Best Buy SFV – Dell OptiPlex Selection Guide

This guide is for buying a refurbished Dell OptiPlex at Best Buy in the San Fernando Valley (Pacoima, Northridge, Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills) that:

Northridge Best Buy Address: 19350 Nordhoff Way, Northridge, CA 91324

• Supports NVMe M.2 SSD (ADATA Legend 700)
• Supports 2.5" SATA SSD
• Has more than 8GB RAM (preferably 16GB)
• Costs $300 or less
• Offers best performance within budget

• Tower (full size) – always supports NVMe + SATA
• SFF (Small Form Factor) – supports NVMe + SATA

Micro, USFF, and UFF units never support both NVMe and 2.5" SATA for your needs – avoid them.

1. Dell OptiPlex Tower – 6th Gen Intel (i5-6xxx or i7-6xxx)

This is the best possible choice under $300.

• Has NVMe M.2 slot
• Has 2.5" SATA SSD bay
• Typically comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM
• Best airflow and longevity
• Easiest to work on
• Most similar to the OptiPlex 3060 being replaced
• Highest performance in your price range

If you see a box labeled something like:
Dell – Refurbished – OptiPlex Tower – Intel i5-6th Gen – 16GB RAM – 256GB SSD
this is the one to buy.

2. Dell OptiPlex SFF – 6th Gen Intel (i5-6xxx or i7-6xxx)

This is the second-best choice if the tower is not available.

• Has NVMe M.2 slot
• Has 2.5" SATA SSD bay
• Typically comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM
• Good performance
• Smaller footprint

Downside: interior is tighter and airflow is slightly worse than the tower, but still a solid choice.

Do not buy any of the following, even if they look good on paper:

• OptiPlex 7060 Micro – NVMe only, no 2.5" SATA bay
• OptiPlex 3060 Micro – NVMe only, no 2.5" SATA bay
• OptiPlex 9020 (USFF/SFF/Tower) – no NVMe support (4th-gen era), DDR3, older platform
• OptiPlex 7070 UFF – no internal drive bays
• Any 4th-gen OptiPlex – no NVMe, DDR3, lower performance
• Any unit labeled "Micro", "USFF", or "UFF" – too limited for your NVMe + SATA requirement

• Pacoima Best Buy
  13510 Paxton St, Pacoima, CA 91331
• Northridge Best Buy (Nordhoff)
  19350 Nordhoff Way, Northridge, CA 91324
• Northridge Best Buy (Rinaldi)
  19929 Rinaldi St, Northridge, CA 91326
• Sherman Oaks Best Buy
  4500 Van Nuys Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
• Woodland Hills / Canoga Park Best Buy
  21601 Victory Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91303

When you walk into any of these stores, you can say:

"I need a refurbished Dell OptiPlex Tower or SFF, 6th-gen Intel (i5 or i7), with at least 16GB RAM, and not Micro, USFF, or UFF."

Accept the unit if the label includes:

• OptiPlex Tower or OptiPlex SFF
• Intel i5-6xxx or Intel i7-6xxx
• 16GB RAM
• Any SSD size (e.g., 256GB SSD) – you will be swapping in your own drives

Reject the unit if the label includes:

• Micro
• USFF
• UFF
• 9020
• 4th Gen (e.g., i5-4xxx)
• Any wording like "Ultra Small Form Factor" or "Ultra Form Factor"

If any of the SFV Best Buy stores have:

Dell OptiPlex Tower – i5-6th Gen – 16GB RAM – 256GB SSD

buy that immediately.

If the tower is not available, your next best option is:

Dell OptiPlex SFF – i5-6th Gen – 16GB RAM

Both will support your NVMe M.2 SSD and your 2.5" SATA SSD and give you solid performance under $300.