Dell OptiPlex 5040 2016, Core i7-6700, 480GB, 480GB SSD, Black

The 16GB of RAM is the real story here, putting this machine at the top of the charts for memory. But the 6th gen i7-6700 CPU is a 17th percentile performer that'll feel sluggish with anything beyond basic office tasks. At $220, it's a decent value for a Windows 11 Pro office PC, just don't expect any gaming or heavy multitasking.

Let's talk about that RAM first, because it's the star of the show. 16GB puts this machine at the absolute top of the charts for memory in our database. That's more than enough for dozens of browser tabs, multiple Office apps, and background processes without breaking a sweat. The 480GB SSD is a nice touch for a refurb, but it's on the smaller side compared to modern desktops, so you'll want to keep an eye on large media files.

The CPU is where things get real. The Intel Core i7-6700 is a 4-core chip from 2015, and it lands in the 17th percentile. That's not a typo. It'll handle everyday office work fine, but it's going to feel sluggish with heavy multitasking or anything beyond basic photo editing. The integrated HD Graphics 530 is a weak spot for anything beyond 2D work, which explains that 22/100 gaming score.

Stacked against the competition, the OptiPlex 5040 is a mixed bag. The HP OmniDesk M02-0234 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 5 are both newer machines with better CPUs, but they'll cost you more. The BOSGAME P3 Lite and ACEMAGIC Retro X3 are mini PCs that trade raw performance for size and power efficiency. Where the Dell wins is raw RAM capacity and that 480GB SSD, which beats what you typically get in budget mini PCs. But the 6th gen CPU means it'll feel slower than any of those competitors in day-to-day use.

Pricing is a bit of a mystery here. The US listing shows $220, but there's also a CAD 559 listing in Canada and MXN 4,316 in Mexico. Those aren't directly comparable, but the US price of $220 is pretty reasonable for a machine with 16GB of RAM and a 480GB SSD. You're essentially paying for the RAM and SSD, with the CPU thrown in as a bonus. Just remember this is a refurb with a 90-day warranty, so factor that into your risk tolerance.

The headline numbers here are a bit of a rollercoaster. You're getting 16GB of RAM, which sits at the 100th percentile in our database, and a 480GB SSD. But that SSD only lands in the 23rd percentile for storage, and the 6th gen Intel i7-6700 is a 17th percentile CPU. This is a classic refurbished office PC: some parts are surprisingly generous, others are showing their age.

It's a small form factor Dell OptiPlex 5040 running Windows 11 Pro. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 530 is fine for spreadsheets and video calls, but the gaming score of 22 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know about its entertainment ambitions. For business use, it scores a 68.8, which is decent but not spectacular.

Skip this if you need any kind of graphics performance. The gaming score of 22/100 is one of the weakest we've seen, and the integrated HD Graphics 530 will struggle with anything beyond basic 2D work. Also skip it if you're planning to do heavy multitasking or CPU-intensive work, since the 17th percentile CPU will bottleneck you. And if you need lots of storage, the 23rd percentile 480GB SSD will fill up fast.

If you need a cheap Windows 11 Pro machine for basic office work and you value RAM above all else, this OptiPlex 5040 is a solid buy at $220. The 16GB of RAM is genuinely impressive for the price, and the 480GB SSD is a nice bonus. But the aging CPU and weak integrated graphics mean this is strictly a productivity machine. Don't expect to do any gaming or heavy creative work on it.