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Windows 7 Pro (+ Ex-Lease Dell Optiplex 780, Core2Duo/2GB/160GB/DVDRW) - $107.95 Shipped @ Topbuy

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Windows 7 Pro (+ Ex-Lease Dell Optiplex 780, Core2Duo/2GB/160GB/DVDRW) - $107.95 Shipped @ Topbuy
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spackbace on 15/03/2016 - 17:38 topbuy.com.au (676 clicks)
Last edited 15/03/2016 - 17:59

Ok, the computer components are average, but hell it's cheap and you get genuine Windows 7 Pro which would allow you to upgrade to Windows 10!

Ex-Lease Dell Optiplex 780 Core 2 Duo 2.93Ghz 2Gb RAM 160Gb HDD DVD-RW Windows 7 Pro COA Lice - 3 Month Warranty
Product Description:

What is an 'ex lease' item?
An ex-lease item is a used item that has been fully tested and is operational with no faults. If the item is a computer desktop or iMac the hard disk has been formatted and operating system has been re-installed. Ex-lease items may have small cosmetic flaws in the packaging, the exterior case of a unit or accessories. Outer carton packaging may have superficial damage. These cosmetic flaws do not affect the performance of the unit. This ex-lease item is classified as A grade with minor marks.

What is an COA Licence Windows Certificate of Authenticity
The Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is a special security label that accompanies legally licensed Microsoft software to help prevent counterfeiting. If you see the COA on a Microsoft software box, you know that the software and other items inside, such as media and manuals, are genuine. If your computer came with Windows already installed, look for the COA on the outside of your computer. If you have a small device (with a length or width of 6 inches or less), the COA might be under the battery.

Specifications:

  • Model: 780
  • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Processor Speed: 2.93 GHz
  • Operating System: Windows 7 Pro
  • Hard drive: 160 GB
  • Ram: 2GB DDR
  • Optical Drive: DVDRW
  • Power cord included

In case it's a 32bit Win 7 key, see here:
How to Switch From 32-bit Windows 10 to 64-bit Windows 10

Computing Computer Dell Desktop Computer Microsoft Operating System

Related Stores

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closed Comments

  • Make it so on 15/03/2016 - 17:48
    +2

    Hmm… not sure how "fit for purpose" this still is. This is ~2008 technology. I'm guessing it's an E7500 CPU.
    The way you have put the title implies you buy the Windows license, and get the (not so great) machine as bonus. But the license will be OEM, so it's not like you could use it for anything except that machine.

    • spackbace on 15/03/2016 - 17:51

      On the topic of OEM, I was going off this thread, which said it's only Win8 that locks it into the hardware, afaik Win7 didnt

      And I purposely worded the title as bonus computer lol :)

      • Make it so on 15/03/2016 - 17:56

        Yeah, I like the sales approach :)
        But for the license, that's obviously not legal, even if it "technically works" :)

        • spackbace on 15/03/2016 - 17:58

          Grey area just based off what I'm reading, because it does require the old 'call Microsoft to activate' thing. Mixed reports out there (based on 5mins Googling that is!)

      • rayski57 on 15/03/2016 - 18:00
        +1

        Having worked for one of the biggest IT Integrators and largest MS Partners in Oz (and had my own IT Integration business as well) I have spent a great deal of time advising clients on their MS licensing and upgrade/crossgrade options.
        If you read the MS license agreement, OEM licensing locks it to the specific PC.
        You may actually be able use the license key to activate the Win7Pro, but it's as good as a pirated copy.
        MS even specifies that significant changes to the original HW config. are limited without interfering with the legitimacy of the license.
        Some people found that after changing, RAM CPU & mobo their license was de-activated until they called MS support whose first words used to be 'your credit card number please'

    • stellaaddicted on 15/03/2016 - 17:54

      Your point relating to the Windows license is very important as well the fact that it is DDR2 at 1066 and no HDMI. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/optix/en/optip…

      • StevieRay on 15/03/2016 - 18:02
        +4

        Has DisplayPort. Can always get a DisplayPort to HDMI Converter

    • spackbace on 15/03/2016 - 17:57

      Researching researching…

      See here, seems it generally requires a call to activate, and a case-by-case scenario of whether they allow it

      • Make it so on 15/03/2016 - 18:05

        The call is to convince Microsoft that "really, it is the same machine which the license came with, I just had to change the case, motherboard, CPU, memory, hard drive and power supply!". They only allow it is they don't want to risk wrongfully denying permission. So you may get away with it (if they feel like being helpful), but it is against the essence of OEM licensing.

