HP 280 G2 vs Dell Optiplex 9020 budget pc help

[AbsoluteBadger]

I am a student looking to aquire a cheap all purpose desktop that can do decent 1080p and a bonus would be a decent number of ports and expansion capabilities + a possible psu upgrade...

 

Circumstances have presented me with a choice between two er, mature oem towers with varying pros and cons:

 

HP 280 g2: 2*DDR4 slots, i5 6500, STANDARD atx power, v. only two pcie slots + only two USB 3.0 slots. Ram slot seems dangerously close to the pciex16 slot.

 

DELL Optiplex 9020: 4*DDR3 slots, i5 4690, NON-STANDARD 8 pin power, more expansion capabilities + a bit cheaper

 

Based on the above, which seems the better option? The power connectors on the Dell are a bit scary, but I have some experience with working with electricity and I'm aware of the 24-8 pin adapters and the success some people have had (according to the interwebs).

 

I'm also aware there seems to be a lot more info around on the Dell: is this a fad thing or is there a reason these pcs stand out from other similar oems in terms of upgrading for entry level gaming etc? I know Linus chose one for a recent video on the topic.

 

Sorry, many questions I know, and these PC's aren't exactly exciting but thought it would be good to ask a maestro or two for an opinion

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

For the Dell, all you really need to hunt down is a 24pin to dell 8-pin power adapter like this one: https://www.moddiy.com/products/Dell-OptiPlex-3020-PSU-Main-Power-24-Pin-to-8-Pin-Adapter-Cable-30cm.html

 

I would go for the Dell route as it doesn't even look like that HP board has USB 3. Which is not a necessity, but would be nice to have especially nowadays with most external flash drives and portable HDD/SSD solutions being USB 3.

[markr54632]

What form factor are they? Are they both mini towers? 

[AbsoluteBadger]

Yeah they're both mini towers. The hp does have two USB 3 ports but they're at the back which is annoying

[markr54632]

It looks like they would both need the power supply upgraded if you intended to add a gpu. Just my experience, but I would go with the hp.

 

The aftermarket dell adapters work sometimes, dont others. They use proprietary connectors in everything making it an absolute nightmare if you wanted to try and use the motherboard in a different case. One thing that absolutely drives me nuts is the fan speed errors if you use aftermarket fans.