Optiplex 745, for my 'vintage' needs?

Question

I have a very old computer which is expected to die any day now. I've been looking for something difficult: A desktop that has BOTH an A-drive for floppy and USB ports, for my vintage WordPerfect DOS.

A place is offering me a Dell Optiplex 745 for $150. Although he also rattled off a list of other things: Optiplex 780, and a bunch of Dimensions, 4400, 4550, 4600, GX 270.

I haven't been there in person yet, but I figured I'd ask here for any opinions. Does the Optiplex 745 seem like a good option?

I should add that I'm a complete noobie about this. My existing computer was a custom-made gift, so I never had to give this any thought.

bradthetechnut · Answer

Optiplex 745 for $150 is not a good deal, unless the owner is charging for it being "vintage." Sooo many better deals on eBay. Plus, you don't have to stick to the 745. Might find a better deal on 755,760, and so on. Even a 380 will decently run WinXP, which I think is what you plan on using.

I saw some don't come with an HDD. So make sure it at least comes with a blue caddy to hold HDD in the HDD cage.

If you Google a PC, like the "Optiplex 745," it'll show you who's got the deals right away.

Some Dell Optiplex model years on the left side of the chart below:

redxps630 · Answer

agree 150 is  3 times over priced. street price of 745 is  50. re: I've been looking for something difficult: A desktop that has BOTH an A-drive for floppy and USB ports this is not difficult to find. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex-760-SFF-Desktop-Intel-Core-2-Duo-E8400-3-00GHz-4GB-RAM-250GB-HDD/134577208237? another option is external usb floppy drive which is c/w modern pc.

Derry-o · Answer

Thanks, Brad, but I'm in a tough situation - I mean, even beyond the problem of looking for an oddball item like this. I'm not a techie, and trying to get some help, but I don't want to buy online. These are limited options from a reputable store, and ideally I'm hoping my buddy will come and ask the right questions and vet everything.

Apart from the $150 price, is there something objectionable about it? Another problem is that although I called Dell and asked if they could tell me what models had both an A-drive and USB ports, they were no help at all. It's been hard work to even get the store to dig out their models for me. They're trying to get me to take a Gateway because it doesn't involve their having to check their storage/inventory.

bradthetechnut · Answer

Gateway is a good option for vintage, like a 300SE or 500XL (the older beige model). Gateway 300SE on eBay

It's an IDE system whereas for many years now, including the Optiplex 745, has a SATA system. That's just extra info. Can always Google "ide" and "SATA" if unfamiliar.

There's a catch with those; I had both and the PSU's died on both.

Definitely stay away from Gateway Profile 4, which was their all-in-one. Heat issues and harder than heck to get the sound working, even with the right driver. I had 2 of those. Rebuilt one out of the best parts of 2, plus parts from eBay, and it was the best I ever saw WinXP work. Then 1 month later, it went all green screen.

It doesn't sound like the computer shop you mentioned has the best customer service and/or doesn't store inventory data on a PC or server.

And no, nothing objectionable about the 745 other than the price. If you buy one make sure the motherboard doesn't have any bulging capacitors. It has an old style capacitor not used anymore that had a tendency to bulge. So did the Gateway's.

Not sure why you want to limit yourself to not shopping online where the options are much greater. Entirely up to you of course.

While typing this, I looked up the Gateway's again on eBay. Not nearly as many as there was a month or more ago.

Optiplex Desktops

Optiplex 745, for my "vintage" needs?

Was this post helpful?