        • spackbace on 15/03/2016 - 18:05
          +1

          K :( Sad panda

        • King Tightarse on 15/03/2016 - 18:21

          Thats right!
          I think they generally allow one major component change at a time but would be a hell of a lot of convincing of a cyclical rep that's heard it all before if you were activating a vastly different motherboard. Its do-able but sheesh hard work and you would need to bullshit completely.

        • hollykryten on 15/03/2016 - 18:22

          Technically the motherboard is deemed as the computer and if you change the motherboard then technically the OEM Windows license is forfeited. I know that is the case with current Windows licenses.

        • hollykryten on 15/03/2016 - 18:23

          @King Tightarse:

          Although you can't change the motherboard since that is deemed what the computer is when it comes to the license. You could bullshit to Microsoft all you want but doesn't change the fact is you change to a different motherboard then the license is technically forfeit.

        • rayski57 on 15/03/2016 - 18:26

          @hollykryten: Both you and TA are correct.
          The license is tied to the mobo and a limited number of major component changes are permitted.
          Replacing the mobo would ring alarm bells, but doesn't have to be an absolute no go with MS support (I've done it).
          Win 8/8.1 upgrade licenses can be moved to a new box (have done this also) even though once activated it won't activate on a new box…..call to MS and 60 step process to get it done.

        • hollykryten on 15/03/2016 - 18:29

          @rayski57:

          Because Windows 8/8.1 upgrade licenses are an actual retail license which can be moved to another box. However an OEM license can not be, period.

        • rayski57 on 15/03/2016 - 18:37

          @hollykryten: True, the point was that while some may think that as it doesn't activate on the new box it is locked to the old one. As an upgrade license (boxed or virtual) it is a standalone product that can be applied to any device (only one device at a time per license of course).
          The OEM license too can be moved from mobo to mobo if you can make a case i.e. mobo died and needs to be replaced, but box is under warranty (white box typically).

        • Agret on 15/03/2016 - 18:57
          +1

          @King Tightarse: There is no convincing to the rep. You just call up and give them the telephone activation ID and they will immediately give you the activation code no questions asked. They work in a call centre in India with tight metrics where speed is key. I have activated hundreds of copies over the years and never had to give a reason except occasionally they may ask if you are installing it on another PC and I say yeah I am transferring it to a new PC and will no longer use the old one and they give you the code straight up.

        • morgs640 on 15/03/2016 - 19:13

          @Agret: Agreed done it plenty of times before, they never ask anything.

    • jabroni on 15/03/2016 - 17:57

      you will still get the prompt for upgrading to win 10

      i know as ive reinstalled oem windows 7 on a hp box and as to the processor, it still favourably on par with current intel celerons that run windows 8/10

      http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core2-Duo-E7500-vs-Intel-Celer…

  • Cheapchips on 15/03/2016 - 17:48
    +3

    Dedicated machine for browsing ozbargain.

  • spychiatrist on 15/03/2016 - 17:51
    +1

    What to use it for (aside from web browsing)?

    • vorsprung on 15/03/2016 - 17:59

      I use a similarly spec'ed HP I bought a few years back for running Kodi media centre in my living room.
      Needed to buy a HDMI capable video card, about $40 from memory (doesn't need to play games, just HD video).

      • Agret on 16/03/2016 - 11:31
        +1

        Needed to buy a HDMI capable video card

        In this case you don't, the model on sale has DisplayPort so all you need is a DisplayPort to HDMI cable.

    • deanylev on 15/03/2016 - 18:07

      Chuck an HD 5450 in here or something similar, and you've got a great little media box. For me it'd be perfect, as everything is streamed from my server, so very little of the processing load would be on this box.

      • mr kindface on 15/03/2016 - 18:57
        +1

        wouldn't a little android stick be cheaper + smaller + loads more efficient? Especially if you don't need local storage on it

        • deanylev on 15/03/2016 - 19:10
          +1

          Those first 3 points are correct, but I find all of those Android boxes/sticks (at least from what I've used) absolutely awful. For people wanting to play their own content, this makes way more sense, and a lot of people would appreciate the extra functionality of a computer. In for a penny, in for a pound, otherwise a Chromecast makes more sense in terms of that functionality.

