Originally Posted by
nkedel
Already answered by garykung; as long as you have a 16x PCI-E slot, you can add your own graphics card.
I have something to add on the display card.
1. XPS desktops no longer support SLI (this was available pre-Core i CPU era) as it only has 1 PCI-E 16x now. My last XPS Desktop, which was from Core 2 era, did support SLI.
2. As soon as you won't do anything fancy, XPS PSU should be able to support whatever display card you intend to use. XPS interior is quite spacious. So it usually does not require water-cooling (even it was once an option) and any extra fans. The use of SSD will even help the power situation.
Originally Posted by
nkedel
if you look at the Optiplex business models, avoid "micro-tower" and "small form factor"/"ultra-small form factor" as those will not have full size card slots.
Optiplex usually comes with 4 different sizes, depending on the models - MT (Mini Tower), DT (Desktop), SFF (Small Form Factor) and USFF (Ultra-Small Form Factor).
If you end up buying a Optiplex, keep in mind that Optiplex PSU is not as powerful as XPS (Optiplex is practically Inspiron). So you will have to consider a new PSU as well. Also, given the odd size of Optiplex, depending on the size you purchase, a commercial replacement may not be available.
Originally Posted by
nkedel
Scratch and dent models will have cosmetic damage, but will be fully functional. Refurbished will be like-new.
While that is Dell's official description, in reality, scratch and dent rarely have any noticeable cosmetic issue.
Originally Posted by
nkedel
IMO it always pays to shop both, unless you can only find what you're looking for on one side.
Definitely yes.
I am using XPS 8700 with a Core i7. I purchased it in new in a deep discount, about $600+tax. My friend, who was a Dell employee at the time, purchased the same model, same configuration, but certified refurnished in a few weeks later. He ended saving $100 more than I do. And he did not have any extra discount as employee.