I worked as an IT Administrator for years, and part of my responsibilities was to order and setup systems for employees. I find that this computer is ideal for the workplace, but can also be used as an HTPC or general system in households. I would not recommend it for designers or developers, but general office tasks for sales and administration would be a good fit. I do not recommend this for gamers (see below).### Noise ###Overall, the computer runs quiet. But, while the power and processor fans aren’t noticeable, the SATA hard drive [when active] sounds like a distant pot of boiling water. If you replace it with an SSD drive, that noise would go away.### Built-in WiFi ###The built-in WiFi is low-end. Slow and restricted. For instance, it doesn’t detect my 5GHz network. It only detects and connects to my 2.4GHz one. While 2.4GHz is more stable, it’s also slower. I know my router isn’t to blame because the computer picked up my 5GHz just fine when using a third-party Wireless USB Adapter. I ran an internet speed test on the built-in WiFi and it gave me a max download speed of 48Mbps. On the same Dell computer in the same location, but on my Wireless USB Adapter, I got a max download speed of 158Mbps. Pretty big difference. While 48Mbps is fine for average computer use, it can prove to be a bit slow for some. Thankfully there’s an Ethernet port on the computer that you can use in place of the WiFi for faster speeds, but it requires having access to a physical Ethernet connection (and Ethernet cable is not included). If you are on a business network and do a lot of large file transfers, I recommend using the Ethernet option (or upgrading the WiFi).### RAM – Memory ###There are two DDR4 RAM slots on the Motherboard. In one is a SK Hynix Korean 8GB chip. In the other is a Samsung Philippines 4GB chip. Both with a speed of 2666 MHz (which is what the processor is rated for). The problem with uneven RAM amounts is that it affects the dual-channel ability. To get around this, Intel initiates what’s called Flex mode. This mode uses a combination of both dual and single-channel operation, where part of the larger chip is used for dual-channel and the leftovers are put on single-channel. So, the 8GB chip uses 4GB of dual-channel operation, and 4GB as single-channel giving you 8GB total of dual-channel and 4GB of single-channel. Sounds confusing, but ultimately, it just means the memory is running slower than if the two channels were of equal size. While this isn’t ideal, the average computer user won’t notice a difference. The build just feels a little clunky to me. Like Dell is trying to make the larger memory sound better than it is. (My recommendation is to replace the 4GB chip with another 8GB 2666 MHz chip; that way you’ll have a full 16GB dual-channel going.)### Hard Drive ###When I opened up the computer, I found a 1TB Barracuda Compute SATA drive (spinning disk), and a 128GB ScanDisk M.2 SSD (flash memory). Windows detects the drives separately rather than using both as one logical drive; the 1TB SATA as the OS (C): drive and 128GB SSD as the Data (D:) drive. At first, I was surprised the SSD drive was empty. I would have expected the OS to be installed on it to improve boot time. But because Intel Rapid Storage Technology is installed on the system, it may be that, during bootup, it takes a little chuck of the M.2 SSD and boots the OS using that then passes it to the SATA drive. I’m not really sure how to tell if this is the case since it takes place during boot and ends when Windows is loaded. It may be that the OS is fully booting on the slower drive and the M.2 SSD is just there for extra space. Not sure. Regardless, it’s slower than if you just had the OS fully on the SSD/Flash drive.There are 3 SATA plugins on the motherboard. 1 is used for the Barracuda, 1 is used for the DVD drive, and 1 is unused. The unused one isn’t really useful since there’s no space inside the tower for another drive, nor another connector to the power supply. Only thing I can think of is it might be useful if one of the other ports were to fail.### Bootup Time ###I recorded the time between pressing the power button to when the login menu appeared, and it was 1:30 (1 minute, 30 seconds). After login, it took another 1:30 before Windows was fully loaded. So about 3 minutes total boot time. I did get the time to lower once removing some of the unwanted startup items, so it will vary depending on what items you add, remove, and update.### Bloatware ###I found Spotify and Skype on the system, so removed them. Skype was actively running and Spotify was disabled under the startup programs. “Dropbox promotion” popped up after a few boots. There’s also a 30-day trial of McAfee Security and WebAdvisor. I personally don’t care for this as it too can slow your system down (I prefer using different options for security). I found a background process called CLML Server for p2g8 that starts with Windows, which appears to be a CyberLink Media Library Service that continuously monitors your system for multimedia files. I disabled that as well. When I installed and ran CCleaner it found even more stuff, like Candy Crush, Groove Music and Weather app. And of course, there’s more than a handful of Dell’s own stuff to deal with such as Support Assistant and Delivery Services. I recommend removing what you don’t need, but being cautious to not remove something important.### Windows 10 Pro ###The advantage of Windows Pro over Home edition is the ability to run a web/FTP server (iis) and to remote desktop in (RDP)—for instance, if you’re working at home and need to connect with the computer in your business office. Also has Group Policy if multiple users are accessing it in a business setting. Important for Office users, but not so much for home users (unless you want to run your own basic web server).### Gaming ###Not the best for gaming as it doesn’t have a Video Card. The graphics are integrated, meaning that the processor handles them, which hampers the CPU and is slower and more limited. I did test out a game just to see how the system would handle it. I installed the Blizzard FPS game, Overwatch, which is known for be forgiving on slower hardware. The game’s automatic settings put all the graphics on low, decreased the resolution to 1366x768 (60Hz), and lowered the render scale to 47%. I played around with the settings, but couldn't get much better than this. While the game was indeed playable, it was dreadfully ugly. Just not worth it IMO.You can improve this by inserting your own Video Card. The system does have one PCIe x16 (and one PCIe x1 expansion slot), but keep in mind a typical size Video Card won’t fit in this tower—it too short. That, and there’s not a lot of airflow since the tower is so small; you could have problems with overheating.My personal opinion is not to purchase this for gaming. If you have a child who likes to play Roblox, that’s fine. But anything more graphics intensive could be an issue.### Size ###The small size coupled with the HDMI port makes this a decent HTPC setup. As in, a home theater PC or media center. It can lay horizontally (although there are only feet on the side) on a media center. You can use the DVD drive, toss Plex on the system, VLC media player, add a HDTV tuner card, etc. You’d probably want to attach an external drive for more storage since video files are large. The only bad thing is the USB 3.1 ports (10 Gbps) are in the front (2 of them), so hooking up an external drive means wrapping a cable around the front (looks messy). While there are 4 USB ports on the back, they are only 2.0 speed (480 Mbps). I wish Dell had added at least one 3.1 port on the back.The smaller size is also good for offices where you don’t want the tower to take up a lot of desk or floor space. Especially if you have a standing desk and want the computer to raise and lower with it.### Conclusion ###I like that this comes with a keyboard and mouse. While not the highest quality, they work fine for basic use and in an office setting. (Keep in mind this system doesn’t come with a monitor.) Overall, it’s something I’d have ordered for employees to use in the office. But, not something I’d have gotten to use at home (although, it’s not a bad HTPC). You can build a much faster and more efficient home system for cheaper if you do it yourself. I realize not everyone can, so that’s what makes Dell a good option. I just wish they put in a better WiFi chip, balanced the RAM and had USB 3.1 on the back.