        • Agret on 16/03/2016 - 11:31

          @deanylev: What about a Windows 10 HDMI stick?

        • deanylev on 16/03/2016 - 18:09

          @Agret: I've heard some of them have issues, but sure, if you don't need local storage and buy a decent one that'd work great. Only thing is, I believe they're quite expensive.

    • cdaddy on 15/03/2016 - 18:11

      Skyrim

  • akd on 15/03/2016 - 17:53

    I agree with Make it so.
    I have similar desktop from Dell (ex-lease) and it came with Windows 7 DVD. I upgraded to Windows 10 on that machine but unable to use that Windows 7 or 10 on any other pc. So I will also be interested to know if we can use included Windows on any other machine.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/03/2016 - 18:01

      The Windows 10 free upgrade isn't transferable. That said, there are ways around it, but you won't end up with a legit licensed copy as per MS' terms.

    • rayski57 on 15/03/2016 - 18:03
      +1

      The DVD that came with the PC will be locked to the Brand (& possibly Model) it shipped with, not to the specific PC.
      The license gets more interesting - see my comments above

      • Make it so on 15/03/2016 - 18:11

        It will have a SLIC 2.1 code inside the bios, combined with a Dell-specific OEM manufacturer's certificate which is pre-installed. This is how Windows could be pirated in an undetected manner for Vista and Win 7 (not that I would know about such things :) )
        So yeah, but it's still not legal to transfer.

        • rayski57 on 15/03/2016 - 18:22

          A lot more techie than I wanted to get in this forum, but yes you are correct.

        • Agret on 15/03/2016 - 18:58

          SLIC is for automatic activation of the preinstalled OEM license. If you use the product key on the side/base of the PC then it will activate no problems on another PC. It's just the product key you can recover from the PC using something like produkey that you can't transfer without modifying a BIOS to insert the Dell SLIC certificates.

  • rowshow on 15/03/2016 - 17:55

    HDMI out? HTPC maybe? Not sure if those specs would run 1080 very well though

    • StevieRay on 15/03/2016 - 18:02
      +2

      Has DisplayPort. Can always get a DisplayPort to HDMI Converter

  • vorsprung on 15/03/2016 - 17:57

    Hardly a bargain.

  • BruOz on 15/03/2016 - 18:12
    +1

    Hello all
    1st post, I have three of these computers that my kids use to browse the web (including YouTube and abc iview), play video games off the web and also play video games installed on the pc, such as F1 Race Stars, Lego Marvel SE, Minecraft. It's not for serious gaming, but I have even tried Photoshop CS6, and it works OK.

    • Make it so on 15/03/2016 - 18:14

      It's "ok", but it is outspec'ed by a cheap Chinese Windows 10 tablet of around the same price, both in terms of performance and connectivity.

      • magic8ballgag on 15/03/2016 - 18:48
        +1

        Please provide us all with a link to said tablet.

        • Make it so on 15/03/2016 - 18:57
          -2

          here you go
          Around the same price, better performance, same RAM. Note that I specifically looked for a tablet with HDMI, so that it could be used as pc by hooking it up to a monitor :)

        • Agret on 15/03/2016 - 19:00

          @Make it so: Better performance? No way man, the Atom x5 is not even half as good as the E7500 at single threaded tasks

          http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-E5700-vs-Intel-Atom-x5…

        • magic8ballgag on 15/03/2016 - 19:02
          +2

          @Make it so:

          You can't really compare the two.

          Firstly, Atom processors are not fun, and with half the processing power, hardly comparable to the one in the OptiPlex.

          Secondly, RAM in the Dell is up-gradable, and can be done so quite cheaply with second-hand sticks.

          Other then that, hardware-wise I would pick Dell any day over the hardware that would come with that ramen-noodle paperweight.

          Plus most people would use the desktop PC as a media centre or second/third PC for their kids, so they both have different uses.

      • figarow on 15/03/2016 - 18:51
        +1

        It's "ok", but it is outspec'ed by a cheap Chinese Windows 10 tablet

        This thread is not about tablets, how can you compare two different items? Someone in the market for a PC is not looking for a tablet instead. Both have completely different uses.

