from a place a couple of hours away, so I guess if I had to I could just drive this one back. No ethernet on the computer really sucks. I have a usb c hub that has ethernet but it's not very dependable. The new computer still won't have room for an additional full hard drive, but apparently it has a M2 slot. I'm not familiar with those but I'm taking it to mean I can still add a SSD into the machine using that.

Link to model you bought second time around?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

 

[Travis798]

Do you have a PCIE slot available? Should be able to squeeze an additional NIC in there

Yes, it has a PCIE slot available. I'm holding off on a second NIC for now until I play with the machine a bit and decide what and how I want to do things.

Link to model you bought second time around?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

It's a Dell Optiplex 5050 Small Form Factor. I'm too ashamed at what I paid out of frustration almost immediately after requesting a return for the old one to link to the actual listing. LOL

 

[IAmATeaf]

Never head of a desktop style computer not having a network port, could you post the model that you’ve purchased?

 

[Travis798]

It does have a NIC. Arjun was talking about adding a second NIC to the machine.

Edit

If you mean the machine I'm currently using, it's not a desktop. I have a Surface Pro and a Lenovo Thinkpad that is extremely similar to a surface pro. I'm using them with an external monitor along with a mouse and keyboard, but an actual desktop would be so much better while at home.

 

[IAmATeaf]

You said above “No Ethernet on the computer really sucks.” ?