Windows 10 HTPC RAM, M.2, resolution question

[Tristerin]

Was given an OptiPlex Micro Form Factor 3040 - have the perfect use case and that's with a 1080p projector as a HTPC.  Right now it is equipped with 4gb DDR3 SODIMM 1600mhz and Windows 10 takes up 2gb.  

 

Its use case will be Streaming apps, and light web browsing.  Will 4gb be enough or do I need to pony up $20 for its other slot to get it to 8gb?  Is there a decent guide available for getting rid of bloatware on Win 10 I should look at?

 

This micro PC has an M.2 but the manual says it is for a wireless adapter only, however I did some quick research and there are people saying you can put an M.2 in it - I only have a 2280 and it looks like its for the SFF size of m.2 so I haven't tried to put it in yet and don't want to ruin a pinout or something (Im an M.2 newb bought one a few weeks ago haven't had a chance to install it to play with it yet on my Ryzen PC).  

Im fully ready to purchase a wireless adapter for this slot however.  Not pressing as I am swapping out its 500gb 7200 RPM Mech drive with a 120gb SSD which is currently in transit.  So its not a MUST, but if I could put an M.2 SSD in there instead I would as it only currently has room for 1 2.5" form factor storage - and I would put in a mech drive in the 2.5" slot and an m.2 for boot and the apps and use a USB slot for a wireless adapter.  

 

I can get a pic of the slot if needed, my wifes phone is new so probably can take a good one.

 

My projector is this:

https://www.infocus.com/products/in112

 

When I switch to anything other than 800x600 resolution (PC options) I lose sides and tops and bottoms of screen.  I haven't messed with the buttons on the projector yet (TBH was given that as well never used it just stuck it in the parts pile) so if I just need to fiddle with those to get the screen to fit I can do that just time strapped atm so asking here instead from the more knowledgeable masses.

 

Final question for now:

Where I am positioning it, the screen is about 84" wide (going to purchase an actual pull down screen) - is this way to big for 1080p?  Going to be about 15 feet from the screen once installed.  

 

Newb to this, so feel free to call me one

[kirashi]

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

Was given an OptiPlex Micro Form Factor 3040 - have the perfect use case and that's with a 1080p projector as a HTPC.  Right now it is equipped with 4gb DDR3 SODIMM 1600mhz and Windows 10 takes up 2gb.  

 

Its use case will be Streaming apps, and light web browsing.  Will 4gb be enough or do I need to pony up $20 for its other slot to get it to 8gb?  Is there a decent guide available for getting rid of bloatware on Win 10 I should look at?

IMO, I won't use a PC without at least 8GB RAM these days, even if you're running Firefox instead of RAM hogging Chrome for web browsing. Main reason is because even though 4GB is "enough" for light use, I find that having the extra overhead allows for much faster multi-tasking, even on an older system. So yeah, definitely spend $20 on another 4GB module if you can, as it's well worth the investment, especially since you got the PC for free.

Quote

This micro PC has an M.2 but the manual says it is for a wireless adapter only, however I did some quick research and there are people saying you can put an M.2 in it.

As per Dell's official community forums and the OptiPlex 3040 product sheet, M.2 SSD module is not supported.

https://www.dell.com/community/Storage-Drives-Media/Optiplex-3040-Mini-Tower-SATA-ports/td-p/5106553

https://i.dell.com/sites/doccontent/shared-content/data-sheets/en/Documents/ecemea-optiplex-3040-technical-spec-sheet.pdf

Quote

My projector is this: https://www.infocus.com/products/in112

 

When I switch to anything other than 800x600 resolution (PC options) I lose sides and tops and bottoms of screen. 

--SNIP--

 

Where I am positioning it, the screen is about 84" wide (going to purchase an actual pull down screen) - is this way to big for 1080p? 

--SNIP--

Your project is natively 800x600, so running at any higher resolution that this simply scales the image down to 800x600.

 

If you want a 1080p image, you'll need to purchase a projector that supports this natively... and I can tell you that 1080p projectors are still around $800 CAD for anything of decent quality from a reputable company that will actually provide you with product support should you need assistance configuring it or submitting an RMA for warranty.

https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=1080p+projector+benq