        • Make it so on 15/03/2016 - 18:58

          That's not the point. My point is that you could buy a tablet and use it for the same functional purpose. And actually, more people are starting to do this (using the same device for tablet and workstation).

        • figarow on 15/03/2016 - 19:01

          @Make it so: Sure but that is not an argument against this deal. Compare to other PC prices…

        • weesals on 15/03/2016 - 19:15

          @figarow: His argument seems valid to me. Just super glue the power cord into the tablet, cover the screen, and attach 5kg of weights to it, and its just like a real PC.

        • figarow on 15/03/2016 - 19:21
          +2

          @weesals: Not even close to being valid.

    • tonyjzx on 15/03/2016 - 18:16
      +3

      They work fine. You'd surprised how many household name companies use these machines as general purpose boxes running Win7 Office PS SAP and whatever enterprise apps out there.

      Usually just 4GB ram E8400 w/ 160-250Gb hdd. They do fine for web and whatever.

  • freddofrog42 on 15/03/2016 - 18:24
    +1

    I've bought and put to great use 4 of these exact PCs for basic office and POS purposes, albeit from a different supplier. Mine however did have 4G of RAM installed which will help but again I've got another brand of a similar spec running with 2G and it's fine with Windows 10.

    ALL came with a Windows 7 Pro sticker which activated and all were able to upgraded to Windows 10 Pro. Once you have established that a particular machine is activated with W10 32-bit you can do a clean W10 64-bit install. In theory the Windows 7 keys will work with a clean install directly but at the time I chose to activate under 7.

    Basically, they work great for office purposes and if you want to add a little zip then throw in a 120G SSD. You will however need to leave the cooling fan in place under the HDD caddy as this is part of the cooling system and will throw error codes if you unplug it.

    The only drivers you'll need for W10 are Intel AMT and Audio (use and latest Dell version, extract and install manually).

  • cycleri3 on 15/03/2016 - 18:28

    Would make a good router I guess. But for that I'd want something a bit low powered in terms of Wattage use.

    • retiredfeline on 15/03/2016 - 18:36
      +1

      Overkill in terms of CPU power, and power consumption, unless you're building a company firewall.

  • bargaino on 15/03/2016 - 18:29
    +7

    Note that these ship from China

    I'm seeing local stock on eBay for $89 del, or with 4GB instead of 2GB, for the same price shipped.

    http://www.ebay.com.au/bhp/dell-optiplex-780

    Sorry, no deal.

    • vorsprung on 15/03/2016 - 19:21

      My thoughts exactly.
      Somehow they managed to sell out?
      That's how advertising works I suppose, people get excited and don't look around too much.

  • figarow on 15/03/2016 - 18:45
    -2

    Operating System: Windows 7 Pro
    Ram: 2GB DDR

    Even for Internet usage this ammount of ram will be slow. If you have thoughts of running apps while surfing understand this setup will be very slow.
    I would prefer to see another option 4GB DDR and no Windows for a slightly cheaper price, maybe $100? Then people can either put XP on it or better yet linux :)

    • greenie4242 on 15/03/2016 - 19:20
      +4

      Slow for what? Gaming or CAD maybe. Only one of my machines has more than 2GB, and most have only 1GB. They all race along. If you can't get by with 2GB RAM for office work you probably have your computer set up wrong. My wife won't let me swap her 2004 model laptop to a newer one as she's perfectly happy with it, as it does absolutely everything she needs. It plays YouTube, opens websites as fast as the website loads, runs Office, prints, opens PDFs. My mother runs a business with a 2006 laptop and she absolutely won't let me touch it apart from updates and maintenance, as she loves the keyboard, the buttons are all in the right place and it has a 4x3 screen, something nearly impossible to buy these days. It does absolutely everything she needs and more. How exactly would adding more memory help them?

      I can understand gamers, 3D animators video editors, or people who want to open twenty tabs in Chrome wanting more than 2GB, but please stop spreading this wrong idea that everybody needs massive amounts or RAM. It's NOT true.

      • figarow on 15/03/2016 - 19:43

        Slow for what? Gaming or CAD

        Yes very slow for these and many other memory intense apps.

        Only one of my machines has more than 2GB, and most have only 1GB. They all race along.

        One man's trash is another man's treasure.

        If you can't get by with 2GB RAM for office work you probably have your computer set up wrong.

        Didn't mention not getting by. It will work fine but most of us like speed and things to happen quickly in this instant gratification world.

        My wife….perfectly happy

        Awesome.

        I can understand gamers, 3D animators video editors, or people who want to open twenty tabs in Chrome

        It's more people than you think. At any point in time average joe can have 5-30 tabs open in any browser, or decide to install and start using gimp to edit images etc. This average Joe might like to edit his home movie before uploading it to youtube also. The bottleneck of this system is the ram which is a cheap enough upgrade. After that the hard drive. Average people don't always just look at facebook, although some do :(

        but please stop spreading this wrong idea that everybody needs massive amounts or RAM. It's NOT true.

        Your massive is my minimum requirement for today's internet experience. I understand where you are coming from though, we can all get by with 2GB.

        • bargaino on 15/03/2016 - 19:55
          +1

          I'm with greenie. While more is better, 2GB is still a lot for standard web browsing or word processing. And 1GB is plenty for a HTPC.
          I remember when 8 mega-bytes was a high-end CAD workstation, so it all depends on how bloated your software is.

          I upgraded SWMBO's chromebook from 2GB to 8GB, and was informed there was no observable difference :-(
          Windows may benefit more. Especially without adblocking.

        • figarow on 15/03/2016 - 20:03

          @manic:

          it all depends on how bloated your software is.

          More importantly how bloated the operating system is. Windows is bloated, yes Windows 7 was a major improvement and likely their best OS. Two machines with the above specs running side by side the Windows will be noticeably sluggish compared to the other pc running Linux. Sorry that is just how it is. Although reverting back to say Windows XP should notice a speed increase with 2GB config.

        • greenie4242 on 15/03/2016 - 20:28
          +1

          Your massive is my minimum requirement for today's internet experience.

          Hahaha… you're doing well backing up my point. Your statement reminds me of a client of mine who deliberately hobbled his worker's computers, because when he installed newer, faster computers, he found all they were doing was wasting time all day watching cat videos on YouTube or stuffing around on Facebook. They didn't get any work done. We ended up configuring his router to limit traffic to those websites sites to a crawl, and immediately productivity went up. Their old computers were too slow to play YouTube clips, so no worries back then.

          I just remembered another example where more RAM is WORSE. I was given four 1GB DIMMS from an old server and thought I'd surprise my Dad by putting them in his computer, upping his RAM from 1GB to 5GB. This was back in 2006, so they were fairly large numbers back then. He called a few days later and instead of being happy his computer was running faster, he was angry because it now took two and a half minutes to start up instead of about 30 seconds, and it took nearly 10 minutes to hibernate. The computer had to check all that memory when starting up, and write all that 5GB to disk every time it hibernated. He was furious as he just likes to turn the computer on and use it, not wait around all day. None of the things he did were faster, but the important things to him were far slower. Removed the RAM, he was happy again.

        • bargaino on 15/03/2016 - 20:46

          @greenie4242:

          Their old computers were too slow to play YouTube clips

          Thats hard to imagine. What were they? Pentium II running Windows 2000?

        • Lafrin on 15/03/2016 - 21:16

          @greenie4242: Please stop telling us about what you did 10 years ago, these are no longer problems and the few things from Figarow's opening comment were completely valid. You and your relatives have different requirements for computers than Fig and many others. You can make your point, but don't needlessly attack someone.

      • TilacVIP on 16/03/2016 - 07:24

        Your wife and your mother are in the minority who don't know better and have the patience to put up with 5 minute boot ups, web browsers taking 2 minutes to fully load and apps taking a **** load of time to start. They must have nerves of steel.

        For the modern day user who wants a faster response, those specs would end up putting you in a mental institution for anger management.

  • Lief on 15/03/2016 - 20:39
    +4

    If anyone's still interested this has more RAM and is cheaper

    • figarow on 15/03/2016 - 20:42

      Nice find double the ram and E8400 could be a better cpu also.

      • TilacVIP on 16/03/2016 - 07:28
        +2

        Have one of these with 4GB RAM and a 320MG Gigabyte GeForce 8800GTS with an older 2004 WD 200GB drive.

        Surprisingly for this hardware it runs quite well. Throw in maybe a cheapish 60GB SSD and this will perform well enough for most basic stuff for the masses.

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